EdCamp Denver -- Session 3 -- Genius Hour

How do students have voice/choice in their learning? Have we set up time for students to choose what they learn?

Genius Hour: students have an hour each week to learn what they want to learn and present it in a way they choose.

How it's been implemented?
-"I Wonder" day: students create a higher level question, research it, share it at the end of class
-Bad Idea box -- share out all the bad ideas you can think of (gets students to be comfortable sharing their ideas
-Project Based Learning: create higher level questions to drive research, research their question, create a presentation to share through podcasts, videos, slide presentations, etc.

Bloxels: video game creation with an app
-build a map of the video game with actual blocks & take a picture of the blocks in the app
-set the rules of the game: how to jump, shoot, run, etc.
-similar to Minecraft
-students can create and share their game boards

Resources:
20 Times: http://www.20time.org/ 
Launch Book: http://thelaunchcycle.com/ 
Project ideas: http://www.20timeineducation.com/20-time-ideas
Google expeditions: https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/#about 

Student Centered Classrooms ISTE2016

After a fantastic Keynote speaker (Dr. Ruha Benjamin, she was inspiring!) this morning and some wandering around the Vendor Booths (tons of fun upstairs), I'm ready to attend my first session of the day:

Student Centered Classrooms in Meeting Hall 707 with Nichole Carter and Jon Samuelson

Jon's podcast => http://techlandia.podomatic.com/

Today's Presentation

What is Student Centered?
-student in control = collaboration, PBL, tech, choice, making/creating -- ENGAGEMENT
-teachers = facilitator, coach, find student passion

1) Classroom Redesign
     Apps for designing a classroom = Classroom Architecture, Kaplan Floor Plan, Adobe Draw

2) Blended Learning
     -HyperDocs -- create links for students to explore on their own
     -Pinterest Board -- different ways to provide online avenues to pursue their own learning

3) Student Unconferences
     -Pinterest Boards
     -Adobe Spark -- quickly create animated videos, memes

4) Genius Hour

5) Making & Tinkering
    -Bloxel Overview


made with Adobe Spark

ISTE 2016

It's been a while since I've written a blog post. I've traveled a little bit this summer, but I'm officially back to it this week at ISTE 2016 in Denver!!! So excited for this opportunity to learn and grow.

First up today:
Liberating Genius with Angela Maiers in the Mile High Ballroom 4C
It's all about the Genius Hour movement where students work through inquiry-based projects on any subject of their choice. The power of the Genius Hour projects lies in student choice. All students have something they're passionate about, a topic they're a genius in. They need it to be liberated!

3 phases to unlock their genius:
1) Accept -- Students need to know and accept they're a genius.
2) Accelerate -- Students need to know others are a genius as well and can help others reach their potential.
3) Act -- Students need to act on their passion.

Learn more: http://www.choose2matter.org/liberatinggenius/

Genius Hour

TeachThought has recently jumped on board with the Genius Hour imitative, basically a way for students to complete an inquiry-based project around something they're passionate about. TeachThought provides 2 podcasts on providing ways for students to create higher level questions. Also, you can sign up for a workshop on creating a Genius Hour project for your students.

Genius Hour

If you aren't familiar with Genius Hour, it's an educational movement pushing students to learn what they want to learn. As educators, we should be giving students opportunities to follow their interests at least an hour a day, or a Genius Hour. It's a movement also tied closely to personalized learning.

I found a fantastic wikispace page to help teachers pull of a Genius Hour: http://geniushour.wikispaces.com/