As an educator, I have always been passionate about literacy and have continued to seek out new learning. My literacy thinking has been refined as I’ve read books by Regie Routman, Donalyn Miller, Boushey and Moser, Richard Allington, Fisher and Frey, and now Jennifer Allen. Becoming a Literacy Leader is a goldmine of a book […]
Jean Piaget stressed that “children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves, and each time that we try to teach them something too quickly, we keep them from reinventing it themselves.” (Papert, 1999). As I continue to collaborate with makers and educators around the world, I like many before me see patterns preventing progress. Programs and strategies often talk of innovation and creativity, but fail to create systems and processes to provide a sustained action. Unfortunately, many are missing the mark. Makerspaces can serve as a disruptive change agent that can encourage diverse learners to create, invent, and in effect develop new knowledge.
During the last few months, I have had the opportunity to collaborate and coach a Navajo school located in northern Arizona through an Indigenous Makerspace Outreach program coordinated by NASA, the Indigenous Education Institute, the University of North Texas, and myself. Ideas on integrating a makerspace approach continue to take shape, which began in 2012 with a joint ISTE and NASA Multiscale Magentosphere curriculum initiative. I had an idea that I developed through my PLN that took traction. I collaborated with Sandra Wozniak, Tom Chambers, and Troy Cline on a STEAM approach that utilized 4 career stations. That STEAM approach was revamped through four separate NASA and state funded programs to include multiple STEAM camps in Texas and other locations around the world, a NASA Makerspace Launch activity in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA funded Makers’ Guild professional development outreach program located in north Texas, and now a NASA funded Indigenous Makerspace Outreach program. With each new program and idea, our makerspace project-based learning process grew.
Students and the entire Navajo school staff have read Sunpainters: The Eclipse of the Navajo Sun. After reading the story, students identify main ideas and concepts. Annelle Butler, a teacher at Spicer elementary located in north Texas helped me to revamp this concept to include a focus on complex text. Ms. Butler serves a very diverse student population, with over 14 languages represented in her classroom last year. Makerspace served to help Ms. Butler meet the needs of diverse learners. Students complete a KWHL chart to identify main ideas and themes.
A Navajo cultural teacher working with me, has weaved Navajo teachings into literacy activities to center on an understanding of K’e – The Kinship System. After developing a strong understanding of content, students then extend research as they fulfill a makerspace project based learning activity using challenge cards. After making an artifact, students will write and reflect on their makerspace design process, utilize informational text, and add content to their personal journals.
The concept of making using a purposeful instructional design, can help diverse learners bridge the academic gap between the arts and the sciences. How does a purposeful design help? Purposeful design adds a focus to the design process, which aides in students knowing how to direct student-led passion projects.
Such a process is rooted in research, but often schools fail to understand the importance of purposeful design. It serves to provide enrichment toward classroom content centering around a central question. In this case, students are posed with the following question.
How does elements in the Sunpainters: Eclipse of the Navajo Sun represent K’e?
I worked with teachers during two online professional development training using Zoom and a face to face 3 hour training. Traditional Navajo beliefs center on the elements. The sun and moon are powerful deities in Navajo culture. The sun controls and regulates the universe, while the moon controls and regulates the earth. As a result, we will be honoring traditional beliefs indoors during this sacred time. Afterwards, students will participate on a makerspace event to reflect on activities during the last week through the lens of a scientist, journalist, artist, and engineer. Students will be presented several challenge card activities and will be encouraged to create their own makerspace challenge card. A representative of challenge cards are located below.
Students will showcase makerspace products in multiple community events during the next month. The program serves to be a model to other organizations. Teachers will continue to learn how to design makerspace challenge cards with me throughout the school year. In addition, students will reflect in writing journals on their design process. Additional activities will include weaving, sash belt looms, and other traditional Navajo arts.
Papert, S. (1999). Papert on piaget. Time magazine, (p. 105).
Anyone involved in public education knows that summers are full of opportunities for educators to embrace professional learning. Educators and leaders are surrounded with many avenues to model life-long learning. No longer do we have to wait for PD to come to us. This year I had the opportunity to connect and grow my PLN for an entire two months. For the first time in five years, I was not enrolled in graduate courses or completing a dissertation, free to just learn about any topic of interest and connect. I attended multiple conferences to include Texas ASCD Ignite, ISTE, Denton’s TIA, and immersed myself with exploring content in multiple museums, even visiting the Library of Congress to research the upcoming solar eclipse. Certain themes emerged this summer during my adventure.
