We couldn’t be more excited to be at SXSWedu this week as part of Compass Learning’s student blogger program. Even though we all got soaked walking back and forth from the Compass Learning headquarters to the Austin Convention Center in the rain, the weather couldn’t dampen our spirits as the first day of SXSWedu got underway. We were all excited to see how educators are trying to innovate new ways to teach their students and learn about all the new technologies emerging in the world of education. We only got to attend a few short sessions on Monday afternoon, but it was really cool and we learned a lot. Here’s some of our “take aways” from the sessions:
21st Century Manipulatives: Increasing Engagement
In this session we learned about 3D printing and visual learning. We saw an example of how a 3D printer could be used in Math by printing out manipulatives that could give visual representations of math equations. This was super cool, and we could see how using something like this in math class would help us better learn some of these concepts. It also just looks like a lot fun.
No Textbooks, No Walls, No Limits
In this session we learned about mobile schooling and how schools in the future can combine online learning from anywhere in conjunction with face to face experiences with a cohort, such as trips to museums, etc. We could definitely see this being useful in big cities like Austin, Dallas, or Houston where you have access to educational sites. It might be tough if you lived out in the country.
Coding Across the Curriculum
In this session we learned about how computer programming is something that will be implemented across curriculums in the 21 century. Computer Programming will be a “literacy” that will be a part of not only science, but also the humanities. We think programming is something that will be here for a long time, and will be a big part of our society.
Overall, we thought SXSWedu was very interesting, and we’re super excited to see more sessions, meet and interview more speakers, and continue to learn this week. Thanks so much to Compass Learning for giving us this great opportunity!
Roberto Medrano and Richard Reyes attend Del Valle High School.
