Global Innovation Lab
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Every Drop Counts: Exploring New Mexico’s Water Resources in the Global Innovation Lab 💧🌵
This blog post explores New Mexico’s water resources through The Global Innovation Lab’s Every Drop Counts challenge, helping students connect science, geography, agriculture, technology, law, and systems thinking. It also explains how the Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado Rio Grande case and the 2026 Supreme Court settlement affect groundwater use, farming, communities, industry, and…
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The Global Innovation Lab Is Coming to the NMAGT Fall Institute 2026 🌎💡
This blog post introduces The Global Innovation Lab, a student-centered learning experience designed to help gifted learners tackle real-world challenges through collaboration, creativity, design thinking, data analysis, and systems thinking. It also highlights the program’s upcoming appearance at the New Mexico Association for the Gifted Fall Institute 2026: Unmasking Brilliance, where educators can learn how…
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I Never Want to Teach the Same Lesson Twice
This blog post explores how John Maxwell’s habit of collecting ideas has shaped the way I approach teaching. I am always looking for ways to improve my lessons—through professional learning, student feedback, travel, technology, and even observing how businesses like Disney, resorts, and shopping centers create meaningful experiences. I believe great teaching is never truly…
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Every Drop Counts: Turning Water Conservation into a Real-World STEM Challenge
Global Innovation Lab: Every Drop Counts challenges students to become water detectives, systems thinkers, and innovators. Through research, water audits, collaborative design, and persuasive presentations, students create realistic solutions to reduce water waste while considering people, the environment, cost, safety, and unintended consequences. This hands-on STEM experience empowers students to see that protecting our water…
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Why Gifted Students Need Problems Worth Solving
Moving Beyond “More Work” to Meaningful Learning By Beth Smith, M. Ed. | #smithingiftef Walk into many classrooms and you’ll see gifted students finishing their work early. Too often, the next step is simply more worksheets, more questions, or more of the same assignment. But gifted learners don’t need more work. They need better work.…
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Why Every Gifted Classroom Needs More Real-World Problem Solving 🌎💡
Gifted students thrive when learning is meaningful, challenging, and connected to the real world. This post explores how inquiry-based learning, STEM, technology, and authentic problem solving help students build critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and innovation skills. Discover simple ways to transform your classroom into a place where curiosity leads learning and every student has the…
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10 Creative Ways to Use micro:bit in Your Elementary STEM Classroom (Plus How FarmBeats Adds Real-World Rigor)
By Beth Smith, M.Ed. | #smithingifted The BBC micro:bit is one of my favorite STEM tools because it does far more than teach coding. It transforms students into engineers, scientists, inventors, and problem-solvers. But here’s something many teachers don’t realize… You can take your micro:bit lessons to the next level by pairing them with Microsoft…
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Is Your Child Finishing Everything Too Quickly? They May Need More Than “Extra Work.”
Discover how to recognize the signs of an advanced learner and why these students need meaningful challenges instead of simply more work. In this post, you’ll learn practical ways to nurture your child’s curiosity at home and explore engaging, classroom-tested resources designed to develop critical thinking, creativity, STEM skills, and a lifelong love of learning.…
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Learning Alongside My Students: Exploring Lopaka in The Global Innovation Lab
In this #smithingifted blog post, I share how I am exploring Lopaka as a creative tool for The Global Innovation Lab. Working with Ivan Guzman and Mikhail Ilan from Lopaka, I am learning how students might use design, coding, sensors, robotics, and small display screens to turn real-world ideas into meaningful prototypes. As we begin…
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Using Google My Maps in the Gifted Classroom: Mapping The Global Innovation Lab
The Global Innovation Lab is growing! 🌎🚀 In this post, I share how Google My Maps is helping us connect classrooms around the world so students can collaborate on real-world challenges like water conservation. If you want your students to think bigger, create meaningful solutions, and learn alongside students from other communities and countries, I…