Category: #InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

Week 2 Highlights from #IMMOOC2 Participants
Published March 9, 2017 by

Week 2 Highlights from #IMMOOC2 Participants

This is a compilation of some highlights in our second week of Innovator’s Mindset MOOC Round 2 #IMMOOC2. To join the conversation, check out IMMOOC.Org,  #IMMOOC on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

In Chapter 2 George states that the innovator’s mindset takes on the growth mindset. An example would be  taking a “step further by focusing on using one’s ability to learn to play the piano to create music.” In education, he says we “must focus on creating something with the knowledge that’s been acquired.” He insists that this process requires resiliency, grit and the freedom to fail.

YouTube Live Episode 2 with George Couros, Katie Martin, and special guest, Sarah Thomas.

Share! Share! Share!

How do we get a culture of innovation in our schools?

The overarching theme in Live Episode 2 was the value of collaborating and sharing allowing us to be innovative. Sarah tells us to “Share! Share! Share!” The more we share the more input we get from others to refine and “shine like a diamond”. She saw the need for something new and better and launched Edumatch in 2014. She also found a need for people to grow in developing their “moonshot thinking” and created an actionable plan through “Designing with Passion”.

George adds that we will find more value following a hashtag that matches our interests rather than just searching for people on Twitter. It is through “competitive collaborative” support and pressure from one another that allows for innovative practices. He tells us that a foundation of trust, risk-taking and a culture of growth helps to launch innovative practices.  Katie tells us that an innovative culture requires trust, space, support, modeling and accountability.

Reach for our Inner Fight Club!

How do we promote a culture where everyone is willing to take a risk?

Katie Martin reminds us that those with the best ideas aren’t necessarily coming from those that raise their hands first or are the loudest to be heard. What are we doing to allow the more introvert to share their innovative ideas? How are we breaking down barriers for them? Sarah brings on the great analogy with the movie, Fight Club, when she says that we have to project our confident alter ego to get stuff done; reach for our inner Fight Club.

Everything is in Beta Mode!

Innovation is about taking risks. Sarah reminds us that there are different types of risks and we must jump in “feet first” with our “moonshot” thinking rather than “head first”, but risks need to happen in order to keep moving forward. George tells us that innovation is not about creating something new, but doing something with what we created.

How do we know that our innovative idea is working? Sarah tells us the importance of documenting the journey as the best way to know how our “moonshot” idea is working. It is innovative if it is having an impact on students.

Here is a summary of the Live Episode 2 by Julie Johnson:

Examples of innovation by #IMMOOC2 participants

The highlights in the blogs for this week included reflections, ideas and examples which can help us move forward in the innovative process.

Amy Busby reflects on how to take innovation from pockets to the norm.

So another question I ask myself is what experiences are we providing for teachers to allow them to learn and explore and collaborate with others in their profession? If we feel it is important, we must make time for it. We as leaders get bogged down in the compliance aspect of education as well. There are rules, requirements, policies, and assessments that can’t be ignored. But even with all of those expectations, we must model the innovation we want to see.

My hope is that one of the new adventures we started in our district, Montgomery Master Teachers, is encouraging that type of innovation. The teachers are encouraged to share their ideas with each other through a district Yammer page. We’ve had some take off with this collaboration and others who have been slow to get on board. There have been some great moments where the teachers have shared ideas they’ve done in class and borrowed from each other. They are currently doing a book study together and using Yammer to share their ideas and discuss the book together. So far, this has been a great tool. I look forward to seeing where the teachers take their learning.

Jeff Court sees innovation all around him as a principal who wants to “lead with passion, push the status quo, and support the work that keeps student learning at the fore front of my thoughts and actions”.

I have had the pleasure of witnessing a number of innovative practices occurring over the last year in our K-12 school with 325 students. I have witnessed teachers utilize SeeSaw as a self reflection tool and document learning for parents to witness their grade 2 students growth. I have engaged in creating high school courses that will empower grade 11 and 12 students to create, cover and mashup music that they love. High school students helping to develop a hot lunch program that now serves approximately 130 students a day. This program is literally students helping feed students. Elementary teachers that have stepped outside of their comfort zone to create flexible learning environments to meet the diverse needs of all of their students. Instruction, assessment and feedback for students has to change to meet the needs of all students in these new classroom environments. Each of these scenarios are great examples of teachers that have reflected on the needs of students and were willing to take a risk to create something new and better. Based on their professional journey, they are innovators that I will continue to support their efforts to create better opportunities for students.

Understanding those we serve

As we move forward in this Innovative Mindset practice it is important that we are impacting those we serve.

Keri Snowden adds a question we need to be asking ourselves as we make move forward with innovative practices and doing what is best for students.

