Author: scornwell

Creating a Culture of Innovation

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“If we want to create a culture of innovation, we must first focus on furthering our own learning and growth.”  George Courus
So here I am, writing my first blog -which shouldn’t be that hard for me because I always have lots to say 🙂  But here I am the night before our next session, trying to put into words what this whole “innovation mindset” opportunity has done for me so far.
First off, I was thrilled to have been chosen to be one of the leaders with a colleague and friend from my school 🙂 I didn’t know much about it until I got the book and started reading. I was hooked right away, as it was just the kind of new direction I was looking for. I had been feeling that I was missing something in my teaching and in my classroom and I was searching for something different to bring to my learners. So this opportunity came at the perfect time for me.
Relationships, relationships, relationships are definitely something I have always felt are so important to develop with my learners and the people I work with.  I realize now that is a good start, but I need to now use that to my advantage to empower them. The part about engagement and empowerment was an “aha moment” for me.  I was spending too much time trying to engage them instead of giving them the reins to be empowered.  That being said I saw what empowerment can really do just last week 🙂
I had been putting off using ipads in my classroom as I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to use them in my classroom. But last week I decided to sign out our ipads from the library (we share 4 between 3 classrooms).  I still wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with them but I wasn’t waiting any longer to jump in.  I have to say I was blown away with what my students came up with, with not much help from me:)
I have one learner in my class who is probably one of the most energetic, creative kids I have ever met. He builds all kinds of cool things with whatever he finds in the classroom. He is obsessed with coding and Lego and he comes up with the most imaginative stories … but he has extreme difficulty writing anything down on paper. I have to come up with other ways to assess his learning and he isn’t always cooperative.  So he saw the ipads on my desk and ask if he could use one. I asked him what he wanted to use it for. He said he wanted to make a video with his classmate. I said sure … make a video.
Well … he made a video all right. I few of them, and even one for me because it was my birthday. He used the Stikbot app and had these little Stikbot figures and it  was so amazing.  At that moment “I got it” as I watched him so proud of his work and how eager he was to show myself and all his peers. (I also showed numerous teachers in the staffroom over lunch hour the cool things my kids came up with, because I was proud of them too).
So I am rambling here, but it was a really great day in my classroom for students to feel empowered. I have known him since grade 2 and he is now in grade 6 and he has come so far 🙂  There were other learners that did some great work on the ipads as well, on apps they had never used before too. Math videos about patterning using explain everything and an iMovie thriller. The energy in the room was so positive and contagious. I wish I would have had more ipads to go around.
Well my students have definitely inspired me to keep learning more about technology and not to be afraid to just jump in and learn together. They are teaching me so much!
I am exciting for this journey, and it has only just begun. Thank you for this opportunity. I am looking forward to learning and growing and sharing with my colleagues.
As for twitter … still a work in progress 🙂
Michele Hallson
Grade 6 at Sister MacNamara
Cluster 1965

Fear No More

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As much as I have strived for innovation and to foster passion and creativity within the classroom setting, it has always been countered with a bit of caution. You see, when I was in University I took a course entitled “Educator and the Law”, in retrospect it should have been called “How to Get Fired and Sued in Three Easy Steps”. The premise of the class was to look into case files and situations where educators had either been fired, suspended or sued and hopefully we would learn from their mistakes. This class set a tone of fear and a self-preservation in me that has unfortunately has carried forward into my teaching. It was instilled in us over and over to use Social Media as little as possible once we became educators. At no time did they showcase the possibilities of positive relationships, communities and resources it could open up for us.
I was a later addition to the ITLL list and as such didn’t receive George’s book (and still haven’t yet). So despite “Googling” his name and reading a few interviews prior, I didn’t really know what to expect when I walked into Room 106. After my University experience, you can imagine my surprise when I was greeted by an educator and administrator who not only valued the tools of Social Media, but rather encouraged them. The simplistic message of “if you wouldn’t say or display it in your classroom, don’t put it on your Twitter” was revolutionary for me.
That day I set up a Twitter account using my actual name, a first for me since entering the world of education. What resulted was a whirlwind of connections and resources at the touch of a fingertip. I posted a photo of the Steel Pans the students in our school were going to be performing on later that week accompanied by some hashtags that made sense to go with them. Almost instantly the photo was “liked” by a group in the UK, who’s videos I had used initially to introduce the students to the instrument. For the students it felt like we had come full circle, having a group that we respected and learned from appreciating the hard work and dedication that they had put in to learning the skills of the pan.
Innovation is not defined by technology alone and tools are only as good as they are being used, but it was like George Couros gave me the key to a door filled of devices that had previously been locked with the words “do not enter” on it.
Charlotte Cook-Dowsett
Lord Selkirk School
Cluster 1965

