Innovative Education in Vermont
Exploring innovative, personalized, student-centered school change
Just-in-time learning in its best form is “Just for me” learning. When you learn something because you yearn to understand it, precisely when you need to apply it, you will learn it deeply and joyfully. Your brain will soak it up because your heart is in it. Now, how does that translate to providing just-in-time-teaching?
Collaborative blogging puts students’ voices out front Hazen Union School 8th grade student Elijah Lew-Smith shared the first student post of the school year on the school’s shared Middle Level Blog. Check out his post to see this year’s new initiatives: 1:1 with iPads, a new House structure, and the focus on Project Based Learning, from a …
Continue reading “Multiple platforms, multiple voices: scenes from a 1:1 rollout”
3 tech-rich strategies for exploring identity with students “Who am I?” is the question at the heart of the adolescent mind. Almost all challenges, tests, and dilemmas relate to the central theme of identity. Young adolescents seek to find answers to questions like, “Where do I fit in?”, “What makes me different or special?” and …
4 edtech tools for family communication How can technology help make communicating with your students’ families easier? These 4 edtech tools for family communication offer different ways to open the door to your classroom and welcome families inside.
Approaching student digital citizenship from many levels Our students live in technology-rich worlds, regardless of how much technology they are using in school on a day-to-day basis. Technology has all kinds of awesome educational benefits, but Uncle Ben’s advice to Spiderman is fitting here: “With great power comes great responsibility.” As educators we’re obliged to …
Continue reading “C is for Citizenship (digital of course!)”
Help students prototype mobile apps with these development tools Mobile app development with students can be tricky, because in a lot of cases they’re ready to run and the tools and systems for publishing apps are still at the crawling/walking phase. Let’s look at 3 easy steps to mobile app development: sketch it out on paper, mock it …
Students partner with local scientists in collecting, analyzing & disseminating water data A group of 7th and 8th grade students took a trip through the full cycle of scientific study this past year. Edmunds Middle School students partnered with the UVM Watershed Alliance to study the Lake Champlain Direct and Grand Isles Basins, very specifically, the …
Continue reading “Making a difference with watershed science data”
A couple of weeks ago, Lucie deLaBruere of Learning with Lucie shared a post considering how we can embrace the emerging interest in Makerspace learning to move “Beyond Bling.” This post ignited my thinking about this type of learning in a number of different ways. I thought I’d take today to explore some of those …
Rachel Mark is a Professional Development Coordinator in the southern part of Vermont. Prior to working with the Tarrant Institute, Rachel was a middle school literacy and social studies teacher at Tarrant partner school Manchester Elementary-Middle. As a teacher, Rachel loved exploring new content and new methods with inquisitive young adolescents. She thinks middle schools …
Continue reading “Rachel Mark, Professional Development Coordinator”
Putting a human face on science storytelling Lava flows down the halls of Main Street Middle School, in Montpelier, Vermont, and you must choose whether you’ll go with the flow or try to cool off somewhere and become an igneous rock. In another portion of the school, you’re the new kid, getting a tour from …
How do we move all new learners to the deep end of the pool? As I walked through an innovation showcase at SxSw 2015 (one of the the largest convergences of creative and critical thinkers last March) I was struck by the juxtaposition of two tables that were adjacent to each other. One offered “Creative …
Continue reading “Beyond Bling: how do we deepen Makerspace learning?”
Implementation of personal learning plans (PLPs) around Vermont As Vermont works through the first year of implementing personalized learning and Act 77, Flexible pathways to secondary education completion (pdf) there ‘s a lot of discussion on the best way to implement personalized learning in Vermont. PLPs are non-traditional pathways by which students can navigate from entrance …
NOTE: Whoo, five years is a whole *eon*, in tech time, people. So, the original updated version of this post, first written in 2015, then updated in 2018, remains below, because it will work to set you up for using Google Hangouts for screencasting. But there also two easier ways. So here’s three ways to …
Continue reading “How to use Google Hangout for screencasting”
So many schools in Vermont are engaged in innovative, student-centered, tech-rich education work.We’re proud to partner with The Cabot School for just this reason. Their students write the school’s website updates. They’ve been featured twice on VPR this past year. They win national awards for their recyclable, energy-efficient musical production, and their educators are Rowland …
Continue reading “4 amazing things afoot at The Cabot School”
Educators from around Vermont share a year’s worth of progress Dynamic Landscapes 2015 is right around the corner, and we’re excited to announce a number of partner educators presenting at this statewide showcase of edtech in Vermont.