What evidence of learning do we see in this student’s creation?
For several years I have believed in the power of looking at student work in shifting a teacher’s focus from what they are doing to what their students are doing. This shift is important because I have known many teachers who think only about what and how they are teaching, how their day is going, how hard they are working, how busy and stressed they are, how frustrating or amazing their students  can be. I have argued that looking at student work is what is needed to deepen PLC conversations and refocus teacher energy on the student experience. After all, it’s the student learning that is the purpose of our work.
Now I feel the need to revise my mantra from “looking at student work” to “looking at student creations.” In a creation, a teacher would see not just facts or algorithms regurgitated onto a page, instead she would see synthesis, prioritization, and communication about a topic or concept. This tells us so much more about a student’s strengths and weaknesses, his “soft skills,” his depth of understanding, and his ability to share it with others.
Susan Aplin looks at what we are experiencing in #IMMOOC2 and asks these three questions to see how we can provide the same experiences for our students.

When I sit back and think about it, this type of learning is amazing.  Learning from 3 different people who were in 3 different places  – awesome.  Learning at a time that was convenient for me – even better.  Getting to hear directly from experts – priceless.

This connection to experts and to people physically out of reach is now available to everyone with internet.  Learning like this is not just for teachers and other professionals, but also for our students.  Are we helping our students find new learning opportunities and ways to connect with experts?

George said, “Everyone has something to say.  Everyone.”  This came as a part of discussion about introverts.  I enjoyed hearing Sarah explain how she is an introvert (like me!), but she has found new ways to share.  Katie continued by pointing out that technology creates opportunities for our introverted and/or quieter students. It gives ALL students voices in (and out) of the classroom….

…We HAVE to make these opportunities available to all of our students.  Are we giving students ways to ask questions, ways to share ideas, ways to reflect and to grow?  

When Katie said, “If you don’t know your kids and what they need, the innovations are frivolous,” she helped remind us that innovation is meaningless without connections and relationships.  George also talked about how time spent talking to a teacher is time he will get back tenfold because of the relationship he’s developing.  This applies to everyone in our school buildings – students, teachers, administrators, etc.

New ideas might be “fun” or “interesting” to people who like to try new things (like many of us in #IMMOOC), but we all must remember that if they don’t connect with our students and improve learning, then we need to rethink them.  Are we keeping our students and their goals in mind when trying new things?  Do we take time to get to know our students and teachers as people?

 

Characteristics of Innovator’s Mindset

We have talked a lot about these 8 characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset this week. Which one did you talk about the most?

Robin Young reminds us how being networked makes us better in the end rather than being on an island.

Networking has been crucial to my development as an Instructional Technology Specialist.  Recently the 8th grade math teachers wanted me to present ideas for integrating technology into their classes.  This is an area that I have struggled with for a while since my background is in history.  I turned to social media for ideas.   I posted on twitter and on a Google+ community that I belonged to and asked for ideas.  Within a day I had enough ideas and several concrete examples that in the end I was very proud of the final product and the math teachers were happy with their training.  If I had been isolated I would have drug out the same old ideas and tried to sell them again.  Instead I was able to deliver some good ideas that have continued the conversation between us about technology integration.  In fact I agreed today to help develop a minecraft review session for them.    We are also in talks about trying out a BreakoutEdu game soon.    Opportunities that would not have existed without my network of amazing folks.

Joe Robison challenges us to think about  what we are asking students to do with the information they are obtaining.

The question of what students can do with the information they are obtaining is something we need to begin asking ourselves as educators.  As my paradigm has changed over time, and the more I have developed a growth mindset, my philosophy about my students and the information they learn has changed.  I had to ask myself, “why am I presenting this information to students?”  If the answer was only to pass a test, either mine or a standardized one, then I realized I was doing my students a disservice.   If all we are measuring is memorization and compliance, then we are not preparing our students to be future ready.  It is important that we allow our students to use the information they are obtaining in practical ways.  At the end of every unit or topic, I have started asking students to identify a problem they can solve with their new knowledge.  This practice has become so much a part of what we do, that students now go into each lesson looking through the lens of problem solving.  The process has now become one of students continually looking for problems to solve as they are introduced to new concepts.  This concept is crucial to developing an innovative mindset in the classroom.  As a teacher, your job is not to find problems for students to solve, but rather to create an environment where students look for problems to solve.  This mentality is critical to not only having an innovative classroom, but also to fostering an innovative mindset in your students.

Week 2 #IMMOOC Twitter Chat

The theme this week revolved around WHY we all need the innovator’s mindset? Here are just a few of the top TWEETS from the #IMMOOC chat during this second week.

George created a synopsis of this week’s #IMMOOC chat using Twitter Moments in this link.

 

 

Katie Martin was able to provide the whole Week 2 #IMMOOC  Chat into two Storify links provided here for your review.

[View the story “#IMMOOC Twitter Chat 3/8–Part 1 Questions 1-3” on Storify]
[View the story “#IMMOOC Twitter Chat 3/8 Part 2– Questions 3-6” on Storify]

 

Examples of Participant Created Images of Favorite Quotes

This Storify link showcases some IMMOOC2 participant creations this week. These creations highlight phrases that had an impact on us. What seems to be the overarching theme that inspired us the most this week?

