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Can fooling around, goofing off, and playing help your innovating power?   How can you use Monopoly(R) to teach kids better math skills?  Is there really a killer strategy for playing Monopoly?  Listen in for the playful answers in today's podcast.

Hey there, Innovation Nation!  Today we're just going to play around on the podcast, and we're going to start with a snippet from one of my favorite books:  Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman.  In the book he writes,

"Then I had another thought: Physics disgusts me a little bit now, but I used to enjoy doing physics. Why did I enjoy it? I used to play with it. I used to do whatever I felt like doing--it didn't have to do with whether it was important for the development of nuclear physics, but whether it was interesting and amusing for me to play with..."

So I got this new attitude...  I'm going to play with physics, whenever I want to, without worrying about any importance whatsoever.

Within a week I was in the cafeteria and some guy, fooling around, throws a plate in the air. As the plate went up in the air I saw it wobble, and I noticed the red medallion of Cornell on the plate going around. It was pretty obvious to me that the medallion went around faster than the wobbling...

It was effortless. It was easy to play with these things. It was like uncorking a bottle: Everything flowed out effortlessly. I almost tried to resist it! There was no importance to what I was doing, but ultimately there was. The diagrams and the whole business that I got the Nobel Prize for came from that piddling around with the wobbling plate."

We often watching kids--or even adults--goofing off and we say, "Oh, they're JUST playing around."  We treat playing around as if it is unimportant or useless.  However, here is one of the most famous Nobel prize winning physicists telling us that it was precisely the act of playing around that led him back to a love for physics and eventually to his Nobel prize winning work--or should I say Nobel prize winning playing around?

At Table Top Inventing, we love to play around.  We usually call it "hard fun" because we're actually learning and putting loads of effort into our play.  Yet it is still play.  It is fun, and it disarms students enough that they forget they are learning.  Why don't you grab your smart phone or pull up a browser on your computer and go check out InventingZone.com to find out how to get your kids involved in some "hard fun" this summer?  If you know today's guest, Tim Vandenberg, email HQsupport@ttinvent.com for special information about our Inventor's Bootcamp in Mr. Vandenberg's backyard. 

Today's guest knows quite a bit about play.  He's a no-nonsense teacher in some respects because he works with middle schoolers, but on the other hand, he uses the game of Monopoly(R) to teach kids to master their math facts and hone their negotiation skills.  Without further adieu, Tim Vandenberg.

Original release date: 6/11/15

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How does a cook in the army learn to become the Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World? What is the importance of Role Modeling? How important is having dinner together as a family? Listen in for the timeless answers in today’s podcast!

Hey there, Innovation Nation! My guest today has connections in one of the most magical places in the world! I won’t spoil the surprise yet, so let me distract you for a moment with a great insight from James Baldwin:

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

Unfortunately, I have observed this to be true with my own kids! Kids seem to have a sixth sense for seeing the difference between what we say and what we do. In today’s episode we’ll touch on this topic, and I think it is a particularly poignant topic. In our Inventor’s Bootcamps, we encourage kids to explore, tinker, try stuff because the process of trying something new, varying the approach, and iterating until success is the only way to learn anything. It is such a powerful idea that the best business leaders encourage it, and we use the same process in our company whenever we try a new idea.

If you’d like your kids to learn this success formula in a fun and engaging Inventor’s Bootcamp environment this summer, visit ttinvent.com and click on the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

And now to break the suspense about today’s guest! For 10 years, Lee Cockerell was directly responsible for the Disney Magic at Walt Disney World Resorts in Florida. Since then he has focused in on great leadership and training another generation of great leaders. Let’s listen in as Lee shares some timeless treasures of leadership.

Original Release Date: 6/3/15

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What kind of a company gets started on a road trip? In the podcasting world, what is a “double-ender”? How does a boot-strapped US-based startup company get connected with a startup incubator in Chile?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! Today’s guests have a fascinating story. If you’ve ever thought about starting a company in your spare time or if you’ve had an idea for a company in the strangest place, you’ll find some kindred spirits on today’s show.

