Nocking the Arrow

"Making in the library is about offering students opportunities to move from simply being users and consumers to being creators, by providing them with the spaces, tools, and resources they need."  - Laura Fleming Under what conditions does your best learning occur? Many folks, myself included, say their best learning happens when they create something previously non-existent. Where are the places in your school where learning happens, not through instruction and a prescribed curriculum, but through inquiry and exploration? Where is the central hub of your school learning community? A maker space may be just the thing for breathing relevancy and energy into your school library, or media center. According to Nick Provenzano , aka " The Nerdy Teacher ," these are the four essential reasons why a media center makerspace makes sense; space, furniture, supervision, and access. School media centers provide open, flexible space. Collaboration, interaction, ...

In 2016, twice as many Americans obtained their news online instead of print. Approximately 3/4 of adult Americans interact with others through social media. Nine out of ten Americans are online , and a majority of these users are using time online to support personal or professional learning . I'm sure that I'm not the only person who finds it challenging to find a balance between personal and professional learning while online. As time passes, an increasing percentage of the information and interaction that I seek in the name of learning is gathered online. The line between personal and professional learning is becoming blurred. I'm not sure if this is the result of time limitations, or professional ambitions putting the squeeze on personal interests. For example, I would like to start a podcast about pond fishing, but here I am writing about learning and education. Reading Aaron Davis's recent post, " Templated Self ", my perceived chall...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how wearable technology was changing my behavior for the better. After a month of walking at least 8000 steps per day, I've upped my daily step goal to 10,000. Apparently, 10,000 steps (approximately 5 miles) per day is one of those magic numbers, like drinking at least 64 ounces of water each day, that is significant to personal wellness. I'm finding that hitting the daily 10,000 step goal is rather easy if I do one simple thing. I walk at least one complete lap through and around my school before the first bell. My school is three stories tall. To walk from one end of the school to the other takes me approximately 1000 steps covering a distance of about 1/2 mile. My serpentine path through the school gets me 1/3 the way to my daily step goal and adds six flights of stairs as a bonus. But wait, that's not all. I've discovered a few additional benefits to walking through the entire school first thing in the morning. The...