Meet Dr. AnnMarie Thomas
DR. ANNMARIE THOMAS is the director of the Playful Learning Lab, creator of Squishy Circuits, author of Making Makers, co-founder of OK Go Sandbox (co-PI), and a professor of Engineering and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. AnnMarie has also given a number of TED Talks and was the 2020 recipient of the international LEGO prize.
Questions That Guided Our Conversation
3:34 – Let’s start off by digging a little deeper into your work at the Playful Learning Lab. What is your mission and vision there, and what does your work look like?
7:36 – AnnMarie, in response to schools closed by COVID-19 in recent weeks, you recently co-created the The PlayLine Resource Guide, which provides play-based activity ideas and hosts supportive digital meet-ups for educators. Can you tell us more about the thinking behind this resource? Who is it aimed at, and what can educators expect to gain when they visit the site?
13:15 – We also need to touch on your receipt of the $100,000 2020 Lego Prize for your work dealing with how children learn through play. How did you earn it? Tell us more about the work LEGO is doing in this regard.
16:40 – As you look across your professional learning network and your own practice, what else is setting you on fire about education and learning today?
19:19 – How are you looking to grow professionally and improve your practice next year? Can you share about a specific professional goal or project that you’re currently working on?
21:13 – Share about one personal habit or productivity hack that contributes to your success.
Voices That Spark AnnMarie’s Thinking and Ignite Her Practice
- On Twitter: @MadameSTEM
- Her EdTech Tool Pick: Zoom
- Her Books Picks: Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) by J. K. Rowling and The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel by Mary Robinette Kowal
- On YouTube: Bill Vicars (sign language)
- On Netflix: The Umbrella Academy
Connect with Dr. AnnMarie
- On Twitter 1 @amptMN
- On Twitter 2 @PlayLearnLab
- On Twitter 3 @OKGoSandbox
- On Twitter 4 @ThePlayLine
- On Instagram 1 @AnnMarie.P.Thomas
- On Instagram 2 @legoeducation
- On her website 1 at https://www.annmarie-thomas.com
- On her website 2 at www.PlayfulLearningLab.org
- On her Youtube channel at AnnMarieThomas1979
- At her book, Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation
Connect with the Teachers on Fire Podcast on Social Media
- On Twitter @TeachersOnFire
- On Instagram @TeachersOnFire
- On Facebook @TeachersOnFire
- On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey
- On Medium on the Teachers on Fire Magazine
- On YouTube @Teachers On Fire
- On Voxer @TeachersOnFire
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Song Track Credits
- Sunrise Drive by South London Hifi*
- Anthem by The Grand Affair*
- Species by Diamond Ortiz
- *tracks courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library
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