Inspired Educators

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I have put off writing this blog post, because I simply couldn’t think of a way to put my feelings about the March PD session with George Couros into words.  I left that day feeling inspired and full of passion about learning and teaching.  I remember thinking how thankful I was to have been chosen for this project.  Leading up to the March PD session, I was unsure about what it was really about, although I knew it had something to do with Twitter.  I was excited about potentially learning more about bringing technology into the classroom, as it was something I was already interested in.  As the day went on, I became increasingly interested; you might even say “hooked” on George’s ideas about innovation.  I knew that if I were this passionate, it would cross over into my students’ learning as well.  I immediately began thinking of ways to kick it up a notch!

The evening of our first PD session, I couldn’t take my eyes off my Twitter feed.  I had no idea there were so many resources and ideas at my fingertips!  I continued using Twitter for my own professional development, and really enjoy sharing thoughts and pictures of what we’re doing in our classroom.  I now understand the power of Twitter.

In terms of innovation in the classroom, I have been thinking of ways to incorporate technology and devices that my students are already familiar with, to further their learning about different subject areas.  In the last couple weeks, one of the projects we have been working on has been Geocaching.  This involved using GPS units, creating a cache of our own (which is essentially like hidden treasure), entering the coordinates and information online, and tracking to see who visits our geocache.  My students decided the best place to hide ours would be near the Community Centre, because it is one of their favourite places in the community!  I have loved the excitement on their faces when it’s Geocaching time, and enjoy bringing a new piece of technology into their lives, GPS units!!

I can’t wait to continue this journey with George, and all the inspiring educators I have met through this project, and Twitter!

 

Teal Moszynski

Norquay School

Cluster 1965

Road Trip of Learning

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As I begin to think about innovation I think about it as an exciting road trip of learning. My learning began as a stroll or meander and now it feels like that exciting feeling I get when we hit the highway ready to start a road trip!

First Stop: P7 Brock Corydon School

I first began my road trip within my classroom by seeing a purpose for the use of cameras, ipads and smartboards in my room.  I learned how to use these tools of technology to enhance my students learning but it was all contained within our classroom and our school environment. I understood the purpose, the need and my desire to have my students use the technology that they were using at home. I needed to add this to my room on a daily basis. I understood that there was yet another layer of learning for my students- and taking that higher step was calling to me. How do you find the time and refine the technique to truly incorporate it into my students’ learning? That was the challenge—-but truly my own inquiry!

Second Stop: Twitter and My Classroom Learning Environment

As I write this I cannot believe that it has been 2 years since I signed up for Twitter.  The thought of being involved in that outer world actually was scary. I let my account lie dormant for a long long time and then one morning while visiting our WSD Steam Centre at Rockwood one of my education support tour guides for this adventure said to me, “You are going to do your first tweet today.”  The feeling that I had inside can totally be captured by watching this video that I found on a Twitter tweet  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebtGRvP3ILg .  There are moments that I so want to do things and am reluctant to take that first run at it. Every time I am at the beginning of something brand new and knowing that it will be exciting I get this feeling of reluctance which is then quickly replaced by exhilaration. Since my first tweet on Twitter I have NEVER looked back!  I have only wanted more to continue on this journey and daily I find I have moments that I want to capture and share.

This experience is the epitome of what we have always put at the forefront of our student learning—-you learn by doing . It looks overwhelming; at times it seems complicated- too many steps- too much to remember-  and yet once you dive in, it starts to feel natural— a great fit for the goals I have for my learning and for my students’ learning.

