School Education in the 21st Century

When I was growing up, our school education was simple. The teacher stood at the front of the class and spoke and the students listened. If any student was having trouble learning in school, they received extra classes. They could be remedial lessons, tuition, or anything that repeated the instruction to help them grasp the concepts of the material taught

Minecraft Education in the Classroom

Minecraft – whether you love it or hate it, there are two things you cannot deny: lots of kids are crazy about it; and it offers some great educational opportunities. With G1 getting into Java with Minecraft and Youth Digital, I thought it was time to learn more about increasing our educational experience with Minecraft. Since children learn best when they’re fully

How Can We Ignite Creativity in Education?

creativity (noun) the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. synonyms: inventiveness, imagination, innovation, innovativeness, originality, individuality; artistry, inspiration, vision; enterprise, initiative, resourcefulness What is creativity? It is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world

Educating Children for an Unknown Future

There is a really interesting article I read recently by Mitchel Resnick promoting the idea that education should be one Lifelong Kindergarten. The logic for his argument goes like this… Education Must Change to Prepare Children for an Unpredictable Future The world is changing so rapidly that we cannot possibly imagine what it will be like when our

What’s the Real Growth Mindset in Education

I have been following the work of Carol Dweck since I first read about her on New Scientist way back in 2008. A lot has happened since then, and we have learned a lot more about the Growth Mindset so I felt it was about time for a re-cap. Part of reviewing material after a period of time has elapsed is the

Children’s Technology Usage – Too Much or Too Little?

In the years since I have become a parent, I have found that the safest path to walk is always the one in the middle. Moderation is the key to everything for there is nothing either good or bad so long as you don’t veer too far off into the extremes. Likewise, with the case

Khan Academy – Tailoring Education to the Individual

I heard about Khan Academy way before I’d ever heard the name Salman Khan but I wished I had heard his name sooner… About Salman Khan Salman Khan is the founder and faculty of the Khan Academy – a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere.  It now consists of self-paced

Gamification: Using Games to Learn

Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. Badgeville Gamification is not a new idea. In fact, it has been around longer than the term has existed. Anyone who has ever learned geography playing Carmen Sandiego can attest to that. However, it is

Mama, Where’s the Car Engine?

Some time back, G2 asked me about the car engine. Since I know very little about car engines, all I could do was open the bonnet and show him what it looked like. Well, okay, I did point out the battery and I also showed him where the petrol goes in. Unfortunately, that was about

Apps: STEM Islands – Learn the Physics of Light, Motion, Sound and Heat

Stumbled on an interesting series of science apps by Virtual Space OOO called STEM Islands that help children explore various topics in physics in a virtual setting: light movement and sound heat and cold mechanics The City of Light In the City of Light you can learn about: Sources of Light Light and Shadow Light Refraction Mirrors Light Reflection Lens