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Empowering All Educators to Foster Creative Learning through Makerspaces

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Colorado Convention Center, 505/6/7

Participate and share: Interactive session

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Presenters

Emily Thomas

Technology Integration Analyst & Trainer

Northeast Metro Intermediate School Dist
@ektedtech
@ektedtech

Emily is a Technology Integrator and Trainer for Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916, a former middle school German Teacher, and a Google Certified Trainer & Coach and ISTE Certified Educator. Throughout her time at 916, she has worked with staff and students to grow their instructional technology skills and meets everyone where they are at. Emily has presented at a variety of local, regional, national, and international conferences, both in-person and virtually. She uses her professional experiences, passion for technology, and drive to innovate student learning to inform and plan her training sessions.

Kendra Vessey

PD and Mentor Specialist

Northeast Metro District 916

Kendra Vessey is the Professional Development and Mentor Specialist for Northeast Metro District 916, she oversees all non-licensed mentor programs, provides and creates training and supports for Education Assistant Specialists in the Setting IV Special Education Programs, and provides training and onboarding to all newly hired Special Education staff. Kendra has worked in a variety of special education settings and is certified in Professional Crisis Management, Teacher Child Interaction Training, and as a Youth Mental Health First Aider. She has a passion for advocating for and supporting para-professionals and strive to build their capacity and skills to serve students.

Session description

Makerspace activities foster inclusion and engage all students, especially those with special education needs. We'll share differentiation levels, help increase accessibility and inclusive creative spaces for all students to engage, fail forward, and learn together. We'll provide resources for all staff, including paraprofessionals to foster creative learning in the Makerspace.

Purpose & objective

Often Paraprofessionals and other education support staff are not a part of the conversation when it comes to creative learning and engaging Makerspace activities for students, but they are the educators who work with students, frequently those with the most complex needs, in small groups or one-on-one. This presentation will provide resources for ALL educators to engage ALL students in accessible creative learning.

Participants will understand the barriers to accessibility for creative activities for learners with special education needs.
Participants will understand the importance of inclusion for all learners.
Participants will apply universal design principles to increase accessibility for all learners.
Participants will learn how to support all staff, including related support staff, teachers, and paraprofessionals in bringing makerspace activities to small-group and one-on-one student instruction
Participants will be able to use creative learning lessons in their classrooms and districts

Participants will demonstrate successful learning by bringing the Makerspace activities back to their classrooms and districts and engaging with the Paraprofessional and other related educators on using them with their students.

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Outline

3 minutes - Introductions
10 minutes - Makerspace Activity
5 minutes - Research background (Makerspaces for SpEd and Paraprofessional PD)
5 minutes - UDL and Accessibility
20 minutes - Accessible Makerspaces
15 minutes - Strategies and Resources for supporting Paraprofessionals and related staff in using and implementing Makerspace activities
2 minutes - Questions

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Supporting research

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18qVPOYaGIsp4EsC2ypHFu-0Co1sEmKt_/view?usp=sharing - Imaginative Play in digital environments:
designing social and creative opportunities for
identity formation

https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1061020 (Full text of article linked on page)

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain; Zaretta Hammond

Supporting the education of pupils with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: the views of teaching assistants regarding their own learning and development needs, Martin and Alborz https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8578.12070

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Session specifications

Topic:

Maker activities and programs

Grade level:

PK-12

Skill level:

Beginner

Audience:

Coaches, Principals/head teachers, Teachers

Attendee devices:

Devices useful

Attendee device specification:

Smartphone: Windows, Android, iOS
Laptop: Chromebook, Mac, PC
Tablet: Android, iOS, Windows

Participant accounts, software and other materials:

Links provided by presenters

Subject area:

Special education, STEM/STEAM

ISTE Standards:

For Coaches:
Learning Designer

Collaborate with educators to develop authentic, active learning experiences that foster student agency, deepen content mastery and allow students to demonstrate their competency.

For Educators:
Facilitator

Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.

For Students:
Innovative Designer

Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

Empowering All Educators to Foster Creative Learning through Makerspaces

, Colorado Convention Center, 505/6/7

Presenters

Session description

Purpose & objective

Outline

Supporting research

Session specifications

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,
Colorado Convention Center, 505/6/7