My classroom environment is also a place that changed the same day I first tweeted.  My student teacher and I looked at our room and saw that we could change the environment to be better for all of us as learners.  Although I thought I had a established a place for great learning I learned more at our STEAM Teacher Workshop and by speaking to Ralph Deyton at Accent Furniture.  Change for P7 was going to happen! The students loved it and we have seen a change in engagement, attitude and social skills.  Just this past month we even added a Makerspace area.  This is just beginning to emerge as a place for learning.

Third Stop: Professional Development

As the road goes along the journey has its sights to see. I want to learn more… I open up my Twitter App and realize the opportunities for me to engage in my own professional development are on the Twitter Home Feed.  I can choose where I want to stop and engage and I can be guided by others that I follow to learn more.  The connections that I have made with these fellow Tweeters is what brings me back.  I feel the need to respond, to engage in conversations and to provoke my thinking.  As I learn I can reflect and continue on my road trip.

Fourth Stop: Back Home in P7 Brock Corydon

After having the opportunity to represent my school at the ITLL Workshop the adventure has continued.  Reading The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros in December and being at his workshop in March only sparked my need to move forward even more.  We as teachers have the responsibility  to provide the best opportunities for our students and to be part of the world of learning.  We are living in the digital world and so our classrooms must then represent that world. In January, we created a Twitter account  for our classroom and we have made connections to students in a school within the Winnipeg School Division and Virginia.  Within this week I have had my students’ working on Google Drive collaborating on documents and stories.  The students this week also have begun creating their digital portfolio on the Seesaw App.  We sent out our first classroom newsletter this week using Storify…parents, administration and fellow colleagues are amazed. So much has changed since December because of this road trip, I only want to continue and so do my students!  Conversations in our school have increased around innovation and learning. The door to the world is open.  The road trip continues.

 

Dorothy Goddard

Teacher

Brock Corydon School

Grade 3/4

Cluster 1996

ITLL Blog Post

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I went into the first session with George Couros with an open mind – not knowing what to expect but looking forward to learning, both with a friend and colleague from my school, and with colleagues from across the division.

As the day went on, I became more and more inspired and motivated to do more in my classroom – but I was also pleasantly surprised in my realization that I AM already providing some pretty great opportunities for my students to be innovative.

Going into the PD in March, my class (grade 3) and another class (grade 4/5) were just finishing up a project in collaboration with an Engineering student from the University of Manitoba. We were fortunate to receive a Science grant in order to work with this student. Our students were able to visit the Faculty of Engineering, see a young, future Engineer in her workspace, and create alongside her.  They then took that learning back to the school.  The students worked in groups to create structures that were to withstand both an “earthquake” and an “Angry Birds Attack”. The students were to follow criteria, which they created, in order to build a model of a Winnipeg landmark building. Every single bit of this project was student-driven.   In their groups they created plans, problem solved, adapted plans, made blue-prints, and created amazing, intricate structures. Some examples include the Human Rights Museum, The Forks Tower, Silver City Polo Park, and Hotel Fort Garry. Our Engineering mentor came to our school to visit, motivate, and give advice.  My colleague and I acted merely as supervisors. We circulated, provided supplies, reminded of criteria when necessary – but the bottom line was that our students were creating, our students were directing their learning. It was loud, it was messy, and it took a long time. There were about 43 kids in one room at once, and things were getting done! Every group finished with a well-done, thoroughly planned and executed design project. They learned what it means to be Engineers and Architects. The sense of pride and excitement was obvious. It was a great, great project.

Now, when I went into our first session with George Couros I was thinking that project was done. Spring Break was coming – what I wanted “done” by Spring Break was right on schedule. However, this session screwed up my plans…in a good way! Now it is time to somehow bring some technological pieces into this project. I don’t know exactly how yet – but I was very intrigued by the “photo a day” video. This project was such a big part of the kids’ school year – it would be great for them to be able to create their own video keepsake to remind them of their first experience as Engineers – I think I will bring that to the table and set them loose with the iPads!

