The Geek Lab

The GeekLab

A few days ago I was working with a group of 1st Graders in a Technology/STEM specials rotation.  We were learning a bit about programming logic through the customization of the game, FlappyBird.  I was not stunned when every boy & girl, was highly engaged with this exploration of programming logic.  I was, however, surprised when one student, Peter, opened up the Element Inspector within the site and started changing the appearance to many of the icons on the web page.  I said, "Peter!  This is amazing.  How did you figure out how to do this?"  He replied by explaining how he accidentally right clicked on a part of the page that gave him access to the Element Inspector.  He continued to click around and figured out how to change icons on the Flappy Bird page.  He spent the entire time manipulating the page instead of programming.  He made it clear that he knew what was going on when he started modeling the steps for a few of his buddies.  

This helped affirm something that's been gnawing in my gut over the last 2 years: In a traditional elementary school, the athletes have an outlet in P.E.  The musicians find a home in Music.  The artists love going to Art class.  But what about the geek?  We have a growing contingency of kids who love to tinker, build, and make through the use of logical reasoning.  Where do they go?  It is my firm belief that we need to add a new Specials to the elementary school.  We've also begun to see an explosion in the STEM movement: a fantastic way to integrate technology into the classroom.  Also, many schools have added "technology" as a rotation or hired an individual to coordinate technology with a classroom teacher to integrate with the curriculum.  We need to see continued growth in this area as technology standards increase for teachers.  But applying technology in the classroom is completely separate from what takes place in a GeekLab.  We need to serve the nerd and give these kids a place to explore freely.  I pose that we need a new movement.  We need a brand new program with a new set of standards for elementary schools to adopt.  Schools need to invest in a new Specials: Programming Logic.   I've searched far and wide for a curriculum that uses this term as its umbrella, but I've found nothing.  It does not exist. Nor do any standards live to support what a geek does. We are seeing a movement thanks to Hadi Parrovi and his Hour-of-Code.  But we need to take this further.  A geek needs a video-game-design-invention-kit-robotic-programming-3D Printing-Photoshopping-MovieMaking-SoundBoarding-MineCrafting-JavaScripting-Engineering-algorithm-rocket-building-quadcoptering place to tinker, create and make it possible to physically touch that which is imagined.   He or she needs to explore in a place where they make a ton of mistakes to finally arrive at a successful product.  Walls need to be filled with student-made quotes like the one from Edison: 

I have not failed (to make a lightbulb).  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

and
People tend to forget that play is serious (David Hockney)

and

Newbs only!

(And of course a solid representation of posters from StarWars, Lord of the Rings and Calvin&Hobbes.)

The room should be flexible with creative ways to sit, work & tinker.  Some kids stand, some kids sit, some like to chill-out on the floor.  The surfaces should be made available to support the jotting down of ideas &/or doodling with expo markers.  

I'm new at this.  And I'm certainly no where near the brightest of the bunch, but thanks to our savvy district and social networks, we've begun pursuing a variety of ways to explore programming logic in a maker-type of environment, but in a Special's rotation.  Here are a few things I've tried or will be attempting soon:

• Code.org
• Scratch
• Makey-Makey
• LittleBits
• Lego Robotics
• programming apps for the iPad
• Stop Motion Animation using iPad's, iMovie, GarageBand (Mac only)
• Photoshopping using iPad's
• Rubix Cube Algorithm
• Low Orbit Balloon Launch (Cherry Creek District initiative by Jon Pierce)
• Programming of Sphero's
• Primo

Some of these are free, some cost a little, some cost a lot.  But so does starting Music, PE, and Art programs.  In addition to each of these programs you have things like "field day" for PE. With Music you have performances.  With Art you have art-shows.  So, with Programming logic, you'd have Invention Fairs.  

I'm not saying that traditional technology classroom integration should evolve to this. STEM programs and Technology Educators will ALWAYS have a place to support the learning in the classroom.  The GeekLab aligns with the Arts, it's completely separate from the classroom curriculum.  We live in 2015.  Our kindies will be graduating in 2028. We should probably give them a place to freely take time to design, create, goof-up and apply logic & programming by the time they graduate.

