Jul 30, 2019
Welcome back to the show ya’ll! Today I’m talking with another amazing student guest about coding, art, and student-led innovation. Ainsley McClard is going into the 7th grade next year and she chats about some amazing projects she’s been involved in, what she thinks about the grading system, and why she started her own business!
Ainsley loves to learn and create. Her favorite classes involve art and creation and she has used this passion to create inventions with coding! She also creates bracelets (that you can buy to help her fund her Washington D.C. field trip) and she’s learning to sew.
She wishes that teachers were able to spend more time moving forward rather than repeating lessons they’ve already learned. Sometimes she gets bored when they aren’t moving quickly enough through the material.
She also shares her thoughts on grading and why there should be a way for students to obtain feedback and correct their mistakes prior to receiving a final grade. That’s not all she shares on the grading issue, listen in to learn more.
Ainsley was unbelievably transparent about her thoughts on her classrooms, her projects, and her feelings toward school. This is definitely an episode that would inspire many to either continue working on technology-driven projects in their classrooms or start implementing them! You won’t want to miss out on Ainsley’s fantastic insights.
In This Episode:
[00:29] - Welcome back to the show! Kasey introduces today’s student guest, Ainsley McClard!
[01:52] - Shout out to the Region 10 Education Service Center and The Buck Institute for their Summer Institute and allowing me to be the keynote speaker for their event!
[02:20] - Shout out to the Southwest Virginia Public Education Consortium for inviting me to be their keynote speaker and to head some break out classes at their Tech Splash Conference.
Want to Work With Kasey? Check out how!
[04:27] - The listener question of the week comes from Rebecca Brewer through our SpeakPipe messages. Listen in to hear her question about participation and support. What are your thoughts?
This episode is brought to you by Screencastify, Google Chrome’s #1 screen recording extension. Screencastify allows you to record anything you’re doing on your computer, your webcam, or my favorite - a combination of both. This extension is perfect for creating videos for your lessons, or even challenging your students to use it explain their thinking. And the videos are automatically saved to Google Drive!
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[08:28] - Welcome to the show Ainsley McClard and her dad Dr. Lance McClard!
[09:34] - Ainsley presented at ISTE to tell teachers about the student perspective on leadership clubs.
[10:31] - Hear about some of the projects Ainsley has worked on over the years and how her teachers have impacted her drive to learn.
- Book journey using My Maps
- Created stop motion, then created a template for stop motion on weather cycle, taught 3rd grade
[12:13] - What does Ainsley like about school?
[12:43] - Are there things Ainsley would change about school?
[13:36] - Ainsley’s favorite subject? Art! She also shouts our her dream school!
[15:02] - Hear Ainsley explain some of her vector art projects and how she used Google Drawings to create them.
Check out some of her projects here: Harry Potter Drawing, Fox Drawing, and Rose Drawing.
[15:54] - What does Ainsley likes about coding and how does she use Made With Code.
[18:37] - In Ainsley’s Alert class they create various inventions and this year they used coding!
Here’s an example of a business
plan they created for their invention.
...and
her presentation at the Codeify event!
[20:07] - What is Alarm Sleeper, the invention she created with her classmates?
[22:04] - Is creation something her teachers have them do very often?
[22:39] - Learn how Ainsley and her classmates used various tech for Teach Like a Pirate Day.
[24:46] - How do grades affect Ainsley’s mindset and how does she feel about their applicability to the work and effort that went into her work?
[26:28] - If she had to go to school every day but got to learn whatever she wanted, what would Ainsley want to learn?
Check out the bracelets she creates and sells to fund her Washington D.C. Trip!
[29:56] - Kasey shares some post-interview comments about this episode! To include the fact that she and Ainsley DID get to meet at ISTE!
Podcast Question of the Week
[30:51] - Kasey shares the podcast questions of the week:
As teachers, how can we inspire more students, especially girls, to take interest in coding and innovative projects?
Post your answer to your favorite social media platform using the hashtag #ShakeUpLearning, or share it in the Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook!
[32:12] - Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast, and leave a review on iTunes. (Bonus points if you use the word “y’all” in your review!)
About Ainsley
Name of School: Jackson Middle School
Location: Jackson, MO, USA
Grade Level: 6th
Age: 12
What do you like about school? All the people. All the students and teachers. I also love to learn new things!
What do you wish your teachers knew about you? I want to be there at school to learn.
What kind of student are you? I am a creative, fun, kind, and attentive listener.
What do grades mean to you? Grades mean a lot. If you get good grades, you get good schooling, if you get good schooling, you get a good job.
How often do you get to use technology in your classes? (like computers, tablets, iPads, cell phones, or other devices) everyday
What kind of tasks do you do at school with technology or computers? We do online assignments most of the time, so if we're sick, we just go onto Canvas and check out what we need to do.
If you still had to go to school every day, but you could learn anything you wanted, what would you want to learn? All about business and art. I want to own a business someday, so I need to know it all! Also, art is my passion, and I just want to learn about it.
Tools that Ainsley uses in class:
Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
The Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook
Join the Shake Up Learning Book Study!
Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic by Kasey Bell
Screencastify - use code cast_shakeup at check out for a free 30-day trial of premium
Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
The Shake Up Learning Show episode 19: Top 10 Secrets of an Awesome Tech Coach