pi-top Learning by Making Speaker & Workshop Series
Event Information
Description
Join pi-top at ISTE 2018 for our Learning by Making Speaker & Workshop Series.
A limited number of FREE spaces are available - REGISTER NOW.
pi-top is a world-leading Learning by Making platform built for students and teachers. It is an award-winning ecosystem used around the world in more than 2,000 schools, in nearly 70 countries, blending physical computing and project-based learning with Computer Science, and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The workshops will be delivered by educators with a range of experience, from teaching elementary to senior school levels, while the talks will be brought to you by pioneering thought leaders in the Education Technology space. You will gain practical ideas and insights on how Learning by Making is transforming and can transform the classroom learning experience today.
25th June
11:00 – 11:30
Physical Computing: Learning by Making. Workshop, Marko Mizdrak, Software Product Manager and Stuart Swann, Learning Experience Designer, pi-top
11:45 – 12:30
How to Deliver Amazing Computer Science Experiences in the Elementary Classroom: A Non Expert Turned Expert Tells her pi-top Story. Speaker, Emily Swenson, Teacher, Mabel Brasher Elementary Montessori School
12:45 – 13:15
Hacking pi-top and Making Custom Modules. Workshop, Ken Hawthorn, Teacher, St. Raymond Elementary School
14:00 – 14:30
Instruction to Construction: Making and Learning with pi-top Curriculum. Speaker, William Rankin, Director of Learning and Research, pi-top
14:45 – 15:15
Digital Making Beyond the Computer Science Classroom. Speaker, Neil Mittal, Teacher, All Saints’ Episcopal School
15:30 – 16:00
No More Dumpster Projects: Fostering Cultures of Critical Creativity & Meaningful Making. Speaker, Dan Ryder, Teacher, Mt. Blue High School
16:15 – 17:00
Physical Computing: Learning by Making. Workshop, Marko Mizdrak, Software Product Manager and Stuart Swann, Learning Experience Designer, pi-top
26th June
11:00 – 11:30
Physical Computing: Learning by Making. Workshop, Marko Mizdrak, Software Product Manager and Stuart Swann, Learning Experience Designer, pi-top
11:45 – 12:30
Education Is Child’s Play: How the pi-top Is Changing The Game In A Small Town. Speaker, Jerald Jolito, Teacher, Pecos High School
12:45 – 13:15
Come Learn Electronics & Programming by Making a “Quick Reaction Game” - Getting Hands-On with pi-top! Workshop, Jerald Jolito, Teacher, Pecos High School and Neil Mittal, Teacher, All Saints’ Episcopal School
14:00 – 14:30
Instruction to Construction: Making and Learning with pi-top Curriculum. Speaker, William Rankin, Director of Learning and Research, pi-top
14:45 – 15:15
Going from Assembly to Making: pi-top in Middle School. Speaker, Ken Hawthorn, Teacher, St. Raymond Elementary School
15:30 – 16:00
How to Deliver Amazing Computer Science Experiences in the Elementary Classroom: A Non Expert Turned Expert Tells her pi-top Story. Speaker, Emily Swenson, Teacher, Mabel Brasher Elementary Montessori School
16:15 – 17:00
Physical Computing: Learning by Making. Workshop, Marko Mizdrak, Software Product Manager and Stuart Swann, Learning Experience Designer, pi-top
27th June
11:00 – 11:30
Education Is Child’s Play: How the pi-top Is Changing The Game In A Small Town. Speaker, Jerald Jolito, Teacher, Pecos High School
11:45 – 12:15
Instruction to Construction: Making and Learning with pi-top Curriculum. Speaker, William Rankin, Director of Learning and Research, pi-top
12:30 – 13:00
Going from Assembly to Making: pi-top in Middle School. Speaker, Ken Hawthorn, Teacher, St. Raymond Elementary School
About the Speakers
Kenneth Hawthorn, Teacher, St. Raymond Elementary School, California
Kenneth is a Mechanical Engineer turned teacher. As a consulting engineer he worked on a wide range of designs from electric motorcycles to LSPR machines. He holds US Patent 7,713,154 for a Fixed Pitch Continuously Variable Transmission. Ken was selected as the first Salzburg Scholar from the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at SJSU. He founded an introduction to engineering after-school program that served at-risk students in 17 San Jose area school districts. He currently heads the Mechatronics program at St. Raymond school www.straymond.club and runs teacher PD workshops through www.MakerAwaker.com. His curriculum is cross-curricular and blends the five domains of coding, 3D design, hardware, rapid prototyping and intellectual property. His students become familiar with a wide variety of tools within each of the five domains in order to explore the idea of Technology Generalist.
