21st Century Skills Have Always Been “Needed” Skills, But Now We Need Them More Than Ever

The Epic Guide to Student Ownership

“Is this real, Mr. J?” The question came from the back of the room. Todd rarely spoke up in class, but today he seemed visibly upset.

“Yes, it is real. Sadly, this type of thing is all too common around the world–”

Building Maker Spaces vs. Building a Maker Culture

In 9th grade, I cut my thumb on a saw in wood shop and had to get stitches. It wasn’t too bad…

However, that was the last year I took “shop” class in high school. I had enjoyed making our C02 cars in middle school…

10 Commandments of Innovative Teaching

As a new teacher I remember getting into my classroom for the first time. I set up the space like classrooms I had seen before and enjoyed; I got my lesson plans in order; packed the filing cabinets with resources; started to make copies of overhead slides; put…

The Game of School vs. The Game of Life

My daughter is in 2nd grade. She loves learning (seriously, she comes home every day…

Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

I had to share this story.

You Don’t Need a Makerspace to Be a Maker

When I was in 3rd grade my best friend Mark and I built a treehouse out of wood scraps we found in the forest behind his house. We were makers.

In 5th grade, our group of friends created a new sport with a Nerf football and a hula…

How a Small Country In Africa Taught Me the Greatest Lesson on Innovation