Let Their Minds Soar

Let your students’ minds soar as they think about newly evolving technologies. You might start with 3-D printing and interactive holograms, since these technologies are not only coming into the school market but also inspire dreams of the future. 3-D printers can make plastic objects and yummy chocolates, and even build new human bone.  MIT Technology Review reports that “the world’s first 3-D printed battery” and a “bionic ear” have been created. The “ear” was for demonstration purposes only, but 3-D or additive printing gives glimpses into what may be possible in years to come.  As for interactive holograms, introduce your students to the possibilities shown on zSpace. The zSpace Science Station, for example, features a 3D virtual holographic system for subjects such as biology, earth science, and chemistry. —And that’s not all programmers are doing with zSpace.

The need is great for us to encourage our students to learn to think “outside the box” so that they can be innovators of the future. Already Silicon Valley and other tech communities throughout our nation are worried about finding innovators who can envision products that will help us all.

AllerMates & Medimates: Safeguarding Children

The AllerMates & MediMates site features information, puzzles, and activities to help children understand allergies and medical conditions. There’s the N’Silin Brothers to target childhood diabetes, Prefessor Wheatly to discuss gluten free options, Puffer who takes on asthma, N.Nutty for peanut allergies, Bizzy for bee stings, and more.  There’s also a store with wristbands, dogtags, and other products that alert others to children’s medical conditions.

TED Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing

Take the tour of TED Ed to see how you can use videos that are on the Internet to create super lessons.  On the site, you can also look at lessons others have created, and if you think you can use them in your courses, you can change them to fit your students and your curriculum. Lessons are listed by category such as mathematics, health, literature and language, social studies, and science and technology. Some of those that are called “Best Flips” or exceptional lessons featured are: Atoms from A to Easy!, Pi with Pies, The Secret to Rising Sea Levels, The Dawn of Art, and What is Nano?

Getting Kids Moving with Sqords

It’s like a pedometer, but not exactly, and sort of like Fitbit, Nike+FuelBand, and Jawbone Up products. This device, known as a Sqord, is designed for kids. Although, it’s not on the market yet, it is being tested by kids, who wear the Sqord PowerBands like a watch. Called one-part game platform, one-part social network, and one-part fitness tracker, the Sqord is like a smart, virtually indestructible pedometer. It tracks action, not just steps, doesn’t need recharging, and comes in great kid-friendly colors. All kids need to do is to swipe their Sqord over a sync station to input their action score. Online, they can compare their score with others, send messages from the Sqord library, and get rewards for their success. According to an NBC News study, children using Sqords didn’t want to stop moving. Schools, like Patrick Henry Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, are discovering the same thing.

Follow Edutopia Pins

Looking for ideas related to geography, ePals, life in China, using Skype in the classroom, or understanding cultures? Try Edutopia’s Pinterest pinboard Around The World. Or how about information on edible schoolyards, project-based learning, design, art integration, technology, and loads of other topics?  There are 82 pins so far on the Students Like Tech board, some of which include information about using games for learning, tech tools with feedback for students, ultra cool educational sites, teaching with tablets, back-to-school apps, and where we are in digital learning. Other Pinboards target Common Core, school supplies, mobile classrooms, careers, Halloween, reading lists,  . . .

Have You Tried Coursera?

To keep up-to-date with teaching and learning, take a look at the courses offered through Coursera. They’re free, and they’re taught by some of the best professors in the world. You learn at your own pace while watching videos, engaging in interactive practice, self-testing, using feedback, and monitoring your own progress. Some of the courses offered this winter and spring include: E-Learning and Digital Cultures (University of Edinburgh); Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application (Georgia Institute of Technology), General Game Playing (Stanford University), The Ancient Greeks (Wesleyan University), A New History of China (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), and A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior (Duke University).

Engineer Girl Essay Competition

Girls in Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 may enter the 2013 Engineer Girl Essay Competition. This year, the topic centers on advances in medicine brought about through engineering. Students entering the competition should focus on one of the following medical problems: heart disease, stroke, influenza and other respiratory infections, Emphysema (or COPD), and Diarrhea.  Exact topics and word lengths for essays vary according to grade level.  Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. (EST) on March 1, 2013. Cash awards are given to first, second, and third place winners in each category.

Sending Instagrams—by the Blind Film Critic

With an iPhone 4S and its accessibility settings, Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, is able to send Instagrams. You’ll appreciate the video he created, which is proof that the dynamic Edison doesn’t let this disability stand in his way. It shows how those who are blind or have poor vision are able to use the iPhone and its options. For additional information about Edison, go to the Assistive Technology Blog, which features information about ways technologies are helping those with disabilities.

If you have students in your classes with physical and/or learning disabilities, be sure to see if the accessibility options on your digital devices will be of help to them. Look for vision and hearing settings along with guided access, assistive touch, etc. On iPhones and iPads, you’ll find the Accessibility area by going to System and looking under General.

WE are Teachers Grants & Contests

The We are Teachers site includes a list of competitions, contests and grants for teachers and schools. You’ll want to visit the site often to find competitions, contests, or grants that are right for you. Currently listed are events with deadlines in late November and early December 2012.  These are: Stand Tall: “One Brave Thing” Pinterest Contest, Sharps $100,000 sweepstakes, Be Tobacco Free Sweepstakes, Staff Development for Educators Sweepstakes; and Be an HP Academy All-Star sweepstakes.

Zombie Breath

Let parents of your students know they can get Halloween-night coupons for free copies of the Plants vs. Zombies video game.  The game, from the American Dental Association and PopCap Games, combines Halloween fun with learning about dental health. The price for the game is usually $19.99, but with the coupon code and if claiming between October 30 and November 10, 2012, it is free. The “Stop Zombie Mouth” site, where the coupons are available, also features freebies such as coloring pages, wallpapers, Halloween masks, and Halloween party invites. Parents will find tips for babies, kids, and adults, and a quiz to test the quality of oral hygiene.