Group 1

Innovation: Ups and Downs

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

I left our first session with George Couros with a lot on my mind about becoming more media savvy and being more innovative in my teaching practice.  Although I am comfortable with smart boards, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, I had never Tweeted, nor used Google Drive, bit.do or blogged. After some thought, I established a twitter account. I followed a few people and wrote a couple of tweets. A few days later, much to my surprise, Twitter had locked my account! I reset my password and I could now access it, however I could not tweet, nor follow more people. I tried solving this problem using a variety of ways, all without success. I obviously couldn’t tweet about it, so I finally decided to open a different account. Thankfully, I am up and running now.

Despite my frustrations with Twitter, and as a result of George’s inspiration to use Google Maps instead of the traditional paper pencil mapping, I established a Google Drive Account for my grade 4 class. I decided to do the first lesson as an evaluation lesson for my administrator. It was taking a risk, as so many things can go wrong in a lab and with the network system. I tried something I had never done before and did it in front of my boss! My intent was on creating an electronic map for Nunavut, adding points of interest, adding markers, photos and text. My students do not have their own accounts therefor I added maps for each of them under our class account. The results were amazing! There were a few troubleshooting incidents, but they picked up on it very quickly and within no time, were able to work independently. They even asked if they could access it at home and continue working! My students were motivated and thirsty for knowledge.

Being innovative isn’t always easy and may result in failure. Determination, perseverance and the will to succeed needs to be present. Innovative teaching requires personal reflection, patience and time. For me, sometimes it requires working outside my comfort zone and thinking outside the box. I want to part of a bigger network of teachers that will inspire and challenge me. I am ready to continue this journey, move forward and embrace innovation in my practice.

Simone Constant

J.B. Mitchell School

Cluster 1996

Evolving Mindset

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

Since our first session with George Couros I have been quite inspired by his notion of “The Innovator’s Mindset.” I love the overall message and have found myself sharing it with colleagues, friends and family members over the last few weeks. I particularly like the analogy he gave about learning to play the piano.

“With a ‘fixed mindset,’ the learner doesn’t believe he or she has the ability to play the piano. With a ‘growth mindset,’ the learner believes that, with hard work and practice, the opportunity to play the piano is within the realm of his or her ability…The ‘innovator’s mindset’ takes the growth mindset a step further by focusing on using one’s ability to learn to play the piano to create music.”

George Couros

This got me thinking about my own mindset and beliefs with respect to technology. To be honest, I am probably hovering around “growth mindset” at best. I am excited about the opportunity to move forward and become more innovative. These sessions will give me the perfect springboard, but as I start to jump in, I am finding the move towards innovation is very overwhelming. There is so much information and not enough hours in the day to take it all in. This is particularly true with respect to social media.

At a recent family gathering I couldn’t help but notice that almost everyone present, regardless of age, was attached to a device of one kind or another for most of the evening. I find this troubling because on one hand, the internet and social media allow us to connect with others around the world, but in doing so, I am feeling that they are sometimes taking our time away from the people closest to us.

I definitely see the value in using Twitter to connect with others and enrich our learning. In speaking to others who are using Twitter in the classroom (and yes, I have spoken to them in person about it) I am beginning to see that it is opening up a whole new world of experiences. I will just have to find a way to pace myself so I don’t feel the need to be available online 24/7. In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to using Twitter in my grade 1/2 classroom to enhance my students’ learning along with my own. The ability to share, connect and network with others is very exciting. I may not be ready to compose my own music yet, but I am definitely inspired!

 

Bonnie Buchalter

Rockwood School

Cluster 1996

 

 

BLOG POST #1

kmowat Group 1 ,

 

I left the first session with George Couros excited but also saturated with information. I have been thinking about what this means for me in the context of my classroom and here are a few of my thoughts.

  1. Literacy as communication.

I knew that literacy was part of communication but it made me really examine how we communicate in our world today. I thought about how to integrate what we traditionally do with the technology of today. This is important and I feel we need to bridge this gap in a meaningful way for students. How can this be done without spending an entire day on technology or an entire day not using technology? Finding the balance is important.

  1. Using social media in the classroom.

How am I going to do this? I want it to be in a meaningful and authentic fashion, using it in a way that allows the children to develop questioning skills. I would like to use this media as a catalyst for a better world and facilitate change. When children use technology at home, they are not using in person one on one interactions with others because of computers, tablets and games. Sometimes students misunderstand each other and are having a harder time communicating face to face and using social skills appropriately. I believe part of my job is to marry the two worlds so students can be appropriate on social media, use technology and also understand how to interact with others appropriately within our classroom and our community.

I have set up a twitter account and I am looking forward to using a classroom Instagram account as well in the next several weeks. This session has made me think about using social media in my classroom as a tool for the students to help and inspire others and to be inspired, within their community and connections around the world.

