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Author: Mark W. Olofson

Uncategorized 

Education reform, more education reform and David Foster Wallace

July 1, 2016 Mark W. Olofson 0 Comments

Mark’s 2016 summer reading list This past academic year was one of the busiest and most invigorating year I have

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Community-based learning 

Community Based Learning in Vermont: What’s going on?

March 30, 2016April 29, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 8 Comments Act 77, community engagement, community partnerships, Montpelier High School, PBGR, proficiency-based assessment, proficiency-based learning, transferable skills, Vermont

4 lessons from a recent gathering On Friday, March 11, more than 50 participants from public and private schools, community

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Innovative Edtech Classrooms 

What are some good tools for studying hurricanes?

February 17, 2016July 25, 2019 Mark W. Olofson 2 Comments authentic assessment, EdPuzzle, Google Classroom, iHurricane, iMovie, iPad, iPad tutorial, Mill River Union High School, nearpod

Science app-smashing in a 1:1 environment Brendan Nerney, a middle grades educator at Mill River Union High School in Clarendon,

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News 

How online education can find a path forward

January 29, 2016 Mark W. Olofson 7 Comments Khan Academy, online learning

In her excellent memoir Rethinking Normal, Katie Rain Hill describes her experience with online learning: I’d click on one tab,

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News 

Student depression and anxiety: symptoms of dysfunction in a “traditional” educational system

January 6, 2016January 6, 2016 Mark W. Olofson 5 Comments

From the New York Times: Is the Drive for Success Making our Children Sick? Now, I am never one to

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Uncategorized 

E is for e-books …or are they “C-books”?

August 26, 2015August 25, 2015 Mark W. Olofson 5 Comments constructivism

Why create and use e-books in the classroom? Resources like e-books are a common “first step” when we think about integrating

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Science Saturdays 

Pushing my thinking with summer reading

July 11, 2015April 22, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 1 Comment #ScienceSaturdays, reading, Science, social reading

With July comes the “Dog Days” of summer – named due to their association with Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius

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Science Saturdays 

Making even more of “Beyond Bling”

June 13, 2015April 19, 2018 Mark W. Olofson 2 Comments #ScienceSaturdays, constructivism, Makerspaces, STEM

A couple of weeks ago, Lucie deLaBruere of Learning with Lucie shared a post considering how we can embrace the

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Science Saturdays 

Sugaring and the community part 2: Students become teachers

April 25, 2015April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 7 Comments #ScienceSaturdays, community engagement, math, Science, STEM

Last week we looked at the sugaring operation at Essex Middle School. The students at the Edge Academy built a

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Innovative Edtech Classrooms Science Saturdays 

Sugaring, STEM, and community connections

April 18, 2015April 13, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 15 Comments #ScienceSaturdays, community partnerships, STEM, The Edge @ Essex Middle School

Early spring is sugaring season in Vermont. We produce the lion’s share of the domestic output of maple syrup, and

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Science Saturdays 

The backlash to STEM education

March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 Mark W. Olofson 16 Comments math, Science, STEM

There is a lot of conversation about the importance of STEM education – in the media, in politics, and among

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Science Saturdays 

Separate Science in New Zealand

March 14, 2015March 13, 2015 Mark W. Olofson 4 Comments international, middle school, Science, STEM

Kia ora! You may (or may not) have noticed that the semi-regularly occurring Science Saturdays column has been off the

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Science Saturdays 

The Weather and Vermont

February 14, 2015February 28, 2016 Mark W. Olofson 4 Comments community engagement, Earth Science, iPads, STEM

In Vermont, in the winter, we talk about the weather. A lot. Perhaps this is due to our agrarian roots

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PBL robotics
Project-Based Learning Science Saturdays 

Robotics, PBL, and collaboration

January 31, 2015April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 8 Comments collaboration, constructivism, robotics, STEM

At TechJam this past autumn I was fortunate to run into a number of student groups who were there to

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Uncategorized 

The 7 characteristics of a digitally competent teacher

January 21, 2015February 28, 2016 Mark W. Olofson 3 Comments digital citizenship, infographic

