Hello, world! Brian here! It has been a while since I have written a blog post. Partially due to my travel schedule, my University courses and mostly because we have been super hard at work creating a new collection of wicked awesome kids books! Check out our titles below and stay tuned for RISK TAKER […]
It’s Computer Science Education Week. My social media feed is filled with amazing things happening in classrooms around the globe. It’s filled with ideas, resources and endless opportunities for educators to network with one another and add to their teacher toolbox. It’s filled with facts and figures about computer science, and why it’s important for […]
Hello, world! We have some incredibly exciting news to share! This week we quietly released two amazing resources – Think Like a Coder and Scratching The Surface! Coding is everywhere! Follow along with a girl and her dog as they explore computational thinking in their everyday activities. Colourful illustrations and easy to access text help […]
Good. Neither am I. I wanted to make this clear are the beginning. I am a math teacher. I am not a computer programmer. My colleague and mentor for all things code, Dan Shuster (Twitter: @simicodesquad) will disagree. However, please indulge me while I elaborate on how I started teaching Math With Code. Full disclosure, […]
I began teaching computer science and coding almost three years ago by accident. I was presented with an opportunity to get trained in a new Project Lead the Way (PLTW) course for middle school level learners called Innovators and Makers. I had to participate in an intensive once a week training via Adobe Connect for […]
This year I wanted to carry on the tradition of carving pumpkins and sharing the joy of the season with the kids that I teach. I always attempt to help students find joy in learning and upon arriving to the classroom with a trolley full of pumpkins, there was no doubt a lot of joy in the […]
I started integrating coding and robotics into my program about four years ago after meeting a teacher at a conference who had been coding with her kindergarten students. I thought, If kinders can do this, surely I could figure it out. I had dabbled with coding in highschool and university and one of my favourite toys […]
WHY CODE? What makes students so engaged that when the end of the day on a Friday, learning is still taking place and not one student in a class of 25 even notice that the bell is about to ring? Here’s why: I was introduced to Brian Aspinall through a colleague. Brian and I are […]
At the conclusion of every year I have my students write; ‘Archer Survival Tips’ for the incoming students….suffice to say they are fantastic! Itemes such as; ‘Glasses on? Park your behind and mind your own business for the day, he didn’t sleep well (probably a Fire Call in the AM)’ or ‘Hydrate with Coffee….Often, no […]
In a previous blog, I shared the following information: “Passion has led me to apply for the New York Google Innovator Cohort 2019. If you haven’t heard about the Google Innovator Project, you are missing out an amazing PD opportunity. I have been working on my application for a few months and have just really […]
“Follow Lucas and Liam’s coding adventure as they make a new friend! Lucas and Liam have been assigned a coding project by their teacher. At first they are more excited about working in the hallway than doing the project, until they meet Lily, a girl who has autism. The boys learn that not everyone communicates […]
As back to school season kicks in for many of my US teacher friends, we still have three weeks to go here in Ontario and I am loving every second of it! Recently I picked up a Sphero Bolt and Code Mat to explore new coding opportunities for students. I have been a fan of […]
Hello, world! Brian here again celebrating the longest of birthdays. As much as my wife thinks I am nuts, my birthday celebration tends to be about a month long. I am very spoiled. I am very grateful. I also want to give back to the Code Breaker community and I have a FREE Sphero Bolt […]
Amanda Green and Julie Arsenault We met at a Science Teacher’s conference 6 years ago and were immediately drawn to each other’s passion for STEM Education and space exploration. As junior high teachers in Canada, we like to explore new ways to teach kids while solving problems and overcoming real-world challenges. Inspired by our Canadian […]
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford One of my main goals as a Kindergarten teacher is to build a strong community in the classroom. Children need to feel safe and valued within our classroom family. I often hear or read about different lessons, ideas […]
I was 23 when I got the travel bug. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara, and my roommate Heather and I hit the road for six weeks in Europe on the adventure of a lifetime. We started on the busy streets of London, made our way to the Champs Elysee, and saw the beaches of […]
Kindergarten…28 little bodies in one room. 28 little minds all coming at you from different places, with different experiences, different abilities and different stories. Some of those 28 are still just three years old. Some are turning six. Some of those 28 can read and write and rhyme off math facts. Some can barely make […]
To quote the American actress and singer Mae West, “Too much of a good thing can be taxing.” This quote is very true when it comes to classroom technologies. We are bombarded every time we log onto the computer with advertisements for new technologies to be used in schools, testimonials of how great a new […]
Maybe you’re reading this because, like me, you’re passionate about makerspaces. Maybe you’ve heard all the buzz about makerspaces, but don’t really understand what they are. If you’re in the latter category, here’s a quick overview: In an educational setting, a makerspace is an area designed for students that allows them to work together to […]
A few months ago I read Brian Aspinall’s Block Breaker, and I knew I wanted to try a project using Minecraft with my Grade 2 class. Had I ever played Minecraft before? Nope. Did that ultimately matter? Not even a little. Though I had next to no experience with Minecraft, I knew that at least […]
I recently completed a University course for teachers titled, Integration of Information and Computer Technology, where the focus is on improving the teaching and learning process through technology-driven learning. I thought I was signing up for a routine online learning experience, where I may have struggled to find the time needed to complete the assigned […]
As a recent graduate from the Concurrent Education program at Brock University, I felt well-versed and prepared to integrate technology within my future classroom. My universities’ “Teaching with Technology” course, placements with 1:1 student tech, and various professional development sessions had given me the experience, knowledge and confidence to meaningfully utilize these tools. However, when […]
As an adult, I am passionate about my family, my daughter, reading, and the awesome Kentucky Wildcats (one very proud alum). As an educator, I am passionate about a lot of things in the classroom. This is a question I face everyday in and out of the classroom. I love being a special education teacher […]
For all the kids who grow up in a small town and think they don’t stand a chance. You do. I was once that kid.