Tag: innovation in education

Published March 19, 2017 by

#IMMOOC Live Episode 4 and Blog Prompts

I cannot believe that we are already on the fourth week of the process, and I am even more floored by the learning that is shared by all of you.  Networks are not only a source of knowledge, but they are a source of inspiration. Continue to be that inspiration for one another by sharing your learning; it makes a difference.

This week, we are pleased to connect with soon-t0-be author, Jennifer Casa-Todd, an educator from Ontario, Canada.  We will be talking about her upcoming book, as well as some of the current work that is happening in her role.  There is a slight shift in the original time of the YouTube Live session, and we will be going at 730 PM EST  on Monday, March 20.  Please join us for the live chat, so that you can tweet with the #IMMOOC community and share your questions with us.

Weekly Blog Prompts

Amazing learning shared last week in the three blog post project.  I am going to continue to add a Facebook post so you can share on Twitter as well as there. It is a beautiful way to aggregate our learning.  Here are some of the prompts for this week.  Try to do two posts this week; one longer one, and one shorter one.

 

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  1. What examples of strengths-based leadership from the Innovator’s Mindset resonate with you? How might you focus on strengths to unleash talent and foster innovation in your own context?

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2, What elements of the “8 Things to Look For in Today’s Classrooms” exist in your professional learning? What elements are lacking?

3. Choose one of the “foundations for innovation” above…Talk about how you are furthering that in your own settings.  Give concrete examples that others can use.

For the extra challenge, write a post with another participant from #IMMOOC (or even someone that is not in the program). Share that to the #IMMOOCBB hashtag (BB = Blog Buddy).  Thanks for the idea Matt Arend!

Week 4 “To-Do”

  1. Read Part 3 (Chapters 8-11) of “The Innovator’s Mindset”.
  2. Blog and “Blog Buddy challenge, as listed above.
  3. Post a twitter video to #IMMOOC this week and reflect on one takeaway from the 5 chapters (or topic of your choice). This is a great way for people to “see” the other participants.
  4. Participate in the Twitter chat on Wednesday at 9pm EST. (Check the #IMMOOC hashtag to do this)

Again, thank you for not only participating but contributing.  Adding to the process is where you will get the most out of it for the future.

 

#IMMOOC2 Blog Prompts

#IMMOOC innovation in education Innovator's Mindset jennifer casa katie martin matt arend

Published March 12, 2017 by

#IMMOOC Live Episode 3 and Blog Prompts

Thank you for another great week of sharing and learning through the #IMMOOC community.  I have been inspired by the connections that have been made through this process.  We are better together in this process, and in education in general.

We are lucky to have two great principals from the state of Texas. Amber Teamann and Matt Arend are visionary leaders in their work, and we will talk to them about their experience and learning, and we look forward to them discussing elements of Part 2 of “The Innovator’s Mindset“.  Check below for the YouTube Live session happening tomorrow (March 12, 2017) at 8pm EST.

Weekly Blog Prompts

This week, we are going to try a little something different for the blog challenge.  I encourage you to write 3 blog posts on the topics below, but keep them under 200 words. In fact, if you want to use visuals, video, or whatever, that works, but we are looking for short posts.  We want people to try “short blogging”; not everything has to be a college essay, and this might encourage people to write with more consistency by switching it up.  If you write over 200 words, it is totally fine, but try for the 3.

After you post, share out your blog posts using the hashtag #IMMOOC, plus #IMMOOCB1 for the first one, #IMMOOCB2 for the second, and #IMMOOCB3 for the third post.  This way, we will have an idea of how many people completed the challenge.

 

Here are five prompts, but please feel free to modify, or do something totally different.

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

 

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

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

4. Share some of your best ideas for building relationships and a culture of trust in your position?

5. Discuss your “vision” for education (this can be used as an “educational philosophy” statement at a later date so this might be a nice little push).

6. Your choice.

Week 3 “To-Do”

  1. Read Part 2 (Chapters 4-7) of “The Innovator’s Mindset”.
  2. “3 Short Blog” Challenge as listed above.
  3. Comment to three other blog posts from participants this week.
  4. Participate in the Twitter chat on Wednesday at 9pm EST. (Check the #IMMOOC hashtag to do this)

We lessened the “to-d0” list so people can really try to focus on posting consistently.

I hope that you are enjoying this experience as much as I am. It is amazing the amount of learning people do on their own time just to get better.  Thank you for the inspiration you provide to myself, and so many others.

Have a great week!