[View the story “Favorite Quotes of #IMMOOC2 Participants Week 2” on Storify]

I leave you with an inspiring clip, “What Are You Waiting For” mentioned by AJ Bianco in his blog,  “Do Something Amazing”.

“We need to move from a known to an unknown that is possibly better.” – George Couros

We are better together and in the end the students are the winners,

Valerie

#IMMOOC2 #InnovatorsMindsetMOOC Blog Prompts highlights Participant Posts Uncategorized

#IMMOOC #IMMOOC2 #InnovatorsMindset George Couros katie martin sarah thomas the innovator's mindset Valerie Zemaitis week 2 highlights

Published March 2, 2017 by

Week 1 Highlights from #IMMOOC2 Participants

This is a compilation of some highlights in our first week of Innovator’s Mindset MOOC Round 2 #IMMOOC2. To join the conversation, check out IMMOOC.Org,  #IMMOOC on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

We have seen a great start to our #IMMOOC2 experience as many participants have connected, posted on Facebook, Tweeted and blogged. There are similar themes discovered in what participants are sharing.

What is the purpose of innovation? 

George defines innovation as “a way of thinking that creates something new and better.” “That means that change for the sake of change is never good enough.”

In chapter 1 George reminds us that: “We couldn’t have innovative teaching and learning without first defining what that meant and how it could look for our teachers and students.” Using Simon Sinek’s inspiration of organizations needing to start with their “why” and then move toward the what and the how, George believes “education’s why is to develop learners and leaders who will create a better present and future.” He adds, “When forward-thinking schools encourage today’s learners to become creators and leaders I believe they, in turn, will create a better world.”

Charlie Gramatges (@cgramatges) has taken a step to bringing innovation that is new and better to his school.

“As an administrator, I must make time for the teachers who work in my division to grow as educators. It just so happens that I have introduced the “FedEx Day” concept to the middle school teachers this past week. In essence, I want them to pursue something innovative that will make them a better teacher (see a film, start a course, visit a school, etc.). I will teach their class while they are away researching their idea. Upon returning to school, my hope is that they have found something of the disruptive ilk. I want them to bring new and exciting into the classroom. As Couros states, if a student leaves a course without further questions or curiosity about the topic he or she experienced, then the teacher has not done adequate work throughout the school year. Asking tough questions about “how we do business” is the first step.

Why might innovation be crucial in education?

Andreea Stoica (@MrsStoica) mentions in her blog a reasoning behind why people fear innovation and why they must focus on the “important” and move the familiar “urgent” lower on our list.

“Seth Godin reminds us all that “there’s a queue of urgent things, all justifiable, all requiring you and you alone to handle them. And so you do, pushing off the important in favor of the urgent”. He also reminds us that our urgent to do lists, the familiar ones reinforce the feeling of competency many so desperately chase. Who would not want to feel competent in their job, in their career? However, this feeling of competency diverts the focus from the important, which in many cases is the INNOVATION in our jobs. Adults, just like students, are afraid to leave the comfort of the known environment. Focusing on the urgent day in and day out, ingrains hesitation in our thinking. The urgent become the well known, the familiar, the … EXPERTISE. We become really good at doing our job. The idealist in each one of us is left further and further behind.”

She adds,

“We ask our students to be life long learners. We ask them to use critical thinking skills, to reflect on their work and make plans for improvement. We owe it to them to do the same.”

And concludes with,

“In the meantime we can continue to feed the system, to nurture the bureaucracy, to focus on the urgent. Many will still do. However change is coming. We can chose to avoid it, we can choose to ignore it. But it is coming. We might as well chose to grow and have a say in the change that is INNOVATION.

Focus on the important.”

Here are a few Tweets from our first #IMMOOC chat answering why innovation is important in education.  Jan North and David Caruthers answer that we must keep moving forward and not become extinct.

                   

If you started school from scratch, what would you see as necessary, and what would you take out from what we currently do?

Michael Buist makes a convincing statement about having the foundation of trust in order to foster innovation. Trust is also the basis for moving forward in your IMMOOC experience.

“I get it. Trust is earned, never given. So it would take time to fill. But I’d never stop trying. I’d encourage everyone to try something new. To trust the process. To trust that failing is part of learning. That trust takes time and hard work and causes egos to be bruised and feelings to get hurt.

As the school is being filled with trust, it would become a place where everyone could take (responsible) risks. It would become a place where individual strengths would become collective strengths. Where weaknesses would lead to learning, to discovery, to passions being uncovered. School would become a place where people couldn’t wait to be and where no one would ever want to leave.”

