Blog Post 1: My partner Raegan and I are on a mission to educate younger students on the importance of physical activity. We will be posting educational videos often and promoting work out plans.
Blog 2: Genius Hour According to CNN, 'Genius Hour' helps kids learn from failure. Being that it's not assigned by teachers, kids can explore their interests and learn in different ways compared to the core classes. Teachers said it's part of a larger movement in education to promote student-driven learning, ensuring that young people learn to think for themselves. Genius Hour helps kids think differently along the lines of recovering from failure. This also allows students to push themselves and take risks rather where traditional learning environments do not support that approach. After reading this article, I can approach my blog in a more relaxed state knowing that failure is okay. This will allow me to think in different ways and develop bigger and better ideas. I enjoy the freedom and the ability to explore my interests
Blog 3: "How Geniuses Think"
When hearing the term "genius", most people think of someone being extremely intelligent; However in the article "How Geniuses Think" by Michael Michalko, it is stated that as human beings, we think reproductively, that is on the basis of similar problems encountered in the past. When we are confronted with problems, one uses something from his/her past that has worked before. Individuals naturally select the most promising approach based on past experiences which is simply makes one a genius. By using past experiences such as Intro to Micro and creating my own web page in 8th grade, I can apply those when creating my new fitness weebly page.
Blog 4: TED Talks
Ken Robinson covers some interesting facts. Education under "No Child Left Behind" is based on not diversity but conformity. A real education has to give equal weight to the arts, the humanities, to physical education. One esitmate in America is that something like 10 percent of kids are being diagnosed with various conditions under the broad title of attention deficit disorder. Ken states, "I'm not saying there's not such thing, I just don't believe it's and epidemic like this. If you sit kids down hour after hour, doing low-grade clerical work, don't be surprised if they start to fidget, you know?" Kids prosper best with a broad curriculum that celebrates their various talents, not just a small range of them. Art isn't important just because it improves math scores. It is important because they speak to parts of children's being which are otherwise untouched. Another point brought up by Mr. Robinson is that curiosity drives human life to flourish. If you can light the spark of curiosity in child, they will learn without any further assistance. Children are natural learners. All of these points tie into the whole Genius Hour by allowing children to explore their imagination by using different parts of the brain. By letting kids learn about what their curious about, their attention span isn't in question.
Blog Post 5: Is Genius Born or Can It Be Learned
What John Cloud's purpose is in this article is to address that being a genius doesn't mean a 4.0 or a perfect score on the ACT. What makes a person a genius is their logic and creativity. The way people handle certain situations to major problem solving can define a genius. I can apply this information not only to my genius hour but everyday life by simply thinking outside of the box. Taking situations and using creating problem solving techniques can surely help me develop bigger and better ideas.
Blog Post 6: 'Star Wars' STEM Class Captures Kids' Imagination
Elementary school students learn about science, technology, engineering and math via light sabers and robots. Students learned all about the science behind the "Star Wars" films at a recent Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach program. "We programmed our robot, and it could go in infinite circles," said Amelia, a second-grader at North Grove Elementary School in Sycamore. "I've always done lots of STEM things, and I like 'Star Wars'. I'm having a great time, and I can't wait to build and design the light saber." Amelia was one of the fortunate children who attended this sold-out STEM class. The theme made this class the most popular class they have offered. Being that 'Star Wars' is such a culturally favored thing right now, they are using the allure of it to get kids thinking about STEM fields. "There are a lot of emerging jobs in STEM fields, and it's a good idea to be literate of science and technology in general. Having a basic understanding of how things work is a responsibility for all of us," stated STEM educator Jeremy Benson. "Kids need to be ready to operate in a world where there will be even more technology." Other kids, much like Amelia, were found fascinated by science and the way things work. These kids are using a different way of learning and comprehending things. A more hands on, trial and error approach, rather than sitting down and learning the material. Being that this is student centered, it gives the student a little more independency. These children are exposed to a totally different way of thinking and problem solving which aids in the success of the individual's project.