#IMMOOC2 Blog Prompts

#IMMOOC 3 short blog amber teamann innovation in education Innovator's Mindset matt arend matt arend is a legend matthew arend

Published March 4, 2017 by

#IMMOOC Live 2 and Blog Prompts

First of all, I just want to acknowledge how amazing the participant contributions were from the first week. The first IMMOOC was a great experience, but this one has started powerful right from the beginning.  We have focused on keeping the experience shorter and being in fewer spaces, which we hoped would help, but the turnout has been amazing. We hope you can keep it up!  Please consider finding a “buddy” to keep you accountable to blogging.  Several people in the group have done so and I know it is of benefit when you are getting started.

This week, we are so pumped to welcome Sarah Thomas to the YouTube Live session.  Although Sarah is currently working on her dissertation, she carved some time out for us and we will learn more about her work and EduMatch.  Please join us tomorrow  (March 5, 2017), at 8pm EST on the link provided below (will be updated).

Here are the “Blog Prompts” for the week:

Blog Prompts (Week 2)

  1. In Chapter 1, innovation is defined as a way of thinking that creates something new and better. What are some examples that you consider innovative?  How is it new and better than what previously existed?Image result for innovators mindset

2. Review the “Critical Questions for Educators” in Chapter 2.  Why are these important to understand those we serve in education?  What other questions would you ask?

3. Discuss one of the “characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset” below in a give an example of how you exemplify this in your work (teaching or leading).

 

 

 

Here is the “To-Do” list for week 2:

Week 2 “To-Do”

  1. Read Part 1 (Chapters 1-3) of “The Innovator’s Mindset”.
  2. Blog on your thoughts on part 1 and share to #IMMOOC hashtag and Facebook group.  If you are able to finish by Thursday, March 9, you may be highlighted in the blog.
  3. Comment to three other blog posts from participants this week.
  4. Participate in the Twitter chat on Wednesday at 9pm EST. (Check the #IMMOOC hashtag to do this)
  5. Share a blog from another #IMMOOC’er to either the #IMMOOC hashtag on Twitter, or the Facebook group page. Try to share someone that you just connected with through this experience and share what resonated with you.
  6. Create an image of a quote from either the book, or from a participant blog post (please use proper attribution).  If you are interested in trying this, check out canva.com.  Please share it to either the #IMMOOC hashtag and Facebook group.

I am looking forward to seeing what is shared this week.  If anything, let’s grow this community!  I hope you are enjoying the book, and more importantly, the learning from one another.

Have a great week!

 

#IMMOOC2 Blog Prompts

#IMMOOC innovation in education Innovator's Mindset sarah thomas

Week 4 #IMMOOC Highlights from Participants
Published October 14, 2016 by

Week 4 #IMMOOC Highlights from Participants

This week we had the pleasure of hearing from the passionate Kara Welty. Some may have even heard from her twice since we got to do two versions due to some technical difficulties. Check out both versions here. The focus of this week was on Part 3- Unleashing Talent.  This is one of my favorite sections in the book because it focuses on empowering learners, both educators and students. 

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One of the major themes of the week is building on strengths.  Sheila Vick  shares,

Strengths based leadership makes so much sense to me. People naturally want to discuss and do what they feel successful at. When I look at what I do in my role as a student services teacher, I always start with what my students are good at and move on from there. As mentioned this week, this helps to build confidence and competence, but also builds a positive relationship where they feel valued, appreciated and can trust that it is safe to throw themselves out there and take risks. For these reasons, I think we must tap into strengths and passions first.

In addition to knowing and building on the strengths of the learners, Melissa LaShure challenges traditional lesson plans and articulates how she has shifted from lesson plans to learning plans.

Let’s step into the shoes of our students and start seeing the world from their perspective. Think back and remember all of the things you enjoyed doing as a kid. Then ask yourself, how can I incorporate that into a “learning plan”? Stop lesson planning to death, just to get kids to pass a test, instead get innovative and create learning plans that provide students will real life application and turn them into lifelong learners.

Below is a picture of just a few of my thoughts on what a learning plan is versus a lesson plan. This is not the be all, end all by any means, so feel free to take from it and add to it.

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To create these powerful learning experiences, Celaina Huckeba, reflects on the importance of taking risks and meeting the needs of the individual learners in each unique context:

Instead of just reading books on what’s most effective in education, I want to rely on more ways of encouraging students and teachers to question ideas and to try new things. Teachers and students should be finding out what works and experimenting. If something doesn’t work, then that’s okay. We can keep going. I do believe in research in that it can lead us down a path of growing, learning, changing, innovating.  But I don’t buy into the idea of one size fits all or one person’s research (or one person compiling research) is what’s best for all kids in all classrooms.

