The Talk Show is one of my favorite ice-breakers to get students to know one another toward the beginning of a program. The idea is to pair up students with one another randomly and have each one play the role of a talk show host and talk show guest. The goal is for each student to …
The Raccoon Circle is a collection of games and ice-breakers all centered around a circle of rope or tubing used by a group (typically youth). There are hundreds and hundreds of Raccoon Circle activities that have been created and shared virally for years. You can find several online listings of activities (Jim Cain’s being the most …
The New York Times recently ran a series of articles on how parents are increasingly worried about the amount of time their children are spending on their digital devices. The click-baity headlines include: “The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected“, “A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to …
Despite having lived in San Francisco for seven years and working in a tech field, I’ve never actually participated in a hackathon. Since I’m not a developer or a designer, it just never felt like something that I would have much to contribute to. That changed this weekend. For the past couple of months, I’ve …
In these difficult times for anyone who cares about science, the state of our educational system, fact-based inquiry, and the values of diversity, ‘Science Fair’ could not come sooner. A National Geographic documentary, ‘Science Fair’ follows seven teams of dedicated young scientists from around the world, all vying for a spot at the International Science …
A friend asked me to suggest some local places to bring a group of young people who were interesting in engineering and science. The San Francisco Bay Area is a treasure trove of amazing places to visit for young scientists and engineers. Here’s some of my favorite spots: The California Academy of Sciences is the world’s …
The new film Eighth Grade by director Bo Burnham is required viewing for anyone who live or works with adolescents. Starring the incredible Elsie Fisher, the viewer gets a unflinching kid’s eye view of the social pressures and inner turmoil that a lot of modern young people experience. Yes, junior high has always been terrible. …
“We’d like to help children through some of the difficult modulations of life.” – Fred Rogers I finally got around to watching the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor“ a loving tribute to long-time television personality Fred Rogers, or “Mister Rogers” as he was universally known by children and adults for three decades. The film …
I have on my desk a pile of plastic 3D-printed marine animal parts that I’ve kept for years. I’ve use it as a reminder of that: Technology can and often does behave in unexpected ways. Running a Digital Learning program involves a certain amount of risk and uncertainty. Plan accordingly. I realize that I’ve been …
Check out the new promotional video about Science Action Club at the California Academy of Sciences. I think it tells the story of SAC really well!