Maria Pochailo

J.B. Mitchell School

Cluster 1996

 

Time is the Enemy

kmowat Group 1

So I have been avoiding writing this blog, as I struggle to come up with what to actually write about. I have been finding this whole process challenging, and having just read the chapter “Less is More” in George Couros’ The Innovator’s Mindset, I can put more into words why this is a struggle for me. There is just no time. There are other limitations as well, but most of the struggles could be solved with more time in a day. The things I want more time for: More time to explore deeply with my students whatever it is they want to explore. More time to let them create to show their learning. More time to celebrate our creations. More time for me to spend with my family and enjoy exploring and creating with my own two small children.

Things I struggle to find enough time for: teaching the basics, teaching the curriculum, teaching all the extra initiatives, teaching kindness and empathy and moral intelligence, teaching self-regulation skills, teaching conflict management skills, teaching English to those students that speak none, planning for an EA, teaching a dance and a song for a spring concert… the list goes on. As teachers we are pulled in so many different directions. I would love less to be more, I would love less to be enough, but it’s not. This job we do is hard. This job we do is so very important, that some days the enormity of our task is overwhelming. I get that the role of a teacher is changing. I get that relationships are the most important part, I see it every day. A classroom needs to be filled with some level of love and compassion to get to a place where we can all take risks and learn together. I get that technology needs to be a part of learning. But I don’t yet get how, how to make it not about being that dreaded $1000 pencil. For example, I like the idea of kids typing their own blogs and keeping electronic journals, but they don’t know how to type. I get that I’m supposed to then teach them how to type but where is the time for that in and amongst all these other priorities? I have access to a computer lab once a cycle.

I’m trying. I’m using ipads to teach research skills, I’m using ipads for google translate, I’m using ipads to attempt dictation for kids who just can’t write. We learn from videos, we use youTube, we use RazKids. But all of those things are only using technology in an adaptive way. And that’s hard enough to manage! How do I possibly get to a transformative way on a consistent basis? I’m trying to innovate ways to sustain kids attention, to keep kids engaged. But in a world where attention spans seem to be getting shorter, our job becomes tougher still. I’m especially trying to teach kids to self-regulate, because as more and more kids struggle with controlling their bodies inside and out, they are not set up to learn much of anything else. But there is only so much time in the day.

Time really is the enemy.

 

Lenore Hewitt   Rockwood School   Cluster 1996

ITLL Reflections

kmowat Group 1 ,

After spending time reflecting on our first session with George Couros I realize I need to step out of my comfort zone and try to be more innovative with my grade 2 students. We are currently doing an inquiry project about Canada and they’ve got all kinds of questions they’d like to answer. As we do our research I’m modeling ways to share our learning. There are many apps that lend themselves to sharing our learning in meaningful ways. In past years we’ve used Book Creator to publish electronic books. We’ve also used Explain Everything to share our learning. I think it is time for us to find an authentic audience to share our learning with… a classroom blog would be a logical next step. I’m hoping that in the future sessions we can explore starting a blog and encourage families to comment about our learning.

J. McKiel

Carpathia School

Cluster group 1996

I’m Just Going to Say It…

kstrachan Group 1, Participant Post ,

…I am not a fan of technology.

Now, I do recognize the absurdity of this comment. I am surrounded by technology, and rely upon technology every moment of my life. I ride a bike. I use a computer. I use tools to garden. I use tools to build things. I play an electric guitar. To survive a Winnipeg winter I utterly depend on technology. The list goes on.

So, more to the point, I am not a fan of handheld doodads with glowing screens and I am not a fan of social media, because given all the possible ways one might waste vast tracts of precious life, these in particular seem the most tragically pointless to me. So, I have chosen to keep the time I engage with such technologies to a minimum.

It’s about choice, and recognizing when and how technology can be used in positive and productive ways in one’s life. What this looks like is different for everyone, of course, and requires information and critical thinking to weigh the information. This latter point is crucial. Otherwise, we risk becoming slaves to technology – especially in this day and age when the conveniences and opportunities for endless entertainment offered by these handheld doodads can be difficult to resist.

So, even though I hold a general aversion to these new technologies in my personal life, I believe I owe it to my students to help them develop the skills and attitudes necessary to choose if and/or when these technologies can serve a positive function in their lives, just as I choose. It is also imperative they learn how to use them ethically and responsibly.

More than this, if I surrender to my aversion of these technologies, I am shutting the door to many rich learning opportunities. Einstein once said something to the effect of, “When you stop learning you die.” I agree, though less morbidly. I believe learning is integral to truly living – to thriving. So, what kind of role model am I for my students if I choose not to live, and thus learn, in their world?  Their world of glowing personal doodads and online socializing might seem strange and new to me, but refusing to engage with them would do nothing but deprive these students of an effective teacher—not to mention deprive myself of opportunities to learn and grow.

