From the desk of Mr. Walters

This is the second in a 3-part (maybe 4) series on setting up a sweet STEAM classroom in your Middle School. If you want to go read part 1, it's here: MS STEAM starter pack pt. 1: Programming Design & STEM vs. STEAM So, this topic is all about putting the "A" in STEAM . It used to be STEM, and for a brief time it was STE[A]M, but these days it's STEAM, and for good reason. Apple did not experience the massive market success that it is known for by making products that were simply functional. For better or worse, human beings are drawn to beauty. We love stuff that looks good, and I believe that any STEAM program worth its salt will cover the basic fundamentals of design. This is much more difficult than it sounds. Somehow, whether in advertisements, user interfaces, or simple brand marks, the people who understand design wow us and suck us in with their brilliant use of typography, color, and composition. I think most of us have an inherent sense of w...

This is the first in a 3-part (maybe 4) series on setting up a sweet STEAM classroom in your Middle School. I will link all three parts here when they're finished. MS STEAM starter pack pt. 2: Design The Premise I am a middle school computer science teacher. It's what I do. I LOVE my job. I also often speak at universities, blog, tweet, and just generally build as many relationships in the education world as I can. In my travels, I have heard the following scenario at least a dozen times (probably more, but I am prone to exaggeration, so I'll stop at a dozen).  Hi, Clint. I'm a Librarian for Generic Area School District in Upper Generic County. My school is phasing out the Library curriculum and turning our Libraries into [ultimate action-packed / STEM / cafe-related / Multi-media adjectives] Centers. I'm being asked to teach a Middle School [Coding / Game Design / STEM / STEAM] Class, and I know nothing about this stuff. I think they're trying t...

...that aren't overdone. This year, my colleagues and I moved into a renovated building. One of the upgrades that every teacher experienced was a classroom equipped with a ceiling-mounted computer projection unit, a Mobi (mobile whiteboard), and a Laptop.  As a result, the number of us using PowerPoint for every lesson has grown exponentially. The explosion of Power Point aided lessons has in some cases led to an exponential growth in students placing Power Point on the same level as thick worksheet packets and lengthy standardized assessments. Further, many teachers are starting to feel the same way after being subjected to poorly constructed and delivered presentations by students. What happened to this tool that at the start seemed so engaging and dynamic? Essential Question: How do teachers navigating this new world of projection screens, Smartboards, etc. keep things fresh? Let's look at some presentation tools and techniques available to any teacher with an Internet ...

Hey Mr. Reck's Candy Unit kids, Here's a wonderful treat for you. I've made two vector candy bar wrappers for you to Photoshop.  They work similarly to the Sneaker templates used in my class. I intend to add a screencast to this post soon on using the templates. Templates This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License .

Hey Peeps, Long time - no post. As you may or may not know, I teach seventh and eighth grad CIT.  My class is essentially charged with the mission of providing a transition point between the Elementary "Computer" classes and the High School's Business, Technology, & Graphic Arts departments.  A lot of students want to do things with computers for a career, but most are confused when they see the HS course selection guide for the first time and see no category for computer classes.  They're really floored when they see that "Technology" means "Shop" Anyway, needles to say, my favorite part of my curriculum is the Introduction to Design, which introduces: Graphic Design - Art Department Photography / Photoshop - Technology Department Web Design & Publishing - Business Department I'm always looking for new resources with which to challenge & inspire these kids. Most of these make use of the Adobe Creative Suite.  If you don't...