Educators fortunate enough to attend Constructing Modern Knowledge 2013 will be greeted by an amazing faculty, world-class guest speakers, a mountain of LEGO, a plethora of electronics, piles of art supplies, a fully stocked library, assorted toys, tools and countless other objects to think with.

The goal is to have anything a learner might need within reach of every CMK participant.

In addition to ordering tons of microcontrollers, electronics kits and components from Sparkfun, Adafruit Industries, and Chinese LED sellers, the following is a sampling of the “stuff” one will find at the greatest professional learning event of the year.

It’s not too late to register!


Invent To Learn – Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Sylvia Martinez and Gary S. Stager.

The first book to capture the tools and energy of the maker movement for K-12 classrooms. (Kindle & print editions)


Afinia 3D Printer H-Series

$1,599

This entry-level 3D printer has received stellar reviews.


Books by CMK 2013 Guest Speaker Deborah Meier


Books by CMK 2013 Guest Speaker Eleanor Duckworth


I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath

$32.32

The autobiography of our legendary Guest Speaker, NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath


Brotherly Jazz (DVD)

$18.99

A musical documentary on Jimmy Heath & The Heath Brothers

Endurance

$14.99

The most recent recording by the Heath Brothers


Jazz Master Class Series from NYU: Jimmy and Percy Heath DVD

$17.96


In The Element

$16.98

CD or MP3

The debut recording by CMK 2013 Guest Speaker Emmet Cohen


The KnowHow Book of Spycraft

$6

Lots of secret codes, tricks and disguises!


Visible Learners: Promoting Reggio-Inspired Approaches in All Schools

$21.36


The New American High School by Ted Sizer, Nancy Faust Sizer and Deborah Meier

$17.98

“The late Theodore Sizer’s vision for a truly democratic public high school system.”


SunFounder 37 modules Arduino Sensor Kit for Arduino

$69.99

This new 37 Modules Sensor Kit provides all kinds of funny and completed moduels for Arduino fans. These modules will output valuable signals directly by connecting Arduino boards. It is extremely easy for Arduino fancier to control and use these modules. This kit will help you control the physical world with sensors.


Ultrasonic Module HC-SR04 Distance Sensor For Arduino

$5.18


Zoom Q2HD Handy HD Video Recorder

$179.99


Kodak PlaySport (Zx5) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera $129

I’ve lost several of these, one of my favorite cameras for little kids and shooting an hour of video on a charge.


GoPro HERO3: Black Edition

$399.99

Gotta have it to capture all the fast-paced action!


Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet $64

 

Great low-cost drawing/painting tablet.


Akai Pro LPK25 25-Key Ultra-Portable USB MIDI Keyboard Controller for Laptops $47.99


Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music

$13.50

One of the best books about teaching and education reform I’ve read in many years!


microtivity IL185 5mm Assorted Diffused LED w/ Resistors (5 Colors, Pack of 50)

$8.99

You can never have too many LEDs. We have thousands of them for all sorts of uses in Constructing Modern Knowledge and our new Invent To Learn workshops!


Post-it Self-Stick Easel Pad, 25 x 30.5 Inches, 30-Sheet Pad (2 Pack)

$44.88


Hacking Electronics: An Illustrated DIY Guide for Makers and Hobbyists

$23.86

The reference tool I’ve been waiting for!


Beaglebone Black Devkit

$45

The new competitor to the Raspberry Pi in the sub-$50 computer market.


Raspberry Pi Model B Revision 2.0

$43.99

The latest version of the Raspberry Pi computer.


Edimax EW-7811Un 150 Mbps Wireless 11n Nano Size USB Adapter with EZmax Setup Wizard

$10.97

WiFi for the Beaglebone or Raspberry Pi


The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide (Now in Color!)

$18.51

Indispensable!


microtivity IM255 Assorted Switches (Pack of 15)

$9.49


101 Things I Learned in Film School

$11.26

An amazing little book!


Extech MN35 Digital Mini MultiMeter $19.43

You need a multimeter if electronics projects are underway.


IOGEAR 12-in-1 USB 2.0 Pocket Flash Memory Card Reader/Writer GFR209 (Green) $7.99


Avantree Pluto Air Mini Portable Rechargeable Bluetooth Speaker for Mobile/Tablet with Carrying Pouch

$29.99


On Stage CM01 Video Camera/Digital Recorder Adapter

$9.95

Turn a mic stand into a tripod!


ePhoto T69green/bag Continuous Lighting Green Screen Studio Kit with Carrying Bag with 6×9 Feet Chroma key Green Screen, 2 7 Foot Light Stands with 45W 5500k Bulbs and 2 32-Inch White Umbrellas

$129.99

A complete inexpensive green screen studio in a bag!


Lexar Professional 400x 32GB SDHC UHS-I Flash Memory Card

$32.95

My #1 camera needs some really big fast RAM.


Moby Dick: A BabyLit Ocean Primer [Board Book]

$8.99

Moby Dick for pre-readers!

Be sure to check out the rest of the series of “board books for brilliant babies!

 


SanDisk SDSDU-064G-A11 64GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Card 30MB/s

$38

My Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone projects might need a lot of RAM


Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder

$16.23


Photo Tent Table Top Studio Light Photography Soft Box Kit – Size 19.5-Inch Cube

$31

Essential for stop-action animation projects and close-up photography.

Everything folds up into a carrying case!


Behringer Ultravoice Xm8500 Dynamic Cardioid Vocal Microphone

$24.99

A good quality all-purpose microphone.


Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion Project DVD

$15.85

One genius controls an entire robot orchestra with a guitar!


