Maker Programs Strive to Reach All Students
Through training and outreach, maker programs aim for greater diversity among future innovators.
YOUmedia, equity, maker education, Making, social justice
4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing 2016
The 4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing is a satellite of the annual 4T Virtual Conference (teachers teaching teachers about technology), which is sponsored by the University of Michigan Schools of Education and Information and Oakland Schools.
4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing, 4TDW, digital writing, virtual learning
Opening the Walls of the Classroom and the Boundaries of the Park
Resources in this collection have emerged from a growing partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Writing Project (NWP) designed to bolster connected learning opportunities within the national parks and reach more young visitors and educators.
National Parks Service, National Writing Project, connected learning, professional development, teaching writing, writing
Textual Power on Our Own Terms: Remixing Literacy in Out-of-School Spaces
What does it look like when young people are writing on their own terms, in spaces outside of school? What new ways of composing do digital media tools open up for us, and what does that mean as it relates to literacy pedagogy and writing instruction inside of schools? This collection features resources written by Hip-hop & spoken word artists & entrepreneurs who work first-hand with youth on initiatives that center youth production and literacy.
21st century literacies, digital literacies, connected learning, hip hop, spoken word
Featured tag
A profile on the evolution of educator innovator, Joe Dillon, 11th grade English teacher and instructional coach at Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado.
by Howard Rheingold
on Dec 6, 2016
Research papers often get a bad reputation. But we conduct research all the time in our everyday lives. Whether we want to understand civic issues or make a major life purchase, we need research skills to sift through all the...
by Dawn Reed
on Sep 25, 2016
In my classroom, math is organized into three stations.
by Robert Sidelinker
on Apr 3, 2016
Trending
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The Community
resource
In the publication Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom, Nicole Mirra challenges deficit narratives to “remind us that children are complex beings who are not simply interested in childish things; instead, they are citizens in the making who offer sophisticated observations and critiques of the inequalities and injustices around them that educators need to honor and build upon. We have an urgent need to utilize students’ voices and interests in order to help them develop expertise and agency.” Building upon this critical insight, I have compiled recent examples of strong interest-driven projects that cultivated a deep commitment to youth choice and voice, as meaningful ingredients to transformative learning experiences.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
Almost 50 years ago from this moment, Grace Lee Boggs began to reflect on the power of education as it relates to the power to shape community. In Education: The Great Obsession, she argues that schools need to embrace their role as centers of the community and that the community’s needs and problems must look to take a central place within the curriculum. Boggs continues, “Through the solution of real community problems, students discover the importance not only of skills and information but also of the ideas and principles that must guide them in setting and pursuing goals.” In this resource around community collaboration, we return to Detroit to see how educators have put these ideals into practice, as well as expand beyond Detroit to see how teachers in other parts of the country are partnering with local communities to extend the scope of student learning and impact.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
“Brother Mike” Hawkins served as a beacon of light during his time with the Digital Youth Network and the YOUMEDIA space at the Harold Washington Library.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
I was living in Los Angeles in 2013 when the Los Angeles Unified School District began implementing its ill-fated plan to provide all of its 640,000 students with iPads. I am now living in El Paso, Texas, where the El Paso Independent School District recently completed its (admittedly much smoother) roll-out of laptops for all of its 60,000 students. I could likely be telling a similar story regardless of where I lived considering the frenzy across the country to get devices into the hands of students.
on Jan 14, 2017
by Nicole Mirra
resource
on Aug 12, 2016
by Christina Puntel
resource
Project’ is one of those words with a meaning that hinges on whether it is used inside or outside of a classroom. ... How do young people learn how to take on projects of their own? How do they learn to trust their impulses to imagine and devise - and follow through on these notions?
on Jul 6, 2015
by Myles Curtis
resource
The Making Learning Connected Massive Open Online Collaboration (CLMOOC) summer professional learning is comprised not of units or weekly topics. Instead, the collaborative professional learning is organized into "make cycles" which invite participants to make artifacts or content in an effort to explore Connected Learning principles by embodying them. Make cycles are lead by intrepid teams from National Writing Project sites or Educator Innovator partners.