CHVE STEM activities for Nov-Dec 2014, K-5

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE STEM Lab

What STEM activities are students doing at CHVE?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  Visit our tools: CHVE Links.

PARENTS: Visit this fantastic site that reviews movies, games/apps, and promotes responsible use of technology at home.

For the months of: Nov-Dec, 2014

Kindies - Our little guys started learning how to apply programming logic in code.org.  Try this at home:

• Mrs. Thomas' class
• Mrs. Barsch's class 

1st Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays!  Students practice proper typing technique by completing one stage.
• Engineering & Design with Lego's: In this week's project, students developed a simple fan and tested it's success.  This was followed by an exploration in gears. Students were then tasked with using their knowledge of gears to come up with a way to make their fans spin faster.  It was amazing to see what kids came up with. Click here to see an example.  Most of their work was documented using Wixie.
• Through the course of a week, students participated in "Hour of Code"... First, students logged into their "Code Accounts" by visiting our Learning Links and scrolling to the bottom of the page.  Here students are able to learn at their own pace and solve problems by applying logic using object oriented programming. Students extended this exploration in programming logic by learning a bit about Scratch.  Finally, students concluded the week with the iPad app, Kodable.

2nd-3rd Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays! 
• Remember these days?  Sitting at home on a Saturday in front of a 300 lb TV with a screen size that was 18"x18"? You jammed the cartridge into the Atari Console for the 3rd time cause the screen kept flickering.  When you finished, you walked around shaking your wrist cause you jammed the joy stick up in order for it to work at least 3 out of every 5 times.  Ahh, the classics were great.  It was time to bring this back.  Student were given a week-and-a-half to create a single-player verison of this game using the program Scratch.   Students did a great job and all their work was saved to the web to access anywhere.  As Scratch is a public Web-app, this gave us the opportunity to cover the value of being extremely careful with identity.

4th Grade 

• Makey Makey Mini Fair!  Students were introduced to our new set of Makey Makey kits.  Students used these kits "to turn everyday objects into an interactive touchpad".  Our key concepts for the week: open and closed ciruits.  Their imagination ran wild as they created everything from working cardboard piano's to video game controllers.  At the end of the week, students "toured" the room to interact with the ideas of their peers.  Our own little Makey-Fair!  

• During their second week, students were given the opportunity to work with SketchUp, google's 3-Dimensional design program.  Used most frequently for architecture, students were charged with the task of designing a doghouse while getting to know how to interact with a VERY difficult piece of software.  We modeled our work from YouTube video's.  If they can master a few basic functions in SketchUp, they will have the opportunity to turn their own design into reality using our MakerBot! 

5th Grade

• Students spent one week programming in Scratch. Their options for designing included: story creation, animation, game with multiple levels, maze game, Pong, target games, and scrolling games (like Super Mario Bros).  Those with something proud to share posted their work to the CHVE Studio where they all could comment and "favorite" each other's work. This lent itself to the perfect opportunity for learning about responsible online behavior.

• Lego Robotics + Scratch = 1 amazing week!  This was by far one of the most exciting weeks.  Students took their Scratch skills from the previous week and integrated them into the world of Legos.  In this week, through the motors and hubs from the Lego Wedo sets, students participated in a variety of Lego builds with the purpose of operating them from the Scratch website.  One group designed a race car that was programmed to move forward and backward on the ground.  The students in this group added to their programming to make their Lego car move forward/backward if math questions were answered correctly/incorrectly on the screen.  The goal was to get the Lego race car to the finish line (a piece of tape laid across the ground) Amazing creativity.  Can't wait for what the next week will bring!

CHVE STEM Lab Activities for Sept-Oct, K-5

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE STEM Lab

What STEM activities are students doing at CHVE?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  Visit our tools: CHVE Links.

