Code, Create, and Connect with Community

Code, Create, and Connect with Community.

All powerful aims for today's classroom. Yet the first two without the third leaves learning in a void.

It is exciting to see a renewed interest in Challenge Based Learning​ following last week's Leadership & Learning event put on by Apple's Community Engagement Initiative team.

During the Academy, educators and school leaders used the CBL framework to guide their work as they developed an app prototype to address a community challenge. 

Participants ENGAGEd in the Challenges presented by expert guest speakers, they INVESTIGATEd the issues by asking Guiding Questions, participating in Guiding Activities, and analyzing the results, and they ACTed by creating a solution in the form of an app prototype and sharing their work in a massive app showcase to gain feedback.

Even more importantly, educators thought about how they could transform their learning communities through Challenge Based Learning. 

 "We spend time on engagement, but engagement is fleeting. Ownership of the learning should be the goal."

For a supporting workshop we created the attached resource and we'd love to share it with others as well. It is an interactive hyperlinked presentation that only runs by tapping the images and icons on the slides. Download from the dropbox link, open in Keynote, click PLAY, and "choose your own adventure" through the wealth of curated resources and examples it contains. 

Herbert Spencer said, "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action." CBL allows us all to take action and make a difference. Join us for new and greater challenges to come!

                                        http://bit.ly/cblconsiderations

If I Were a Wizard: Coding for Littles... And More!

Last week, I was delighted to find this book delivered in my mailbox from Amazon. 

"If I Were A Wizard" (hardback) by Paul Hamilton

At first glance, it looks like another delightful children's book, doesn't it? In actuality, "If I Were a Wizard" by Paul Hamilton teaches readers young and old all about computational thinking and coding concepts. And it does this without intimidating terminology (and yet provides connections at the end).

When I talked with Paul this July at the 2018 Apple Distinguished Educator Institute, I was amazed by his humility. It struck a chord with me when he mentioned that humans are drawn to story, but true connections are made via characters. Thus he created Hazel. And Hazel is more than a beautiful mouse on the pages of the book or the digital swipes in iBooks. Hazel is a relatable comrade for all those who get to know her. Students can "meet" Hazel and experience her world through Augmented Reality with the free app Wizard AR. While exploring this magical world, teachers like Katie Gardner can capitalize on creative writing opportunities. Or simply enjoy an original title track performed by a beautiful young vocal wizard. Teachers can build closer relationships with Hazel by visiting the wizardcodingbook.com website and downloading the numerous free educational resources-- writing, math, art, and even more beyond just coding. It is clear to see that Paul has created more than just a coding book!

https://www.wizardcodingbook.com 

It is hard to debate the value in teaching coding concepts in today's primary classrooms. With "If I Were a Wizard" young children of all ages and backgrounds will be inspired to consider today's reality-- that they, too, can code.  And I will continue to be inspired by the author's dedication to education that matters. 

Challenge Based Learning: the momentum continues

What a summer for Challenge Based Learning!

In June during ISTE in Chicago, Challenge Based Learning celebrated its 10th anniversary with an event sponsored by Digital Promise and supported by Apple. The celebration was well attended, and stories were shared from the past decade of this important educational movement.

Photo credits for above photos: Dimitri Moore, Digital Promise Global

During the event, as stories were shared by Karen Cator, Katie Morrow, Marco Antonio Torres, Kayla Canario (Beardon Middle School), Mike Hoffman (Crane Elementary), and Mark Nichols, a new challenge was issued to all of us.

Big Idea: Community

Essential Question: How can we have a positive impact on our communities while learning?

Challenge: Create a positive and measurable change in your community!

Learn more at: https://cbl.digitalpromise.org/2018/06/25/big-idea-community/

How can we as ADEs and the greater education communities that we work with, continue the forward momentum? According to Marco Torres, we need to "CBL the crap out of everything you do. Be RELENTLESSLY curious, ask more “what if?” questions, and share broadly how you’re figuring things out."

Simple.

Photo credits for above photos: Dimitri Moore, Digital Promise Global

In July the WorldWide Apple Distinguished Educators Institute was held in Austin, TX. Challenge Based Learning played a pervasive role in ADE projects and collaborative creativity being put into action.