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”

These words from Steve Jobs underline the fact that innovation is driven, not by money or even other technology, but by people. Creative, observant humans are the engine of innovation. It is easy in our tech-filled world to equate new tech break throughs with underlying technological infrastructure, but in reality while currently available technology does enable future technologies, the future begins with a dream in the heart of a person.

“Even though the map to educational makerspace success remains vague, pioneers in the field are pushing forward and reporting their findings.” – Gene Roddenberry In the late 1960’s, Gene Roddenberry had a dream. He turned this dream into a television show we all know as Star Trek. In this fictional future, the crew of the USS Enterprise used a device called a tricorder. This device had the capability of reading information from it’s surroundings, geo-locating the user, taking chemical, biological, and physical data along with connecting the user to the computer in the sky aboard the USS enterprise for analysis.

Today the tricorder has largely become a reality in the smart phone and it’s supporting technologies. We are connected to the computer in the sky via our cell signals and WiFi. We can geo-locate ourselves using the GPS features on our phone. We can take a photo of an object, and the “computer in the cloud” can tell us what that object is, what it can be used for, and it’s other physical, chemical, and/or biological properties. With appropriate add-ons these devices are now also monitoring our health, connecting us to the electronics back at home, and allowing us to track other humans on the planet via their GPS signals.

It can easily be argued that the smart phone and many of it’s supporting technologies began as an idea in Gene Roddenberry’s creative imaginings. So here at Table Top Inventing we spend the bulk of our time investing in the inspiration of creativity in teenagers. We know that by feeding their fanciful imagination and then putting tools in their hands to begin exploring the possibilities, a new generation of innovators will arise quite naturally.

Just the other day, some students in our Inventor’s Bootcamp learned that hobby-grade, quad-rotor technology could be used to lift a person off the ground. Now I don’t know exactly what they will do with that knowledge as time goes on, but they are already discussing how they can improve their own DIY quad-rotor project. Perhaps they will invent an improved hoverboard like the one I saw just this week!

To find out more about Inventor’s Bootcamp, visit InventingZone.com

Speaking of innovation, today’s guests are quite familiar with the development of game-changing technology. Spencer Handley, Hannah Russell-Goodson, and Josh Lankford recently started a small company called PodClear. Their technology is already revolutionizing how I am conducting podcast interviews. Listen in for engagingly clear answers in today’s podcast!

Original Release Date: 5/28/15

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How can educators integrate geeky-ness with accessibility? How important is documenting our learning to the larger educational community? and What exactly is a Kreg jig?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! You are going to love today’s guest. He is a master of fun with technology. A good friend of mine, Tim, told me back in graduate school that we became physicists because physicists have the coolest toys! I could not agree more, and physicists have believed this for a very long time. In fact, Carl Gauss, a physics-famous pioneer from the early 1800’s said,

“It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.” –Carl Friedrich Gauss

Learning is indeed a quest, and even though it may be hard at times, it is most definitely fun. Around here we call that “hard fun”, a term we lovingly adopted from the Pepperdine OMET/MALT program. Hard fun is a way of life. Life is indeed hard–sometimes very hard–but we are dedicated to having fun in the process! Learning without fun causes boredom and has killed many powerful learning opportunities. On the other hand, learning without hard work does not engender a strong feeling of accomplishment or excitement upon completion. By marrying the two, learning experiences become both profound and deeply satisfying–a recipe for educational ecstasy.

Perhaps that imagery is a little more powerful than you were ready to hear today, but I would like to challenge you to think bigger when it comes to the educational experiences you observe and create. We began asking ourselves what was possible to learn in a few short days, and out of that question grew one of the most fun and challenging experiences we have ever seen in the education of teenagers. We keep talking about the Inventor’s Bootcamp experience because we have seen teenagers face almost insurmountable technical challenges, time after time, and continue to find enjoyment in the over-the-top difficulty level of the experience. The students keep telling us, “It was hard, but really fun!”