Rachel Burkett highlights the importance of educators not only being life-long learners, but modeling and sharing their process as well:

It seems like it’s time for educators to show and model to the students that we are learners too, that we never get too old to learn something, and that we *gasp* fail and make mistakes. We are not invincible and we are not perfect. We are all human, and we all struggle from time to time. It’s only natural. A teacher does not have to stay on the pedestal to earn a student’s respect and admiration. There are other ways to do so, and it all starts with being a lifelong learner.

Professional learning for educators must model the experiences that we want students to have in the classrooms. I love Allison K.’s ideas about Innovative Professional Learning.  

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Thank you for all of you who continue to connect and share all of your ideas and learning from this week.  This is an amazing community and I love seeing the ideas and the passion each week.

Keep sharing, connecting, and inspiring!

Best,

Katie

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#IMMOOC #InnovatorsMindset George Couros innovation in education kara welty katie martin the innovator's mindset

Week 3 Highlights from #IMMOOC Participants
Published October 7, 2016 by

Week 3 Highlights from #IMMOOC Participants

This week participants in the Innovator’s Mindset MOOC (#IMMOOC) read Part 2 in the Innovator’s Mindset and focused on “laying the groundwork” for innovation in education.  Kaleb Rashad joined us for the Live show and shared some powerful examples, lots of research, and most of all genuine passion that sparked ideas and connections between so many people this week.

Debbie Donsky’s sketchnotes beautifully capture so many of the great ideas that we discussed:

There were so many great blogs this week.  These are some highlights from the participants.

Eric Rodriguez emphasizes how relationships are foundational to building trust and thus, innovation:

“How do relationships relate to innovation? In order to be an innovator there is a certain amount of trust that has to be established because the innovator takes a chance and there is a chance of failure. The innovator must know that failure will not result in any castigation. The level of trust also equates to the quality of the results that follow.”

Rianne Graves also focuses on the power of relationships, noting  that we must first start with understanding ourselves to have the greatest impact on others:

“I think we can all agree that sometimes we forget the most important person:  ourselves. Without understanding our own passion and purpose, and without bringing it forth consciously, we will not be equipped with what we need to move forward with the external relationships and organic “collisions” that give birth to what is new and better…ie. innovative.”

Brady Venables reflects on her behaviors and how she has developed strong relationships. She suggests:

  • Listen first, speak second

  • Ask questions rather than jump to provide solutions

  • Be vulnerable about myself: my strengths and weaknesses and why I want to support my colleagues

  • Ask others about what’s going well and about wishes they have for the organization

  • Drop everything and be available (this is a tactic I’ve found to be highly rewarding in my current position.  Professional development presentations and paperwork can be done at any time of the day or night – being available for teachers and students is confined by the schedule.)

Like Brady, Doris Herrmann’s post is another example of the importance of first being aware of our own actions and biases before we to better understand our work and impact others.  She reflects on the alignment between her actions and her goals:

“When our district first went 1:1, I made a sign for my office door. The sign said, “It is NOT about the device, it is about the learning” but I wonder if in my zeal to help teachers become more innovative, if I really practiced what I preached.

Relationships – Relationships – Relationships

If I want someone to take a leap, I have to be there to catch them if they need it. It is not about the device, it is about the people.  As those relationships grow, my role as a coach becomes more meaningful.”

Beyond developing and maintaining powerful relationships, Shanna Spickard highlights the approaches that are critical for powerful learning in schools:

“We need to shift our practices to engage our youth. Some of the best ways to do that are through student-centered approaches that allow students to drive their learning, demonstrate their understanding, and help them prove mastery of content in meaningful ways to the the student. This type of instruction is active for the students; it has a feedback loop; and it involves collaborating with peers and the teacher (as facilitator).”

Amy Illingworth makes the connection to the work of educators, whatever our role, and how our actions impact the rate of change in our practices.  She reminds us to be mindful of how we lead the way not only by our words, but by our actions.

If we want our students to be innovative, our teachers must model the way.

If we want our teachers to be innovative, our coaches and leaders must model the way.

If we want our classrooms to look innovative, we must first consider what our staff meetings and professional development workshops look like for adult learning.

Nick Filipowski highlights the irony of professional learning that still exists in many schools.  It is critical to understand that if we want to change how students learn, we must change how teachers learn.