PARENTS: Visit this fantastic site that reviews movies, games/apps, and promotes responsible use of technology at home.

For the months of: Sept-Oct, 2014

Kindies - Robert Munsch!  Only the best kid's author around.  Through Tumblebooks, kids could listen to the actual author read his stories.  It puts a smile on your face to listen to the kids giggle for our time together.

1st Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays!  Students practice good typing technique by completing one stage.
• Students continued to challenge each other with math facts in Play Live using Education City.  Many conversations were had about being a good sport.
• Wixie!!  Students got their first experience using Wixie.  The best place to create
  
  stories, slideshows, comics, paint, draw, record, you name it!  Do it at school, home, on an iPad or at your laptop.

2nd Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays! 
• Students constructed several lego projects to learn about the relationship of gears. The big question was, "What happens when a large gear turns a small gear".  All students used Google Drive to take snapshots and reflect upon their work.

3rd Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays! 

• Students had their first look at the Lego WeDo system.  

This gives students an opportunity to construct objects that can be programmed with the WeDo software to perform any number of tasks.  Students begin to use programming logic to manipulate their Lego contraption to perform specific tasks while learning about engineering and design.

4th Grade 

• Students begin class typing at Dance Mat, TypingClub, TypeToLearn4 (download),or TypingWeb.  Hands are covered with a paper towel.  Goal: by the end of 5th Grade, type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
• Student have taken a dive into the world of Scratch!  This incredibly diverse software developed at M.I.T., allows students to work with object oriented programming.  Their job is to build their first video game with guidance from vid1, vid2, & vid3.  The quality of the videos are poor but the goals are great!  When the students are finished they have a chance to share their work to the Scratch Studio where they can review, "Love", and "Favorite" each other's work.  This lends itself to a great opportunity to learning about responsible online behavior.
• Into May: 3D Imaging: Students embarked upon their first experience with 3D imaging and design using Google's free program: SketchUp.  The students walked through a 3-Part YouTube series on the basics of SketchUp.  Our ultimate goal: In 5th Grade, design a product in SketchUp, print it out on our new MakerBot printer, and sell it in a "3D bake-sale".

5th Grade

• Typing at Dance Mat, TypingClub, TypeToLearn4 (download), or TypingWeb.  Hands are covered with a paper towel.  If they pass the test (type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy), they are on the wall of fame.  Currently there are 22 Fifth Graders at this level.  No trick, just practice typing without looking at the keyboard.
• 3D imaging!  Last year, these students created objects using Google's SketchUp.  Now, they use the same free software to design their own objects and print them out on our 3D printer.  Mathematics and Engineering take hold as students work with a partner to create their own object manufactured right in the classroom!  Their goal was to create a tool that will help organize their desk.  They range from pencil & marker holders to a variety of sticky trays.  See a few examples below:

K-5 Tech/Stem Activities for Sept, 2014

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE Technology

What STEM activities are students doing at CHVE?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  Visit our tools: CHVE Links.

PARENTS: Visit this fantastic site that reviews movies, games/apps, and promotes responsible use of technology at home.


For the months of: Aug-Sept, 2014

Kindies - Learning how to use a trackpad.  ABCya lends itself to several activities to help acclimate new users to laptops.  Every year, I'm always amazed at how many little people try to activate a laptop by touching the screen.  They all know how to investigate an iPad, but seem to find laptops a struggle...at first.  They adapt so quickly, but I'm inclined to wonder about what tools are most suited for such young learners...  

1st Grade

• Students had their first lesson on how to type using home-row typing.  They applied their skills in Dance Mat Typing.
• 1st Graders learned how to access their account in Education City.  Most popular activity: peer-to-peer math fact and spelling practice in Play Live.

2nd-5th Grade: SELFIE PROJECT!

