http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog think of what to build, build what you think of Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:19:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en You only have to Google for "Fifty Dangerous Things" to see what sort of New Year it has been for gever and julie. Self-publishing the book has certainly been a hands-on learning experience, and the response has been nothing short of amazing. But that hasn't kept us from planning the ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2010/tinkering-school-2010-session-information/ The psychologist Melanie Joy, in her book "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows,” coins the term "carnism" to describe belief systems or ideologies that allow a culture to selectively choose which animals to eat. I have had a lot of discussions with parents about which risky activities they ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2010/dangerism/ Here at Tinkering School headquarters, we're in the process of creating illustrations for the long awaited "Fifty Dangerous Things" book. The process involves figuring out what we need to show in the illustration that accompanies each topic, and then hunting through Flickr and the rest of the web to find ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/four-great-things-about-this-picture/ Note: Willi Paul of PlanetShifter.com recently interviewed me via email, and it provided an opportunity to gather some thoughts about Tinkering School and how it operates. This is an excerpt from that interview. Please describe how you would advise us as to your work in Kit-based learning? We have a term that ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/projectory/ Gever and a truck full of tools and materials headed up to Santa Rosa to answer some questions "Can Tinkering School be run out of a truck?", "Can you create a meaningful hands-on experience in only one day?", "Does it work if you are at one of the Tinkerer's house, ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/santa-rosa-mini-camp/ Our Tinkering School friend Steve Davee, from the Opal Charter School in Portland, Oregon first mentioned the idea of a "provocation" as a way of describing something that instigates an area of inquiry. He collects provocations for use in his classroom to engage kids in mathematics, geography, science, and so ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/provocation-where-are-you/ Tinkering School summer camp sessions are filled based on applications received during the sign-up period. We receive hundreds of requests for the application and over 100 completed applications are submitted each year. We are unable to maintain a waiting list or process applications prior to the sign-up period. ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/sign-ups/ After years of (poorly) tracking the names of people interested in Tinkering School, we have set up a new list server so we can have a real mail-list. It's easy to sign up and will ensure you hear about any Tinkering School News, such as information about future sessions. We ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/new-tinkering-school-announcement-list-is-up/ I spent a few minutes speaking with Radio New Zealand host Kathryn Ryan on her Nine to Noon program. Topics ranged from core ideas to liability, and I learned a lesson about succinct answers and sound-bites. An MP3 of the interview is available here for your listening pleasure. http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/radio-new-zealand-chats-up-gever/ With a few hours before the parents arrive, there is a flurry of activity to get the barn tidied up and some last-minute welding done. The two spinning gear clusters from yesterday will be repaired, so that all three carts can race under power. While waiting for the ... http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/2009/day-7-final-races-and-goodbyes/