Sue Bruyns (@sbruyns) joins the IMMOOC experience describing it as unconnected events magically coming together. If we were given a blank slate, how would we design an innovative classroom. Sue is in the perfect place to make this magic happen as she is in the process of designing a new elementary school in which she will be principal. In her blog she describes how the vision for this new school revolves around the conversation of “what if…”

“My new school journey has already started with an intentionality in terms of sharing a “what if” vision with potential staff members. Bringing together a team of educators who are willing to let go of past practice which isn’t meeting the needs of today’s students.  Educators who are willing to embrace flexible seating, give up their standard metal teacher desk and imagine how a room lined with white boards can lead to student’s imagination.  Creating a culture where everyone feels welcomed, needed and appreciated.  A school where occasional teachers want to return to and parents are provided with an intentional role as partners in their child’s education.  Student voice won’t be an event, it will be a non negotiable, whether through student generated video announcements, math talks, daily opportunities for collaboration with peers and student led conferences. Students who get to direct their learning through Project Based Learning and passion projects.  A school culture where educators make their respect for the learners visible and audible.  A school culture where everyday students will know that they are loved, respected and challenged. Technology will play a role in terms of accelerating the strong pedagogy and ensuring that all students can access the curriculum through multiple entry points. Intentional and purposeful purchases.”

Katie Martin and Tara Martin ask in the #IMMOOC chat how we would create an environment for students to wonder, explore and create.  George Couros tells us to intentionally leave them frustrated. Katherine Goyette shows how we need to let students create their own space. Many participants were reactive to Michael Audevard‘s response to “build a culture where struggle is seen as opportunity and  not embarrassment.”

              

Did you happen to see Shawn Berry Clark‘s innovative way to respond to the #IMMOOC chat? Click on this link for her responses in raps. A Storify entitled “Innovation Stimulation: It’s a Rap!”

In chapter 1 George tells us: “When we think differently about the things that we are used to seeing daily, we can create innovative learning opportunities.”

 

The first Live Episode hosted by George Couros and Katie Martin included special guests and authors, A.J. Juliani and John Spencer, highlighting their book, LAUNCH.

The innovative mindset and design thinking framework are extensions of each other making this a perfect pairing for this first live session. We are reminded that students are curious in nature and we need to let them “go off road” , phrased by John Spencer, with it rather than giving them a recipe or too much scaffolding. We are told to begin this framework or mindset with guiding questions. Questions to ask ourselves, offered by Juliani and Spencer, for getting started included: What do I allow, support, make time for and praise? Why? Did you all have the same reflective moment when John Spencer recommended asking ourselves the question, What would you like to be doing in your classroom 5 years from now? Why don’t you start that today? Remember, the process is more important than the product.

Joe Robison was impacted by the analogy given by John Spencer in his blog:

John Spencer (@spencerideas) gave one of the best analogies I’ve ever heard last night on #IMMOOC, comparing the love of baseball to school.  It was one of those moments where I thought to myself, “that describes the state of our educational system exactly.”  John’s analogy was:  
“If someone had given me a rulebook, I never would have fallen in love with the game of baseball.  I had to watch it, experience it and participate in it.”
Joe makes another connection later in his blog,
I am a firm believer this experience starts in the classroom, and spreads throughout the school.  I cannot create an environment students want to be in if I marry my content to traditional methods day in and day out.  Students know the game of school, and its time teachers introduce them to a new game with new experiences and new rules.  For too long, we have only given students the rulebook without allowing them to experience the wonder and awe school can and should provide.  This is where the concept of design thinking comes in, and the freedom each teacher has to create his or her own framework.  The goal is to provide experience.  If we provide the experience, students will fall in love with the process.

Boyd Weiger provided this popular Tweet where Katie Martin is quoted reminding us not to wait for permission if our innovative idea is great for kids:

Did you see Dana Murpy’s  and Debbie Donski’s #sketchnotes on the live IMMOOC session?
                   

Stephanie Filardo summed up what our innovative speakers suggest as a place to start in this Twitter post:

In a concluding thought, George states that we can be successful like organizations such as Starbucks, which continually look for ways to improve and meet the ever changing demands of consumers. Survival is more than the product; it’s about success. “In a world that constantly changes, if our focus is to only maintain what’s already been done, we are bound to become worse. The innovator’s mindset is necessary for all of us if schools are to move forward.” Why are we preparing students to make a difference in the world when they leave us when they can be doing that now.

Keep sharing your Tweets, Blogs and Facebook posts. We are better together and in the end the students are the winners,

Valerie

#IMMOOC2 #InnovatorsMindsetMOOC highlights

Published February 11, 2017 by

The #InnovatorsMindset MOOC Starting February 27, 2017 #IMMOOC

change

How do you move from “pockets of innovation” to a “culture of innovation”?

How do we start to innovate inside of the box?

What does innovation mean for education, and should every educator be an innovator?

These are questions that I have addressed in my book, “The Innovator’s Mindset”, and will continue to dig deeper into with the second “Innovator’s Mindset Massive Open Online Course” that will be starting again on February 27, 2017.