4th grade researchers share Capstone Projects with community This past Wednesday, 4th grade scholars at Richmond Elementary School, in Richmond, Vermont, shared the results of their research with their families and community. They opened the doors of their school to family and friends for Celebrating Learning at Richmond Elementary School. I had a chance to attend …
Continue reading “Celebrating learning at Richmond Elementary School”
Thinglink, augmented reality and gaming Alert reader Lucia Hoegeveen asked a question about our suggestion that you create a map of a country and give each state it’s own voice. Now, as she pointed out, each Chatterpix you create can have only one mouth. So in order to make our Chatter-map, we’re going to need to app-smash …
Two years ago, our middle level team undertook a pilot project to begin work on personal learning plans (PLPs). Under the guidance of James Nagle, professor of education at St. Michael’s College, Team Summit teachers and students initiated the process of creating personal learning plans as mandated by Act 77 and the state of Vermont. …
Continue reading “Professional development through Google Hangouts”
Learning on and off-line civics Whenever I taught civics, I repeatedly told my classes that I would measure my success as a teacher on how many of them were voting in elections in five years. Of course, I had no way to measure this, but it was one of my most concrete goals of teaching …
Last week we looked at the sugaring operation at Essex Middle School. The students at the Edge Academy built a sugar house a few years ago, and now they produce maple syrup for their school every year. Math teacher Phil Young has intertwined the project with his mathematics curriculum, and students use iPads to support …
Continue reading “Sugaring and the community part 2: Students become teachers”
Early spring is sugaring season in Vermont. We produce the lion’s share of the domestic output of maple syrup, and we’re pretty proud of it. The process of tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling it down has many connections to STEM education. The students and teachers of the Edge team at Essex Middle School built …
Continue reading “Sugaring, STEM, and community connections”
Student teaching STEM Academy arduino strand Meet Ian. Ian’s a senior at Essex High School, and he’s not just enrolled in the STEM Academy there, he’s also teaching it. In this episode of the podcast, research fellow Mark Olofson talks with Ian about how he went from learning about arduinos, to teaching them, and why …
What’s your school song? A few months ago I wrote about not spending enough time on personal reflection. It is incredibly easy to be immersed in the many “Top 10” lists of education; and it’s fun spending time trying to solve tool based problems (anyone come up with a best way to insert images on the …
Help your students’ PSAs find their public Student-made PSAs are a great way for students to engage in project-based learning with real-world impact. Especially if they join up with community partners to tackle local issues. But once the PSAs get made, how can you help them find an authentic audience?
New podcast episode: Essex STEM Academy In this episode, we talk with math educator and STEM Academy leader Lea Ann Smith about Essex High School’s STEM Academy and take a look inside a program that lets students pursue projects in medicine, engineering, computer science, mathematics or biology — by working with community partners during the school …
Continue reading “Personalized STEM learning at Essex High School”
Flexible learning environments have a physical component — and effect Do you recognize the object at left? Does it look like a comfortable learning environment for a student? Does it look like the type of learning environment a student would choose for themselves? OF COURSE NOT, and because you are all such passionate and committed educators, you started …
Continue reading “Hack your classroom: flexible physical learning environments”
Create compelling audio in iOS Which free iPad audio app will work best for your classroom? That depends on three things: age range, complexity and sharing platform. Let’s look at the pros and cons of three iPad apps for audio we really like. Hear ye!
Kia ora! You may (or may not) have noticed that the semi-regularly occurring Science Saturdays column has been off the radar for a little bit. This was due to my inability to keep up with my writing duties while travelling in New Zealand. I was there with a group of UVM graduate students, travelling and …
What are some mechanisms for keeping track of digital credentials? As we work with schools who are piloting digital badge programs on the BadgeOS platform, we need to start thinking through what some options are for students to store, keep track of, and display the digital credentials they earn. What does it look like to …
Find new uses for data visualization Free, online timeline tools allow students to break free of the traditional two-dimensional timeline and create highly customizable multimedia projects to showcase research, serve as digital portfolios, manage projects, guide gallery walks or form study guides. And yes, they can also be used for book reports.
