September 17, 2015

Make It!!!

Did you hear about Ahmed Mohamed, the boy who brought a clock he built himself to school and was arrested because they thought it was a bomb?
Ahmed Mohamed. In a NASA shirt.

Ahmed's clock


We stand with Ahmed! We believe in every child's right to create, to make, and to share.

Speaking of sharing, a great opportunity is coming up at the Calgary Public Library.

Invite your students (and come yourself!) to make some robotics and then take them apart! Sounds like something Ahmed would love.

September 01, 2015

invite | Sylvia Libow Martinez at the Calgary Mini Maker Faire


Through our district strategy of personalization, learning is transformative, engaging, and active. One approach to teaching and learning is called “maker education,” where students are using tools, technologies, and materials to build to learn, rather than learn to build. Many Calgary Board of Education teachers have been exploring how these concepts open up opportunities for students to build competencies and curricular understandings.

In keeping with this strategy, the Calgary Board of Education wishes to give teachers and school staff an opportunity to see a keynote speech by Sylvia Libow Martinez at the Calgary Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, September 12 at 11am. Sylvia Libow Martinez, along with Gary Stager, is the co-author of the book Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. This accessible and practical book explores the maker movement and how it might be embraced in the classroom. It explores the idea that when new technologies and old, hands-on traditions are combined, a powerful approach to learning can emerge. This engaged, authentic way of setting and solving problems aligns very closely with our district strategy of personalization and the Ministerial Order on Student Learning.

We would like to offer all CBE staff the opportunity to attend Sylvia Libow Martinez’s keynote, as well as take in the rest of Maker Faire, for a special subsidized rate. Along with Sylvia Libow Martinez’s keynote presentation, there will be an Education Stage with many teachers and educators (many of whom teach in the CBE) sharing how making has transformed learning in their classrooms. Please distribute this invitation to all staff you feel would be interested.

When: Saturday, September 12th & Sunday, September 13th (Sylvia Libow Martinez’s keynote is Saturday, September 12th at 11:00am in the Dome Theatre) from 10:00AM to 5:00PM.
Where: Telus Spark
What: Maker Faire is billed as “the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth.” Calgary’s mini Maker Faire showcases the creativity of artists and engineers and everyone in between.
Cost: The cost for CBE staff is $20 plus service fees, which is a $35 savings. This pass will let you into Sylvia Libow Martinez’s keynote presentation, as well as get you a weekend pass into Maker Faire.
How: Please visit http://www.makerfaireyyc.ca/educator/ to order tickets. Please ensure you use your CBE e-mail address when ordering.



For questions about this opportunity, please contact:
Erin Quinn, Specialist, elquinn@cbe.ab.ca or
Tracy Dalton, Specialist, tadalton@cbe.ab.ca

Sincerely,
Jeannie Everett
Superintendent, Learning