The Science Guru

Part 1 – Designing a Future-Proofed Makerspace – Intro

From tinkering labs to fabrication studios, “Makerspaces” are popping up at schools across the country. While these spaces, often filled with tools like 3-D printers and laser cutters, are replacing tech labs at many schools, some educators question if these new classrooms are just a passing fad or if they truly represent the future of hands-on learning.

I explored this topic with the Burke’s Makery Team as part of a panel session at the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) annual conference in Denver, CO. This series of ten posts will explore key ideas that will help schools and educators design makerspaces that will not only be relevant today but will also stand the test of time.
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Today, my colleague Marilyn and I presented a workshop on the Burke’s Makery, sharing ideas on how to engage students through maker education. We had over 175 guests at today’s session and loved the insightful questions we received and the wonderful conversations that we were able to have with folks after our presentation.

Visit our ever-evolving Pinterest page filled with Makery tools and ideas by visiting http://www.pinterest.com/BurkesPins and clicking on the Nifty Makery Ideas board.

For information on our model for 21st century learning, visit our microsite here.

You can check out our presentation materials by clicking on the image above. The presentation is filled with images from our work so please give it a second to load.

It was so wonderful meeting with many inspiring science educators from the world at this week’s National Science Teachers Convention in Boston, MA!

In addition to attending workshops and scouring the expo floor for ideas and resources, I presented two workshops, one on National Board Certification and another entitled “Full STEAM Ahead” on integrating art into STEM education. Click on the “NSTA WORKSHOPS” header at the top of the page to access the presentations and resource pages from my workshops.

Today, over 2,000 teachers from across Northern California came together at Head Royce School in Oakland, CA for the California Association of Independent Schools’ Annual Conference. It was wonderful catching up with former colleagues as we perused exhibits, attended workshops, and enjoyed lunch outside on an unseasonably warm March afternoon.

I had the opportunity to present two workshops at today’s conference, one on National Board Certification and a second on using technology to engage students in science education. I’ve uploaded resources from both workshops to this website (see the CAIS Workshop tab above) and will post more in the coming days, sharing both some of the ideas I presented and those that I took away from today’s conference.

Welcome to The Science Guru!  I’m bringing my 10 years experience in the classroom to the web. My “just launched” TheScienceGuru.com blog will share  resources, best practices, and favorite sites/gizmos/toys from my middle school science classroom.  Subscribe to my RSS feed or check back for updates.