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E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y W e d n e s d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 2 4 LEARNING BY DOING: VIRTUAL REALITY HELPS ELL, SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS OVERCOME BARRIERS At Culverdale Elementary, a revolution- ary virtual reality technology is helping students break down language and learn- ing barriers. In their first few months of learning with zSpace desktop virtual reality, students are gaining a deeper understanding of science concepts. The principal at the school reported that this was no small feat. Although the school is a member of the Irvine Unified School District in affluent Orange County, California, one of the top school districts in the country, Culverdale Elementary serves a different population. Approximately 30 percent of students at Culverdale receive economic assistance, and 43 percent of students speak one of 36 different languages. "Humans naturally learn best by doing, and I've seen the way using zSpace engages my students in learning," said Culverdale Principal Aaron Jetzer. "When students are building objects, looking inside things like microorgan- isms or anatomy systems and taking them apart in 3D, they're having these 'ah-ha!' moments that they wouldn't be able to otherwise." Students grades four, five and six work with a science specialist for two hours a week in the school's zSpace STEM lab. While half of the class works on one activity, the other half explores the same subject with zSpace. During lessons, two to three students share a zSpace station. While one student lifts, turns or takes apart objects using an interac- tive stylus, other stu- dents make observa- tions and record data. Students wear custom 3D glasses so they can all see the virtual reality images and col- laborate on the assignment. For Students of Varying Abilities, Backgrounds Jetzer described how zSpace is opening up the world for one student with special needs. "After he worked with the science teacher to see a paramecium (a one- celled organism) under the microscope, his group went to the zSpace stations to virtually dissect a paramecium," said Jetzer. "He looked at me and said, 'So what you're saying is that this thing I can't see with my naked eye has all these parts in it?' and he made a motion like his head was exploding. It was one of those moments that you'll always remember." For students who speak English as a second lan- guage, zSpace provides an opportunity to engage in sci- ence more deeply than ever before. Because working with zSpace is hands-on and intuitive, language is often not necessary and students are able to learn on their own. However, the life sciences educational software by CyberScience 3D includes labels in 10 languages for more than 30 biology modules, allowing stu- dents to progress even further. zSpace is now an essential tool in the science lab. "zSpace is the kids' favorite part of science," said Jetzer. "The experience the kids get is phenomenal, but they're also learning. You can't put a price on that." For more information, call 877.977.2231, stop by booth #4114 or visit edu.zspace.com. THINK THOUGHTFULLY By Sandra L. Love, Ed.D., Director of Education Insight and Research for Mentoring Minds Critical thinking. Creativity. Collaboration. Communication. How can educators integrate these 21st century skills in classrooms? An authority in the field of thinking, Edward de Bono, shares a concept in his book "Six Thinking Hats" that can serve as a unique strategy for teachers to engage students in whole- and small-group discussions about the real world. Six hat colors signal different types of thinking required by the students. A poster representing the six colors may be displayed in the classroom with descrip- tions that explain the thinking required when a particular hat is called upon to 'speak.' White Hat – information, facts Red Hat – emotions, feelings Yellow Hat – benefits, advantages, pluses Black Hat – critical viewpoints, disad- vantages, minuses Green Hat – new ideas, creativity, inno- vation Blue Hat – overview, summarization, process organizer During a discussion, the six hats may be repeatedly used in any sequence. White Hat thinkers present objective facts or the information they know about the topic; Red Hat thinkers share their emotions about the topic; Yellow Hat thinkers are optimistic and share posi- tive points; Black Hat thinkers tell why an idea might not work or what obsta- cles might arise; Green Hat thinkers generate solutions or creative ideas; Blue Hat thinkers are active listeners and move the discussion for- ward. The teacher may ask certain thinking hats to con- tribute again, before the Blue Hat thinkers summarize what has been shared by each of the groups and form a conclusion. The hat strategy maintains productivity during a discussion while also serving as a classroom management tool to keep students on topic. Discussion topics might relate to content areas or connect to today's world inside and out- side the classroom. An example might be: Should students be allowed to bring cell phones to school? Option 1: Students participate in a whole- or small-group discussion about the topic, communicating only the thoughts associated with the thinking hat designated by the teacher (e.g., Let's begin our discussion with White Hat thinking. I want to hear your Red Hat thoughts, but this is not the appropriate time. Next, I would like to hear Yellow Hat thinking.). Once students understand the thinking process, a Blue Hat thinker may facilitate discussions. Option 2: Students are divided into six groups, with each group assigned a differ- ent color of the six thinking hats. After the teacher selects a topic, each group collaborates using the assigned hat to focus their thoughts. Then, each group member shares an individual perspec- tive or the group's designee may pres- ent the collective ideas that emerge from the discussion. The Blue Hat thinkers offer an overview, orchestrate the thinking process and conclude the discussion. For more information, call 800.585.5258, email info@mentoringminds.com, visit www.mentoringminds.com or stop by booth #2632. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR HOMEWORK TO BE ENGAGING By Robert Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Suntex International and inventor of First In Math ® . For centuries, homework has taken the form of worksheets – the tedium, solitude and rote learning are obvious downsides. Yet, there is a plus side to homework. It teaches students that skill development requires effort, and in pursuing any wor- thy goal you have to work hard. When children have time for play and can pursue their interests, they do not mind the effort involved, because play is an intriguing combination of joy and hard work. Within joyful play, failing is simply an inherent part of the process; hard work overcomes failure and gets you to your goal faster. Without that joy, there is little to counter the burden of the hard work needed to achieve results. In just one generation, our world has become a very a different place. Video gaming has proven to be a powerful activity that can engage and motivate. In fact, humans now spend three bil- lion hours every week playing video games. This has profound implica- tions for the future of education. With the ubiquity of technology and digital games, schools are realizing the benefits of bringing gaming into the classroom. They struggle, however, with the idea of adapting gaming to academics. Programs like First In Math have harnessed the power of digital gaming and channeled it specifically into an academic skill – mathematics. First In Math allows students to enter a fascinating world of mathematics con- taining hundreds of immersive games designed to strengthen flu- ency, auto- maticity and critical thinking. Peter Thiel, author of "Zero To One," says it best: "Most people think the world's future will be defined by global- ization, but the truth is that technology matters more. Technology is miraculous because it allows us to do more with less, ratcheting up our fundamental capabili- ties to a higher level." For more information, visit www.firstin math.com, call 800.242.4542, email nan@24game.com or stop by booth #3814. THE BENEFITS OF 3D PRINTING WITH ZORTRAX M200 3D printing has become a hot topic in recent years because the technology is rapidly improving, while the price tag is continually diminishing. Given this ever-changing horizon of innovation, how can we know which machine is best suited for our needs? It may be dif- ficult and time consuming to analyze competition and accurately arrive at a conclusion. Fortunately, 3D Hubs conducts comprehensive reviews of the most popular 3D printers. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company was created to connect those who have access to 3D printers, and those who do not. This enormous network allows those with access to 3D printers to fulfill local orders requested by clients looking for custom prints. This incredible resource provides more than one billion people access to 3D printing. The com- munity then provides feedback of all 3D printers in use in order to evaluate the wide variety. The most recent 3D Hubs review for 2016 places the Zortrax M200 as No. 1 in its class, based on the following: C o ntinued o n P age 4 3