Innovation Institute | Focusing Forward

Register for the Innovation Institute and pick up a bag of resources for the event. You will be able to sign up for limited seating sessions during registration. The conference organizers Lisa Ockerman, Vice President of Academics, Jessie Metzger, Director of Educational Design and Upper Faculty Services, and Wendy Swanson, Associate Director of Educational Design and Lower School Program Administrator will provide a welcome and overview of Day 1 events of the Innovation Institute.

Make Your Mark: Putting Purpose Into Action What if we could all learn to think, act, and communicate like those who inspire us? How do we build a team of innovative leaders who make a difference? How we work is changing, and that shift brings several benefits: intellectual challenge, deeper collaboration, and faster innovation. But none of these matter if you and your team are not aligned. During this session, Keri Kolettis, Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Amy Varo-Haub, Head of Middle School and Executive Director of Innovative Learning & Student Experience, will discuss the importance of fresh thinking, a community grounded in collegial inquiry, practical advice, and the courage to get out there and create long-standing social impact that matters. They will also share best practices for fostering intentional communities and collaborative teams among adults, essential for building life-impacting student experiences and programming. Most importantly, you will hear from students enrolled in the three-year Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program as they describe their paths toward creating positive social change.

Participants will tour the Pine Crest gardens and hoop house where they will see and learn about a variety of growing systems including nutrient film technique hydroponics, aeroponics, Dutch buckets, and olla irrigation. In addition, attendees will learn how these different growing systems align with grade level learning objectives ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school. Ultimately, attendees will learn about a passive method of hydroponics called the Kratky method. Each participant will assemble a take-home Kratky jar complete with an edible plant.

Participants will visit the Middle School Computer Science lab and interact with robots that are infused into the curriculum.   During this session, attendees will learn how Pine Crest integrates STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) into the curriculum. Since reading is essential in learning how to use technology, it is an aspect used in all our computer science classes. In this hands-on session, you will have an opportunity to explore the STREAM activities used in our computer science and robotics programs at Pine Crest.

Spark your creativity with easy-to-implement LED technology in the cross-curricular space. Combining traditional core subject areas with computer science, visual art, and maker skills, attendees will experience the foundation of incorporating LED light programming into a multitude of projects. In this session, attendees with any range of coding experience will tinker with Micro:Bits producing a variety of project possibilities to implement in any classroom. Attendees will leave this session with a Microbit and LED light strip.

During this session, attendees will see elements of the new Mae McMillan Fine Arts Center including:

• Cutting-edge technology in our Music Production and DJ Studios; Music Recording and Engineering Studio; and Digital Music Library
• Band and Orchestra rehearsal suites, designed for a superior acoustic response, with two chamber ensemble spaces, and 12 individual/small group practice studios
• Visual art studios, including Digital, Drawing/Painting, Sculpture/Ceramics, Post AP Art Seminar, and three outdoor Art Studios
• Collaborative courtyard for Performing Arts

Why is making connections to the curriculum important in teaching computational thinking and robotics? During this session, attendees will receive templates and charts to create hands-on lessons for elementary school students. Samples will include the use of root robot, Sphero Indi and more at our interactive testing table.  Attendees will leave feeling that “doable” creative coding projects are available at the elementary level.  During this session, participants will receive a one-on-one consultation with experts on tool choices, time to play with various devices, and interact collaboratively with other educators.  Participants will discuss learning goals for robotics at the elementary classroom level and be able to leave with takeaways they can use immediately when they get back to school.

This session is for those who have CNC machines or want to explore what it could add to your makerspace. Desktop CNC machines range in price from $2,000 to $3,000.  Join us to learn about the multitude of possibilities this machine can add to your makerspace.  Purchasing considerations, prioritizing student safety, workflow of CAD and CAM file prep, and project ideas will be discussed.

During this session, participants will learn strategies for integrating electronics into project-based learning activities.  Attendees will not only learn how to design and engineer a creation, but they will also learn why it works with volts, amps, and ohms. Many makers know how to make simple light-up circuits, but to be able to take projects into the future, students will need to have a more advanced understanding of how to calculate the successful application of power to any project.   We will also showcase some non-soldering techniques, making building and testing even easier!

Join us in the Zimmerman Family iLab for a gallery walk to learn about our science and engineering continuum and how we integrate “fan favorite” tools in grades pre-kindergarten through five.  A variety of science projects, from simple to complex, will be presented, and a demonstration of how we build upon skills from year to year.  During this session, attendees can try some of the tools we utilize by making a version of some of the projects! Discussions will include how to enhance and integrate the projects into your own curriculum.  

