What we are doing? Our STEM workshops are designed to provide an interactive and engaging experience to support classroom based science, technology, engineering and maths. A range of soft skills such as teamwork and communication complement the academic elements to give learners a comprehensive overview of this exciting area.
Enhancing student and teacher success through STEM education STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM education enhances student learning experiences through engaging curriculum that may include integration, inquiry and project-based learning. Students apply knowledge, deepen their understanding and develop high-order thinking skills within an authentic context, so they can fulfil future career aspirations that require STEM skills. To ensure the delivery of quality STEM education for all students: raising expectations and enhancing the quality of student learning in STEM fostering quality teaching and leadership in STEM innovative ways of delivering STEM education Actively engaging students in authentic and challenging STEM learning experiences, creating learning environments that foster innovation and creativity is fundamental to the success of STEM education in schools. Integrating STEM learning allows teachers to place a greater focus on the general capabilities of our syllabuses such as: critical and creative thinking, information and communication technology capability and personal and social capability.
The Value of Workshops and Continuing Education for Teachers A brick of workshops In order to become a truly great teacher, one must go beyond the textbook and attend workshops and ongoing education courses to truly master the practice. Good teachers become great teachers by going beyond the call of duty and beyond the textbook. To do this, he or she must continue their education. There are conferences, workshops, and continuing education that could give the teacher that extra help in technology for their students. There are online workshops, and classes that teachers could attend as well as on-site workshop and classes.
“What is GarageBand?”
GarageBand puts a complete music studio on your computer, so you can make your own music to share with the world. You can create songs, ringtones, and other types of projects in GarageBand. Create your own music projects GarageBand can unleash your musical creativity, no matter whether you’re a pro or a beginner. You can create a new project, and then add loops, record your voice or instrument, arrange and mix the project, and share the finished project with the world.
Wait!! Yes, you—you who absentmindedly clicked the link that led you here; realized that you were about to receive instruction regarding Apple’s affordable audio/music application; thought “Heck, I’m no musician, I think I’ll read about user permissions instead”; and now have your finger poised over the mouse button, trackpad clicker, or iOS screen that will whisk you elsewhere. You needn’t be a musician—trained or otherwise—to get some use out of GarageBand. In fact, the application was designed with nonmusicians (or the minimally musical) in mind. And best of all, no talent is required. So stick around, at least for the next couple of paragraphs, so you can learn what GarageBand can do for you.
The GarageBand interface We have to select some kind of track, so let’s select the first audio selection—the one that displays a microphone on a stand—and then click Create. The GarageBand interface appears in full force. It contains the control bar and a number of pane options, including the Library pane, the Tracks pane, and the Workspace pane. With GarageBand you don’t have to be able to play a lick to create musical scores for your movies. If you can place blocks end to end, you can use GarageBand’s loops to create a compelling score. You can also create your own ringtones from your favorite songs. You can edit any compatible audio file— not just music files but recordings you’ve made with your iOS device (of class lectures or business meetings, for example). And if you’d like to try your hand at playing guitar or piano, GarageBand includes introductory lessons for doing just that.
“How do you relay the awesomeness of your books to the world? ”
Book trailers are a brilliant way to bring books to life for audiences of all ages – and often encourage young readers to pick up a book they might not usually choose. Working with a large number of children’s publishers, we have brought you an edited selection of some of the best trailers available at the moment, which you can browse by age range. So sit back, relax and get ready to be inspired. We all know you can’t really judge a book by it’s cover, it’s a narrow and often ineffective way to represent an entire story, so how does a creative, motivated and talented writer transfer a story -that’s stuck in binder or fileto the public audience? How can a potential customer get a glimpse into the contents of the author’s book?
The answer is clear: You Create a Book Trailer Video.
There are several ways to use technology to engage students and enhance their literacy skills and one of them is through creating video book trailers. A book created with the help of a variety of digital tools that include : images, text, clips, voiceovers, recordings, and music.
Why include book trailers in your instruction?
Creating book trailers is a comprehensive learning task in which students get to experiment with different literacies. Book trailers is a good way to get reluctant readers to read Book trailers are good for those readers who find it hard to visualize what they read Book trailers are a good alternative for the traditional book reports.
Actionbound | Create your own scavenger hunt for mobile devices
Create mobile adventures and interactive guides for smartphones and tablets Take people on realworld treasure hunts and guided walks Actionbound is an app for playing digitally interactive scavenger hunts to lead the learner on a path of discovery. We call these multimedia based rallys 'Bounds'. The program quite literally augments our reality by enhancing peoples’ real-life interaction whilst using their smartphones and tablets. You can create a digital timeline of events or a places of interest tour, with the use of GPS coordinates and pre-placed codes and mysteries. Excellent for icebreaking exercises, historical or archaeological sites, or more simply presenting a vision for the future. Take full advantage of the huge potential of gamification with the BoundCreator's extensive game elements and tools like GPS locations, directions, maps, compass, pictures, videos, quizzes, missions, tournaments, QR codes and much more to create fun and exciting mobile app-based adventures.
