Deeper Learning 2018

The importance of 21st century skills is a driving force, pushing teachers to change their approach to teaching, to create deeper learning experiences and set students up for success in their futures. Although it is important to recognize where the focus of teaching should be, it is also important to emphasize the gap that is currently found between the teachers’ knowledge of new technologies and their varying abilities to implement those technologies in the classroom successfully. One way to bridge that gap is with the introduction of maker pedagogies, which are centered on collaborative, student-centered learning and inquiry- and constructionist-based methods. Simply put, it is neither necessary, nor desirable, for the teacher to be the tech-expert, as the learning is richest when students and teachers oscillate between these two roles. Making entails fabricating with new technologies to create almost anything (Wohlwend, Peppler, Keune and Thompson, 2017). Our session will focus on introducing educators to various digital making technologies (augmented reality, circuit-building kits and computer programming, primarily) and also to the accompanying maker pedagogies. The educators will be placed in small learning groups and will move through three, main making sessions. These include: i.) Augmented reality journeys where participants will immerse themselves in an AR storybook and consider links to the language arts; ii.) Circuit-infused works of art using paper circuits or e-textiles where participants will consider the science and art subject-integration possibilities; iii.) Stop motion animation using a green screen. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with the green screen technology (superimposing layers of images on top of one another) and then to create a simple narrative using stop motion animation techniques.