You can find out more about Inventor’s Bootcamp by visiting http://www.InventingZone.com or by clicking on the Inventor’s Bootcamp button on the TTInvent.com website.

Today’s guest is no stranger to “hard fun”. Josh Burker is an educational technologist with extensive experience. He particularly enjoys making technology “invisible” as well as extremely accessible which is a skill many teachers would like to see in their tech department. Josh has honed his skills and become a recognized expert on “Hard Fun”, and his new book called “The Invent to Learn Guide to Fun” shares his extensive toolbox! Listen in for lively answers in today’s podcast!

Original Release Date: 5/21/15

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How can you get your Kickstarter idea funded? Is it possible to be immune to a brain freeze? What would cause successful college students to abandon their degrees?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! Today we’re talking entrepreneurship, and at the center is one of my favorite topics – learning how to learn. Alexander Pope said,

“A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.” …learning how to learn itself is a really dangerous skill to have. Once tasted, the spring of knowledge spoils our ability to live an average life."

His assertion was that if we learn, we should go all the way. On the podcast today, Andrew Lien asserts that the idea of learning how to learn itself is a really dangerous skill to have. Once tasted, the spring of knowledge spoils our ability to live an average life.

We believe this idea so strongly that we’ve built a whole company around it, including one of our favorite activities–Inventor’s Bootcamp. We fill a room with 3D printers, embedded processors, sensors, 3D design software, and computers for programming, and then set students free to discover that ever dangerous idea: I can learn on my own. In every class, several students are set free to discover the universe without the limits imposed by others.

To find out more about the Inventor’s Bootcamp visit http://www.InventingZone.com or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Our guests from JuiceBoxx today do not sugar coat their feelings about formal learning. They aren’t hostile to traditional learning, but they have learned how to learn, and that, my friends, has proven to be a very dangerous skill for them.

Original Release Date: 5/14/15

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Do you need a patent to make money on a great idea? What choices to inventors have to bring their ideas to market? Can you start a successful business as an art major?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! Today we’re talking inventing–one of my favorite subjects–and I just read a great quote by the business strategist Gary Hamel:

“As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it’s laying out a garden, composing a new tune on the piano, writing a bit of poetry, manipulating a digital photo, redecorating a room, or inventing a new chili recipe – we are happiest when we are creating.”

I agree whole-heartedly as does my guest on the podcast today, inventing coach Stephen Key. I just lose track of time when I’m creating something, whether it be a recipe I’m developing or a 3D design I’m making and printing in our 3D printing lab. I am truly happiest when I’m creating.

We believe this idea so strongly that we’ve built a whole company around it, including on of our favorite activities–Inventor’s Bootcamp. We fill a room with 3D printers, embedded processors, sensors, 3D design software, and computers for programming, and then set students free to discover that ever dangerous idea: I can learn on my own. In every class, several students are set free to discover the universe without the limits imposed by others.

To find out more about the Inventor’s Bootcamp visit http://inventing.zone or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Our guest today is a well-known inventor and coach to upcoming inventors. His students have been on the television show “Shark Tank”, and most of us have probably used one or more products designed and licensed by Stephen Key. Today’s interview is a peak into the mind of a great inventor.

Original Release Date: 5/7/15

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What is the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality? What are the advantages of failure? How can the latin expression “forma mentis” improve your success?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! I read a book recently by a Stanford University Professor, Carol Dweck. The name of the book is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Carol Dweck says,

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.”

This approach to learning grows a student’s confidence and ability to explore. In our Inventor’s Bootcamp experiences, students are taught this type of exploratory and challenging mindset. We fill a room with 3D printers, embedded processors, sensors, 3D design software, and computers for programming, and then give the students a big challenge. Every year, we never cease to be amazed at the creative solutions and capability demonstrated, as Carol Dweck has correctly predicted.