• To begin the year, students created a Selfie to display on the walls on the STEM room.  This project was done on the iPad.  
• 2nd Graders and 3rd Graders used the apps: GoogleDrive, SketchMe, one of several painting apps, and SketchBook Express. They took Selfies using SketchMe and then applied one of several filters to "cartoonify" themselves. Next they painted a background.  Finally, they learned how to use layering to place their photo onto their background using SketchBookX. They used GoogleDrive to get it printed.
• 4th and 5th Graders added another component: They applied WordFoto to their background.  They used adjectives that described who they were. Several lessons were incorporated to promote good design qualities.  When they finished, they learned how to "photo-shop" themselves around the world.  Ex: kicking over the Leaning Tower of Pisa, swimming with sharks, climbing the Grand Canyon, etc., 

K-5 Technology/STEM activities for March-April 2014

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE Technology

What STEM activities are students doing at CHVE?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  Visit our tools: CHVE Links.

TO DOWNLOAD THE BEST MATH FACT PRACTICE ON THE PLANET, CLICK HERE (free for CHVE students)!

PARENTS: Visit this fantastic site that reviews movies, games/apps, and promotes responsible use of technology at home.


For the months of: March-April, 2014

Kindies - Use 10-Frames to build number fluency.  Goal: recognize a set amount without having to count.  Subtraction!  

1st Grade

blogs-images.forbes.com

• Dance Mat Mondays!
• Students spent time on activities involving programming logic.   
• code.org
• light-bot.com
• scratch.mit.edu: We took 2 days to fully understand the step-by-step guide.
• for the month of May: FlappyBird!

2nd Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays! 
• Students constructed several lego projects to learn about the relationship of gears and pulley systems.  All students used Google Drive to label and take snapshots of their work.

3rd Grade

• Students begin class typing at Dance Mat, TypingClub, TypeToLearn4 (download), or TypingWeb.  Hands are covered with a paper towel. Goal: by the end of 5th Grade, type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
• Students explored programming logic through an introduction of Scratch.  Students created accounts, ran through the Step-By-Step guide, and worked through the "How To" section to gain understanding of the different commands in Scratch.
• Into May: Students learned how to program Tilt and Motion sensors through the construction of a variety of robotic projects using Lego WeDo.

4th Grade 

• Students begin class typing at Dance Mat, TypingClub, TypeToLearn4 (download), or TypingWeb.  Hands are covered with a paper towel.  Goal: by the end of 5th Grade, type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
• Remember flip card animation? (draw a stick figure, flip the page, draw it again...etc,)  Students spent a second week in Scratch learning how to create animation.  The goal is learning how to add animation to a character when designing your own video game.  Check out our animations here.  Some of them are really good.   We also explored the concept of responsible public commenting.
• Into May: 3D Imaging: Students embarked upon their first experience with 3D imaging and design using Google's free program: SketchUp.  The students walked through a 3-Part YouTube series on the basics of SketchUp.  Our ultimate goal: In 5th Grade, design a product in SketchUp, print it out on our new MakerBot printer, and sell it in a "3D bake-sale".

5th Grade

• Typing at Dance Mat, TypingClub, TypeToLearn4 (download), or TypingWeb.  Hands are covered with a paper towel.  If they pass the test (type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy), they are on the wall of fame.  Currently there are 22 Fifth Graders at this level.  No trick, just practice typing without looking at the keyboard.
• Stop Motion Animation:  In a two-week project, using iPad's, student created a 10-30 second story.  The students captured their story using the apps: StopMotion HD and iMovie.  The format choices: White-board animation or Brick-films using Lego's. All projects will be exported and shared here.  This also provides another opportunity to learn about the value in being responsible with personal information.
• Into May: 3D Imaging: Students began their first experience with 3D imaging and design using Google's free program: SketchUp.  The students walked through a 3-Part YouTube series on the basics of SketchUp.  

---

K-5 STEM/Technology Activities for Jan-Feb 2014

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE Technology

What STEM activities are students doing at CHVE?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  Visit our tools: CHVE Links.

TO DOWNLOAD THE BEST MATH FACT PRACTICE ON THE PLANET, CLICK HERE (free for CHVE students)!

