
Photos by Norton Gusky Creative Commons 4.0
This page will serve as a resource for an Osher class at Carnegie Mellon for the Winter 2016 term. The links and materials shared can be used by any person according to the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution.
Coding / Computational Thinking
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_developer – Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames — but Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like “Bustin Jeiber,” a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers. (4:33)
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/12/11/458782056/a-kids-coding-expert-says-were-making-computer-class-way-too-boring – NPR article with interview of Mitch Resnick from the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten group, the developers of Scratch and ScratchJr
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/24/what-a-school-district-designed-for-computational-thinking-looks-like/ – Mindshift article that highlights the South Fayette School District’s comprehensive K-12 computational thinking model
Personalizing Learning
https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution – In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning — creating conditions where kids’ natural talents can flourish. (16:48)
http://www.personalizelearning.com/2015/11/choice-is-more-than-menu-of-options.html – Article from blog Personalize Learning curated by Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey. The article shares a continuum of choices for both the learner and the teacher.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/13/digital-tools-aim-to-personalize-literacy-instruction.html – Article published January 11, 2016 in Education Week examining Digital Tools to Personalize Learning
Virtual Reality
https://www.ted.com/talks/nonny_de_la_pena_the_future_of_news_virtual_reality – What if you could experience a story with your entire body, not just with your mind? Nonny de la Peña is working on a new form of journalism that combines traditional reporting with emerging virtual reality technology to put the audience inside the story. The result is an evocative experience that de la Peña hopes will help people understand the news in a brand new way. (9:27)
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/immersive-journalism-what-virtual-reality-means-for-the-future-of-storytelling-and-empathy-casting/ – article looking at growth of VR using the NY Times distribution of Cardboard viewer as the catalyst for mainstream adoption
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/12047279/How-virtual-reality-is-going-to-change-our-lives.html – article from British publication looking at VR in the military, architecture, journalism, and learning
http://touchstoneresearch.com/infographic-the-new-reality-of-virtual-reality-and-the-potential-with-youth/ – Infographic that shares research into how teens look at Virtual Reality and why they would use VR
Game-based Learning
https://www.ted.com/talks/jesse_schell_when_games_invade_real_life -Games are invading the real world — and the runaway popularity of Farmville and Guitar Hero is just the beginning, says Jesse Schell. At the DICE Summit, he makes a startling prediction: a future where 1-ups and experience points break “out of the box” and into every part of our daily lives.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ali_carr_chellman_gaming_to_re_engage_boys_in_learning – In her talk, Ali Carr-Chellman pinpoints three reasons boys are tuning out of school in droves, and lays out her bold plan to re-engage them: bringing their culture into the classroom, with new rules that let boys be boys, and video games that teach as well as entertain. (12:23)
http://www.nextpittsburgh.com/business-tech-news/schell-games-brings-education-life-three-new-steam-based-games/ – NextPittsburgh article highlighting games from Schell Games that tap into Science, Technology, Art, Engineering, and Math themes.
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/26/four-inventive-games-that-show-us-the-future-of-learning/ – Mindshift article highlighting four inventive games.
http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/30225 – TeachThought article looking at how we can use gaming to make learning more engaging.
Flipped Learning
https://youtu.be/2H4RkudFzlc – Aaron Sams demonstrating Flipped Learning with Jon Bergman (2:14)
https://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning – It took a life-threatening condition to jolt chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam out of ten years of “pseudo-teaching” to understand the true role of the educator: to cultivate curiosity. In a fun and personal talk, Musallam gives 3 rules to spark imagination and learning, and get students excited about how the world works. (6:29)
https://thejournal.com/articles/2012/06/20/flipped-learning-founders-q-and-a.aspx – article in THE Journal that uses an interview with Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams to explain what is Flipped Learning and how the two teachers started their journey to Flipping
http://www.flippedclassroomworkshop.com/results-studies-supporting-benefits-of-flipped-classroom/ – article that includes ten links looking at research findings about impact of flipped learning in K-12 and higher education
Robotics
https://www.ted.com/talks/vijay_kumar_the_future_of_flying_robots – At his lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Vijay Kumar and his team have created autonomous aerial robots inspired by honeybees. Their latest breakthrough: Precision Farming, in which swarms of robots map, reconstruct and analyze every plant and piece of fruit in an orchard, providing vital information to farmers that can help improve yields and make water management smarter. (13:09)
http://artsandbots.posthaven.com/robotic-poetry – Examples of Allegheny Valley Middle School projects using the Hummingbird Robotics Kit to illustrate poems ranging from “Grass” by Carl Sandburg to “El Dorado” by Edgar Allan Poe.
http://remakelearning.org/playbook/case-studies/#birdbrain-technologies – Case study from Remake Learning Playbook that looks at how the Hummingbird Robotics Kit spurs student creativity and problem solving. The case study includes a video that links the Hummingbird to Carnegie Mellon where the CREATE Lab developed the Hummingbird to engage young women in STEM.