Registration is now open for the professional learning event of 2009!
Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 offers a world-class faculty and supportive environment for educators interested in exploring the intersection of creativity, collaboration, computing and powerful ideas.
Where else can you spend four days tinkering, collaborating, talking and learning with educators from around the world, plus legendary educators, including the first public school educator to be named a Macarthur Genius, Deborah Meier and Herb Kohl, author of dozens of classic books about education
David Thornburg joins a stellar faculty for this one-of-a-kind professional learning event. The other presenters are: Gary Stager, Ph.D, Brian Silverman, Carolyn Staudt and Ihor Charischak.
Early-bird registration discounts are now in effect.
Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 promises to be an even better institute than in 2008. Once again, participants will enjoy a collaborative environment committed to knowledge construction, computing and creativity.
World-class guest speakers (to be announced shortly) will join a stellar faculty dedicated to supporting each learner.
Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 will be held in Manchester, New Hampshire on July 13-16, 2008 with a preconference event on July 12th.
Registration information will be published soon. Please enter your email address in the field below and we will keep you posted and keep checking this blog for news about next July’s premiere professional learning opportunity!
I’m pleased to announce a one-of-a-kind educational event for January 22, 2009 at Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy. Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge is a minds-on institute for K-12 teachers, administrators and technology coordinators looking for practical and inspirational ways to use computers to enhance S.T.E.M. learning. Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge is a preconference event @ Educon 2.1
Our presenters represent high-tech pioneers and seasoned veterans at the forefront of innovation in math, science and computing.
Brian Silverman has been involved in the invention of dozens of Logo versions (including LogoWriter & MicroWorlds), Scratch, LEGO robotics and the PicoCricket. An incomparable presenter, Brian is a Consulting Scientist to the MIT Media Lab, a brilliant mathematician and master tinkerer.
Carolyn Staudt is a veteran science educator who leads professional development for the Concord Consortium. She will be leading presentations and workshops on scientific modeling with open-source computing tools.
Ihor Charischak is a veteran mathematics educator and active NCTM member who recently retired from the Stevens Instiute of Technology’s Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education. He will lead workshops on “Mathematics and Computing Innovation for Monday Morning.”
Dr. David Thornburg is the Director of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development and The Thornburg Center for Space Exploration. He has been at the forefront of educational technology since the 1970s.
Dr. Gary Stager is the day’s keynote speaker and organizer. He is a Visiting Professor at Pepperdine University, Executive Director of the Constructivist Consortium and a popular education journalist.
The day features a keynote address, two plenary sessions, a choice of four workshops run twice and closing panel discussion.
Come to Constructing Modern Math/Science Knowledge and stay for Educon 2.1!
More specific information about the day’s sessions will be published in the near future.
Registration includes the complete conference program and lunch. Bring your own laptop!
I am still trying to find the time and the words necessary to write about what the first Constructing Modern Knowledge Institute meant to me. I hope other participants will also share their thoughts on the experience.
In the meantime, here are a few of the blogs already published about our collective learning experience.
Over time, video from the event will appear on this site as well!
Constructing Modern Knowledge faculty member, Sylvia Martinez, has written a great blog reflecting on her experiences at our recent event.
<blockquote>The introductions were amazing. People had come from all over the country, and two from Israel and Khartoum. We had kindergarten to high school teachers, math, science, art, administrators, public and private schools, tech coordinators, district — just about every combination of educators you could imagine. After some opening words, we brainstormed some ideas for projects - dancing clowns, musical sculptures, a video or simulation about the immigrant experience, a boat, a kaleidoscope and more. Then people grouped themselves on a project. My job was to float around and facilitate, connect people with resources, open boxes of stuff, find clay or eyeballs or pipe cleaners or debug programs or whatever.</blockquote>
Paul Wood and I visited the MIT Museum on Sunday with Gary Stager. Among the things we found were some truly awesome feats of engineering from Arthur Ganson. An incredible thinker and visionary himself, Ganson had multitudes of examples of his “tinkering” on display. When you look at these items of work, you might wonder why someone would spend so much time creating these little glorified table decorations. Some might say, “Why?” I say, “Why not?”
