As summer keeps heating up, get excited about some new findings in the technology world that could include talking Wi-Fi!
Convincing Old-School Teachers to Go New School
If you’re a parent with a child enrolled between kindergarten and high school, you’ve probably heard some rumblings about the need to expand EdTech use in schools. If you’ve then thought to yourself ‘that’s so true,’ you’re definitely not alone. In the modern world of education, there are those educators, schools and districts who passionately believe that kids should have everyday access to educational technology and use it to develop their skills in class. And, unfortunately, there are those teachers who firmly oppose new styles.
Convincing stubborn teachers to give a new method a shot is an understandably daunting task, especially for parents, but it is one that, if done correctly, can be executed and improve their classes. One of the first things to do is organize training sessions to teach the teachers. Sure, they’re as wise as anyone you’ve ever met, but if they don’t know how to use tech products, how could they teach their students with them? They can be formal sessions with professional training, or if any parents want to volunteer their knowledge, that could work too!
For the integration to be implemented completely and, more importantly, effectively, all faculty members must be actively involved. Break down the process for them into less intimidating steps so they can gradually work into a transition away from something they have known for so long. It starts with educating them—both on how to use EdTech products as well as the bounty of positive outcomes that exposure to them will have on their students. They will begin to be persuaded and (hopefully) decide to give it a try on their own. When implementing what you have discussed into practice, encourage teachers to be as innovative as possible when searching for lessons or projects to try with students and their tech tools and then come back to reevaluate the situation. If the educator feels it is something they can work at and improve throughout the year, then there’s no reason not to continue. If not, more training or a reconsideration might need to take place.
Talking Wi-Fi could be on the Way
There's been talk about scientists possibly developing a technology that will allow hundreds of millions of people to charge their mobile phones simply by connecting them to Wi-Fi. With the (almost) universal Wi-Fi connection Google has been rumored to be working on, this could potentially be huge. Now, there may be another Wi-Fi-related breakthrough coming from the technology world and it involves communication between the networks we desperately seek when we need a connection.
According to reports, Wi-Fi-enabled devices will likely soon be able to swap tiny messages when they detect each other, which will make it easier for users to connect with only those that they are interested in. The idea behind it is to provide users with an enhanced wireless experience and doing so by relying a lot on their location. Two examples that were given are letting users search the nearby area for other players to compete with in a multi-player game or alerting a user when they walk by a store that is having a sale.
The best part? This proposed system should not use too much battery life! It’s designed to run in the background, but reports indicate that it could do so much more efficiently than the Wi-Fi networks we use now. Unfortunately, due to waiting on software implementations to take effect, the service is not available yet, but could launch by the end of the year.
Some Great Suggestions for Makerspace Tools
A lot of makerspace creation has to do with finding the time, space and money to set one up for your class of afterschool program. Once you obtain the funds and clean out that old back room, however, you’re well on your way to helping enhance STEM for kids. The last question: what tools do you introduce into their making?
There are definitely some valuable as well as practical EdTech tools that work extremely well in a school makerspace and are not difficult to procure. One of the best is a 3D printer. Whether it’s MakerBot or any other brand, kids learn how to load filament, program the specs and interactively print their own projects right before their eyes. With no limits to what they can print, children greatly increase their creativity while working together in the makerspace.
If you want to go a different route, try Makey Makey to get kids thinking about beginner programming. Students can create their own unique and functional tools by transferring conductivity to everyday objects, such as a whiteboard eraser or a pencil case while they learn cause and effect as well as other important STEM skills. Or, if you can afford it, Chromebooks are an extremely valuable tool in a modern classroom as they can support many programs and offer kids access to a wide variety of STEM-related websites that they can use at home or at school. Of course, every school and every students is different, so some might respond better to certain products than others, but keep these suggestions in mind and you should have an easy time getting your makerspace off the ground in the fall!
Using Video in Flipped Learning
One of the best ways for any teacher to totally flip their classroom is to regularly slide in beneficial videos for students to view and interact with. Not only can these videos contain valuable learning information, but students are far more likely to engage than if they were reading aloud from a textbook. If you take the right steps, it’s easy to minimize the hassle of providing and projecting video in your smart classroom.
Teachers can use this method of blended learning to show almost any kind of video imaginable—from a scientific documentary to an interactive vocabulary lesson. The first step is often deciding which videos to share. Of course, try to tie it back to the lesson of the day—as a teacher you’ll probably instantly have some ideas of topical videos that will supplement your words. Then, be sure to preview your video before showing it to the class. You don’t want any technical difficulties while the spotlight’s on you, but more importantly, you must make sure that the content is relevant and appropriate.
After that, feel free to make use of any one of the many Web-based EdTech tools to customize your videos by trimming, eliminating ads or adding your own narration. One helpful tip is to keep the video length limited to the age of your students (nine minutes for 9-year-olds). At the end, and perhaps most importantly, insert interactive and well-thought-out questions to get the students thinking critically. Open-ended questions are a great way to start group discussions for the remainder of the class period or the rest of the week. Enjoy!
3D Printing Filament Dissolves in Water
There has been another revolution in the world of 3D printing—one that could make it easier for makers to print any objects they conceive. Newly developed water soluble filament—which dissolves away when you add a little bit of water—has been brought to life and could greatly help those who often print more complex structures with their 3D printers. The product was developed by 3D systems and seems to have a future in the industry.
The filament is designed to remove supporting structures in larger printed objects to minimize weight and ensure necessary parts remain intact after completion. This should prove to be a huge time saver, especially when trying to maneuver around intricate projects. The filament is non-toxic and you can simply flush it down the toilet once it’s safely removed.
Its non-permanent nature allows users to be fully sure that it’s been entirely removed from the structure, but just to be sure, soak it for as long as you see necessary. There are filament cartridges available now for $49 or $99 depending on the size of your 3D printer and should be usable for about a year, according to its manufacturers. The phrase “just add water” has never been more appropriate.