I am not the most tech-savvy person – but I am looking forward to becoming more aware of what is out there. I never, ever thought that I would have a Twitter account. To be honest, I have not used it a lot since our first session – but now with this idea to extend the learning from this project, I believe I will reach out to the Twitter-verse and find out just how to use that photo a day app – or something along those lines – I’m still learning. J

Leslie Marnoch

Sister MacNamara

SchoolCluster 1965

 

 

Inspired & Refreshed…

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I left the March session with George feeling inspired and refreshed, two things all teachers need this time of year. Here are three reasons why I felt so inspired and refreshed, and why this was a PD day that I’ll never forget.

Literacy. George reaffirmed to me that literacy isn’t just reading and writing. It is communicating! We all have students who struggle to read and write, and sometimes it feels like we’re trying the same things and expecting growth, expecting a different result. The student created videos that George shared with us, along with the story he shared about his father learning to read and write English using Facebook, showed me another more powerful way to help me teach literacy to my struggling students.

Cursive writing. George’s commentary on how cursive writing is important to some parents but just not as important in today’s age really resonated with me. This is the idea that education is changing in such a profound way, and that change is coming soon! As educators we don’t teach certain things because they aren’t important to us. This can not be an excuse any more. We owe it to our students to be the “guinea pigs” in learning about how to utilize social media for greater purposes, in order to truly help our students become innovators. We must constantly be learning, and finding ways to teach skills to kids that will be important to them in their future. You don’t have to grow up with something to be confident in teaching it!

Practical. The most influential PDs are those that give teachers strategies and ideas to implement into their teaching the very next day. The ideas George shared with us about how to engage students, and facilitate and celebrate their learning were very useful and as I mentioned earlier, inspiring. From Twitter to Google Forums to videos, to social media safety, there were dozens of ideas where a teacher could “jump in” with the very next day of school.

I went back to work the next day with some different ideas of what it means to engage students, and what it is going to take for teachers to prepare them for their future. I am excited that I will also be joining them on this journey, and for what I will learn next.

 

Dan Bohemier

Norquay School

Cluster 1965

ITLL Blog Post #1

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I am a teacher who wants to create relevant learning experiences for my students.

Kids are naturally curious and I want to respond to their natural curiosity as often as I can and as best I can. When I began planning my unit on ‘Materials and Structures’, I looked for ways to make the learning come alive for my students. My goal was to create hands on learning activities and I wanted them to be involved and engaged in the learning experience. I wanted them to connect their learning to their own communities and homes to make it relevant and meaningful. I remembered a project that two highly innovative teachers at Churchill High School did with their grade 7 Flexible Learning students. The project was called ‘Sustainable City’ and it was based on research that was focused on ways a city can integrate sustainability into communities.

I knew that my grade 3 / 4 students could handle this type of project and decided to integrate sustainability into the ‘Materials and Structures’ unit as well. We would create our own ‘Futuristic Sustainable City’ – we could do this! We learned about renewable and non-renewable resources. I had a guest speaker come in and talk about urban gardening and structures and houses that were made out of recyclable materials such as tires, bottles, etc. After the research was finished we planned our city and went to work. The kids, for the most part, worked in pairs and each pair built a section of our futuristic sustainable city. Students built skyscrapers, houses, a hospital, bank, police station, airport, school, McDonalds, theater and many other buildings you would find in a city.

The finished product was awesome and the students were extremely proud of their accomplishments! We displayed our city for parents during Student Lead Conferences and students were able to share what they learned throughout the project. When students are highly engaged in the learning process amazing things happen for them. They were excited about their learning every day of the month and a half that we worked together. Every day new ideas emerged and were incorporated into projects. Every day my students couldn’t wait to build their structures. I tweeted my ‘Sustainable City’ project so other teachers might be inspired to build their own city with their students.

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Erin Dahin
Wellington School
Cluster 1965

 

 

Change

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“If we want meaningful change, we have to make a connection to the heart before we can make a connection to the mind.” George Couros

This idea is what resonated with me the most. Teaching for years in the Inner city before moving to Winnipeg, I knew this better than many, but it just becomes what you do, not something you really think about. I learned a lot about social media that day, which was invaluable to me, but the importance of relationships in our profession is what I kept thinking about after the first ITLL session and reading George’s book.

