Alfie Kohn’s New EdWeek Article

Educators fortunate enough to attend Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010 got to witness an amazing conversation between two of America’s most provocative and accomplished educators, Alfie Kohn and Deborah Meier (watch this site for video in the near future). Mark your calendars for a mind-blowing Constructing Modern Knowledge 2011, to be held July 11-14, 2011. Registration [...]

Important New Whitepaper on “New Literacy”

CMK faculty member Sylvia Martinez, President of Generation YES, commisioned a study by Dr. Jon Becker and colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University. The study, Assessing Technology Literacy: The Case for an Authentic, Project-Based Learning Approach (PDF) is an important contribution to the field and should be read widely.
From Sylvia’s blog…
This whitepaper takes a comprehensive look [...]

Summer Reading Recommendations from CMK 2010 Faculty

Summer Reading Suggestions
Here is a list of suggested reading by written by CMK 2010 faculty or recommended by them.
Whether you can join us July 12-15th or not, learning is a lifelong pursuit fueled by the powerful ideas and joy contained within the pages of the following books!

James Loewen

Constructing Modern Knowledge attempts to bring math, science, [...]

Rethinking Homework – Suggested Questionnaires for Parents

Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010 guest speaker, Alfie Kohn, just published a provocative article suggesting meaningful questionnaires for parents regarding the value of homework. This is an important discussion for every community… Read more…

Alfie Kohn Rejects National Standards

Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010 Guest Speaker Alfie Kohn has published a stunning new article, Debunking the Case for National Standards: One-Size-Fits-All Mandates and Their Dangers. It should be required reading for anyone concerned with democracy and long-term viability of public education. I’ve often said that national standards, even those thinly disguised under mischievous pseudonyms like [...]

The CMK 2009 Library

Constructing Modern Knowledge creates a material-rich learning environment filled with technology, art supplies, toys and books.

Thanks to iStockphoto!

Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 would like to thank iStockphoto for sponsoring Lesa Snider’s participation in the institute.
Click here to receive 10 free high-resolution images from the best web site for royalty-free graphics.

Put this CMK badge on you blog or site

I created these spiffy graphics for friends of Constructing Modern Knowledge to place on their web sites or blogs. I’d really appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about this summer’s event.

The CMK08 Library

Like all good learning environments, an important ingredient in the Constructing Modern Knowledge was the classroom library. The following is a bibliography of the books in the CMK08 library, plus a bunch written or illustrated by Peter Reynolds and a few books I forgot to bring to Manchester.
Don’t forget there is a creativity, computing and [...]

Not CMK08, but worth a look

This is one of my favorite Ted Talks. Author and publisher Dave Eggers tells the inspirational story of how one can create a learning environment for kids outside of school. Eggers and his colleagues also demonstrate a great deal of respect for teachers and the challenges they face.

Links:

826 Valencia writing centers
Once Upon a School
McSweeney’s

MicroWorlds EX Getting Started Videos

PROBLEMS SOLVED – LINKS BELOW NOW WORK AND VIDEOS PLAY
The following are a few “getting started” tutorial videos I created for MicroWorlds EX. The first two introduce the environment and the last two show you how to program your very own Pacman-style video game.

Getting Started – Video 1
Getting Started  – Video 2
Snacman Tutorial 1
Snacman Tutorial [...]

Bookstore link for CMK08

Melinda Kolk and I created an online bookstore for creative educators in conjunction with Amazon.com.
I will assemble and publish a list of the books in the CMK08 library over the next week or so.

LEGO Robotics Reference Materials

Fred Martin’s Art of LEGO
Fred Martin, the engineer behind the RCX brick, wrote a terrific paper explaining LEGO engineering principles.
The Art of LEGO 2
MIT Media Lab graduate students, Arnan (Roger) Sipitakiat, Paulo Blikstein and Rahul Bhargava created a handy color collection of strategies for assembling LEGO elements.
MicroWorlds EX Robotics downloadable reference handout.
Great LEGO Challenges
Here [...]

Constructivist Software

Recommended Software

MicroWorlds EX Robotics (multimedia Logo programming language and robotics control environment – Mac & Windows)

Inspiredata (data collection, visualization and analysis tool for K-12 – Mac & Windows)
Tech4Learning Imagination Suite (Frames, Pixie, ImageBlender, WebBlender, Twist – Mac & Windows)

iLife ‘08 (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, Garageband, iWeb)
Sibelius (the gold standard for music notation and composition) – Mac [...]

Plane Reading

Constructing Modern Knowledge stands on the shoulders of giants. The following articles help set the tone for the spirit, possibilities and powerful ideas guiding the event.
Some are whimsical, others complex. However, they’re all worthy of your consideration.
Ice-breakers (4 of my favorite stories)

What I Did On My Three Summer Vacations by Brian Silverman & Illustrated by [...]

What to Bring to CMK08?

Packing list:
Clothes: The temperature in Manchester should be between the mid-60s and mid-80s(F). Bring casual clothes, comfortable shoes and a swimsuit (if you wish). You might wish to pack a smart casual outfit for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Laptop: Bring your laptop, power adapter and any necessary cables.
Gadgets: Feel free to bring digital cameras, digital [...]

CMK08 Pre-event Program Now Online

The tentative schedule for Constructing Modern Knowledge 2008 is now online here.
There are also some packing tips to be found there as well.