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EdTech Show Daily 1 1 Monday, June 26, 2017 MACKIN MARCHES INTO MAKERSPACE WITH MACKINMAKER January 2017 marked the formal begin- nings of a new specialty division and accompanying website, MackinMaker .com. Tapping into the interest and suc- cess of the national Makerspace revolu- tion, MackinMaker ® offers customers hundreds of maker-related books, prod- ucts and starter kits, designed in-house and created for the novice all the way to the experienced Makerspace practitioner. "This form of experiential learning is so fresh and vital to helping students learn in a more exciting and impactful way, we decided that now is the perfect time to tap our knowledge-base and pro- fessional expertise to create this new division," states Randal Heise, co-Owner of Mackin. MackinMaker Project Manager Ethan Heise remarked, "We have sourced some of today's most creative and influ- ential products and made them the foun- dation of this growing new site. To date, we have hundreds of essential products with hundreds more ready to come on- line before the end of the year." A growing list of maker consultants and experts, including Laura Fleming, Todd Burleson, Kristina Holzweiss, Heather Lister and Ross Cooper, have joined the MackinMaker movement and continually offer cutting-edge insight on all things maker. Content is growing on a daily basis and currently features scores of popular, maker-related items for schools to build their own custom collections. For those looking for fast entry into the maker movement, MackinMaker also features thoughtfully prepared kits aligned for all grade or skill levels. All maker items and kits found at MackinMaker are curated from many leading brands known throughout the industry. This penchant for acquiring quality educational materi- al is a hallmark characteristic of Mackin that has naturally made its way to their new division. For more information about MackinMaker or Mackin, visit www .mackinmaker.com or www.mackin.com. About Mackin For nearly 34 years, Mackin has provid- ed library and classroom materials for grades PK-12. Known the world over for exemplary service and stringent attention to detail, Mackin has access to more than 18,000 publishers and a collection of nearly 3 million printed titles. A d d i t i o n a l l y , Mackin features a robust selection of more than 1.5 million eBook titles, audio books, databases and video resources, all available through its free, state-of-the-art digital content manage- ment system, MackinVIA. This highly sought-after digital content management tool was recently awarded two distinctive awards: Best of Show at ISTE 2015 and 2016, and winner of a 2015 and 2016 Awards of Excellence by Tech & Learning. MackinVIA recently won a Platinum Award from Modern Library Awards. Today, the free MackinVIA is found in thousands of schools and is accessible to more than 9 million stu- dents around the world. For more information, go to www.mackin.com or stop by booth #1852. HOW DIGITAL GAMES HAVE CHANGED THE SHAPE OF LEARNING By Robert Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Suntex International and Inventor of First In Math ® . Learning is most often a linear process. First, it requires teachers to convince stu- dents they have the ability to do whatev- er the new concept requires – not always an easy task when many children doubt their talent for math in the first place. Next, teachers must find ways to motivate children and show them con- nections to prior learning, as well as find an intrinsic appeal in the subject matter. Only then are students ready to move on to the final step: learning something new. The drawback in this approach is its narrow perspective – and inherent road- blocks – that make effective learning dif- ficult. A better model is to think of instruction as a circle with entry possible at any spot along the circumference. Such a circular model is more flexible and inviting to children of varying abili- ties. "Do" can be an entry point as well as "Want To Do." The video game industry has used this paradigm to great effect. One of the things video games do well, right from the start, is give players something easy to do. If, instead of "It's math – I'm going to be judged," the reac- tion is positive and non-judgmental, there is a continuous process of engagement. Mastery of one learning objective is immediately followed by another chal- lenge that is slightly more rigorous. Players are always right on the edge of their comfort zone where active learning occurs. "Can Do" or "Can't Do" is no longer a stumbling block. Digital learning games with compre- hensive content, short cycles of play, multiple entry points and a seamless gra- dient of challenges provide students a sense of control with the freedom to make mistakes. At its best, the circular approach pro- vided by digital learning games can become a spiral, leading to higher and higher levels of math achievement. Negative, self-reinforcing attitudes can be broken – in fact, when kids experience multiple successes quickly, the question of, "Do I quit, or do I continue?" often answers itself. Most choose the start but- ton, not because the threat of a bad grade looms, but because they found they did better than they would have otherwise imagined. In one hour, a well-designed digital game can reinforce this positive feeling 80 to 100 times. Before long, these suc- cesses eliminate fear and create a new perspective – one that's ideal for skill acquisition. Most agree, there is no magic formula for math success. Yet when built correctly, games provide a welcoming environment for the most effective ele- ment in math success: practice. In an era when schools are com- pelled to move the educational process forward like never before, such tools are proving to be building blocks that get results. For more information, stop by booth #3249 or go to www.firstinmath.com. TO LECTURE OR NOT TO LECTURE - THAT IS THE QUESTION When you hear the word "lecture," an image comes to mind of a professor in a tweed jacket, glasses perched upon the tip of his nose, droning on at the podium. Schools have tried to distance themselves from this image with gadgets and soft- ware, sold on the promise of individual- ized self-paced learning. The truth of the matter is that lecture still has tremendous value within the classroom. There is a reason that TED talks have become wildly popular. It isn't sitting in the computer lab that develops a love for learning; it is passionate teachers with the ability to bring subjects to life. How do we make classroom lectures more effective? The key is encouraging active classroom participation. Think back through the hours of professional development you've gone through. What made the difference? Was the lecturer talking to you, or with you? Students will be more actively engaged if they can give feedback, ask questions and share. Many times the most valuable part of the lec- ture can come about because of a ques- tion posed by a student. So why is it so hard to get some stu- dents to participate? Studies have shown that a teacher's voice loses up to 45 per- cent of its intelligibility by the time it reaches the back row, and that is when the teacher is facing them. On average, where do the students that typically par- ticipate in classroom discussions tend to sit? At the front, right? And students that don't typically participate? Yes, that's right, in the back. What happens when a student in the front asks or answers a question? Odds are, the students in the back are going to have an even more dif- ficult time hearing their peers than they do their teacher, especially if they are already distracted. This can create a vicious cycle. Rather than raise their hand and ask to repeat what was said, the student can spend the next couple of min- utes trying piece together what was said, rather than following along with the dis- cussion, potentially missing out on a vital information. The student can then become so lost that they just check out completely. In order to help remedy this prob- lem, the Qball has been developed – a throwable wireless microphone. The Qball is a fun, hands-on approach to get- ting students to actively participate in classroom discussions, while making sure their voice is heard.