EdLab

A New Look for the Digital Toolkit

The Digital Toolkit got a facelift! Explore the new, streamlined design:

What’s new?

• It’s easier on the eyes! ;)
• Start searching by process!
  • The process categories are now on the left side so you can easily sort between steps like “Researching” or “Taking Action.”
• Where did the links go?
  • We’ve consolidated two columns into one by making all of the links attached to the “Tool” name column.
• Know what type of tool you want?
  • Sort the “Description” column to find a specific tool type, such as “Video Production” or “Avatar Creator.”
• Sort by platform!
  • Need an app? Only have PCs? Figure out what tool to use by what technology you have under the “Platform” column.
• Used a tool before?
  • Add your own tutorials or examples of student work as a link in our “Examples” column so everyone can see what these tools look like in action. Have notes or suggestions? Add them under “Comments” so others can learn from your experience!

In the upcoming weeks and months, lookout for an updated and built-out “Games in Education” section. And remember to share! The more that people use and add to the Toolkit, the better!

Summer comes to a close

Wow. What a great summer! We have been busy here are at EdLab with a final tally of 7 teacher workshops, 100 educators, 10 museum collaborators and 2 visiting Smithsonian Affiliate museum educators! So busy that we haven't had any time to post updates...

Teamwork! This group of teachers is solving a mission at the National Museum of African Art. They were challenged to create a campaign based on themes they found in a piece of art.

Just like last summer, we challenged our teachers to solve missions in teams using museum collections as a springboard for bigger ideas. With such open-ended challenges, the participants needed to focus on how they wanted to solve the mission, then select the right tools for the job. EdLab provides a safe space to test out different technology tools and even though the teachers had to create a product each day in the workshop, we focused on the process. These are the tools teachers used this summer to solve missions:

Day 4 of the workshop was dedicated to creating a mission! Each teacher applied what they experienced Day 1-3 solving missions to the content they teach in the classroom. What project could you turn into a mission?

Exploring the Olmec Legacy collection with the Smithsonian Latino Center at the Museum Support Center. We love collaborating!

We had an additional challenge this summer of spaces. Our normal workshop space at the Postal Museum is under construction, so every week we had to relocated. This meant a lot of planning and packing light, but it also gave us the opportunity to host workshops in many different museums. Our wonderful partners opened their collections and spaces to us, and really inspired our teachers!

Want to see what else happened this summer? Check out our Flickr collection!