To find out more about the Inventor’s Bootcamp visit InventingZone.com or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Today our guest is the founder of a literally game-changing company. Proxy42 was founded by Francesco Ferrazzino and a video for their amazing new game can be found at father.io. After the interview, I strongly recommend you take the 2.5 minutes to watch it. This approach will change how games are played. If you’re listening to this from the United States, you may find Francesco’s accent a little thick, but I will make no apologies. This interview is among the best I’ve ever had. Listen to it, and the re-listen to it. His ideas are powerful.

Original Release Date: 4/30/15

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How difficult is it to write and publish a book? You’ve heard of guerrilla warfare, but what is Guerrilla Marketing? Do you need to have a college education to write a book?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! I am thoroughly enjoying the warmer weather. Our little orchard out back is beginning to come to life. I love seeing the fruit growing on our apple, peach, pear, and apricot trees. It reminds me of the growth and excitement we experience every summer in our Inventor’s Bootcamps. I get really excited about Inventor’s Bootcamp because there’s so much growth and creativity and excitement as the students build crazy engineering contraptions with 3D printers and wire them up with a little electronic trickery and programming prowess. The amount of creativity, confidence, curiosity, and deep thinking of the students in these summer camps is almost unbelievable.

To find out more visit InventingZone.com or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Today our guest is the founder of a game-changing book publishing company, David Hancock! Morgan James Publishing is revolutionizing the way authors interact with their publisher. Publishing has never been easier, and no company has ever worked this hard to help authors succeed. Listen in to today’s podcast to find out more!

Original Release Date: 4/23/15

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How can 3D printers be used to enhance learning? What is the role of a teacher? What doors does our digital world open to us?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! Today you get to see behind the curtain at Table Top Inventing a little as Debby Kurti and I visit with students from her alma mater. Several “Debby-isms” pop up in this episode which reminds me of one of Debby’s favorite quotes by Socrates:

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”

Looking in from the outside, we tend to see education as a wise sage standing at the front of a room doling out knowledge to the attentive rows of students at their desks. However for thousands of years, some have believed that education is fundamentally an internal and very personal pursuit. That philosophy is at the core of what we do at Table Top Inventing: students need a great environment, engaging tools, and space to explore. To find out how you or your child can sample such an experience this summer, visit InventingZone.com or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Today on the show we have a panel of 4 students from the Pepperdine Master of Arts in Learning Technologies or “MALT” as the insiders call it. We take a deep dive on the role of a teacher and the power of maker technologies in the learning environment. Listen in!

Original Release Date: 4/16/15

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Can a robotics engineer actually be any good as a stand-up comedian? What happens if you retrofit your car with effects from a racing video game? Do real engineers play with Legos? How do you make your fridge shutoff automatically when you put on weight?

Hey there, Innovation Nation! Today is going to be a fun episode. If you are an inventor and a kid at heart, you will LOVE today’s interview. I am reminded of a quote by the late Randy Pausch, a computer science innovator from Carnegie Mellon. He said,

“I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.”

For Randy, having fun was serious business because at the young age of 47 he died of complications from pancreatic cancer. Yet before he died, he had a chance to give his “last lecture” in which he discussed the importance of living life to the fullest and having fun. The dramatic circumstances of his last months compelled him to consider what was really important in life, and he realized that every single day is a gift. Some people like Randy and our guest today, Gray Bright, just seem determined to find all the fun life has to offer.

Here at Table Top Inventing, we believe that inventing and fun are almost synonymous. That’s why we created the Inventor’s Bootcamp. If you love creating and inventing, check out our summer fun at http://www.TTInvent.com/BootcampNow or you can just visit http://www.TTInvent.com and click the Inventor’s Bootcamp button.

Our guest today is Gray Bright. We laugh all the way through this interview, but we’re talking about serious fun. Gray’s creativity and mischievous ideas are infectious. Join us for a fun conversation about inventing, fun, and never growing up!

Original Release Date: 4/9/15