OML and NSTA In March I had the pleasure of going to NSTA in Chicago with John Howe and Ian Fogarty.  My goal was two fold- 1)expand my understanding and STEM repertoire 2)share the OML program.

Preston-Student Documentary Click the title (it will turn green)  to watch a fantastic student documentary!

MakerSpace Click on the above title (Preston Media Makerspace, it will turn green)  to watch a video on the Preston MakerSpace! This semester over 50 students have successfully printed on one of the three printers.  A special thanks goes to Mrs. Twogood, Mr. Howe, Mr. Howell, Mr. Way, and Mrs.Dupriest for helping in the MakerSpace.

Preston Lantern Design(1) 8 very curious, kind hearted students Skyped with mechanical engineer, Jared Howe, to learn basic engineering terms.  Students at Preston Middle School (Fort Collins, Colorado) are involved in a collaborative effort with students at Riverview High School (Moncton, New Brunswick) to engineer a sustainable light source. Jared taught the students about the … Continue reading “Additive Learning” lessons from a mechanical engineer →

Students at Riverview High School in New Brunswick and students at Preston Middle School in Colorado care about students they will never meet.  About 40 students gave up their lunch time and made extra efforts to collaborate on a Skype video call to learn about how lack of electricity effects kids their age.  Students increased … Continue reading Living without electricity…who cares? →

emma and mackenzie Even though these two 8th grade girls can’t pronounce “philanthropic” that didn’t stop them from using their knowledge and spare time to help others! Two eighth grade Preston students sympathized with students they had never meant who couldn’t study after the sun went down, because they had no light.  The two students, … Continue reading Philanthropic Engineering →

What does 60 kids per class, plus 10 SMART boards, plus authentic student discourse equal? Collaborative Learning!  Preston Middle School is the host of the world’s largest Collaborative Classroom. Through the leadership of Scott Nielsen, the inspiration of Ian Fogarty,  the generosity of SMART Technologies, and four remarkable teachers,  240 students are experiencing a very … Continue reading The Worldest Largest SMART Collaborative Classroom! →

There has been much conversation around “21st Century” Libraries.  People are passionate about the title of the space, the title of the worker, the contents inside the space, who uses it, who doesn’t use it, and on and on.  I don’t care what you call the space I work in or what title you put … Continue reading 21st Century Library? →

This week I was honored to travel to Canada with four of my colleagues.  We went to learn not only pedagogy, and technology implementation, but also authentic community engagement and harnessing the power of students. Ian, Seth and Finn  Fogarty were our wonderful hosts.  On Sunday, we went sightseeing and observed the natural beauty and … Continue reading O’Canada! →

Every August I have the pleasure (challenge) of having every student come to the Media Center!  This year I worked  with 1052 students.  In the past, it has been my one shot of making sure each child knew the policies and procedures of the media center.  I tried to make it fun, I tried to make … Continue reading Rules versus Relationships →