“As a curriculum coordinator, I am responsible for structuring and providing professional learning for teachers. So for me, this image also makes me think about the professional learning that I have experienced and that I design. I know I need to think about how these same principles apply to learning at all levels. One of the most memorable professional learning days in my career was a day when all teachers from the entire district were brought together. We sat in a large gym at tables while two presenters talked to us for an entire day about.. wait for it… differentiation. The complete disconnect between the topic and the mode of presentation was mind blowing to me. I was expected to consume what was presented to not just me, but to hundreds of people in the same way assuming the same level of understanding for all.”

This type of training had little impact on Nick, except for learning what not to do, whereas Annick Rauch shares a powerful example of her learning this week by exploring Twitter, opening herself up to new ideas and being willing to take a risk. She connected with another teacher and created some amazing learning opportunities for her students (and herself).  She pushes us to set high expectations for all.

“Let’s not just assume that our students are too young to use a certain tool or form of technology. And let’s not shy away from trying something new because we’re not sure what we’re doing. I am willing to bet that my students will teach me a thing or two on twitter this year and I’m not scared of that… This is how it should be: we all learn together and from one another! If we give our students the chance and the benefit of the doubt, they will surprise us in the best possible way!”

To build on Annick’s ideas, I would argue that we should also not assume that teachers are too old, too young, too anything to learn.  I have always found that when you meet people where they are and focus helping them solve challenges that are meaningful to them, the desire and  willingness to learn is often there. Let’s continue to share what we are learning and what isn’t working not just what going right so we can all grow in meaningful ways.

And last but not least the memes were awesome this week!  Check them out and keep them coming:)

There are some great collaborative projects going on… keep sharing your ideas and creating new ones.  I love all the unique contributions and seeing the new connections and great things you are doing for kids.

Best,

Katie

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#IMMOOC #InnovatorsMindset George Couros innovation in education Kaleb Rashad katie martin week 3 highlights

Published October 4, 2016 by

Special Guest @Kara_Welty will join #IMMOOC on Sunday, October 9

UPDATED: Please note that the YouTube Live Session with Kara Welty has changed:

We are pleased to announce that Kara Welty will join us for our YouTube Live session on Saturday, October 8, at 4pm PST (7pm EST) , Sunday October 9, at 130 pm PST (430 pm EST), As always, the session will be recorded so don’t worry if you miss it!

Here is a little bit more more about Kara from her website(karawelty.com):

I currently serve as a Mentor Teacher and Technology Integrationist leading innovative teaching and learning. I have a myriad of leadership experience, which includes roles such as: New Teacher District Facilitator, the Chair of the ELA Department, and Curriculum Writing Leader. I am also a national speaker, writer, blogger, and webinar creator. This May, I graduated with my Educational Administration degree which includes Elementary and Secondary Administration Certification.

Kara is an amazing leader and innovator, so we are looking forward to her joining the show!

To-Do’s

  1. Watch last week’s show with Kaleb Rashad (or listen to the podcast on Soundcloud or iTunes).
  2. We encourage all participants to blog a weekly reflection and share a Twitter video (the ones posted have been awesome so far!)
  3. You can also subscribe to the podcast which has the same information.
  4. We want to answer your questions on the podcast, so please submit them before Saturday, October 8.
  5. Finish your blog posts for the week and twitter reflection video by Thursday morning to have a chance to be shared on the immooc.org blog.

Moving Forward

One challenge I have given this week is to create some memes based on the book.  Some of the creations that I have seen have been awesome and some are absolutely hilarious. Check them out below!

Remember…this is YOUR experience. Do not wait for us to give you ideas of what to do…We are loving how people are creating their own learning and opportunities.

Keep inspiring, keep innovating, and continue to be amazing.

Have an awesome week!

George

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innovation in education kara welty katie martin meme challenge the innovator's mindset

Week 2 #IMMOOC Highlights
Published September 30, 2016 by

Week 2 #IMMOOC Highlights

This is a compilation of the some of the highlights of the amazing conversations throughout Week 2 of the Innovator’s Mindset MOOC #IMMOOC. To join the conversation, check out IMMOOC.Org,  #IMMOOC on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

Thanks to a great kick off #IMMOOC show with Brady and Shawn, many of us were inspired to reach out and connect with people who we can trust, but also who can push us to do better.  Shawn shared that Brady challenged her to visit 500 classrooms to ensure she was in touch with what was happening and the needs of the learners in their district.  

Isadel and Fanny posted this awesome video reflection to share what they are learning and how they are supporting each other.  

I love Fanny’s question at the end, “How do we move from innovative thinking to doing?”  Many of the highlights this week include ideas, reflections, and examples to help us move toward more innovative practices in education.

