Uncategorized

MAD-news for August: Give yourself and your colleagues grace.

Hi Guest,

Be patient. Be patient with yourself, your colleagues, your administrators, your family, and your friends. We know this is a stressful time and uncertainty (for some of us) around what reopening of school will be is troublesome. But give yourself grace. You need it. We all do.

Take a DEEP breath and focus on one thing that you can control and positively influence. Just one. As my dear friend Vicki Davis says, “Innovate like a turtle”. Take one step in the right direction and drown out the excess noise. Before you know it, you will end up where you want to be. If doing app development with your students is that one step for you right now, we’re here to support and help! But even if it isn’t, know that we are educators ourselves and here if you ever want to talk.

Therapy session over. Now for some MAD-news…

Alefiya Master

Founder & CEO

What’s New!

‘MAD-hardware’ Continues to be Collected

We are so proud of the work that has been done by the entire team, from new platform features and coming coding curriculum (see article, below) to greater access to video tutorials and expanded reach to even more students.

The latest award comes courtesy of the great folks at EdTech Digest, who named MAD-learn as a finalist for the 2020 Trendsetter Awards. The EdTech Awards recognize people in and around education for “outstanding contributions in transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere.” It is the largest and most competitive recognition program in all of education technology, recognizing “the biggest names in edtech – and those who soon will be.” We would have to agree 😉

Coding Curriculum in Development

Students have embraced MAD-learn’s HCJ Builder template, creating a wide variety of screens that combine HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes. Mostly these screens have been created from existing, open source code sets so students can simply copy and paste into their apps. Little has been done beyond making changes to the content portions of these codes, so that they might be better adapted to the app’s theme.
Well, as they say, that was only the beginning. This fall we will introduce a curriculum that teaches students how these codes work and how to write their own. The new program will be available as part of the Curriculum resources, and it will include basic information about elements of these code sets, with examples from actual HCJ Builder template screens, as well as quizzes and practice exercises to help students learn more. Stay tuned!

MAD-spotlight!

MAD-teacher of the Month

Tashia Arnold, enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation is the Cultural Specialist & Youth Activities Coordinator for the Quinault Indian Nation Education Department. She states, “I believe in the power and resiliency of our youth and hope to expand the opportunities and experiences they have access to.”

This only partially describe the difference she has made or the dedication she has to her students of the tribe. Formerly a Program Associate for the Center for Native American Youth in Washington, DC, Tashia returned to her home, citing her wish to show her students that it is possible to return and bring new skills to help the reservation she is so proud to be part of. As was evidenced during the Virtual Summer App Camp we facilitated with her, she is in constant contact with her students, and she expects nothing less than their best efforts. It is a pleasure to work with teachers who are so committed, passionate, and talented like Tashia!

List of MAD-schools Continues to Grow

We want to thank all of the schools that have either renewed their partnerships with MAD-learn or are just joining our MAD-family. We are so happy to know we will be continuing our work to help students at:

  • St. Ignatius College (Australia)
  • Southeastern Regional School District (MA)
  • Quinault Indian Nation (WA)
  • Lake Local (OH)
  • Hawthorn Middle School South (IL)
  • River Road Middle School (NC)
  • District School Board of Niagara (Ontario, Canada)
  • Summit Academy, Lorain (IL)

Don’t leave without…

…checking out New Video Tutorials in MAD-learn!

Now, all video tutorials can be accessed directly via your MAD-learn dashboard! A button has been added for students, teachers, and admin to easily access short and simple videos on how to do mobile app development with MAD-learn. Goodbye YouTube! 
MAD-news is a monthly newsletter from MAD-learn® 
delivered to your inbox on the 15th of every month.
https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/gsvPZq-tpizh-RHQJk0b0QRaPOuYthLXj0SpaT_ts_81yEXpkuKHL6e3dLS_Syk4SHN8K2kpAn6dgZu1k-86e7aIr8OFx9X2sCsmYbDu=s0-d-e1-ft#https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/b11_fb_icon.png     https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/318783000012728004_2_icon.png     https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/318783000012728004_3_icon.png
©2020 MAD-learn®. All rights reserved.