Scott’s blog is is well worth reading and watching!
New York City educator Michael Steinberg made a film documenting my recent Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. I think he did an admirable job capturing the spirit of CMK08, the collaborations between participants and the learning environment we created.
The quality of Michael’s effort is especially laudable since he shot and edited the video before the end of the four day event.
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.
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.
You are about to embark on a four-day learning adventure in which computers, construction, collaboration and creativity are all part of the learning process. Please put away your “teacher hat” and spend as much time as possible in the role of a learner. We hope you find the right personal balance between a single-minded focus on project development and tinkering. Since knowledge is a consequence of experience, CMK08 seeks to create a learning environment in which a wide range of experiences are possible.
We offer lots of material with which you can work, including a variety of rich software environments for you and lots of “objects to think with.” Please look out for each other’s computers, books and other materials.
Collaborate with others, work alone or enjoy a combination of both, but please spend as much time as possible taking full advantage of the gift of time you have given yourself to learn. Fantastic speakers are part of the program, but CMK08 fought to avoid interrupting your project work for a series of speeches. Our goal is for you to return home remembering that you spent time with a speaker, rather than having listened to him or her. Along the way, you might want to think about your thinking and blog or keep a journal to assist in the reflective process. Read as much as you can. Lots of materials will be shared on the blog and in our library.
If you need to go for a walk to help clear your head, go for it. Take a swim or spend a few extra minutes at lunch, but remember that there is so much you can do and projects will be exhibited Thursday afternoon. Please don’t miss the speakers or daily reflection time. We will begin each morning at 9 AM.
If you have a question ask it! The only dumb question is the one never asked. If you want to learn a specific skill, let us know and a mini-tutorial will be arranged. Don’t be passive. The faculty and your fellow participants possess a wide range of skills and are here to help. CMK08 participants represent Preschool through 12th grade and beyond. We’ll try hard to meet everyone’s needs. This will be much easier if you temporarily forget that you are a teacher and become a learner. Embrace each learning adventure with gusto and you’ll exceed your expectations.
Welcome! Gary
Constructing Modern Knowledge thanks the following for their generosity:
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.
LEGO Robotics offers students a high-tech high-touch improvisational medium for interdisciplinary learning. An ability to identify rich problems is required to engage learners of all ages. We will explore different approaches to bringing the curriculum alive through an improvisational approach to robotics. The new MicroWorlds EX Robotics software will be used to create interdisciplinary projects that combine the real world with the screen.
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.
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 video cameras, MIDI keyboards, digital microscope, web cam or any other high-tech toy you’ve been meaning to spend time learning or using. Don’t forget to bring tapes, memory cards, cables and any bits and pieces you may need.
Paper journal or blog: Each day will end with a discussion and period for reflection. It is recommended that each participant write their reflective thoughts in a journal or share their thoughts with the world via
a blog. If you already have a blog, fantastic! If you need to setup a blog in advance, try one of the following free options:
WordPress
Blogger
Constructing Modern Knowledge - You can have a free blog here. Just email gary [at] constructingmodernknowledge.com
Your imagination: Get ready for four days of action - with computers, experts and new friends.
Remember: Meals, except for the dinner at the baseball game, are at your own expense.
Gary S Stager, Ph.D.
