This is a post to pay my teacherly respects to the great Seymour Papert, whose ideas and inventions transformed how millions of children around the world create and learn. Seymour died on Sunday, July 31, 2016 at his home in Maine, USA, aged 88. As I'll explain, every classroom … [Read more...] about Farewell to the father of computing in colleges
Can We Teach Creativity?
One of the most slippery dimensions of learning and teaching is creativity. It's notoriously difficult to quantify. The current educational research suggests the essential ingredients are: curiosity, open-mindedness, imagination and problem solving. None of these things function in isolation, but … [Read more...] about Can We Teach Creativity?
Less is more … The importance of play at Stage 4 camp
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while you could miss it - Ferris Bueller Sally put up a great post and video of our Stage 4 camp which is well worth looking at. Needless to say, the kids really enjoyed it. One thing that might have gone unnoticed by some of … [Read more...] about Less is more … The importance of play at Stage 4 camp
Screen Time
As Stage 4 settle into their new routines and build their relationships with new friends, many students have asked "Where's my iPad?". In this post, I want to talk about our commitment to parents and how we will be using our electronic devices in the months ahead. One of the most significant … [Read more...] about Screen Time
Wanted: Nintendo DS
Does anyone have an old Nintendo DS? Has it been left in a cupboard somewhere, abandoned in favour of something newer? Please consider donating to Stage 4. We're keen to start a project/club and it would be great if you would consider donating old devices and games! Please contact Dean Groom. … [Read more...] about Wanted: Nintendo DS
Subliminal learning
Twelve a Dozen From Bossa Studios, this app is a math adventure that requires the learner to manipulate numbers onscreen; adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing values to solve puzzles and gain access to locked gates onscreen. Levels get progressively more difficult and mastery is required … [Read more...] about Subliminal learning