The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection

$44.17

Kids have always made stuff. The difference between the Little Rascals and the maker movement is computation.


Arduino Wearables

$26.27


ProtoSnap – LilyPad Development Board $59

A brilliant way to get started with e-textiles!

This set contains everything you need for simple wearable computing projects.


Epson POWERLITE 93 Plus 2600 Lumens XGA LCD Projector

CMK needed a new projector!


Roland Cube Monitor / PA

$195

A fantastic portable amplifier and mixer.


Bare Conductive ink Greeting Card Kit

$24.95

Make interactive electronic greeting cards out of paper! A classroom set for 30 kids is available for $90.


Bare Conductive Paint and Conductive Paint Pens

Paint and markers for paper-based circuits.


Copper Foil Tape (Conductive Adhesive): 1/4 in. x 36 yds

$17.91

Conductive tape for all sorts of projects


Lots of inexpensive bulk LEDs

50 PCS Blue LED Electronics 5mm $4.77

50 PCS White LED Electronics 5mm Ultra Bright $4.77

5mm Assorted Clear LED w/ Resistors (6 Colors, Pack of 60) $6.21

50 pcs RGB Full Multi color Flashing 5 mm LEDs $5.77


Makedo FreePlay Kit For One

$15.30 (larger sets are also available)

Wicked cool reusable connectors, hinges and child-safe saws for building cardboard constructions.


Rolobox Reuseable Wheel Kit for Boxes

$13.95

Wheel sets for cardboard boxes. You need these with Makedo!


Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun

$15.67

A zillion high and low-tech project ideas and suggestions for amusing yourself.


Super Scratch Programming Adventure!: Learn to Program By Making Cool Games

$13.92

A full-color project book for learning Scratch programming. It even includes a chapter on using the external Picoboard!


The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects $16.25

Really cool and beautifully photographed tech projects ideas for kids and adults alike.


Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families $13.59

The latest addition to the three book Geek Dad series for girls, their moms (plus teachers, brothers and fathers)


The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide

$18.97

A new full-color guide to building machines out of LEGO Technic! Mechanical principles are explained clearly.


Make: LEGO and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics

$19.75


Makers: The New Industrial Revolution

$13.98

This recent book about the Maker revolution is by the former editor of Wired Magazine.

However, Neil Gershenfeld’s seminal book, Fab: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop from Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication, does a better job of covering the “maker” revolution despite having been published in 2005.


Big Trak

$60 – 70

My late friend, Steve Ocko, invented this programmable floor turtle (robot) for Milton Bradley in 1979. There has never been a more powerful easy-to-use robot available for kids since.The good news is that some lunatic bought the rights to the Big Trak and is manufacturing new ones 30+ years later.Kids from 5+ will play and learn with Big Trak for ages.


Makey Makey

$49.95 – $59.95

There’s no adequate way to explain Makey Makey, “the invention kit for everyone,” but you need to own at least one of them!

Learn more here.


LEGO WeDo

$129.95

An early-childhood robotics construction kit that may be controlled via Scratch.


Sugru various prices

Miraculous shapeable air-cured rubber, because “the future needs fixing!


Amazing book!

Highly recommended!

The Cryptoclub: Using Mathematics to Make and Break Secret Codes

$36.24 (and worth it!)

This fantastic book makes real mathematics come alive for kids (and teachers) grades 5 and up through the exploration of cryptography. There is plenty to keep you busy for years within this book.


The DVD

New York Street Games

$14.83

A star-studded documentary chronicling the dizzying variety of street games invented and played in New York City, as well as the life lessons learned playing them.This DVD should inspire a great deal of play and creative “research” projects among young people.


The book

New York City Street Games

$14.95

A terrific print guide to playing classic games including: Kings, Skellzies, Potsie, Stick Ball and Hit the Penny.The book even comes with bottlecaps, sidewalk chalk and a “spaldeen.”


Photojojo!: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas

$14.66

This book is filled with insanely creative ways to turn your photographs into amazing products and crazy ways to capture photographs you won’t believe. Fun for the whole family!

Check out the exciting description of projects and photo techniques included in this unique book.


I love love love these LEGO construction books!Yoshihito Isogawa’s three magnifcent wordless books of LEGO Technic project ideas are like the holy books of LEGO construction. There are enough ideas contained within to keep you building for years!

$12-14 each


Painting Chinese: A Lifelong Teacher Gains the Wisdom of Youth

$7.98

Legendary educator and education author, Herb Kohl’s beautiful meditation on life, teaching, learning, art and aging.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It makes a lovely inspirational gift for the artist or educator in your life.

For grown-ups


I’m in this book, along with Phillip-Seymour Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, Bill T. Jones, Bill Ayers, Deborah Meiers, Lisa Delpit, Maxine Greene, Diane Ravitch and many others.

The Muses Go to School: Inspiring Stories About the Importance of Arts in Education $20.06

Herb Kohl & Tom Oppenheim interviewed some of today’s most prominent artists about the educational experiences that led them to their creativity and then leading educators responded to each interview.


Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman (Adventures of a Curious Character) $10.85

The first magnificent memoir by this Nobel-Prize winning physicist, raconteur and tinkerer. This is a must-read for anyone over twelve years of age.

Feynman

$19.04

A fine biography in graphic-novel format. Appropriate for teens.

Books by and about the ultimate tinkerer and scientist


For the frustrated parents of young tinkerers

Not With Our Kids You Don’t! Ten Strategies to Save Our Schools

$18.69

Parent activist Juanita Doyon offers practical advice for protecting your kids from destructive school policies like standardized testing.


Read out latest newsletter for creative educators. There you will find other book reviews and recommendations for stimulating learning adventures!


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