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Who’s ready to get creative? Think, Make, Innovate is coming at you!

8/16/2018

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​On September 1st, we’ll be releasing the newest episode of Think, Make, Innovate.  You are welcome to join our mail list to be reminded. The biggest update to our new season is our new co-host.  Mindy Cairney will be joining the Think, Make, Innovate crew helping to kick off the challenges each month. Mindy’s love of making includes using the Makey-Makey in creative ways, tinkering with video and photo editing, and designing new spaces in her home.

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Until then, we’ve been working hard to update our Think, Make, Innovate page on our website, and we can’t wait for you to check out and give us feedback.
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Check out these new quick buttons to the ‘Lesson Plans’ and the ‘Maker Community’. Let us see your creations!  Click on the ‘Share” button to email us photos or videos of your students engaged in a Think, Make, Innovate challenge.  Or, feel free to tag us on social media using #havefunmaking or @DLGWAEA.
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Each month, we release a Lesson Plan including steps, material lists, and extension ideas you can use to help bring this challenge into your classroom. Resources are also listed here that will help you learn a little bit more.  Click on the Lesson Plan library to access all of the ‘Lesson Plan Library’ to check out every lesson we’ve done.

Click on the envelope to join our mailing list and have an email delivered right to your inbox once a month when new episodes are uploaded.  In our updated email for this year, you’ll hear directly from classroom teachers that encourage a maker environment in their classroom.

We have also added new ways to search and find past episodes of Think, Make, Innovate.  If you are looking for challenges related to a specific theme, you can filter by Maker Category. Or, if you are looking for examples of making at a specific building level (elementary, middle or high school), filter by Featured School.  You can pick up any challenge at any time and send us your photos or video and we'll add you to our online maker community.
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We'd love to hear what you think or any other suggestions you have for episodes ideas or content you'd like to see us add.  Just leave us a comment in this blog!

We hope you have a great year of making!   And as always...
#havefunmaking
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We Challenge You..

12/12/2017

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Have you checked in with Think, Make, Innovate lately?
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It's hard to believe that we are into Season 3 of sharing maker ideas and highlighting schools who are encouraging their students to be makers.  There are 22 different Think, Make, Innovate episodes out there waiting for you to take up the challenge.  As always, you can complete any challenge in any order you want to best fit your students' creativity.  We have recently reorganized our Think, Make, Innovate page into maker themes, like No or Low Tech Challenges or Coding Challenges to help you easily find maker challenges for your students.
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But I would say that the biggest, WOW for me has been how you've taken up the challenge! 

A part of every episode, either the students or Jason and I will say, "We Challenge You" to encourage students in Iowa or anywhere to take up the maker challenge.  We've added so many schools from across the state (and a few other states as well) to our online maker community.  It's been super inspiring to see!! 

A huge surprise for us has been how you have empowered yourselves to challenge each other! 

Check out rockstar librarian, Chelsea Sims & her maker crew (@sejhlibrary on Instagram - if you are not following you are missing out) challenge other schools in her district to take up a cardboard challenge.

A challenge to NW and NC!!! @nclibrarybuzz #sejh

A post shared by SEJH Library (@sejhlibrary) on Oct 25, 2017 at 12:16pm PDT

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And then, there are these two inspiring teachers, Gina Miller (@ginabeckmiller) from Belle Plaine and Manda Marshall (@mw_techlabA) from Mary Welsh Elementary in Williamsburg.  Their story of collaboration is so fun and authentically awesome.  Coming from two different school districts, crossing paths through professional development and being inspired and by each other.  They had an idea to bring their students together for Bot Smackdown Challenge Day and it all came together yesterday.  It was an amazing day of collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity for these students.  I was overjoyed to be able to help be a part of it and capture it to share in the NEXT episode of Think, Make, Innovate coming out in January.  Click here to subscribe to our mailing list if you want to be notified of future episodes like this one!

Listen to them tell their story, and tune in to their Think, Make, Innovate Episode in January!

How have you taken up the maker challenge? 
We'd love to hear from you, share your students' work on our maker community, or collaborate with you on a future Think, Make, Innovate episode!  We love to see you tag us on social media or use #havefunmaking to share the fun and joy of making that your students are involved in.