Director & Founder
Teacher educator, journalist, speaker and consultant, Dr. Gary Stager, has spent the past twenty-six years helping teachers on six continents make sense of their roles in the digital age. In 1990 he led development efforts at the world’s first two “laptop schools” in Australia. Since then, Gary has worked with countless laptop schools from Maine to Melbourne to Mumbai. Stager has taught at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology for the past decade and in 1998 helped create its groundbreaking Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program. In 1982, he created one of the nation’s first computer camp programs and was the Director of Professional Development for NJ’s Network for Action in Microcomputer Educator from 1983-93
Gary is Senior Editor forDistrict Administration Magazine, Editor of The Pulse: Education’s Place for Debate and former Editor of Logo Exchange. He is a frequent conference presenter, workshop leader and keynote speaker at conferences across the USA, Canada, China, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, India, Switzerland, France, Bermuda, Costa Rica, South Africa, The Slovak Republic and Venezuela. Dr. Stager is an Associate of Thornburg Center and worked with Seymour Papert to create the Constructionist Learning Laboratory at the Maine Youth Center. Gary’s work with incarcerated youth in Maine was the subject of the PhD. dissertation from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Stager is also a member of the One Laptop Per Child Learning Team, a collaborator in the MIT Media Lab’s Future of Learning Group and the Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium
Gary has a degree in elementary education and once studied to be a jazz musician. He has worked with public schools, private schools, gifted students, at-risk learners and homeschooling communities, Dr. Stager’s corporate clients have included: Disney, Microsoft, LEGO, Apple Computer, Compaq, Tom Snyder Productions, Universal Studios, Toshiba, Logo Computer Systems, Inc. and Claris. Converge Magazine named Gary Stager a “shaper of our future and inventor of our destiny.” He was a finalist for best columnist in the 2006 Association of Education Publishers Distinguished Achievement Awards
Most recently, Gary was the new media producer for The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmeri Project - Simpatíco, 2007 Grammy Award Winner for Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year. The album also won the a similar award from the Jazz Journalists Association
Go to www.stager.org for more information and materials written by Gary.
Gary Stager is a unique speaker who never fails to entertain, inform, and inspire. Gary’s offers a unique combination of intellect and wit that provokes conversation and smiles alike. He is a committed educator who comes to a conference ready to roll up his sleeves and work.
Gary can have audiences on their feet cheering at a keynote and a half hour later be fielding questions and presenting his latest ideas in a breakout session or at a conference reception. He is straight talking, fearless, and a visionary educational leader who ‘tells it as it is’. Gary’s presence has always brought our conference to another, higher, level.
According to Gary Stager, “John Stetson is the finest educator I’ve ever met and a tireless champion for powerless children.” For more than a decade, John Stetson has worked as a daily volunteer teacher, collaborator and advocate for incarcerated teenagers within Southern Maine’s juvenile prison. He worked side-by-side with Seymour Papert, Gary Stager and MIT’s David Cavallo during the creation and three year life of The Constructionist Learning Laboratory at the Maine Youth Center and continues working in the renamed facility nearly every day. In addition to teaching kids to build guitars, robots, telescopes and to fall in love with astronomy, Stetson has arranged for college courses to be offered to at-risk high school students and has spearheaded the creation of an instrumental music program in a facility where one would not have otherwise existed. John Stetson is a father of three and holds a Masters degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University.
Sylvia Martinez is a veteran of interactive entertainment and educational software industries, with over a decade of design and publishing experience. She is currently President of Generation YES. Prior to joining Generation YES, Sylvia oversaw product development, design and programming as Vice President of Development for Encore Software, a publisher of game and educational software on PC, Internet and console platforms. Sylvia was also involved in the company’s Internet initiatives, including Math.com, the award-winning web site that provides math help to students worldwide.
For seven previous years, Sylvia was an executive producer at Davidson & Associates/Knowledge Adventure, a leading educational software developer. She designed, developed and launched dozens of software titles including Math Blaster: Algebra, Math Blaster: Geometry and Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess. In addition, she was responsible for Educast - the first Internet service for teachers that provided teachers with free news, information and classroom resources.
Before Davidson & Associates, Martinez spent six years at Magnavox Research Labs, where she developed high-frequency receiver systems and navigation software for GPS satellites.