Moving from BC was huge for me. I left all of my extended family and friends behind, as well as a great career in a school division that I was proud to be a part of and where I absolutely loved to go to work everyday. Coming to Winnipeg I had 3 children, one of whom was only 2 weeks old, and no support network (besides my husband who was starting a new job, which is what brought us to Winnipeg). The first year was okay because I was on mat leave and could focus on my family, but it soon came time to think about teaching again.

I was completely overwhelmed, still very homesick, and unsure how to start. Long story short, I ended up doing a term in WSD…full-time. I hadn’t taught full time since the birth of my first child so it was a very challenging year, but it felt great to be back in the classroom. Since then I have taught a new grade every year in my attempt to reestablish a career. This was very disheartening given I had already successfully done this in BC and now had to start all over again.

As I look back on my teaching in BC and look ahead to a career in administration, the key to success was and is relationships. It is the wonderful relationships I had with my colleagues and friends that made it possible for us to do the things we did because work was fun.  And ultimately this is what I miss most. Working with people you can laugh with and cry with makes work not seem like work.  It isn’t scary to do things that are innovative when there is a group of you; it just isn’t as fun trying new things on your own, and it often takes more than one person to pull them off. Building strong relationships with each other and the students is truly what is behind great schools. Leadership and vision are important, but success requires trust and caring. This is what I hope to gain from this new journey….it is what has been missing since moving to Winnipeg.

The day with George Couros was the first time since moving here that I had a day to focus on what I wanted to learn and what I was passionate about. Up until then, the PD I had attended involved mostly getting acquainted with a new school division’s (and province’s) assessment tools, policies, procedures etc. The equivalent to a pile of worksheets really.

That day reaffirmed for me why I love teaching and reenergized me. I was able to focus on what I feel is important. It reminded me of the many innovative things I was doing in my classroom before moving to Winnipeg. Moving forward I am truly excited about the learning I am doing and I know it will make me a better teacher. The challenge for me is time. I have the desire and the passion to embrace new learning and am always trying new things, but with 3 young, busy children, it is hard to find enough time. That is my challenge…To find more time to learn, to reflect, to share, and to build those crucial relationships.

Tracy Williamson Fish

Wolseley School

 

 

Taming the Beast

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I have thought about what to write for many days, weeks in fact! Innovation in the classroom is an interesting “beast” one moment the beast shines and purrs with clarity only to turn cloudy and hiss with the passing of a breath. What specifically does innovation mean? When we look up a definition of innovation, the dictionary tells us that it means to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. Can we as teachers simply put some iPad or computers out on the student’s tables; direct them to a specific website or app and say that we are being innovative? Can simply infusing technology into our classroom while still using the same foundational framework be deemed innovative, it cannot.

The fundamental idea George Couros has postulated is not really all that ground breaking if thought about in a global sphere. It is however, advanced when it comes to using new thoughts/approaches within the constricted hallways of the education system. We function within a fairly narrow window of what is considered appropriate and not appropriate for student consumption…this “appropriateness” has been established over decades of knee jerk decrees from those charged with the governance of our education system.  It has been refreshing to see that the window has recently opened somewhat with the lifting of many previously banned internet sites. This will undoubtedly pave the way for a younger generation, through rigorous guidance and educating, to harness the full power and immense knowledge contained within it.

Our primary task as educators moving forward is to not continue to distribute iPads or computers and direct our students to websites we have “pre-approved”. Rather, our ultimate task, if we are to truly embrace the concept of becoming innovative educators, is to empower our students to craft questions that interest them specifically and give them the franchise to answer those questions. We must teach our students how to properly execute google searches, how to properly post on social media, not for their own attention or to sensationalize a topic, but to glean the collective wisdom of the masses to further their own knowledge base.

Bringing innovative philosophies to our classroom cannot happen overnight, it cannot be the flavour of the week that is supported today but then abandoned when the next interesting idea comes along. Many tenured teachers are from a generation of dot matrix printers and pong. What is needed is a paradigm shift and change management support moving forward for innovative teaching philosophies to take root. Without the concept being widely embraced from kindergarten up, success will not be realized. Fear of children stumbling upon “inappropriate” material must be seen as a teachable moment, not as fodder for those who think the internet is tantamount to the wild west.

Scott Chudley

Ralph Brown School

Cluster 1971