With so many makerspace, STEM, and STEAM apps, and instructional approaches available to organizations and teachers, choices and program approaches can become overwhelming. It was exciting to see so many great project-based learning approaches centered around storytelling. Many schools are combining storytelling with gaming. For example, it was cool to see how students really engaged with Minecrafting a Colonial City. I liked the following process used toward incorporating digital storytelling with core curriculum.
Lewisville ISD has incorporated a mobile transportation lab, a collaborative unit, serving 70 libraries and STEAM labs. This provides an introduction to educators and students toward creative learning technology approaches. I visited NASA’s STEM Innovation Lab at Goddard Space Center and I was inspired by the many uses of the 3D printer. Learners of all ages were inspired to learn using 3D printed models, which encourages me to continue producing curriculum and 3D printing training programs.
Eric Schlesinger always inspires. He recently provided a keynote at Denton TIA in which he reminded us that transparency really does matter. I have been a heavy user at times of social media, blogging, and at times have had to unplug. Often those whom are very plugged in are criticized for bragging. However, Eric reminds us that branding your story isn’t only ok, it is necessary toward being transparent and building trust. In fact, telling your story connects learning to stakeholders. He reminded us of the importance of being transparent and consistent with our posts. During the last two years, I had dropped my professional blog posts. After hearing him speak last week, I decided to pick up my blog and begin consistently posting once a week. Hopefully, this exercise will increase my ability to communicate digital learning and cognitive science approaches to all stakeholders. Change does not come from opinions. Change is brought about by the examples we set and our reactions toward others.
It is important to remember that the teacher makes the difference! It was very inspiring to see how teachers at WELD Re-4 School District deliver a creative conference in which students, business leaders, and educators provide professional learning sessions to the entire community. A result of this program included a new scholarship program, innovations scholarships, which are provided toward students who demonstrate quality interactive student showcases.
The final takeaway for this summer is that true learning is FUN! I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to learn and connect with so many around the world. This is going to be an amazing school year!
This week I had the privilege of learning, collaborating, and leading discussions in Denton, Texas at the 3rd annual LoneStar Technology Integration Academy. Dublin ISD brought 9 teachers to share on how Dublin is attempting to integrate technology to increase performance. From the experience, many were inspired to hear our teachers sharing best practices, lessons learned, and integration approaches being utilized in a K12 CSCOPE environment. I was very proud of our teachers, who took a step forward to become a leader. Many were inspired. In fact, one district left ready to purchase iPods to replicate Dublin Elementary approaches. Biggest take aways were as follows.
Dublin ISD teachers shared on the following topics:
The value of instructional design and consideration as to how value is determined is a real issue and affects all levels of instruction. As I work towards becoming an expert in the field of instructional design, I realize skill sets needed will include the following: the ability to find solutions, new resources, and applications to real world scenarios, analyze information from diverse viewpoints, critical thinking, and flexibility. After reading Dr. Barbara A. Bichelmeyer’s study, I tend to agree that instructional deign and the field of information science is iinterdisciplinary by nature. However, the need to understand how to analyze information and contribute knowledge and organizations will need quality experts to assist in IDT.
The effectiveness of instruction and quality of teaching must be addressed and modeling will be necessary for me to be successful in this field. In addition, I think it is important to be an active learner and contributor for organizations and institutions to further the cause of increasing the effectiveness of instructional design. Learning experiences must be meaningful and researching and finding new approaches, ideas, and methods of evaluation will be areas of research that I will need to work towards. Also, understanding that change is part of improving the importance of instructional design. How do we react to change? How do we work towards producing positive change and participating in a movement to radically change the movement to using technology as an bridge or vehicle to give meaningful experiences to increase instruction.
Last summer I coordinated a challenge based learning technology integration 2 day training. The video created by educators participating emphasizes many of my viewpoints and attitudes towards 21st century learning approaches.
Dr. Jennifer Miller-Ray 