Sylvia has been a featured speaker at national education technology conferences in areas ranging from the use of the Internet in schools, Web 2.0 technologies, student leadership, project-based and inquiry-based learning with technology and gender issues in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) education. She holds a Master’s in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University , and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Melinda Kolk is the Deputry Director of The Constructivist Consortium, Director of Professional Development for Tech4Learning. and Editor-in-Chief of the Creative Educator magazine. She is the author of Teaching with Clay Animation and has had articles on student technology projects published in Virginia’s “VSTE Journal” and Australia’s “The Educational Technology Guide.” Melinda has made hundreds of presentations at educational technology conferences around the United States.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Peter H. Reynolds shared his entry into the world with his twin brother Paul. Together, they started writing and “publishing” their own books, comic books and newspapers somewhere around the age of seven with the help of their father’s Savin office photocopier. After spending his secondary school years as writer and illustrator of literary magazines, newspapers and his own work, Peter attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Fitchburg State College where Peter received Communications Student of The Year Award in 1983, and Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999.
In 1996, Peter transitioned from his 13 year career as vice president and creative director of Tom Snyder Productions, a leading educational software producer and publisher, to create a brand new kind of animation studio. As CEO/Founder of FableVision Studios, Peter produces award-winning children’s broadcast programming, educational videos and multimedia applications.
Peter is also an accomplished writer, storyteller and illustrator, and brings his enthusiasm and energy to every project he creates.
While Peter H. Reynolds is indeed an artist and author, he would rather be known for his mission: to use media to tell stories that matter and challenge us to reach our full potential.
Peter’s best-selling books about protecting and nurturing the creative spirit include The Dot, Ish, and So Few of Me (Candlewick Press). His cornerstone work, The North Star (FableVision), an allegory that raises questions about how to seek out our own unique path through life, has inspired children of all ages around the world as a book, curriculum and musical. The SugarLoaf book series (Simon & Schuster), My Very Big Little World and The Best Kid in the World, are the first of Peter’s many books about an irrepressible little girl who sees the world through creative-colored glasses.
The film version of The Dot (Weston Woods) went on to win the American Library Association’ (ALA’s) Carnegie Medal of Excellence for the Best Children’s Video of 2005 and the film version of Ish was announced as one of ALA’s 2006 Notable Children’s Videos. His other series of original, animated film shorts, including The Blue Shoe, Living Forever and He Was Me, have won many awards and honors around the globe.
Peter’s award-winning publishing work also includes illustrating New York Times #1 Best Seller children’s book, Someday (Simon & Schuster), written by Alison McGhee - a “storybook for all ages” that celebrates the potential we see in our children and the yearning for them to live life to its fullest. In addition, Peter illustrated the New York Times best-selling Judy Moody series (Candlewick) written by Megan McDonald, Eleanor Estes’ The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Judy Blume’s Fudge series (Dutton), and Ellen Potter’s Olivia Kidney books.
Peter has made his mark in many ways, including founding the Emmy award-winning children’s multimedia company, FableVision, with his twin brother, Paul. FableVision is a turn-key educational media developer and publisher committed to creating positive programming/ products that help all learners navigate their full potential. With offices in Boston, MA, Dedham, MA, Portland, OR, and London, the FableVision team enjoys an international reputation for its unique brand of innovative, technology-delivered storytelling and learning. FableVision’s most popular products include Stationery Studio and Get A Clue, as well as BrainCogs and Essay Express, which were produced in collaboration with Research Institute for Learning and Development.
In 2007, Peter received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his undergraduate alma mater, Fitchburg State College, in recognition of his “substantial contributions to education and the arts.”
Much of Peter’s spare time is spent giving back to the community ~ revitalizing the businesses in his beloved town, Dedham Square, supporting schools, and serving on the board of several non-profit organizations, such as Horizons for Homeless Children, Everybody Winds Metro Boston and the Dedham Historical Society.
Learn more about Peter, his books and his art by visiting his personal Web site at www.peterhreynolds.com.
About Robert Tinker, Ph.D.
Bob Tinker has, for thirty years, pioneered research on innovative approaches to education that exploit technology. The initial development of probeware for learning based on real-time measurements was performed in his group. His team at TERC was the first to develop “network science” for dispersed science investigations. The initial result of this work was the National Geographic Society Kids Network, the first curriculum making extensive use of online student collaboration and data sharing.