The brilliant Katie Martin will be joining again to help host this experience,  but alumni from the first course will also be taking part to lead in this experience as well.  Not only is this a great way to dig deeper into the content of the book, it is an amazing opportunity to create your own learning, while networking with passionate educators around the world.  We have also confirmed guests that will be joining us not only for a YouTube Live, but as well as a Twitter chat every Wednesday night at 9pm EST (6pm PST).  

We are also extremely excited to bring on some awesome guests for this experience that will share their own experiences and work, to open up the learning past the book.

The guests and the times are as follows:

Actual Date Topic Guests Twitter Chat
February 27, 8pm EST Introduction AJ Juliani and John Spencer March 1, 9pm EST
March 5, 8pm EST Part 1: Innovation in Education Sarah Thomas March 8, 9pm EST
March 12, 8pm EST Part 2:  Laying the Groundwork Amber Teamann and Matt Arend March 15, 9pm EST
March 20, 8pm EST Part 3: Unleashing Talent Jennifer Casa-Todd March 22, 9pm EST
March 26, 8pm EST Part 4: Concluding Thoughts To be announced March 29,

9pm EST


If you miss the original YouTube Live session, you will be able to watch the recorded version or listen to the podcast.

If you are interested in joining, please do the following:

  1. Buy a copy of “The Innovator’s Mindset“. We will have a “selfie challenge” coming soon so get your book as soon as you can so you can win a prize for our draw.
  2. Sign up for the course (also listed below).
  3. Get your blog ready to go! (I suggest either edublogs.org or wordpress.com)
  4. Share that you are joining to the #IMMOOC hashtag on Twitter and share this link for others to sign up.
  5. Join the Facebook group.

The great thing about the first IMMOOC, was participants created their own spaces to share as well. This is not limited to the groups that we are using above, so if you are interested in making your own spaces, please feel free to do so.

We look forward to having so many great people join this process and delving deeper into the importance of innovation in education.

Join #IMMOOC!

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#IMMOOC2 #InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

#IMMOOC #IMMOOC2 amber teamann Innovator's Mindset jennifer casa-todd katie martin matt arend sarah thomas

Published February 5, 2017 by

#IMMOOC 2 Starting February 27, 2017! #InnovatorsMindset

Due to the popularity of the first “Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC (MOOC stands for “Massive Open Online Course”), we are running this free course again (you will just need a copy of the book to participate).  The approximate dates will be from February 27, 2017, until April 3, 2017 and here are some of the logistics of this free course.

Focused on the book, “The Innovator’s Mindset“, participants will join a global book study (the last group had over 2000 people sign up…check out the last schedule if you are interested), where they will not only have the chance to read the book together but also create and share their own learning with a global community through their own blog and social media accounts.  Weekly, we will have a Google Hangout discussing the book with special guests, as well as taking in participant questions while providing prompts for your blog.  The biggest benefit of this course is what you create, so you determine how much you want to create versus how much you consume.  The power of this process is not just in the book, but the ability to share and further your own learning through a global network.

To join here is what you need to do:

  1. Buy a copy of “The Innovator’s Mindset“. We will have a “selfie challenge” coming soon so get your book as soon as you can so you can win a prize for our draw.
  2. Sign up for the course (also listed below).
  3. Get your blog ready to go! (I suggest either edublogs.org or wordpress.com)
  4. Share that you are joining to the #IMMOOC hashtag on Twitter and share this link for others to sign up.
  5. Join the Facebook group.

Once you sign up, you will start getting updates as more information comes out including guests, blog prompts, and google hangout dates.  All of the information will come directly to your email.

We look forward to learning from you and having an awesome experience with new IMMOOC participants, while other IMMOOC alumni join us from the first round!

Join #IMMOOC!

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#IMMOOC2 #InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

#IMMOOC George Couros katie martin the innovator's mindset

Published October 1, 2016 by

#IMMOOC Live Episode 3 – Kaleb Rashad and Week 3 Blog Prompts

Check out the YouTube Live session with special guest Kaleb Rashad:

For Week 3, we hope you can do the following:

  1. Read Part 1 of the book (pages 67-119)
  2. Do a 30 second Twitter video reflection on what resonates and share to the #IMMOOC hashtag.  (Here is an example of what this can look like.)
  3. Comment on 3 other participant blog posts.
  4. Challenge Activity – Make a meme of some of your learning so far. Post it either on the Facebook group, #IMMOOC hashtag, or your own blog. Here are some examples taken from the #EDLdrsp325 Class (Example 1  |  Example 2  |  Example 3)
  5. Blog/Podcast/Video/Your Choice based on your thoughts of the Introduction, or use the following blog prompts to help you (Please feel free to use the images provided in your own posts):

Blog Prompts for the week

Image result for 5 ways to lay the foundation for innovation

How do you create or build on these conditions to support innovation? What has been the impact on those you serve?

 

What are your connections to the “School vs Learning image? What would you add or modify?

Which “what if” question challenges your thinking in the Innovator’s Mindset? What would you add to the list of what ifs?

