Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wes Fryer

Category: stem

  • Excellent Videos on Hawaii Volcanos to Share with Students

    I love YouTube and specifically having YouTube on our family AppleTV. Last night I discovered a series of excellent videos on YouTube about the recent spike in volcanic activity in Hawaii on the Big Island on YouTube, and I’ll share three of the best ones. Since Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park closed on Friday (May 11,…

  • Learning at the March Oklahoma STEM Consortium Meeting

    This afternoon for lunch and after lunch, I had the wonderful opportunity to join our 6th and 7th grade science teachers at the bi-monthly meeting of the Oklahoma STEM Consortium facilitated by Anissa Angier (@AnissaSmiles). Anissa is the “K12 STEM Instructional Facilitator” for Edmond Public Schools, and has been helping organize and lead this group…

  • Code as Poetry in 4th Grade Scratch Club

    The highlight of my Mondays now is getting to co-facilitate an after-school Scratch Coding Club with my wife. Today one of our fourth graders discovered a wonderful Scratch block that simplified a much more complex set of blocks I’d showed him a few weeks ago, and created a simple shooting cannon / animated cannon. I…

  • Podcast459: Highlights from OETC 2018

    This podcast features three different recordings from the 2018 Ohio Educational Technology Conference, which was held in Columbus, Ohio, February 12-14, 2018. The first is an interview with high school students who have learned how to create interactive games using Scratch software. They also have created DIY game controllers using the MakeyMakey and supplies like…

  • Educational Technology Updates for January 2018

    Hello and Happy New Year! That may sound odd on January 27, 2018, but it’s been over a MONTH since I’ve posted to my blog in mid-December. There are a variety of reasons for this, but rest assured I’m not becoming a “blog fader.” 🙂  This may be the longest lapse in blog posts for…

  • Reflections on Learning from the OU Innovation Hub

    This past Wednesday, December 6, 2017, I had an opportunity to participate in a “mini-retreat” with colleagues from Casady School (@casadyschoolokc) at the Innovation Hub at the University of Oklahoma (@ouinnovationhub).This is a group of both faculty and staff, involved in supporting and teaching coding and computer science at different levels at our school. This morning on…

  • Podcast458: Reflections and Lessons Learned from STEAM Studio Fall 2017

    This podcast features a recorded audio reflection by Megan Thompson (@seeingnewshapes) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) on their co-led fall 2017 “STEAM Studio” class for 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders at Casady School in Oklahoma City. This is an eight week after-school program, and this was the second year for Megan and Wes to collaborate on…

  • Podcast456: Teaching and Learning in an AI First World

    This podcast features a recording of Dr. Wesley Fryer’s breakout session at G Camp OKC on November 4, 2017, titled “Teaching and Learning in an AI First World.” Referenced slides are available on http://wfryer.me/aifirst and include all referenced videos, including those mentioned but not shown during the presentation. Please refer to the podcast shownotes for…

  • Podcast455: EdTech Struggles and Aspirations

    This podcast is a reflection by Dr. Wesley Fryer on some of the educational technology related challenges as well as aspirations he currently has as a school director of technology, technology integration coach, and after-school “STEAM Studio” co-teacher. These challenges include cultivating a school learning culture supportive of creativity, innovation, whimsy, and cross-curricular connections. They…

  • How Are We Preparing Students for the Artificial Intelligence New Normal?

    This week at school we’ve been brainstorming and discussing qualities we want to see in our graduates as they leave our school and enter the wider world of college and work. Today among many other questions, I was thinking about automation and the ways we need students to develop computational thinking skills so they can…