PARENTS: Visit this fantastic site that reviews movies, games/apps, and promotes responsible use of technology at home.

Best free app: LightBot.  This was part of a constellation of experiences where 1st-5th interacted with the fundamentals of coding.



For the months of: Jan-Feb, 2014

Kindies - Through Education City, students were scored on the their ability to complete a variety of math concepts.  Education City: click here to gain access at home.

1st Grade

1st Grader, Marley, documented her Lego Contraptions

• Dance Mat Mondays!
• Education City: Students were asked to solve a variety of math problems. Click here to gain access at home.
• Using Lego's, students learned about Gears and Friction to create a wind-powered car.  The unit culminated in a car-race.  Things got loud...you may have heard us.  Students documented their work using Wixie. 

2nd Grade

• Dance Mat Mondays! 
• Through Code.org, 2nd graders interacted with the basic concepts of coding.
• Students created their own Comic Strips by using Presentation inside their GoogleDrive accounts.  Students learned some basics in graphic design and being responsible with public documents. 

3rd Grade

• Students begin class practicing typing at Dance Mat or TypingClub.  They must have their hands covered with a paper towel.  Our goal by the end of 5th Grade is to type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
• Using Lego's (bottom, left clip in YouTube video), students learned about the effect of gears and pulley systems on their contraptions.
• Students created their own Comic Strip (See Ex) through the Presentation App inside their GoogleDrive accounts.  Students learned some basics in graphic design and being responsible with public documents. 

4th Grade 

• Students begin class practicing typing at Dance Mat or TypingClub.  They must have their hands covered with a paper towel.  The goal by the end of 5th Grade is to type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
• Through Code.org, 4th graders interacted with the basic concepts of coding.
• Using Scratch, students started to build their own video games (student ex here).  Students learn how to create one of 4 types of games: Pong, Maze, Car Chase or Drawing.

5th Grade

• Typing at Dance Mat or TypingClub.  Hands are covered with a paper towel.  If they pass the test (type 20 words per minute with 90% accuracy), they are on the wall of fame.  Currently there are 20 Fifth Graders at this level.
• Through Code.org, 4th graders interacted with the basic concepts of coding.
• Lego Robotics!  Students created Lego structures (top and bottom left in clip above) which required simple programming to perform creative tasks from local software.
• Using Scratch, students started to build their own video games (student ex here). Students began learning how to create one of 4 types of games: Pong, Maze, Car Chase or Drawing.

---

K-5 Technology for Sept-Oct 2013

Image: Emily Haddon

CHVE Technology

What are students doing in technology?  Each month, come here to take a peek.  
The tools students use: CHVE Links.

TO DOWNLOAD THE BEST MATH FACT PRACTICE ON THE PLANET, CLICK HERE (free for CHVE students)


iPad app of the month: GoogleDrive: 

My new favorite feature is the camera access.  If a teacher wants to make a piece of paper accessible to students, the GoogleDrive app "scans" the document with the camera and automatically converts to PDF, ALL WITHIN THE DRIVE!!!  Huge time saver.  In seconds, teachers can give students/parents access to any document, text-book page, student work, etc.,  Huge applicational value for students as well...read about 4th grade below.

Other posts:

• Learn more about experiences with 5th Graders using a Chat Room.
• Learn more about why we should not shy away from doc sharing in Google Drive. 

Technology activities for Sept-Oct, 2013

Kindies

• Learning how to use a track pad by making their name on the refrigerator.  
• Use Starfall to develop phonetic awareness. 
• Listen to Robert Munsch at TumbleBooks (funniest children's books by Robert Munsch read by the author himself...other stories available, too)
• Explore ABCya and RedFish.