Moving Forward

Please keep sharing to the #IMMOOC hashtag as well as the Facebook Group when you are done.

We look forward to reading your reflections, and highlighting some of them on the Thursday post.

Our goal through this process was to really tap into how we can “empower” you through this process, not simply engage. What are your thoughts on this? Would love to hear what you think.

Keep inspiring, keep innovating, keep being amazing!

George

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC Blog Prompts Hangouts

#IMMOOC Innovator's Mindset K Kaleb Rashad katie martin relationships in education

Published September 22, 2016 by

Highlights from #IMMOOC Week 1

This week educators around that world began the Innovator’ Mindset MOOC #IMMOOC.  To join the conversation, check out IMMOOC.Org,  #IMMOOC on Twitter or join us on Facebook.
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In the Innovator’s Mindset. George Couros argues that, “If students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them.”   To delve into this idea and think about what this means for us as educators, participants in the #IMMOOC read the introduction to the Innovator’s Mindset. Many tuned in to the show and throughout the week have shared their thoughts in blog posts and video reflections on Twitter, Facebook, and many other venues to answer the following questions:

  • What is the purpose of education?
  • Is innovation necessary in education?  
  • How are you embracing change to spur  innovation in your own context?

Here are some highlights from the week so far.

Defining the purpose of education is not as easy as you might think.  Many people’s different experiences and beliefs impact their thoughts on the purpose of education and how they believe that others should learn in school.  Chevin Stone argues that, “The purpose of education goes beyond knowing the 3 R’s -being “educated” involves having a curiosity about the world around you and wanting to learn about that world. In the 20th century, it was all about simply preparing the community to function in a society that was created for them, where they/we were assigned particular roles…The purpose of education now is much different. The basics are still important; however, the world in which the children we teach are moving into as adults isn’t full of those industrial factory jobs anymore.  We’re preparing them for jobs that actually don’t even exist yet (or so people say).”

Building on this notion,  Kevin Hodgson shared examples of how kids are already learning to do many things on YouTube and through a variety of resources they have access to.  He pushes us to think about how we might impact learners and their trajectories in life if we thought about teaching skills to be better learners, not just what to learn.

  • What if we did a better job teaching the following skills?
  • Search Engine Queries (and Search Engine Differences … Not Everything Starts and Ends with Google)

  • How Algorithms Shape Our Internet Experience (and How to Navigate Technological Bias)

  • Media Editing Techniques

  • Curation of Digital Content

  • How to Build an Audience

  • How to Ensure a Positive Digital Footprint

  • (Dare I say it) How to Make a Living off YouTube

This is a great list and there are many other relevant skills that I am sure you could add.  How might this change in a year, 5 years, 10 years? How do you see the role of the teachers and how might this continue to evolve? There will be a lot more opportunities to explore this in Part 1 and I am looking forward to your thoughts:).

So, what is innovation in education and why is it necessary?

One of the biggest AHAs throughout the week that was shared in many tweets and blog posts was around the notion of what constitutes innovation. Nathan James summed up many of the groups’ thoughts:

I too, have often associated innovation and innovators with amazing new technology, systems, designs and ideas created by brilliant minds.  In reality, as was pointed out by George Couros, “all teachers are innovators, but need to figure out how to best serve the needs of their students.”  Learning also needs to continue with and for our administrators, superintendents, and boards.  In his book, The Innovator’s Mindset Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, George Couros says, “if education’s leaders refuse to evaluate and stay in touch with students’ needs, our institutions will fail, just like businesses that don’t keep up with changing customers’ needs”.  

Karen Szymusiak Expanded on this with some examples of how she views innovation in education.

  • The learning environment can be an innovation in itself. Going beyond the desks-in-rows mentality.
  • Relationships are critical to innovation….When teachers and students feel valued and trusted they take the risks that move them towards their goals. With strong relationships in place we can venture out from our comfort zones to be creative, curious, and passionate.

  • I think the biggest innovation we can make in our schools is to break down the hierarchy of learners. A school where everyone is a learner who drives their own learning. I believe that everyone in school learns alongside each other. We are all on a journey.

So what does this mean for educators today if our own experiences and preparation did not prepare us for this type of teaching and learning?  Well, to start we have to acknowledge that things are changing and  Mandy Lybeck reminds us that 10 years ago…

  • Facebook and YouTube hadn’t launched
  • iPads and tablets were still FOUR years from being released
  • MySpace was the most popular social networking site
  • Google Drive didn’t launch until 6 years AFTER
  • Twitter first unveiled its PLN goodness 7 years AFTER (::gasp::)

To evolve with the tools and resources that exist in our world today requires teachers to always be learners too. Many teachers have adopted the mindset of lifelong learners and embrace changes and continually learn and grow and Megan Gordon describes her shift in thinking about what it means to be a teacher.