This resource supports make cycle leaders in preparing to lead these cycles, detailing the explicit tasks they'll need to complete, and describing the help they'll receive. The graphic below lists the tasks which correspond with the content of this resource.
on May 3, 2015
by Joe Dillon
resource
Last week, I read an article on venturebeat.com, describing Nancy Pelosi’s “awe” for the maker movement. The article was old, (published January of last year), but I was still happy to see this opinion vocalized, being a maker-educator, myself.
on Apr 17, 2015
by David Perlis
resource
We’re a K–12 school, with K–12 makers, and we treat that making as a way of driving student learning, rather than simply showcasing it. What that means is that we let students tinker, discover, and hit walls with a project before giving them instruction, then use these successes and setbacks as learning tools. Driving our curriculum through our making requires shifting our roles as educators. We often take a step back from teaching directly, so students can teach themselves.
on Mar 31, 2015
by David Perlis
resource
Think globally, game locally
on Jan 15, 2015
by Christina Puntel
resource
Taking risks has never felt like a natural part of my personality. I don't typically blaze my own trail. I look for the safe, the comfortable, the experiences I can control.
This is as true in my professional life as my personal. However, this risk-averse tendency is often in conflict with another aspect of my character: the desire to improve myself—to improve my craft. This desire manifests in my classroom with my career-long need to create new units and lessons (or, at the very least, to repeatedly revise old ones). One of the greatest challenges and joys of teaching is that no lesson or unit ever feels like it's done. There is always room for improvement. I have come to believe this is how it should be—that this constant cycle of creation and revision is actually the hallmark of any teacher who is experiencing moments of greatness.
on Oct 21, 2014
by Laurie Roberts
resource
As you step through the doorway of a history classroom, the lights are off as the teacher drones on about the importance of certain Revolutionary War battles. A plain PowerPoint slide is plastered across the front of the room. A few students are awake, actively taking notes, but the majority of the class is dead asleep as the teacher drones on, unfazed by this behavior. This is what many stereotypically characterize a history class to look like, probably because that is what they were exposed to. As a history teacher, I am no stranger to the adversity that educators face when it comes to making historical content relatable to their students. I teach at E.B. Aycock Middle School, located in Pitt County in eastern North Carolina, a school with an extremely diverse student population in terms of both race and socioeconomic status.
peer culture, digital tools, #trwpconnect, collaborative learning, connected learning, history, student interest, Tar River Writing Project, TRWP
on Jun 20, 2014
by Ariel Tyson
resource
We decided to enter the National Novel Writing Month competition as a class last year, and the results were amazing.
on May 23, 2014
by Tommy Buteau
resource
While no teacher denies the importance of college and career readiness, what is the educator to do who wants to develop civic curriculum and offer students relevant, critical instruction that is also aligned with the Common Core?
on Apr 29, 2014
by Nicole Mirra
resource
Collections tend to bring together 4-6 resources or blogs with a main blog-style post highlighting cross-cutting ideas related to digital literacy and connected learning. Curators organize collections by sub-themes within the broader topic, including:
- the art and craft of digital writing;
- teaching and connected learning;
- provocations that push us to think in new ways.
Some examples include:
on Apr 29, 2014
by The Current
Pages
blog
“I need someone to be the victim.” Laughter echoes through the elementary STEM lab on a frosty Saturday morning in Grand Haven, Michigan. Two girls giggle, surrounded by wrinkly chart paper full of messy writing, as they attempt to recruit actors for their anti-bullying video. A third girl rushes over, and the trio huddles around an iPad. The space is fairly noisy, maybe more so than a typical classroom, with pockets of kids spread out around the room. Looking beyond the mess and the noise, you might notice ten third and fourth grade students all highly engaged in learning. You might also notice a few adults coaching kids and asking questions. What you would have a hard time seeing is who is in charge.
on May 16, 2017
by Christopher Working
blog
I thought I'd mark the occassion.
