EdTechTeacher Summit Boston 2017

The growing Maker Movement has led to an increasing emphasis on hands-on, construction-oriented learning in schools today. While the “What” of maker education is now clear, the “How” is still emerging and, excitingly, ever evolving! Educators often express their desire for additional resources to implement making in their classroom. This session will address how one district, the Mendon-Upton Regional Schools, is approaching maker education through the development a maker culture that yields a process and products that are meaningful and relevant to students. Presenters will first discuss their underlying beliefs about maker education and the importance of growing a maker culture in one’s classroom and school. Next, they will outline the pedagogical practices and models that inform their planning process. MURSD educators integrate aspects of design thinking, Connected Learning, Personal Digital Inquiry and project-based earning to design, iterate, revise and share student work with the community. The session will conclude with examples of how students and teachers have created products that travel beyond classroom walls, around the world and even into outer space! Featured maker projects include Nipmuc Regional High School’s Raspberry Pi Composting Project and Weather Balloon PongSatelite launch, Miscoe Hill Middle School’s STEAM PBL Though Art, and the Memorial Elementary School’s Virtual Tour for Friends in San Sebastian, Spain and much more. Participants will leave the session with remixable plans that can be implemented in their own classrooms.