I used to think that all the REAL teachers had these systems that they created over time so that eventually, they didn’t really have to do much. It was like a rite of passage to signify a REAL teacher. And I was hoping that someday I would be good enough to be in that spot. Wow. Wrong. A real teacher is constantly changing, giving up, and adding in. Not for the sake of change, mind you, but for the betterment of learning.

As the world changes (rapidly) we must develop new and better approaches to educate the learners in our schools. Eric Rodriguez encourages us to think about how our students see us as learners and what we model. “Actions speak louder than words, and believe me our students listen with their eyes so much more than with their ears. How can we expect our students to take a chance if we never do?”

In Lorrah Hogue’s reflection she describes how she began with small shifts.

What I found was that I didn’t need to be the expert in the room.  My 3rd graders were incredibly adept at learning the technology, often teaching me things that I wasn’t aware existed. They needed my guidance in collaborating and communicating effectively throughout the process.  Taking myself off of the “stage” at the front of the room, and putting the kids in the driver’s seat made it possible for me to facilitate deeper discussions and encourage them to question and problem solve.  Before I knew it, my students were teaching other teachers on campus how to get their students collaborating using GAFE!…Embracing change can lead to innovative experiences for our students!  We can’t expect to keep doing the same old things, when the world is changing so dramatically.  Start small, but START!

If we want to better align our schools with the world we live in, we must address these tough questions and continue to engage diverse stakeholders in these conversations. It is my hope that as we learn from this network, we continue to have more conversations and seek to better understand the needs of the learners in our unique communities to make local impact, and then keep sharing and improving.

To do this, we must remember that students are not the only learners in our buildings.  Innovation is not something we can mandate our teachers (or anyone) to do.  A final highlight this week comes from Scott Ringkamp, who reframed George’s statement,  

“If students teachers leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them.”

Yes, teachers are curious too. Teachers love to do fun and exciting things in the classroom. We ask our teachers to innovate, differentiate, and create awesome learning experiences for our students. But do we provide our teachers with awesome learning experiences? Can they take risks? Exercise curiosity? For a lot of teachers, they can’t. Instead, we see experienced teachers not willing to try new things. Not interested in innovating. Reinforced by boring, non-relevant professional development experiences that have been reduced to listening to someone talk for hours on end. Perhaps this lack of curiosity is because, just like our students, we have squeezed it right out of them.

Thanks to all the amazing educators who have taken steps this week to move beyond your comfort zone, to share your thinking, questions and ideas to make an impact on the others in the #IMMOOC (and hopefully beyond)!  I couldn’t agree more with Lorrah, it’s ok to start small, but you have to take the first step.  Looking forward to seeing the learning and innovative thinking that is shared as we continue to move forward in the Innovator’s Mindset MOOC.

Best,

Katie

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

George Couros innovation in education innovation in teaching and learning Innovator's Mindset Innovators Mindset MOOC katie martin week 1 highlights

Published September 20, 2016 by

Special Guests Shawn Clark and Brady Venables join #IMMOOC on Saturday, September 24

We are pleased to announce that Shawn Clark and Brady Venables will join us for our YouTube Live session on Saturday, September 24th at 7AM PST (10AM EST).  As always, the session will be recorded so don’t worry if you miss it!

Here is a little bit about Brady and Shawn…

Brady is currently a high school biology teacher turned district instructional technology specialist.  She is passionate about ensuring the devices we’ve invested in for our students aren’t being used as expensive pencils.

Shawn is a high school dropout turned PhD in Ed Admin, former middle school principal and current Director of Curriculum & Instruction (16 years total) in Saluda, South Carolina, Co-authored Using Quality Feedback to Guide Professional Learning.

Their blog can be found at venablesandclark.com and they are two truly inspiring and innovative educators.

Housekeeping

  1. Check out the YouTube Live session with Dave Burgess from last week, which also has the blogging prompts. We encourage all participants to blog a weekly reflection and share a Twitter video (the ones posted have been awesome so far!)
  2. You can also subscribe to the podcast which has the same information.
  3. We want to answer your questions on the podcast, so submit them here.
  4. The selfie-giveaway ends on September 26th, so make sure you enter.

Moving Forward

Thank you for all of the sharing that is happening.  I know that I have pushed my own learning through this process, and I am reminded how important it is to set up communities that we can all learn from each other, not simply the “teacher”.

Have a wonderful week!

leaders-today

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC Hangout Announcement

#IMMOOC #InnovatorsMindset brady venables katie martin shawn clark

Published September 14, 2016 by

Special Guest Dave Burgess joins #IMMOOC on Saturday, September 17

We are excited to help kick off the #IMMOOC book study with educator, author, speaker, and all around awesome guy, Dave Burgess.  We will talk about his thoughts on education, and how he exemplifies “The Innovator’s Mindset” in not only education, but in his endeavours as a publisher who is changing the way we think about educational books.

This hangout will take place on Saturday, September 17 at 5pm PST (8pm EST).