Make active video viewing a social activity Edpuzzle opens up the possibility for both students and teachers to encourage a two-way exchange, a conversation, if you will, during video viewing. Any video can be uploaded into Edpuzzle including your own, and they make it convenient to do so with this comprehensive side bar access to …
What does a green screen, solar paneling, Spanish, wood engraving, and 3D printing have in common? These were just some of the projects that Edmunds Middle School students showcased at their Digital Learning Day on Tuesday. Students were excited and willing to share their innovative work and we were lucky enough to learn plenty from them!
Send your students around the world to tell their stories These 6th graders found a way to do some digital global storytelling with a green screen and their iPads. They also managed to bust Tellagami’s animated personas out of the tablet, sending them around the world with a little green-screen magic.
In Vermont, in the winter, we talk about the weather. A lot. Perhaps this is due to our agrarian roots and realities. Maybe it is an extension of how we look for each other. Or maybe it’s because it is really, really cold. Mars cold. Whatever the reason, it is a very common topic for …
Let Google bring the world to your students Primary sources? Yes please! As you delve into your various teaching units, why not take your students on a visual tour of an event in history? Or to the Museum of Modern Art to see Van Gogh’s Starry Night? Or to a remote village in Japan? How …
Continue reading “Thursday Links Round Up: finding primary sources for history and art”
At TechJam this past autumn I was fortunate to run into a number of student groups who were there to show off projects. That forum, and others like it, gives learners a space to share, interact, and learn from each other. One group I met was from Big Picture South Burlington (@BigPictureSB), a community of learners …
Using Lapse It for Android Students at Saint Francis Xavier school in Winooski used Lapse It, a time lapse camera app to demonstrate the mitosis process. Mary Ellen Varhue, the middle level science teacher at SFX explained, “in the past this would have been a poster project. Using Lapse It gave students a much better …
Essex 7th graders partnering with UVM on food sustainability project Just before the holiday break, we got the chance to talk with some of the students on The Edge team at Essex Middle School, in Essex Junction, Vermont, about the progress of their year-long inquiry projects. In the first of three installments, we talk with …
Continue reading “New podcast ep: Building an eco-machine at The Edge”
Here at the beginning of the year, many people make resolutions. A new year can mean new opportunities, and offer chances to implement large changes. One change that we see teachers take on is the idea of implementing the flipped classroom. Shifting direct instruction to video in order to clear up more class time for …
Continue reading “Thinking about flipped science classrooms”
The journey from learner to educator In this episode of the podcast, I talk with local digital artist and educator Rachel Hooper about how she got started learning and teaching how to make stuff with arduinos. Hooper discussed her background in teaching both students and adults how to construct projects using the tiny microcontrollers, her journey from arduino-learner …
Here at the Tarrant Institute, we have spent years focusing on the unique characteristics of young adolescent learners. Many of our values and practices are aligned with or adopted from the essential attributes and characteristics of effective middle grades education as outlined by the Association for Middle Level Education. Here in Vermont, we see many of …
Are you looking for a more video game style approach to teaching sustainability? I remember fondly the days of playing Oregon Trail in my middle school computer class. The game exposed players to the harsh realities of pioneer life, while also teaching us about resource management and the correlation of compiled risky decisions. Check out some …
Continue reading “What we’re reading: 3 online games that teach sustainability”
Students provide evidence of increased engagement with social reading platform (Editor’s Note: we asked 5th grade educator Hannah Lindsey to share her experience using the LMS edmodo for a literacy block with students on netbooks. Her blog post is excerpted from a longer reflection prepared for the 2014 AMLE annual conference.) Does the use of a …
How do you level the digital playing field?How do you even start taking on a task like that? Equity has always been a thorny issue for schools to deal with, and adding technology to the mix has added a whole new layer of complications. As more research emerges linking technology to student engagement and decreased drop-out rates, …
Research-fueled decision-making & teaching As a research fellow here at the Tarrant Institute, peer-reviewed research articles mediate my perception of reality. But as a science educator, I have been unsure as to how research really could affect my practice. “Research” may seem rather esoteric, but recently an article came across my desk that demonstrated just how practical …
Continue reading “Research and computer-based science inquiry”
Getting the most out of Apple’s new OS in the classroom The new Yosemite OS from Apple is out now and free to all desktop and laptop users running OS 10.6 or newer. But why upgrade? Will Yosemite provide educators with any useful new functionalities? WHY YES. Right this way for 5 cool Yosemite tips for …
