Patrick Frape: Still Learning

After graduating from university with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, I went to work at, of all places, a startup software company.  We grew our product on a shoestring budget and our company morphed from RZ to Envenergy before Cisco bought us.  I was lucky to work with the people above for the better part of 20 years.

In 2012, Cisco closed our division.  As luck would have it, the Tech Director at the International School of Kuala Lumpur gave me an opportunity to lead and teach tech.  My wife and I had a one-year old daughter and I accepted with gratitude.  9 years later and I'm still grateful, and still loving it.  

Each year I look for ways to improve learning at ISP.  I have been lucky to get the support of admin for several initiatives including: 

• • Leading an ePortfolio focus group that researched and deployed SeeSaw which proved invaluable during covid as a distance Learning Management System.  We developed common use agreements and arranged and hosted all PD for faculty and aides.

  • Being selected as a Curricular Learning Leader to adopt an appropriate K-12 model, and develop a K-12 Scope and Sequence, for creative (design) thinking, digital citizenship, and computational thinking.

  • Creating a G2-G5 Coding and Design curriculum that integrates with MS and US tech options.

Once a week, I host "Falcon Student News".  It is our news show.  I'm only required to do the activity one trimester per year but I like it, so I do it all year.  Kids love it too, and produce 95% of the show.  We're interviewing a "Radio Free Europe" reporter next week.  Here is a sample.  Feel free to subscribe to our channel :-)

With my team of 5, I managed technology at a 600-student campus for 3 years.  We kept the network online, updated laptops, purchased and distributed iPads, fixed projectors, installed document cameras, etc.  I teach more now but I still know how to code, merge a database, run Google Admin, talk to a network guy (I'm Cisco Certified), manage a product install, host PD and source and deploy software. 

Teaching the curriculum through technology improves learning.  It also gives kids tools to produce quality work product and solve problems.  It is important in that role to keep an eye out for opportunities to integrate tech.  Above: taking advantage of another "Stretch Day" to give grade 8's a chance to deep dive on a coding app and teach math at the same time.

How do you get kids to come to school on a Saturday?  Tell them they get to code and there will be pizza.  Above: this picture was from a "Global" Codeathon with 3 other schools.  It was a Scratch party and kids got the chance to solve interesting problems and share their apps with other kids around the world.  Pure Fun!

I spent 20 years working for 4 different technology startups.  That shapes my lessons.  I give kids interesting problems to solve and then guide: draw designs first, break problems down, test things for purpose.

Above: kids modeling marble run hangers in TinkerCad and printing up their prototypes on the 3d printers.

There is no such thing as having it wired and there is always something cool to learn.  The things I figure out I bring to class because enthusiasm is contagious.  

Above: My team taking a break at virtual Learning2.  I had 5 takeaways from the conference and implemented one today with my kids: trace your self portrait in a layered drawing app then cut it out of plywood on the laser cutter.  Thank you Sarah Woods!  

Starting in 5th Grade girls start to feel shy about coding.  They tell me that the boys over shadow them and they lose interest.  It's weird because the girls, on average, are identically competent to the boys.  We've run a couple of girls-only initiatives at ISP with amazing results.  Girls thrived in coding without the boys and, one year, joined IB Computer Science in record numbers.  Above:  using the Makey Makey with Scratch to create a piano.

Kids love design challenges.  You can see their enthusiasm in the above video (marketing asked me to make it).  The activity was a collaboration with the MS Science Teacher.  He gave me a great idea; to use sticky notes on a graph to figure the best tube size for the bridge.  Design challenges are chaotic and messy and you have to be open to the direction the kids take it in.   And, above all, let them figure it out.