Creative multimedia rally Do you like treasure hunts? Actionbound is a mobile application that combines the adventure of a treasure hunt with technology. This technique explains how to use Actionbound as a research tool to make research activities and learning experiences super fun. The bonus feature is that during the treasure hunt you can easily collect and systematize data.
Thanks to Instant Accounts, working with ActionBound will be even easier for students. Register themselves and give up personal information.
Collaborative learning will now be much easier thanks to Instant Accounts. With a teacher’s license you can create accounts for students, so they don't have to register themselves and give up personal information. Instant Accounts are linked to your accounts and all Bounds will be shown in your dashboard in a separate folder. Instant Accounts also use your Media Library.
“USING QR CODES IN THE CLASSROOM TO ENHANCE LEARNING”
Have you used QR Codes in the classroom yet? Do you have technology (like iPads, iPods, iPhones, or other smart phones) and internet access? QR Codes are simple to create, easy to implement, and open a world of independence for your students.
WHAT IS A QR CODE? A QR Code is very similar to a bar code. QR stands for Quick Response. The image consists of square dots in a unique configuration that provides information for the user. QR Codes can contain text, links (to web sites, videos, files), and much more. QR Codes are safe to use in the classroom, so there’s no worry about leading your students astray. Students only access what you tell them to via the QR Code.
WHY USE A QR CODE? There’s a number of reasons to use QR Codes, but for me, the main reason is that it’s easy to give students web addresses and allows them to be more independent. I’m all about automating and releasing responsibility to my students as much as possible. I want to be the facilitator of learning, but not the one who tells them all the answers.
WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED TO READ A QR CODE? Most classrooms use a QR Reader on a smart device (iPhone, iPad, etc.). There are a ton of QR readers available. My favorite for the classroom is Scan. It is easy for students to use and doesn’t include ads, which is perfect for the classroom. There’s a few QR Readers for desktops, but I haven’t used them, so you’ll have to do your own research on their effectiveness. These are the two that I found with a quick google search. Code Two QR Journal
PROVIDE ANSWERS SO STUDENTS CAN CHECK THEIR WORK Do you ever have time when you wish you could provide an answer key, but make it so students didn’t have immediate access to the answers? This is how! Create QR codes for the answers. Students need to use their device to find the answer to the problem after they’ve solved it. I have yet to really use QR Codes in this way, but I see a ton of teachers doing it successfully. Plus, it goes along with my level of usage so far, which is to use the QR Codes as a replacement for something.
“Plickers In The Classroom”
Plickers is an assessment tool made by a teacher who was looking for a quick and simple way to check student understanding. This assessment tool allows teachers to collect on-the-spot formative assessment data without the need to have students use devices or paper and pencil. Teachers can use this tool with previous planning or on the go as needed. This tool provides teachers with the data needed to inform their instruction. “It provides students with the opportunity to participate and engage in learning without feeling self-conscious.” (Plickers.com) It’s a data collection tool that’s helpful for teachers and fun for the students.
Plickers as a real-time formative assessment tool that teachers can use to enhance assessment of student learning. A different kind of classroom approach.
Pedagogical Ideas Plickers can be used in a variety of ways. Some ideas include the following: Live Responses - Many teachers project questions and answer choices on the board from the Live View tab of the website, give students a designated thinking time to problem-solve, and then countdown to a "show cards!" moment. Live View will update with student results in real-time, indicating which students' responses have been captured with a checkmark next to their names. Teachers can a lso choose to reveal which answer(s) were correct with the "Show Answer" button and even review class data from the "Graph" tab.
Instantaneous Feedback - Use Plickers for quick checks for understanding to know whether your students are understanding big concepts and mastering key skills. Critical Thinking – Plickers engages ALL students in critical thinking. It gives all students the chance to participate and engage in learning without feeling self-conscious. This format allows students to use their skills in a game-type setting. Assessments – Instructors have the opportunity to give pop quizzes and have them grading immediately. There is no concern for cheating or passing of questions/answers as the questions can be quickly edited. Attendance – Taking attendance is quick and easy with the tool and there is no fear of absentee responses nor signing in for another as each student has their own card.
“Augmented Reality in the Classroom �
Abbreviated as AR, Augmented Reality is a type of virtual reality that aims to duplicate the world's environment in a computer. An augmented reality system generates a composite view for the user that is the combination of the real scene viewed by the user and a virtual scene generated by the computer that augments the scene with additional information. The virtual scene generated by the computer is designed to enhance the user's sensory perception of the virtual world they are seeing or interacting with. The goal of Augmented Reality is to create a system in which the user cannot tell the difference between the real world and the virtual augmentation of it.
Create Magic in your Classroom Teachers, you and your students can create Augmented Reality Experiences without needing to write any code.