Shout to @afonso_sales Loved your Showcase. So great to see CBL being shared at Institute! #ade2018 #everyonecancreate #appleEDUchat #CBLworld #challengebasedlearning pic.twitter.com/pYQW81uRw5

— Adele Brice (@adelebrice) July 18, 2018

#everyonecancreate a project about collecting examples of CBL projects @AppleEDU #ade2018 #appleEDUchat #ade18 #elementsoflearning #cblworld #clips pic.twitter.com/CFMxBxPAH1

— Jason Milner-ADE (@JasonM_2) July 18, 2018

Midweek an impromptu "Expert Lab" was set up and ADEs were encouraged via Twitter to drop by and discuss CBL. Another great turnout ensued. Adam Brice​ led a sharing session and general discussion on infusing Challenges in our work as educators. Several ADE projects have already been publicly posted that incorporate CBL and aim to help it grow.

So, what's next? 

How can we support each other on the CBL Journey? As always, there exists a growing collection of resources available on challengebasedlearning.org. Case in point, this recent CBL Challenge centered on 360° Media Production.​ But what is missing? What do you and your students need to launch the school year with a Challenge or use the CBL Framework to guide deeper, more impactful learning for your greater learning community?

Please join in the conversation. 

What are you currently (or planning on) doing? What do you have to share from past CBL experiences? And what do you need to continue to take action and make a difference through Challenge Based Learning?

Let's continue the CBL momentum for another decade and beyond!

A decade of ADE lessons

Photo from Marco Antonio Torres

Yesterday marked exactly 10 years since this photo was taken: a decade of belonging to the Apple Distinguished Educator Community. In some aspects of my life 10 years is but a blink of the eye, but in terms of an educational movement and the passion to make a difference, 10 years is a sustainable force.

And a life-changing force that I don't take for granted.

This month I had the opportunity of attending my 11th ADE Institute-- the 2017 US ADE Academy held in Houston, Texas from July 17-20. During this it was easy to reflect on the lasting lessons I've learned as an ADE through a decade of experiences, a decade of nurtured growth, and most importantly a decade of perspective. These themes include:

• Relationships matter.
• To innovate, you need to create.

  Clipspiration: Quick Clips to inspire creativity in the classroom

• Access for all: all ages, all abilities, all interests

Get Started with Code 1 by Apple Education on iBooks

• There is joy in the learning process-- celebrate it!

 Learn Pharrell Williams’ Happy by Brent Paschke & Kiko Doran on iBooks

• and, again, relationships matter!

But it is really the shifts in my thinking, the ways that I've changed-- it is these lessons that stick with me even more strongly.

Firstly, global collaboration is one of our most untapped opportunities. This is true in all of education and especially true amongst our ADE Family. I used to think it was an educational 'extra', but I now see more than ever the absolute necessity of it. Why we don't call upon each other more often and in even more meaningful ways is a tragedy. So used to working in silos, as members of the ADE Community we have no excuse! Whether co-presenting at a conference, cooperating on a project across continents, or connecting one classroom with another, collaboration with my ADE community continues to be an area of emphasis in my professional practice.

Secondly, it isn't enough to be good. We must also be brave. Nothing could exemplify this more than Sady Paulson. Meeting her in person after following her for years via Mark Coppin was a lifetime highlight for me. And this wasn't the only embodiment of bravery that I see in my ADE family. It is everywhere, in so many ways. In the courage to think differently, to break the mold, to go beyond the minimum on a daily basis.

Third, design for the margins. "When you design for the margins, things work better for everyone."

Why create, present, educate, for the average when I can have a broader impact by addressing the needs of the outliers? There is no such thing as an 'average learner', so by targeting the far ends of the spectrum I can actually reach more in the process. This is a lasting lesson I have learned that has been reiterated by Apple's commitment to accessibility for all. It also is a guiding principle when working with other ADEs to create transformation concepts, content, and experiences. 

  

And finally, as I deal with yet another post-ADE-event let down, I now see conclusions differently. It isn't the end of an Institute, Academy, or even a decade. But rather, each conclusion is a call to action. There is so much unfinished business for me and for all of us as ADEs! And that is what will continue to drive me forward for hopefully many more decades to come.