Shouldn’t every hour be a genius hour? Anyone paying attention to education in the US lately has seen the proliferation of the “Genius Hour.” Presumably inspired by Google’s 20% rule, through which employees of the search engine giant spend a day a week on projects of their own choosing, many schools are adopting a model …
Inspiring collaboration between teachers, students and families The free suite of tools through Google Apps for Education have certainly inspired collaboration and connectivity between teachers, students, and families. Christ the King School (CKS) recently started exploring the possibilities within the GAFE domain, and not being a 1:1 school, wanted to begin with a tool that …
Continue reading “Leveraging Google Calendar in the Classroom”
One of the challenges in science is to help students make connections from concepts to their real world. This can be a particular challenge in the field of chemistry. We talk about atoms, molecules, chemical reactions… but how does that connect with the things we see every day? Augmented reality is one way to make …
I’m not sure if others would call me a freak for saying so, but I truly enjoy a good inservice day. There’s something about a quiet school filled with educators working together that makes me feel like anything is possible. So I can say without a trace of sarcasm that I read through the agenda …
Continue reading “Teaching with Technology: Why It’s Worth the Risk”
It is Tech Jam time here in Burlington! This annual two day event is a chance for employers in the tech sector to come out and talk about who they are, what they do, and who they need to hire. It is also an amazing tech expo that has interesting and fun activities and presentations …
Concept to reality with Edmunds Middle School makerspace Hear from a group of 6th grade engineers who got to use their school’s nascent makerspace to design their own magnetic-levitation (mag-lev) cars in Google SketchUp, and then actually make them.
When I was still teaching high school, I was presented one quarter with the option of creating and teaching a science elective. Looking at what my department offered, I noticed a lack of courses that explored the earth sciences. At the time I was getting really interested in weather, and so I created a course …
By now, almost everyone’s familiar with QR codes, the distinctive-looking black-and-white graphics which, when scanned, take the scanner to a url. No? Not sounding familiar? Then how about: If you have a phone, iPad or tablet with a QR-scanning app installed (we like Barcode Generator/Reader for Android, and Scan for iOS) open it up and center …
Continue reading “5 off-beat ways to use QR codes in the classroom”
Here in Vermont we’re lucky to have a strong sense of community spirit. Co-ops, partnerships, collectives; these concepts run through many different parts of our lives. We also happen to live in a state with a rich and developing science and technology start-up scene. These two parts of our culture can combine to grow partnerships …
Continue reading “In support of Community Partnerships in STEM”
STEM endorsement for students features personalized learning, community partners Last week, Essex High School threw a community launch party to celebrate the start of their STEM Academy‘s second year. But what does a STEM Academy look like on the inside? What does taking part in this program look like for students? We were on hand for …
Continue reading “STEM Academy launches at Essex High School”
Why get started? I can’t deny it – I’m a big fan of robotics in education. When I was still teaching, I helped start a robotics team at my high school, which participated in regional and national competitions. The student learning and engagement that took place in this extra curricular activity was absolutely amazing – …
It’s all about your Personal Learning Network (PLN) Google+ communities are becoming a major way for educators to get inspired by other classrooms, get tech questions answered and make personal and professional connections. Jump in and get started!
Family & Community Involvement Part of successful technology integration in schools is the welcoming of families and community members into the dialog around 21st century learning. Whether it’s communicating with families about 1:1 rollouts and take-home devices, or providing connections between motivated students and worthwhile community projects, here are some resources to help guide your …
On equity in the digital classroom
Turn formative testing into a learning opportunity Wonder what words, when using free association, are conjured from folks when they hear the word TEST? Pulled quickly from my psyche are: anxiety, study, judgment, memorize, prep, control My guess is these are some common possibilities, but the word LEARN probably wouldn’t make most peoples’ list.
Get a sneak peek at the new Thinglink Many of you have undoubtedly heard of Thinglink’s new video service, where you can embed links, text, images, videos and audio directly into videos. We tried it out last week for our iPad case review article, and the finished product looks a little something like this. Now …
John Downes was appointed to Director of the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education in 2017. Prior to then, he had served as the Associate Director of the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education since its founding in 2009. Before joining the University of Vermont, he spent ten years designing and facilitating curriculum reform and professional development …