This year marks my 2nd year in Writing Project World. I'd just returned to teaching. My thinking at the time was, How long am I doing this? Am I in it for the long-term?
Then the National Writing Project led me to understand that there was a way to marry my love for writing and creation to teaching.
Now I'll be a learner all my life.. and nothing, absolutely nothing will get old in my classroom...
I'm very happy to be here, and I look forward to being an active member of this community.
It's taken me 2 years to find you.. for me, it's a relief to be among friends.
:)
on May 16, 2017
by Veronica Estrada
blog
I’m a science teacher. I didn’t immediately embrace this identity, as I began my career a passionate English teacher. It didn’t take long before I was bouncing back and forth between English and science classrooms, and I quickly grew to love both equally. Today, I primarily teach science, but I have not left my English background behind. As a Teacher Consultant of the National Writing Project, I am always looking for opportunities to incorporate new literacy skills into my science classroom.
on May 8, 2017
by Carrie Nobis
blog
via http://van-life.net/
I don't know what to make of the piece by Rachel Monroe in The New Yorker about #VanLife, which focuses on people who have taken to living in their vans (mostly VW vans) for all sorts of reasons -- economic, lifestyle, etc. These #VanLife folks then share their travels and world via social media, often with the hashtag of #VanLife, and mostly on Instagram.
That's fine.
on Apr 29, 2017
by Kevin Hodgson
blog
A funny thing happened on my way to the Rhizome sometimes last year ... the hashtag got switched. Now, normally, this would not be a big issue. But I have come to realize more and more how much I rely on the columns of my Tweetdeck app (sorted by hashtags) as a place to keep connected to various projects. So, when someone switches a conversation from one hashtag (say, #rhizo16) to another (say, #resilience16), I suddenly feel disorientated. Lost.
on Apr 29, 2017
by Kevin Hodgson
blog
Colleagues of mine from the Philadelphia Writing Project asked me recently if I had suggestions about ways that they might think about extending their Summer Institute (SI) beyond the summer and into spaces, on and offline. The goals were to allow for beyond-the-summer discussions as well as to support others in joining in and participating beyond that particular SI cohort.
Below are a set of Whys followed by a list of Hows ideas that I put together for them; sharing them here as a resource for other writing project sites and colleagues across the country. Feel free to add to an editable version of this list!
on Mar 9, 2017
by Christina Cantrill
blog
Starting something new is perpetually a complex endeavor: exciting and challenging; confusing and frustrating; fun and eye-opening; and important and mysterious --- think first day as a freshman, think mid-week of the first week of the Summer Institute (as part of the National Writing Project), think first day on the job. Being a member of this team of teachers (see links, below) working on creating curriculum for Youth Voices was just as amazing.
on Mar 6, 2017
by Aram Kabodian
blog
I had been writing about diving into the world of Twitter Bots for Networked Narratives, and my interest in creating my own Twitter Bot, if only to understand the process of how it is done.
Well, I did it. Check out the PeaceLove&Bot bot. Every six hours, the PeaceLove bot will send out a new tweet that begins with the lines made famous in the Elvis Costello song (but written by Nick Lowe) with random word replacing "Understanding" in the lyrics. I've included the #NetNarr hashtag in the code, too, so that the tweets get sent into the NetNarr twitter stream.
on Feb 11, 2017
by Kevin Hodgson
blog
This past summer I attended our local chapter of the National Writing Project, Red Cedar Writing Project, leadership meeting. During the meeting, we were given the opportunity to join projects that were either in progress or just starting up. I found myself intrigued by the description of both YouthVoices.live and LRNG.org. I decided that these two projects sounded interesting and fulfilled my need to combine learning with technology.
Little did I know what an awesome team I would join. There are seven of us, and our leader has taken to calling us the Magnificent Seven (but without all the violence, of course). I have to admit that never in my wildest dreams did I expect this team to be as productive and driven as it has proven to be. So what has it been like for me?
on Feb 10, 2017
by Dianna Baldwin
blog
Langston Hughes said it best when he expressed his feelings in the masterpiece, “I, too”:
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
on Feb 8, 2017
by Jessyca Mathews
blog
Sometimes innovation is about having a sense of the big idea, then paving the way one step at a time. Creativity and exploration certainly is part of the learning process.
