Tag: design

  • Group Building Design Challenge in STEM Class

    (cross-posted with permission from STEMseeds.org) This semester in STEM class as one of our first lessons, I’m using the following “Group Building Design Challenge” to get my 4th and 5th grade students collaborating, designing, communicating, and creatively constructing in groups. This lesson idea originally came from an Oklahoma A+Schools workshop my wife, Shelly Fryer (@sfryer) attended,…

  • Amazed by Edgar’s Design Creativity in Minecraft

    Earlier this week one of my 4th grade STEM students, Edgar, visited me in my classroom after school with his mom. He brought his Android tablet computer, which he’s been using for the past several years to build a variety of different objects in Minecraft Pocket Edition. He gave me a tour of several of…

  • Sample Popsicle Catapult for STEM Class

    Half of my 4th and 5th grade STEM students (those not working in a center in our “Maker Studio”) are 2 days into a 4 day unit on creating popsicle catapults, which my district STEM mentor and peer teacher (Amy Loeffelholz – @AmyLoeffelholz) taught during our 2 day STEM Seeds PD Camp in June 2014. Students…

  • Collaborative Learning Spaces for Students at Texas Tech

    The new student collaboration spaces in the library at Texas Tech University offer great opportunities for student collaboration and a digital sharing. Multiple large displays, multiple “hockey puck” VGA laptop connectors, webcams and 360 degree H.363 videoconferencing equipment are some of the highlights. I want my home office to look this good and have such…