Molly & Alicia shared the impact that a critical friend has had on their development,

When you find a person that pushes you, encourages you and reflects with you, your teaching becomes so much more powerful. Part of having an innovator’s mindset,  in my opinion, is finding your people without a person who is walking down that same path with you, you are way less likely to take risks, to know failure really isn’t failure if you reflect and learn from your experience.

Do you have people who challenge your thinking and push you to do better?  Do you challenge others or maintain the status quo?   If the answer is no to either of these questions is no, I challenge you to think about finding a critical friend or network. Too often, when we are isolated in our schools and classrooms, we fail to share our greatest strengths and challenges to improve our practice.

One of the major themes was acknowledging and moving beyond the fear the unknown. Tara Martin challenges us to confront these fears,

What are you so afraid of? What’s the worst thing that can happen? I love this filter. The “worst things” in our head are often this facade of terror appearing as an enormous mountain when it’s simply a hurdle we can easily step over.

Anne Krolicki delves deeper into this and shares her shift in thinking:

We have lots of reasons why we say we shouldn’t let our students take their own wheels and steer their own ships. We think they aren’t ready, or they seem unmotivated, or (insert any number of excuses here). More and more, though, I realize that it isn’t that they CAN’T take control; it’s more that I can’t seem to let them. As a teacher who desperately wants my students to love learning and grow academically, socially, and emotionally, I feel better when I have a perfect plan, but what I learned in the #IMMOOC reading this week is that rather than having the perfect plan, I need to ask the perfect questions. And then, I need to let each student come to the answer in his/her own way while I help them all get there in whatever ways I can.

Creating the Conditions for Learning and Innovation

When teachers can empower learners to take part in their learning and move from teaching the perfect lesson to inspiring awesome learning experiences, amazing things can happen.  This shift can happen in individual classrooms and even more so when networks of teachers collaborate and inspire one another.  However, to move from these pockets of innovation to a culture that encourages teachers to take risks and values the process of learning, not just the product, leaders need to embody the characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset too.

Aaron Hogan describes the importance of leading by example as a starting point,

Innovation, creativity, and change are not ushered in through announcements. Most of what is worthwhile in education just isn’t brought about that way….I am a big believer in the idea that models accelerate learning. But although modeling well is crucial for our success and the success of others (especially as innovators), I think we’re fooling ourselves if we believe that being a model is enough to lead widespread innovative change on any significant scale.

Check out Aaron’s full blog post for some great questions that will push your thinking about each of the 8 Characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset.

Jill Cross also argues that modeling is not enough and highlights the importance of knowing the individuals and meeting people where they are:

I realized a big chunk of my job was actually marketing and that meant figuring out what made each teacher tick, basically rooting around until I found my “in.” Sometimes it required tremendous patience. Just like in a classroom we have to contend with the “not yet” in working with teachers too. There were plenty of times I had to wait for the perfect moment to introduce a new museum strategy or offer to model a lesson for a teacher. Sometimes it was as simple as offering the perfect resource at the perfect time. Other times it meant relying on my prophets to build capacity.

Beyond models, many discussed the importance rethinking how they are creating learning experiences for teachers to ensure they are providing relevant experiences to learn and grow, not just to receive information.

Katie Bradford reflected on how she designed her professional learning to leverage the collective expertise of vast networks:

I am reminded to build in specific opportunities to share, collaborate, and learn not just from me, but from all of the other “experts” in the room.  There’s no way I can have all the answers, ideas, and examples for every grade-level and every subject area, but someone in the room might! Moving forward, I hope to continue asking myself these critical questions, and designing trainings that are best for the schools and teachers that I serve.  What works for one school and set of teachers, may not be what’s best for another.

To make these shifts in schools, Holly Christian reminds us that we are not just educating our those in our schools.

Students are going to learn in ways their parents never did, so we will have the task of educating parents and defending what we are trying to teach their child, that we have, and always have had, the best interest of the student at the forefront of all we do. Administration, school boards, community members, they will all need an education of their own that schools today are not the schools they attended.

This work is challenging and often uncertain and it’s important that we confront our fears and take steps to move forward.  Finding people who can support you, but also push you, can help to make a huge impact in your practice.  So as you move forward, my hope is that wherever you are, whatever your role, look at how you can embody the Innovator’s Mindset to impact those your serve.

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Best,

Katie

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#IMMOOC #InnovatorsMindset brady venables George Couros innovation in education katie martin shawn clark week 2 highlights

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

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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

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