Jerald Jolito, Teacher, Pecos High School, Texas
Jerald is a Robotics and Science teacher, part-time Instructional Technologist. He teaches dual credit biology classes and runs both engineering and robotics clubs for Pecos High School. His vision for Pecos is to bring them up to date with the latest available cutting edge teaching methods. He wants to challenge the norms around standard instruction and embrace the flipped classroom. Jerald believes this will engender hard work, creativity, remove instructional/learning barriers, and encourage persistence and grit in his students.
Neil Mittal, Teacher, All Saints’ Episcopal School, Texas
Neil is a 20-year veteran Math teacher who, in 2003 was asked to help St. Mary’s Academy build a Computer Science program, which propelled him into the study of object-oriented programming. He taught AP CS at St. Mary’s Hall until 2013, then went to Interlochen Arts Academy where he got into the Raspberry Pi and worked with the art teacher to do some interesting projects with interactive sculpture.
Marko Mizdrak, Software Product Manager, pi-top
While simultaneously being on the verge of expulsion from school, Marko was always interested in learning and making, he spent time teaching himself engineering concepts so he could build his own wind turbines, rockets and more. He studied a BSc in Physics at Southampton University then went to Cambridge University to train to be a science teacher. He hoped to bring to the classroom an excitement for learning and making he had only found outside it. However, he quickly left teaching, seeing that the impact he wanted to make was not possible in the scope of a normal school driven by exam results. He now works as a Software Product Manager at pi-top, one of Europe’s fastest growing educational technology start-ups. He is looking at how we can transform education with the right technology, systems and ideas. He has been making CEEDUniverse, a video game that helps players learn to code and gives them an appetite and appreciation for science.
William Rankin, Director of Learning and Research, pi-top
Dr William Rankin is a learning designer and founder of Unfold Learning and Director of Learning and Research at pi-top. He works with schools, governments, and learning organizations throughout the world to design, develop, and implement innovative learning initiatives. Prior to his current work, he served as Director of Learning on the global education team at Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California from 2013–16, where he had responsibility for developing, promoting, and enhancing innovative teaching and learning in pre-K to post-20 education. While there, he helped develop and refine the program that became known as the Apple Developer Academy. Before Apple, Rankin worked as an academic in higher education for 24 years, concluding his time as a Professor of English and Honors College Fellow at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. As ACU’s Director of Educational Innovation, he helped design the world’s first one-to-one that gave every student an iOS device as a platform for exploring new forms of mobile learning. He was named Campus Technology magazine’s Innovator of the Year for mobile learning in 2008 and was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2009. He has received numerous awards for educational leadership and teaching and has presented on educational technologies and emerging pedagogies in more than 30 countries.
Dan Ryder, Teacher, Mt. Blue High School, Maine
Dan is an educator by trade, generalist by practice. He is a 17-year veteran English teacher and improv coach at Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington, Maine. An adjunct instructor at the University of Maine at Farmington. He present workshops on technology integration, improvisation and design thinking throughout the state and beyond. He is co-founder of education podcast and blog Wicked DecentLearning. His improvisational skills can be seen on display with Teachers Lounge Mafia Improv. He has served as a Teacher Coach for IDEO’s Teachers Guild and has coached clients for the National Blogging Collaborative. Learn more about him at DanRyder207.com.
Stuart Swann, Learning Experience Designer, pi-top
Stuart has been a qualified teacher for 23 years. He has held roles as a classroom teacher, advisory teacher and independent consultant. He has written learning materials and is a global trainer for LEGO Education, and has consulted for other leading education brands. He is responsible for the creation of learning experiences and professional development for pi-top.
Emily Swenson, Teacher, Mabel Brasher Elementary Montessori School, Los Angeles
Emily has spent the last four years as the STEM lab teacher at a public Montessori elementary school in Alexandria, Louisiana. With the support of her principal, she was able to create the first Elementary STEM Lab in her area that included a 3D printer and robotics program for all grades, PreK through 6th. As a pi-top Champion, she loves learning through making and has lead many coding camps where students explore the creative possibilities of computer programming.
