As an 8th grade Earth and Space Science teacher, Julia Segawa enjoys “watching science come alive through hands-on, content-related activities.” Julia is the Stevenson Middle School host for the STEM Pre-Academy C-MORE Science Kits, and uses the kits to supplement her curriculum throughout the year.
A few of our STEM Pre-Academy staff attended the 2016 Schools of the Future Conference this year. Every year seems to have a set collection of dominant themes that coalesce from the myriad of sessions and presentations. One of the emergent themes last year was the ascendancy of 3D printing in the classroom. As the barriers for entry with 3D printing are fairly high (both monetarily and skill wise) it remains to be see
(Julia Sanderl is an Art Teacher & GT Media Advisor at Kapa‘a Middle School)
We caught up with Kapa‘a Middle School teacher Thomas “Logan” Newbill recently and asked if he would share his thoughts on Google Chromebook in the classroom.
I had the opportunity to test out the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 last semester, and I thought I’d share some of my observations. For those of you who don’t know, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a tablet/laptop hybrid device. With the attachable keyboard and mouse if you’d like, the Surface works well as a regular laptop running Windows 8.1. Without the keyboard, it works as a tablet, taking advantage of the Windows touchscreen and stylus capabilities.
After working with it for a few weeks, here is what I have discovered:
The tech website Ars Technica, in collaboration with The Wirecutter (a great source of “the best of the best” reviews) have a great article last year about The Best Budget Laptop You Can Buy.
The key word in the title is budget. Budget implies compromise. So finding the best value is all about finding the best combination of compromises that can still complete the tasks that need to be done.
I won’t spoil it for you, but the answer they come up with raises some interesting questions. The best for whom? The best for what tasks?