Start the School Year by Experiencing the Solar Eclipse

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Our school year begins on August 21, the same day as the long-awaited solar eclipse. And the total solar eclipse will be visible above our location as Nebraska is a prime destination for viewing the eclipse.  Check out this interactive map of the world to tell exactly when the partial and maximum solar eclipse will be in your area. What a perfect way to emphasize the STEM areas to begin a school year by encouraging students to question, research, and experience a natural phenomenon.

The Internet is full of resources for teaching the solar eclipse. There are books and articles you may want to check out to bring into your classroom for students to read. The official NASA Eclipse Website traces the path of the solar eclipse and provides video to observe the eclipse live as it occurs. In addition NASA shares information about eclipses past and future. Your students will enjoy the countdown until the eclipse and perhaps you can find an event in your area at this site. They even have directions to make your own 3D Printed Pinhole Projector in the shape of the United States or your state! And check out NASA's Math Challenges for all grades to perform basic math related to the August 21 solar eclipse. NASA Next Generation Science Standards approach to classroom instruction on the solar eclipse gets students to observe an anchoring phenomenon, ask driving questions, and set up investigations.  A great example of how to make students leaders in their active learning.

One of my favorite online news sources is Smithsonian TeenTribune. I appreciate the way they level current news stories so students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 can read the same story at their own level in English or Spanish. When it comes to news events there are no alternate stories for students who are reading below grade level, they need to know the same relevant information about events in the news, so this source is a great addition to the classroom. The current edition of TeenTribune explains the viewing tools you can safely use to view the solar eclipse.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will also stream live video remotely from the UNL Student Observatory and the UNL Minnich Solar Telescope. So if you want to watch the solar eclipse from your classroom with your students in real time go to the UNL website. Concordia University, Nebraska will host over 2,000 K-12 students from across the state, as well as the public, to view the total eclipse with university students in the stadium. Beginning at 11:00am the Science department will provide updates and commentary audibly to viewers with visual information showing on the stadium screen.

Some possible student projects to extend student learning include: (1) mapping the path of the solar eclipse,  (2) locating pictures of the phases of the eclipse and creating a multimedia presentation explaining each, (3) writing a blog or digital story about the experience including preparation, observing, and reflecting on the solar eclipse, and (4) creating a one-minute movie demonstrating the positions of the earth, moon, and sun during a solar eclipse. Possible technology tools to use include Google Maps, Google Images, NASA Image Gallery, Adobe Spark Page or Video, Blogger, and Swivl. Then be sure to have students share their projects and learning at your class/school website.

Enjoy the Solar Eclipse and all the best in the new school year!

Innovative Learning Spaces

The role of the educator today is changing. Based on the

International Society for Technology in Education’s National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (ISTE NETS*T) teachers should be able to apply technology to:

• facilitate and inspire student creativity;
• design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments;
• model digital-age work and learning;
• promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility; and
• engage in professional growth and leadership.

And the Proposed 2017 ISTE Standards for Teachers view teachers as:

• Empowered Educators (Learners, Leaders, Citizens)
• Learning Catalysts (Collaborators, Designers, Facilitators, Analysts)
• The goal is to help students meet the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students as Empowered Learners, Digital Citizens, Knowledge Constructors, Innovative Designers, Computational Thinkers, Creative Communicators, and Global Collaborators.

While these expectations are quite different than the lecturer model education has used for many years, today's classrooms often don't look much different than they did many years ago often making it more challenging for teachers to modify their pedagogy.

Some innovative learning spaces are evolving to support teachers as they empower their students to learn in new ways. Educause (2015) offers ideas to design active learning spaces that support collaboration, project-based learning, inquiry learning, as well as traditional presentation and lecture methods. They suggest incorporating the following into innovative learning spaces to increase flexibility and technology use:

(1) Multiple writing spaces throughout the room (whiteboard ability on walls, tables)

(2) Presentation displays on multiple walls (no front of the room required so groups of students
can create and present on screens in their area)

(3) Internet connectivity to support all learners in the room

(4) Power throughout the room to charge students' multiple devices

(5) Movable furniture to provide flexibility in teaching and learning (tables & chairs with wheels)

Video source:Educause. (2015, June 22). 5 tips for active learning space design [Video File]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXDTxEeLLD8


As the second semester begins, consider how you

will teach and how you can arrange your learning space to facilitate that teaching and learning. How will you facilitate and inspire student creativity? How will you design digital-age learning experiences to help students construct knowledge? How can you provide opportunities for students to collaborate globally and present learning in creative ways? Perhaps the way you design your classroom will determine how learning will take place. I would love to see pictures of the creative learning spaces you design to facilitate student learning, as well as samples of student projects!

All the best in the new year!