SXSW EDU

121 SXSWedu 2016 Conference Overview About Special Programs Socials Wednesday Wednesday 3:45 PM - 4:15 PM Instructional Strategies Learning to Nurture Designers ACC | Ballroom EFG | Playground Talk Anyone can learn a creative design process for tackling challenges, but not everyone has the opportunity to do so. Join the MIT D-Lab's youth program as we explore a few strategies to build creative capacity in schools and communities, in an attempt to democratize design! We will share examples and lessons learned from collab- orating with preK-12 educators and students in greater Boston, Colombia, Ghana and beyond. There is plenty of design curricula available online, so this session will focus on supportive ecosystems for design content: creating enabling environments, facilitating diverse design teams and connecting learners with resources to continue making their ideas into reality. Jessica Huang, D-Lab, MIT, Pedro Reynolds-Cuellar, D-Lab, MIT 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Instructional Strategies Improv & Zombies: Waking Up the Virtual Classroom Hilton | Salon F | Workshop | #zombies CPE Virtual classrooms are havens for zombies—zoned out, multi-task- ing students who don't participate. With no visual feedback online, instructors must find new ways to engage students and ensure they understand the material. This hands-on workshop is designed to inspire instructors to be more creative in their approach and to pro- vide them with a toolkit of improv games and exercises to enliven online classes. Takeaways include the ability to tie improv back to teaching strategies and to translate it to features available on learn- ing management systems such as Canvas and Blackboard. Kim McGaw, Rice University 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Arts Improv(ing) the Writing Process ACC | Room 17B | Workshop CPE Writing is a process. Every student, regardless of age, needs to learn it. So why not improve and innovate the way you teach it? We'll go through each step of the creative writing process, from dreaming up ideas to revising, to composing a collaborative poem using improvisational theatre. Participants will explore literary elements central to poetry, including figurative language, imagery, musicality, and rhythm, through improv. This will allow teachers and students to journey through the writing process like never before. Participants will not only write and dramatize poems, but also learn a new, imaginative technique for literacy instruction that will inspire! Jennifer Oleniczak, The Engaging Educator, Carrington Alvarez 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Data Analytics Making Better Teacher Data Dashboards Hilton | Room 408 | Problem Solver CPE Many current educational data dashboards have failed to capture teacher needs and gain widespread use in the classroom. At the same time, embedded assessment and data capture from educa- tional games and other complex tools is on the rise. As more data becomes available, we need to get better at making sense of it, and that sense-making activity needs to be informed by teachers. But it's not exactly clear what issues data dashboards should solve, and subsequently, what data and design will help solve those issues. We will use a group brainstorming activity to generate teacher-in- formed design prompts, which our respective teams will then take into consideration in the design of our dashboards. Charlotte Duncan, Learning Games Network, Kevin Miklasz, BrainPOP, Anne-Marie Hoxie, Classroom Inc 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Learning Spaces Facility Design Directly Impacts Academic Success Hilton | Room 410 | Workshop | #CleverCRs CPE The University of Salford in Manchester, UK, released results of a first-of-its-kind intensive study evaluating real-life K-6 classrooms, which revealed clear evidence that the physical characteristics of a classroom impacts learning progress by up to 16% variation. Hear from one of the lead researchers on the conclusions of this study and specific recommendations to improve the classroom. Joined by a U.S. based architect and an elementary school principal, the panel will discuss how to implement these improvements at various scales. Attendees will participate in an interactive design thinking exercise to explore the findings and apply solutions to improve any learning space. Aaron Jobson, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects; Collaborative for High Performance Schools, Gina Silveira, Schaefer Charter School, Adrian Swain, IBI Group 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Instructional Strategies Hack Your Notebook & "Illuminate" Your Thinking! Hilton | Room 412 | Workshop CPE Looking for the right mix of "making," writing, STEM, and collabora- tive learning? "Hack" your notebook and rethink traditional notions of PBL by combining literacy, craft, science and art to bring 21st century competencies to a new level. Participants will design simple circuit systems, and learn how to integrate cross-disciplinary con- tent with an emphasis on STEM, visual/textual storytelling, concept illumination and maker-based PBL. We will also look at an open data prototype for notebooks, which integrates artistic and scientif- ic journaling with a wifi dev board, and consider the opportunities for creating fully connected teaching and learning experiences with paper and electronics. Molly Adams, Waxahachie ISD/National Writing Project Teacher Consultant, David Cole, CV2 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM Educational Equality You Matter! Creating a Student Advisory Board ACC | Room 15 | Future15 | #UMatter Students matter, but may feel invisible to administration. How do students, online and on campus, partake in shared governance in order to improve the quality of a program and the student experience? In July 2014, Simmons College launched SocialWork@ Simmons, an online Master of Social Work program. In 2015 all students were surveyed to assess their needs. One common theme emerged: a wish to have a collective voice. Program director, and professor, Dr. Dana Grossman Leeman shares her experiences working with students to create a Student Advisory Board, and how it was empowered to advocate on behalf of students with regard to curriculum, professional development and community building. Dana Grossman Leeman, Simmons College School of Social Work 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Leadership A Brave Heart ACC | Room 9C | Film The Lizzie Velasquez Story is a documentary following the inspiring journey of 26 year old, 58 pound Lizzie from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist. Born with a rare syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Velasquez was first bullied as a child in school for looking different and, later online, as a teenager when she discovered a YouTube video labeling her "The World's Ugliest Woman." The film chronicles unheard stories and details of Lizzie's physical and emotional journey up to her multi-million viewed TEDx talk, and follows her pursuit from a mo- tivational speaker to Capitol Hill as she lobbies for the first federal anti-bullying bill.

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