This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)

Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!).jpgThis Week in the Classroom I’m going to explore a variety of design challenges that I use in my classroom. I designed each of these projects to prompt students to explore the engineering design process, learn basic scientific concepts, such as forces and loads on structures, learn executive functioning and soft skills, and develop presentation skills in a variety of media. These projects are designed to be super flexible in practice. I can extend these projects, compress the time, develop thematic elements. None of these projects use expensive materials or electronics. Some of these project briefs I use nearly every year, in nearly every course. They are simply that good.

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Teacher Resources: TEDTalks on Education

The TED Talks started in the 1980’s as a Silicon-Valley conference focused on software, technology and design.  Now, it’s the destination for smart hipsters and brilliant researchers, visionaries and experimenters to express their passions and become the circus attraction.  I’ve been watching a few of these talks on and off for a year or so.  I don’t have a TV, and these guys are the closest I get to PBS.  While I’ll send you over to their site, http://www.ted.com, know they are on hulu too. On the off-chance the conference is still around when I become a famous and confident … Continue reading Teacher Resources: TEDTalks on Education