1st Grade

• 5-Frames: In an effort to support common-core math, students work on understanding base 10.  This is a simple site, but their job is to complete this site without ever counting.  When you hold 3 fingers up, you see a representation of 3 without needing to count.  K-1st students are not often solid in this concept.  Using concrete ways to develop this thinking is fundamental in understanding math. 
• Dance Mat:  Students learn how to position their hands for proper typing technique. The doc cam is used to model positioning.   Students close their eyes and see if they can find the 2 keys with the bumps.  Their job is to complete Stage 1. 
• Explore TumbleBooks.
• Education City: Students are learning how to do math activities involving number sense.  Then they check their progress on the class "score-board" giving them immediate feedback on how they did.  Anyone can have access to the scoreboard, but it is password protected so just let me know and I'll set you up!  I print out scores from specific activities and give them to their teacher (this month's print-out: Cash Only).  Students are also using EdCity to have math fact races using the ever-popular, Play Live feature.  Click here to gain access to Education City at home (there's a password after 4:30pm).  

2nd Grade

• With our new STEM program, students engineered ways to generate wind with Lego's.  They document their creations by taking photos through the Wixie app on the iPad's or through the Wixie web-app. Many had time to describe what caused their wind device to work through: oral recording, painting, or writing all embedded within Wixie.  Students by now should all know how to get into Wixie at home. If they have forgotten their password, feel free to let me know and I'll give you the details!
• Dance Mat Mondays:  Complete the first 2 stages.
• Education City: click here to gain access at home.  This month's goal: number sense.  The student works on several assigned activities dealing with this concept. Their work syncs with the scoreboard giving them immediate feedback on their performance.  I print out scores from specific activities and give them to their teacher (this month's print-out: Cash Only).  If a parent or teacher ever wants access to the scoreboard, please let Mr. Krulish know and he will give you directions.
• Make a Ten.  If you were to "flash" 7 fingers at your child, could they tell you right away that you were holding 7 fingers?  If not, they do not have a solid understanding of the base10 concept.  Practice with this site is great for building that understanding.
• AR: A subscription-based site that checks a student's reading comprehension and
  
  provides an immediate score.  Students were read the story, "Click Clack Moo, Cows that type" (Love this story, cracks me up).  They login to AR and take a quiz. This is not accessible at home.

3rd Grade

• The first 8-minutes of every class, students practice their typing skills with Dance Mat.
• Badge Project: Students are working on their first tech project: In their GoogleDrive, they write a few sentences about themselves...things that represent what makes them proud of who they are.  They learn a few tips and tricks about word-processing in Google Docs, insert their own drawing, make a huge mess of their formatting and fix it.   The message we constantly use here is, "Hopefully you will come across a problem that you can't solve.  That's when technology gets fun" 
• When they finish their writing, they use a web-app to build their badge.  This requires transferring .jpg files to and from their GoogleDrive, "sharing" them with me for a final check, print, color, and hang on the wall.  A video was made of this process so students can work at their own pace.  Come check our room out...looks amazing!!!

4th Grade 

• The first 8-minutes of every class, students practice their typing skills with Dance Mat.
• Programming with Lego's: With our new STEM program, in small groups, students
  
  build bird-robots using Lego's.  They document their creations by taking photos through the GoogleDrive app on the iPad's (this lends itself to a discussion on responsible web behaviors).  Then, they figure out how to use Lego's WeDo software to program their birds to perform a variety of tasks.  Finally, students will learn how to add an app to their GoogleDrive account to build a presentation that demonstrates what their Lego bird-robot can do.
• Badge Project: refer to "Badge Project" in 3rd Grade.

5th Grade

• The first 8-minutes of every class, students practice their typing skills with Dance Mat.
• Badge Project: refer to "Badge Project" in 3rd Grade.  Many 4th graders and most 5th graders worked on this independently or collaboratively.
• Graphing: To support the Science Fair, students learned how to use Spreadsheet in GoogleDrive to create graphs.  First, through document sharing and partners, they built a "Form" to "share" a survey to the class.  Students learned how data and graphs are automatically populated, then used this data to manually create their own graphs.  We tried to use my favorite web-based graph making site (a .gov site), but due to the government shut-down, we had to adjust the activity as the site was down.  

---