As an engaged digital literacy educator, I invite my students into powerful opportunities to engage in conversation with other learners across the country through the Youth Voices Community. Through this professional learning space, several dedicated teachers, including National Writing Project teachers, engage students in conversation through written discussion and video conferences, as well as support with guides for writing and learning with shared curriculum.
on Feb 8, 2017
by Dawn Reed
blog
A profile on the evolution of educator innovator, Joe Dillon, 11th grade English teacher and instructional coach at Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado.
on Dec 6, 2016
by Howard Rheingold
blog
For the CLMOOC Pop-Up Make Cycle for #DigiWriMo, we invited people to help annotate an interview of Troy Hicks about digital literacies. The Edutopia article by Todd Finley is a few years old, but holds up remarkably well, I think. We have been using the Hypothesis annotation tool, which allows you to collaboratively add comments and media in the margins of a web-based article. It's a great way to "think out loud with others" in the margins of the Web. It's also invisible, to some degree.
on Dec 3, 2016
by Kevin Hodgson
blog
I don't claim to understand all of the data analysis that goes on when people research and examine all of the elements of our social interactions in places like Twitter and beyond. Here, for example, is what the Innovator's Mindset MOOC looked like from a data analysis viewpoint.
on Dec 2, 2016
by Kevin Hodgson
blog
Keynoting and presenting in a virtual site like Blackboard Connect is sort of like hanging out with roomful of ghosts. They're very friendly and curious ghosts, sort of like Casper if he were to become a teacher instead of just a cute spirit. You feel the presence of participants in the scrolling chat room as you talk to a screen featuring slides you made and know by heart (mostly). Sometimes, they take the mic. Yeah, being a presenter in that kind of screen-based format is slightly odd.
on Oct 29, 2016
by Kevin Hodgson
Pages
resource
In the publication Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom, Nicole Mirra challenges deficit narratives to “remind us that children are complex beings who are not simply interested in childish things; instead, they are citizens in the making who offer sophisticated observations and critiques of the inequalities and injustices around them that educators need to honor and build upon. We have an urgent need to utilize students’ voices and interests in order to help them develop expertise and agency.” Building upon this critical insight, I have compiled recent examples of strong interest-driven projects that cultivated a deep commitment to youth choice and voice, as meaningful ingredients to transformative learning experiences.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
Almost 50 years ago from this moment, Grace Lee Boggs began to reflect on the power of education as it relates to the power to shape community. In Education: The Great Obsession, she argues that schools need to embrace their role as centers of the community and that the community’s needs and problems must look to take a central place within the curriculum. Boggs continues, “Through the solution of real community problems, students discover the importance not only of skills and information but also of the ideas and principles that must guide them in setting and pursuing goals.” In this resource around community collaboration, we return to Detroit to see how educators have put these ideals into practice, as well as expand beyond Detroit to see how teachers in other parts of the country are partnering with local communities to extend the scope of student learning and impact.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
“Brother Mike” Hawkins served as a beacon of light during his time with the Digital Youth Network and the YOUMEDIA space at the Harold Washington Library.
on May 10, 2017
by Christopher Rogers
resource
I was living in Los Angeles in 2013 when the Los Angeles Unified School District began implementing its ill-fated plan to provide all of its 640,000 students with iPads. I am now living in El Paso, Texas, where the El Paso Independent School District recently completed its (admittedly much smoother) roll-out of laptops for all of its 60,000 students. I could likely be telling a similar story regardless of where I lived considering the frenzy across the country to get devices into the hands of students.
on Jan 14, 2017
by Nicole Mirra
resource
on Aug 12, 2016
by Christina Puntel
resource
Project’ is one of those words with a meaning that hinges on whether it is used inside or outside of a classroom. ... How do young people learn how to take on projects of their own? How do they learn to trust their impulses to imagine and devise - and follow through on these notions?
on Jul 6, 2015
by Myles Curtis
resource
The Making Learning Connected Massive Open Online Collaboration (CLMOOC) summer professional learning is comprised not of units or weekly topics. Instead, the collaborative professional learning is organized into "make cycles" which invite participants to make artifacts or content in an effort to explore Connected Learning principles by embodying them. Make cycles are lead by intrepid teams from National Writing Project sites or Educator Innovator partners.