Thirteen years ago he started the nonprofit Concord Consortium to concentrate on innovative applications of technology in education. The Consortium developed the Virtual High School and professional development based on online learning. Current work focuses on sophisticated simulations in science, probeware, and handhelds, and applications of these technologies to pressing educational issues. All these technologies are being integrated into portals that offer a glimpse of what inquiry-based education could look like in a few years.
Bob earned his Ph.D. in experimental low temperature physics from MIT and has taught college physics for ten years.
Dr. Solomon currently works full-time as part of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s Learning Team. She was recently the Technology Integration Coordinator at Monsignor Haddad Middle School in Needham, MA and before that taught at Milton Academy for eight years. She is a pioneer in the fields of computer science and educational computing. Cynthia, along with Seymour Papert and Wally Feurzeig created the first programming language for children, Logo. She was Vice President of R&D for Logo Computer Systems, Inc. when Apple Logo was developed and was the Director of the prestigious Atari Cambridge Research Laboratory. Dr. Solomon has maintained a long relationship with the MIT Media Lab and the One Laptop Per Child Foundation in addition to her teaching, consulting and scholarship. Her doctoral research at Harvard led to the publication of the critical book, Computer Environments for Children: A Reflection on Theories of Learning and Education. Cynthia Solomon is also the co-author of Designing Multimedia Environments for Children, with Allison Druin.
Cynthia Solomon’s archive of classic videos about learning and computers, Logothings, may be found here.
Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The latest of his eleven books are THE HOMEWORK MYTH: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing (2006) and UNCONDITIONAL PARENTING: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason(2005). Of his earlier titles, the best known are PUNISHED BY REWARDS: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes (1993), NO CONTEST: The Case Against Competition (1986), and THE SCHOOLS OUR CHILDREN DESERVE: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and “Tougher Standards” (1999).
Kohn has been described in Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” His criticisms of competition and rewards have helped to shape the thinking of educators — as well as parents and managers — across the country and abroad. Kohn has been featured on hundreds of TV and radio programs, including the “Today” show and two appearances on “Oprah”; he has been profiled in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, while his work has been described and debated in many other leading publications.
Kohn lectures widely at universities and to school faculties, parent groups, and corporations. In addition to speaking at staff development seminars and keynoting national education conferences on a regular basis, he conducts workshops for teachers and administrators on various topics. Among them: “Motivation from the Inside Out: Rethinking Rewards, Assessment, and Learning” and “Beyond Bribes and Threats: Realistic Alternatives to Controlling Students’ Behavior.” The latter corresponds to his book BEYOND DISCIPLINE: From Compliance to Community (ASCD, 1996), which he describes as “a modest attempt to overthrow the entire field of classroom management.”
Kohn’s various books have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese, Hebrew, Thai, Malaysian, and Italian. He has also contributed to publications ranging from the Journal of Education to Ladies Home Journal, and from the Nation to the Harvard Business Review (”Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work”). His efforts to make research in human behavior accessible to a general audience have also been published in the Atlantic Monthly, Parents, and Psychology Today.
His many articles on education include eleven widely reprinted cover essays in Phi Delta Kappan: “Caring Kids: The Role of the Schools” (March 1991), “Choices for Children: Why and How to Let Students Decide” (Sept. 1993), “The Truth About Self-Esteem” (Dec. 1994), “How Not to Teach Values: A Critical Look at Character Education” (Feb. 1997), “Only for My Kid: How Privileged Parents Undermine School Reform” (April 1998), “Fighting the Tests” (Jan. 2001), “The 500-Pound Gorilla” (Oct. 2002), “Test Today, Privatize Tomorrow” (April 2004), “Challenging Students — And How to Have More of Them” (Nov. 2004), “Abusing Research” (Sept. 2006), and “Who’s Cheating Whom?” (Oct. 2007).
Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.
garystager on October 27th, 2008
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