HPReveal is a FREE Augmented Reality Platform that is being used by thousands of teachers to build all kinds of interactive learning experiences for their classrooms.
WAYS TO USE AUGMENTED REALITY IN THE CLASSROOM AR
is quickly becoming mainstream. It is being used to display score overlays during sports
broadcast, in 3D emails, photos, and text messages, and even in some medical treatments. And, of course, it has made its way into the classroom! Here are a five ways to use augmented reality in the classroom. Aurasma – Already one of the most apps for teachers to bring AR into the classroom, the Aurasma app allows teachers to create their own “Auras” or AR experiences. Teachers can turn art or math class into an interactive experience with the help of tablets or smartphones. A student can scan a math equation, for example, and get an interactive learning experience. The opportunities are limitless!
Rodolfo Pinto Cubetto: A Wooden Robot That Teaches Toddlers How to Code
Cubetto, a little wooden robot from UK-based toy company Primo Toys, is designed to teach three- to six-year-olds basic programming logic with handson and screen-free play. Cubetto is designed to foster persistence and problem solving. Primo’s founders believe coding is the new literacy and should be introduced to young children the way they are taught reading. Cubetto aims to teach the ABCs of programming. Cubetto is essentially a storytelling device. He is the main character.
Cubetto is designed to be crosscurricular. It will fit well into a kindergarten or first grade curriculum, integrating easily into early mathematics and reading lessons. The additional maps and stories are great but not essential. Preschool teachers should be prepared to start slowly. Computational thinking might not come naturally to children under five, and they will need more time and support before they are ready for independent play.
Cubetto is a cross curricular early learning resource that helps young learners develop coding skills, problem solving, communication, and creativity through adventure and play. Made of tactile and hardwearing wood, Cubetto is a guide to the world of coding; screenless, friendly, and ready to play. Cubetto allows special needs students to engage in coding without a reliance on language, memory or working a computer interface. Each unique tile was designed with blind and low vision users in mind with clear tactile distinction. The button to activate the robot is a large with a clear feedback, built into the stable solid, grippy interface. Plus, feedback cues with sounds and lights reinforce the connection between each instruction and robot action. And Cubetto is adaptable too! Decorate, enhance, customize, have fun! Integrate Art into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math teaching for a genuinely STEAM teaching tool.
“How to do Virtual Reality workshops in Future Classroom Labs.�
Virtual Reality in the classroom Believe it or not, but several interesting VR applications (that can be used in education) are already available to you. For example, Google Expeditions is an impressive application that allows for social interaction during the experience. Through a WiFi connection, all students appear in the same virtual environment and experience the same content together. Simultaneously, the teacher can point out any important content of the environment with arrows by using a tablet connected to the VR experience. As such, the teacher is able to connect the educational material with the virtual environment.
Virtual Reality in the classroom, but how? A lot of teachers and educators we talk to turn out to be excited about the possibilities of Virtual Reality in the classroom. Seeing how impressive Virtual Reality experiences can be, we are not surprised by this. VR allows you to visit historical battles, active volcanos, constructions and archeological sites. With VR, you can study microorganisms, complex datasets or mathematical figures. For students of all ages, VR offers the ability to examine abstract educational material from a new and different perspective.
Augmented Reality in education and virtual reality in the classroom are great tools for teachers to give students a whole new perspective in their education. Augmented reality in the classroom often comes in the form of educational VR apps, QR Codes and Google Cardboard.
Design and construct with Virtual Reality Aside from ready-to-use VR applications, students can also utilise Virtual Reality as a tool to design with. Such a method of designing can prove very useful, especially for educational programs focusing on 3D-design. For example, students can present selfdesigned products to their clients in VR. Alternatively, students could, after creating structures in SketchUP or AutoCAD, visit and walk around in their own constructions. Yet another example would be the use of 360°-cameras to bring different professional practices directly into the classroom, allowing teachers to connect educational material with actual workplaces.
Jump on conclusions There are many things that we as educators can do to further our education and increase our ability and the ability of our students.
"Teachers are the first learners."
We have realized the importance of good leadership skills and exactly what that consists of. A good leader shows you what to do rather than telling you what to do, that is a dictator. Leadership skills include listening, communicating, experience, care and concern to and for your employees. We have found that these skills are not only important for good leadership, but life as well. We must invest in our career, as well as our personal and educational life. It is important for schools to understand that making a good investment in your employees will lead them to invest in you. To conclude, our goal as an educators and an educational leaders is to impart a passion for education within the classroom. We expect to provide an environment that is encouraging and positive for our students and staff. We hope to provide the skills and tools necessary for success and foster the talents of each individual. In doing this, we will give them the confidence to embrace their dreams and make them a reality. Once the students have moved on, they will remember us as a teacher who was genuinely concerned for them and their wellbeing. Once we have moved on and develop the school community and was always eager to mentor the children.