Leave us a comment and let us know how your school is moving forward with the maker movement.
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GWAEA Digital Learning December Update

12/6/2016

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Link to the December Update
In the Update:
  • Hour of Code Going on Now
  • Latest episode of the EdTech Takeout
  • Latest episode of Think, Make, Innovate, the makerspace show
  • PD Opportunities, Google Expeditions, SeeSaw in the Classroom, EdCamp Iowa
  • January Seminar Series - All Means ALL! Creating Equitable Learning Environments
  • Clarity Highlight- Teachers administer digital or online assessments to a majority of their students

~Stacy Behmer, Coordinator of Digital Learning - @sbehmer +StacyBehmer
For more posts like this, please subscribe to our blog! You can also connect with us on social media if you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter or add us to your circles on Google+.
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GWAEA Digital Learning Update - January 2016

1/11/2016

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Think, Make, Innovate

8/26/2015

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Grant Wood AEA’s Digital Learning Team is introducing our makerspace challenge show called Think, Make, Innovate.  The idea behind a makerspace challenge is to spark ideas and innovation, by putting out a simple idea and seeing what can be created.

Get to know our show:

Introducing Think, Make, Innovate

Geared for teachers to gain a better understanding of the show.

Meet Think, Make, Innovate

Preview trailer designed to share with students to get them excited about making.
Each month we will test you with a new makerspace challenge on our Think, Make, Innovate Page.  When a challenge is released, it will include a video that can be shared with students to introduce them to the month’s challenge and will be supported with a lesson plan for teachers to assist in implementation.  The challenges are designed to be adaptable to various grade levels and will range from low to high tech.  In each episode, we do a demonstration of the challenge or highlight a school participating in the challenge, to give students some inspiration to get started.  As it often is with making, we show failure and that learning is not always perfect.  We hope that your students will take the episode idea and build off of it to stretch their creativity and try out their making skills to create their own original products.

Our hope is that you will take up the challenge and share your process with us.  Take photos or short videos of your students’ creativity and we will post on them our Community Inspiration Board.  Sharing is easy, just email us at makerspace@gwaea.org or send us the links through this Google Form.

Stay tuned, our first episode, Green Screen Photo Booth, will be released on September 1st.  

Want to know when we release new challenges?  
Or would you like to have your school highlighted in an episode?  
Join our mailing list so we can connect with you.

Remember, Have Fun Making!


~Amber Bridge and Jason Marshall, Think, Make, Innovate Hosts, Technology Consultants


For more posts like this, please subscribe to our blog! You can also connect with us on social media if you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter or add us to your circles on Google+.
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Makerspace Role Models

7/21/2015

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PictureImage from Flickr, Source Charles Williams, No Changes Made
I had a great conversation with an educator earlier this summer who was working on creating a makerspace at her school.  We discussed many ways to encourage creativity and innovation in a makerspace.  Since this is a high school setting, we talked about how fun it could be to include a Macgyver quote on the wall.  I mean, Macgyver is the ultimate makerspace man, right?  He could make just about anything out of a paperclip!

This got me on a path of thinking about other makerspace role models.  My thoughts immediately go to other 80’s and 90’s pop culture icons who were known for making inventions that inspired us. Remember Data, from the Goonies? He invented a lot of crazy contraptions out of common items.  His inventions were so impressive that they’ve even dedicated a website to it - relive the Pinchers of Peril!  Kids can also learn a lesson about failure from Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, as he plans out his designs and often has to build and improve upon his original prototypes.  An important makerspace reminder: FAIL, First Attempt In Learning.


As I was reliving the media memories of my youth, I wondered, “Where are the girls at?”  I stretched my brain and came up empty of a girl or woman who was showcased as an inventor, creator or super genius in my beloved sitcoms and movies.

So, I turned my thoughts to icons of today  and wanted to introduce you to the ultimate and awesome makerspace role model. 


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Image from Flickr, Source Windell Oskay, No Changes Made
Meet Super Awesome Sylvia.
She is an enthusiastic tween who is sharing her love of science and making with the world through social media.  She started with a YouTube Show showcasing different projects she has made, which led her to become an author!  She an excellent example and role model for the students of today to inspire them in their maker journey.  

Super Awesome Slyvia could be a student in your class, who inspires you and their classmates to embrace their creative and unique self.  As you prepare for the start of the next school year, I hope you take steps to lay the foundation for making for your students, by providing opportunities and experiences and time for them to explore their maker side.

Who inspires you?  Is there someone I’ve forgotten?  Let me know in the comments section.

~Amber Bridge, Technology Consultant, Grant Wood AEA, (@abridgesmith)


For more posts like this, please subscribe to our blog! You can also connect with us on social media if you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter or add us to your circles on Google+.
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