Presenter: Scott McLeod Location: Ames, Iowa, USA @mcleod
Presentation Description: Whenever any sort of change or innovation is discussed, the ‘Yes, but…’ objections are inevitable. However, instead of allowing those resistance points to dominate and defeat promising ideas, teachers and administrators can reframe opposition into possibility by asking the questions ‘Why not?’ and ‘How can we?’ Effective educators focus on adaptation, forward progress, and collective effort and efficacy. The ‘yes, buts’ dont do anything except keep us stuck. Too often we get mired in negativity and defeatism instead of recognizing that – both individually and collectively – we usually have the ability to do and be so much more than our current reality reflects. This keynote focuses on transformative leadership mindsets and features exemplary schools from around the world that are ignoring the ‘yes, buts’ to make amazing things happen for children and youth.
Presenter: John Umekubo Location: Pacific Palisades, CA, USA @jumekubo
Presentation Title: Creator’s Studio
Presentation Description: Creator’s Studio is a 7th/8th grade elective course taught by John Umekubo, Director of Technology for St. Matthew’s Parish School. This video explores the essential elements of this course, from electronics, to mechanical motion, and robotics. Students work through these three modules before taking on their own personal project. Hear reflections from the instructor and students as you view a number of sample student projects.
Presenter: Dan Whisler Location: Sterling, KS @DanWhisler
Presentation Title: Energy 101: KidWind & the SHS Chevy Volt Project
Presentation Description: In this presentation I will use a presentation with videos imbedded to share how our energy-related projects combine STEM-related concepts in a PBL environment to help create a more student-centered learning experience. Real-life studies help make connections and create relevance for students. Through their study of these energy-related projects, students are exposed to environmental and economics lessons not possible simply by using a textbook. Videos will include me presenting background information (presentation) to help explain the projects along with videos of students working on various projects in the classroom to demonstrate the PBL approach being used.
Presenter: Harry Brake, Hay Chhoem, Alexandria Smith, Jack Little, Danielle J., Alexandra Salaman, Natalia Clarke Location: Mexico City, Mexico @RepentinoMag
Presentation Title: Social /Library Media Project Based Learning
Presentation Description: With incorporating the skills of a 21st Century Library and the activation of Social Media, armed with a collection of students wanting to make changes, project-based learning can soar above all expectations. By initiating a school-wide project through the magazine Repentino., students begin to use the tools of 21st Century Literacies to communicate with the worlds outside of their own country as well as within.
Through the power of showing that art is not ornamental, but fundamental to project-based learning, providing an arena for learning through the internet as well as in the real world, and implementing 21st Century skills as problem solving, creativity, analytical thinking, collaboration, communication, ethics, action, and accountability, these students show that the sky is the limit with the correct approach to education.
Additional Information:
In publishing the 2012-2013 Repentino, the second year of a renewed literary/art magazine, now reaching the world, students have learned the following: Inventing, creating, designing a Gala to promote this publication, creating organizational documents on Trello, Google Docs, Dropbox, Google Hangouts, and InDesign to move a project-based Initiative forward. In addition, students have created their own Google email attached to the magazine, worked through Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook to promote the magazine and continue to get the word out in promoting their magazine.
In doing so, the platform is being set to be a social and cultural influence on various cultures, to obtaining a better understanding of the needs of other cultures, through the vehicle of a magazine. This has been stage one, establishing a permanent foundation for the magazine, and phase two will be impacting social change with various cultures once a mass population is familiar with Repentino; ultimately using ART as the key component of communication through the above-mentioned tools will change the power of these students in the process.
Contacts for this project can be the below:
See above and also contact us at asflitmag@gmail.com
Presentation Title: Beaucoup de Cool Student Projects
Presentation Description: This presentation is about the year-long process that my math students undertook to create independent research assignments. Their projects unlocked their creativity, either artistic or mathematical, and the final products were as much about the students as they were about math.
Presentation Title: Project Based Learning in Hand
Presentation Description: Handheld computers are everywhere. From mobile phones to handheld games, it’s a very familiar sight to see people of all ages gazing into screens that they can hold. Schools are discovering that handhelds like iPod touch and iPad make great learning tools. In fact, handhelds can play a big part in Project Based Learning. Not only do projects motivate students because they use exciting handheld technology, but they also lend themselves to student voice and choice. Watch to be inspired to bring Project Based Learning into your classroom, learn strategies for creating effective Driving Questions, and see how an iOS handheld can play a role in the the planning, research/investigation, and presentation of projects.
Presentation Title: Digiteens: Digital Citizenship by Digital Teenagers
Presentation Description: Much of digital citizenship education focuses on adults compiling information to share with students, this method provides a framework for students to conduct authentic research with global partners on the aspects of digital citizenship and creation of action projects at their schools. This presentation’s goal is to: 1) demonstrate the efficacy of a project based approach to digital citizenship education, 2) provide insight into teen-mentoring of younger students, 3) effective coaching practices for teachers and educators wishing to encourage a project based learning approach to digital citizenship, 4) an overview of the aspects of digital citizenship salient to teenagers around the world and what they think the message of educators should be to their students, and 5) a concrete experience allowing students who have thoroughly researched this topic to share their thoughts with a global audience and engage in global discussion on this.
This is a compilation of student views, research, and beliefs as it relates to digital topics and how these should be taught in schools.