Reflection is a vital component of the learning process during professional development sessions. Systematic reflection allows one to make connections from newly learned concepts to gain new insights into practice. During this session, attendees will work collaboratively with one another and Pine Crest School’s innovation team to share ideas, draw on support from others, and share strategies for tailoring ideas.

Students often struggle when building things with sturdy supports that help them stand on their own, or with hand cranks or motors that move things just the way they imagine. We all have some innate knowledge of mechanical engineering built-in by previous experiences making things, but some formal learning about why things stay together and move the way they do can greatly assist our students (and ourselves) when trying to make things work.
In this workshop, we will learn engineering vocabulary and concepts through several builds using common materials with the goal of understanding why physical objects behave the way they do. Whether you are working with younger students building with cardboard and paper, or older students building competition robots, this session will help you help your students to build like engineers do.

In this interactive session, participants will be tasked with completing a challenge using common materials as a way to analyze the design process. The cyclical nature of the steps of all design processes is key to achieving a successful outcome. Activities will push your creativity, prototyping skills, and patience to the test as we engage in active building, as well as thoughtful conversation and reflection about how to apply this strategy in your classroom.

Student agency is evident when given a choice and voice on how to learn. Through building and coding robots, student agency grows with each iteration. Attendees are invited to experience agency using simple materials, a Micro:bit, and a Hummingbird robotics kit. Attendees have a choice of using MakeCode or Python to create a simple or complex robot model and a voice in considering how to integrate the project within their curriculum. Participants will discuss developing goals for robotics at various ages and stages of ability levels. Participants will leave with ideas to implement directly into their curriculum. A Hummingbird Robotics kit will be raffled off during this session.

During this tour, attendees will visit the NEW Center for Emergent Leadership. The Center for Emergent Leadership provides resources, instruction, and opportunities for students to solidify and expand the foundational skills necessary to become effective leaders and entrepreneurs. The space brings students together through initiatives that encourage thoughtful connection, movement, and reflection. Students are challenged to explore creative and innovative coursework through design, digital and three-dimensional work, project-based learning, artificial virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. The programming inspired within the Center of Emergent Leadership encourages opportunities for students to use their voices, practice their leadership skills, and work towards solving global challenges through student-driven and led initiatives.

During this session, participants will create augmented reality presentations with the same time, effort, and skills as Google Slides with Adobe Aero (a free program). From short plays with digital 3D figures that move on command, to display boards that literally pop out into space, attendees will be able to take project presentations to the next level.  This session does not require coding or photoshop skills.

Spark your creativity with easy to implement LED technology in the cross-curricular space. Combining traditional core subject areas with computer science, visual art, and maker skills, attendees will experience the foundation of incorporating LED light programming into a multitude of projects. In this session, attendees with any range of coding experience will tinker with Micro:Bits producing a variety of project possibilities to implement in any classroom. Attendees will leave this session with their project and many ideas from others.

Student agency is evident when given a choice and voice on how to learn how they learn. Through building and coding robots, student agency grows with each iteration. Attendees are invited to experience that agency using simple materials, a Micro:bit, and a Hummingbird robotics kit. Attendees have a choice of using MakeCode or Python to create a simple or complex robot model and a voice in considering how to integrate the project within their curriculum. Participants will discuss developing goals for robotics at various ages and stages of ability levels. Participants will be able to leave with ideas to implement directly into their curriculum. A Hummingbird Robotics kit will be raffled off during this session.

This project-based learning workshop will provide teachers with hands-on STEM experiences designed to increase confidence in their ability to teach engineering and science in the classroom. Participants will learn how to incorporate engineering concepts into their curriculum while promoting student interest and engagement.  There will also be several “make and take” engineering project stations for all participants utilizing science lab materials and resources.

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, it is a high priority for our students to develop a basic understanding of the subject and its potential implications. During this session the presenter will share strategies, tools, and resources to introduce this complex topic in a way that is appropriate and accessible for Middle School students.

Students often struggle when building things with sturdy supports that help them stand on their own, or with hand cranks or motors that move things just the way they imagine. We all have some innate knowledge of mechanical engineering built-in by previous experiences making things, but some formal learning about why things stay together and move the way they do can greatly assist our students (and ourselves) when trying to make things work.

In this workshop, we will learn engineering vocabulary and concepts through several builds using common materials with the goal of understanding why physical objects behave the way they do. Whether you are working with younger students building with cardboard and paper, or older students building competition robots, this session will help you help your students to build like engineers do.

Reflection is a vital component of the learning process during professional development sessions. Systematic reflection allows one to make connections from newly learned concepts to gain new insights into practice. During this session, attendees will work collaboratively with one another and Pine Crest School’s innovation team to share ideas, draw on support from others, and share strategies for tailoring ideas.