This resource supports make cycle leaders in preparing to lead these cycles, detailing the explicit tasks they'll need to complete, and describing the help they'll receive. The graphic below lists the tasks which correspond with the content of this resource.
on May 3, 2015
by Joe Dillon
resource
Last week, I read an article on venturebeat.com, describing Nancy Pelosi’s “awe” for the maker movement. The article was old, (published January of last year), but I was still happy to see this opinion vocalized, being a maker-educator, myself.
on Apr 17, 2015
by David Perlis
resource
We’re a K–12 school, with K–12 makers, and we treat that making as a way of driving student learning, rather than simply showcasing it. What that means is that we let students tinker, discover, and hit walls with a project before giving them instruction, then use these successes and setbacks as learning tools. Driving our curriculum through our making requires shifting our roles as educators. We often take a step back from teaching directly, so students can teach themselves.
on Mar 31, 2015
by David Perlis
resource
Think globally, game locally
on Jan 15, 2015
by Christina Puntel
resource
Taking risks has never felt like a natural part of my personality. I don't typically blaze my own trail. I look for the safe, the comfortable, the experiences I can control.
This is as true in my professional life as my personal. However, this risk-averse tendency is often in conflict with another aspect of my character: the desire to improve myself—to improve my craft. This desire manifests in my classroom with my career-long need to create new units and lessons (or, at the very least, to repeatedly revise old ones). One of the greatest challenges and joys of teaching is that no lesson or unit ever feels like it's done. There is always room for improvement. I have come to believe this is how it should be—that this constant cycle of creation and revision is actually the hallmark of any teacher who is experiencing moments of greatness.
on Oct 21, 2014
by Laurie Roberts
resource
As you step through the doorway of a history classroom, the lights are off as the teacher drones on about the importance of certain Revolutionary War battles. A plain PowerPoint slide is plastered across the front of the room. A few students are awake, actively taking notes, but the majority of the class is dead asleep as the teacher drones on, unfazed by this behavior. This is what many stereotypically characterize a history class to look like, probably because that is what they were exposed to. As a history teacher, I am no stranger to the adversity that educators face when it comes to making historical content relatable to their students. I teach at E.B. Aycock Middle School, located in Pitt County in eastern North Carolina, a school with an extremely diverse student population in terms of both race and socioeconomic status.
peer culture, digital tools, #trwpconnect, collaborative learning, connected learning, history, student interest, Tar River Writing Project, TRWP
on Jun 20, 2014
by Ariel Tyson
resource
We decided to enter the National Novel Writing Month competition as a class last year, and the results were amazing.
on May 23, 2014
by Tommy Buteau
resource
While no teacher denies the importance of college and career readiness, what is the educator to do who wants to develop civic curriculum and offer students relevant, critical instruction that is also aligned with the Common Core?
on Apr 29, 2014
by Nicole Mirra
resource
Collections tend to bring together 4-6 resources or blogs with a main blog-style post highlighting cross-cutting ideas related to digital literacy and connected learning. Curators organize collections by sub-themes within the broader topic, including:
- the art and craft of digital writing;
- teaching and connected learning;
- provocations that push us to think in new ways.
Some examples include:
on Apr 29, 2014
by The Current
Pages
collection
The 4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing is a satellite of the annual 4T Virtual Conference (teachers teaching teachers about technology), which is sponsored by the University of Michigan Schools of Education and Information and Oakland Schools. The 4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing focuses on the research, pedagogy, and tools of writing in digital spaces in the K-12 classroom.