How do you score? The fine folks over at Daily Genius recently created this infographic, which has subsequently made the rounds

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Flipped Classrooms Science Saturdays 

Thinking about flipped science classrooms

January 10, 2015April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 4 Comments constructivism, flipped classroom, Science, STEM

Here at the beginning of the year, many people make resolutions. A new year can mean new opportunities, and offer

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Science Saturdays 

For your STEM reading pleasure

December 27, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 2 Comments arts, NGSS, STEM

The traditional winter recess gives us time to rest and reflect. If you’re like me, it also grants time to

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Science Saturdays 

Newton’s Laws, standards, and practices

December 20, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 3 Comments ISTE, Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS, Standards, STEM, The Edge @ Essex Middle School

Here at the Tarrant Institute, we have spent years focusing on the unique characteristics of young adolescent learners. Many of our

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Science Saturdays 

Research and computer-based science inquiry

December 6, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 1 Comment STEM

Research-fueled decision-making & teaching As a research fellow here at the Tarrant Institute, peer-reviewed research articles mediate my perception of reality. But

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Science Saturdays Tools We Like 

Monster Physics and the importance of careful consideration

November 22, 2014November 22, 2014 Mark W. Olofson 3 Comments differentiated learning, physics, reflection, STEM

This has been a very interesting week for me, trying to write a post for today. The task actually seemed

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Augmented Reality Science Saturdays Tools We Like 

Molecules in Augmented Reality

November 8, 2014November 9, 2014 Mark W. Olofson 6 Comments augmented reality, Aurasma, chemistry, STEM

One of the challenges in science is to help students make connections from concepts to their real world. This can

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News Science Saturdays 

Tech Jam, Jobs and STEM Education

October 25, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 2 Comments STEM, Vermont

It is Tech Jam time here in Burlington! This annual two day event is a chance for employers in the

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Science Saturdays 

Natural Disasters in the Classroom

October 11, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 7 Comments Earth Science, STEM, student-centered learning

When I was still teaching high school, I was presented one quarter with the option of creating and teaching a

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Science Saturdays 

In support of Community Partnerships in STEM

September 27, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 5 Comments community partnerships, Science, STEM

Here in Vermont we’re lucky to have a strong sense of community spirit. Co-ops, partnerships, collectives; these concepts run through

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Science Saturdays Tools We Like 

Science and Math simulations for your class

September 13, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 6 Comments chemistry, Next Generation Science Standards, STEM

One of the big challenges in the math and science classroom is to make abstract concepts real for your students.

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Science Saturdays 

Learning with robots

August 30, 2014April 15, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 8 Comments robotics, STEM

Why get started? I can’t deny it – I’m a big fan of robotics in education. When I was still

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Science Saturdays 

VSLA Resources for NGSS

August 16, 2014August 23, 2014 Mark W. Olofson 1 Comment
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Science Saturdays 

Citizen Science: routes to collaboration on scientific research

July 12, 2014July 29, 2014 Mark W. Olofson 2 Comments collaboration, Science, STEM

For a lot of kids, science can be something you learn about, instead of something that you do. This is

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Science Saturdays 

Breaking Down the Next Generation Science Standards

June 28, 2014September 19, 2018 Mark W. Olofson 4 Comments NGSS, Standards

Let’s talk about the Next Generation Science Standards for a little bit. There continues to be a lot of talk

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Science Saturdays 

World Science U launches

March 15, 2014April 13, 2022 Mark W. Olofson 1 Comment STEM

It has been a while since I have posted anything under the tag of “Science Saturday” but a new resource

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Science Saturdays 

History of a Scientific Discovery – Timeline Construction

September 22, 2013 Mark W. Olofson 0 Comments STEM

I really like to use timelines when teaching the history of scientific discovery. I think that it allows students to

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Science Saturdays 

Scientific Method

September 14, 2013 Mark W. Olofson 1 Comment STEM

Hi there! My name is Mark Olofson, and I am a new research fellow here at TIIE. I worked for

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