Here is the format of the show:

  • 10 Good Minutes with Dave Burgess
  • 15 Minutes of Conversation (5 topics/3 Minutes) with myself and Katie Martin
  • 5-10 Minutes of “viewer questions

Each show after will be in a similar format.  The guests will only be on for a short time to ensure that the hangouts are not too long to watch after the fact as well.  They will be short and sweet.

Before the show, we would love your questions so please post them here.

All shows will be on “The Innovator’s Mindset” YouTube channel, and will be posted after the fact as well.  They will also be posted just prior to the #IMMOOC hashtag and Facebook Group.

Our plan for each week is the following:

  1. YouTube Live Show on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  This will be posted immediately to this website with the blog prompts for the week.
  2. Tuesday(ish) announcement of next week’s guest and housekeeping items.
  3. Thursday (ish) will highlight a few participant posts from the week on the blogging topic and posts directly related to the book and book study.
  4. Repeat

Some housekeeping this week:

  1. Buy the book if you haven’t already.
  2. Enter the “Selfie-Contest”.
  3. Add your blog to the #IMMOOC blog form.
  4. Write or share a blog post to the#IMMOOC hashtag and Facebook Group.
  5. Join the Voxer group or Google Hangout groups if you like.

Final Thoughts

I just wanted to thank so many people for joining this opportunity. I have been overwhelmed with the tweets and ideas that have been sharing, but the “selfies” that have been shared have really put a face on the people behind the avatars.  This is something that I believe in deeply:
screen-shot-2016-09-14-at-6-17-10-pm

Thank you for making these connections that are more about humans learning and inspiring one another, than about how we use technology.

Looking forward to continuing to read and be inspired by all of you!

George

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC Hangout Announcement

#IMMOOC Book study dave burgess Innovative teaching and learning Innovator's Mindset social media

Published September 9, 2016 by

Using Inoreader to Follow Blogs for #IMMOOC

With about 700 people signed up for the #IMMOOC, there is definitely the threat of information overload! To help find what others are writing, I use the site inoreader.com to aggregate any posts coming from participants. Instead of trying to keep up with 700 different spaces, I will have all of them come to me. The ability to curate information is a skill critical to not only this process, but education and innovation itself.

Here is a short tutorial to help you with the process.

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

#IMMOOC innovation in education Innovative teaching and learning inoreader rss feed the innovator's mindset

Published September 8, 2016 by

The #InnovatorsMindset MOOC Starting Soon! #IMMOOC

Thank you for signing up for “The Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC, happening over a six week period.  We will begin on September 17, 2016 and finish at the end of October (although the learning will continue long after that).  Currently, we are planning some YouTube Live sessions that will happen on the weekends (either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), but if you miss it, do not worry, as they will all be recorded and posted on the #IMMOOC Blog.  We will talk to diverse educators and hear about their experiences, thoughts on innovation and the book, as well as how they learn, lead and inspire students.  The goal of the MOOC and the book is to not only give practical advice, but to also inspire and develop leadership.

Facilitating this process will be the great Katie Martin (follow her on Twitter at @KatieMTLC) who is a leader in the area of innovation.  Although there will be some great educators to learn from, the point of this process is to amplify YOUR voices. We want our participants to share their learning and connect with this group and other educators.

We invite you to share your learning in a variety of ways:

 

 

We have created these spaces, yet we do not want you to be limited to only these platforms. You are more than welcome to create your own spaces that support the MOOC and your own learning. We want groups developed within the groups that serve your needs. Google Plus groups, Voxer groups, Myspace pages (is that a thing?); whatever works best for you.  We want to inspire you to create, build, learn and innovate within these communities.

Here are the things that we suggest you do to participate:

 

If you have all of these things already, awesome!

Every week there will be some discussion and specific prompts for your deepen your thinking and explore new ideas and opportunities based on topics shared in the book.

So what are the benefits of this?

There are no badges or credit for this program.  This is for your growth and will hopefully help you develop a network of like-minded innovators that can take your learning, teaching and leadership to the next level.  Isn’t that why we are all here? To become better at what we do?

 

Here is the tentative schedule:

Dates Topic
September 17-24 Introduction
September 24-October 1 Part 1: Innovation in Education
October 1 -8 Part 2:  Laying the Groundwork
October 8-15 Part 3: Unleashing Talent
October 15-22 Part 4: Concluding Thoughts
October 22-29 Project Presentations

Each week, we will send out a reminder to participants of when we will have the YouTube Live event, but as stated earlier, you do not have to attend live.

So to get you started before we do anything, here is a quick prompt for you:

Why is “innovation” so crucial in education? What impact do you see it having on our students and ourselves long term?

Share your blogs, podcasts, videos, artwork, whatever, to the hashtag #IMMOOC and the Facebook group, as well as any other community spaces.

Thank you for your participation! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please write them in the comments of this blog post.

We look forward to having you join us!

(P.S. If you are reading this blog and haven’t signed up for this yet, please do so here.)

#InnovatorsMindsetMOOC

#IMMOOC Innovator's Mindset katie martin professional learning opportunity