4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing, 4TDW, digital writing, virtual learning
on Nov 23, 2016
by Delia DeCourcy
collection
Resources in this collection have emerged from a growing partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Writing Project (NWP) designed to bolster connected learning opportunities within the national parks and reach more young visitors and educators.
National Parks Service, National Writing Project, connected learning, professional development, teaching writing, writing
on Oct 25, 2016
by Judy Buchanan
collection
This collection of case studies features three communities who build on fan interests and engagement to unite, inspire, and drive social change. These communities include Harry Potter enthusiasts, StarCraft gamers, and wrestling fans who use their shared passions as springboards for creative production and building peer-supported communities of learning.
case study, CL.tv, connected learning
on May 16, 2016
by Connected Learning Alliance
collection
This collection of seven personal stories showcases educators who are trying to reimagine both the role of educators as learners and develop new methodologies for teaching students in this increasingly digital age.
CL.tv, connected learning, personal story
on May 11, 2016
by Connected Learning Alliance
collection
This collection of ten personal stories features individuals who use their personal passions to engage with their communities.
CL.tv, connected learning, personal story
on May 4, 2016
by Connected Learning Alliance
collection
This collection of six personal stories documents the different ways that educators are utilizing aspects of both design and play in their curriculums. Their hands on approach to learning allows students to physically manifest their ideas by constructing, designing, and executing a plan to create something new either on their own or as a collaboration.
CL.tv, connected learning, personal story
on Apr 29, 2016
by Connected Learning Alliance
collection
This collection features four case studies which showcase a range of spaces where learners are pursuing their interests and passions alongside peers and mentors. These case studies, which showcase the work of both schools and community organizations/collaborations, were originally featured on Connected Learning TV, which now airs on NWP's Educator Innovator.
on Apr 29, 2016
by Educator Innovator
collection
This collection of five case studies features a selection of schools, organizations, and collaborations focused on using a connected learning approach to educational and social outreach. This collection spotlights communities of learners and educators developing unique programs that can expand educational experiences beyond the four walls of the classroom.
case study, CL.tv, connected learning
on Apr 27, 2016
by Connected Learning Alliance
collection
This collection draws together blogs and resources that follow my experience implementing the 20 Time project, Innovation Hour, in my high school classroom.
LRNG Grant, 20 time, genius hour, project-based learning, student choice, student-centered classroom
on Aug 27, 2015
by Carrie Honaker
collection
This collection features the work of three Teacher Consultants from the UNC Charlotte Writing Project who explored and reflected upon how a "maker" approach to teaching English Language Arts worked to empower students in the classroom and connect them with the community.
on Jul 30, 2015
by Steve Fulton
collection
This collection highlights six case studies centered on evidence the authors have uncovered through teacher inquiry and structured conversations about students’ digital writing.
#lookingclosely
on May 13, 2015
by Troy Hicks
collection
How are we bringing the #BlackLivesMatter movement into our classrooms?
#BlackLivesMatter, conversations, curriculum, racism
on Feb 10, 2015
by Paul Allison
collection
At the 2014 NWP Annual Meeting, a group of us participated in a "messing around and geeking out" session on Playing with Open Designs for Professional Learning.
The idea of this session was to think about how connected learning meets professional learning through open play experiences.
clmooc, connected learning, open, professional development
on Nov 22, 2014
by Karen Fasimpaur
collection
This collection of resources demonstrates the ways that middle school teachers at a high needs middle school in Eastern North Carolina are transforming their professional learning and teaching practices with Connected Learning frameworks.
interest-driven, Open Networks, connected learning, MOOC, professional development, tar river, TRWP
on Sep 26, 2014
by Stephanie West-Puckett
collection
This collection highlights and supports the book series Interconnections: Understanding Systems through Digital Design. Each book of the series uses a design-based approach to learning and offers up a toolkit for supporting systems thinking in ways that are aligned to standards but also relevant to youth interests in digital culture.
game design, digital storytelling, design thinking, e-textiles, electronics, programming, systems thinking
on Sep 9, 2014
by Janis Watson