Thus, I am excited by the learning opportunities presented by the ITLL sessions. I am starting to network with other teachers on Twitter, and am planning ways to use Google Forms in the classroom. Small steps, but, I think, important ones. The last thing I want to be is some old fuddy-duddy who dismisses what the “kids” are into simply because it is unfamiliar or outside my comfort zone. This is a fearful attitude. What is learning, after all, if not the courage to leave our comfort zones and enter the unknown?

I am still not a fan of technology, though…

David Guillas

Fort Rouge School

Cluster 1971

Road Trip of Learning

scornwell Group 1, Participant Post ,

 

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

Characteristics of an Innovative Educator

kmowat Group 1 ,

Innovative teaching is extremely important as it will allow educators to meet the needs of a new generation of student. Innovative teaching will help students reach their full potential.

Characteristics of an Innovative Educator include:

  • Are able to REFLECT: can determine what is best for the students they are working with. An innovative educator is always looking at what went right and what went wrong.

 

  • Are CREATIVE: an innovative educator is always trying to make something better so that they can engage and motivate students in their classroom.

 

  • SHARING: an innovative educator is always collaborating and sharing with other educators. This includes sharing successes in the classroom. An innovative educator works with their colleagues and is always exploring new ideas and topics (e.g. will Twitter work in their classroom? etc.) An innovative educator may belong to a variety of organizations in order that they may network and share what they have learned (e.g. science organization, sustainability club, photograph club, are members of a variety of committees with professional organizations etc.).

 

  • OPPORTUNITIES: an innovative educator constantly provides a variety of opportunities for students (e.g. i) encourages students to build robots in science, ii) encourages students to enter spaghetti bridge building competitions, iii) provides a variety of options to complete projects using videos, pictures etc.)

 

  • Are always LEARNING: an innovative educator is always striving to learn new ways of teaching. This may involve learning new software by taking a variety of courses (e.g. Excel, Adobe Premiere Elements, Photoshop etc.)

 

  • STUDENT VOICE: An innovative educator allows for student engagement and success by listening to and learning from students. Innovative teachers also provides the students, with a variety of ways to share their ideas with other students.

 

John Danko/Bheesham Dabie

Argyle Alternative High School

Cluster Group:  1996

 

ITLL Refections

kmowat Group 1 ,

Following the first session with George I felt I was given several ideas which I can integrate into my classroom.  The session with George caused me to examine my current teaching practices and ask myself how innovative my own teaching is.  While I do believe I demonstrate innovation in my teaching, I think there is always room for improvement.

In the weeks following our first session I worked to integrate my new knowledge into my classroom and use Twitter to share and learn from other educators across the globe.  The first activity I tried with my class was using a Google form to collect data on favourite colours, sports, etc..  From the data we collected we created graphs.  What was interesting to note was the level of engagement from almost all learners.  I decided I would also challenge myself to learn and use a new app with my students.  I decided to use the ShowMe app, which allows students to record their voice, take pictures, and draw on the screen to explain their thinking.  We used this for a lesson on position, they were asked to take pictures around the room and describe the position of different objects.  After using it once in the area of science, I would most definitely use it again in other subject areas.  ALL students were engaged in this activity.  What was most interesting is the students who typically resist with paper and pencil tasks were eager to share ideas with their group and to demonstrate their learning on the iPad.

As someone who regularly works to integrate technology into my teaching, I do not find the results of my classroom engagement level surprising.  However, I do think there is an interesting connection to the resistance of some students to paper and pencil activities, and the resistance of some adults to the use of technology.  The students in my classroom were born after the introduction of the iPhone.  Many of them have grown up with these devices in their hands and it would be my guess that some feel much more comfortable using these devices than they do writing with a paper and pencil.  When we think about moving from pockets of innovation to a culture of innovation, I believe this is one of the barriers we face.

I believe that Twitter is one example of a method of moving from pockets of innovation to a culture of innovation.  Prior to the first session with George, I used Twitter, however it was mostly to collect information on daily events and sports.  As I began to review my use of Twitter and changed my focus to my own learning beyond the walls of my classroom and school, I was able to gain great, innovative ideas without leaving the couch.  Creating these innovative learning communities for teachers is an important step in a shift to a culture of innovation, and ultimately an important step in engaging all students in 2016.

I am looking forward to future sessions as I continue to work to build my own knowledge and in turn help my colleagues.

Colin Donato

Robert H. Smith

Skype in the Classroom is More My Style

kstrachan Group 1, Participant Post ,

I was really inspired after the George Couros’ presentation. It filled me with hope for the future of my students and really made me feel empowered as a technologically savvy teacher. I use technology in my classroom to differentiate learning, to include all types of learning styles and to add variety. I want my students to express themselves and to be able to use technology if they wish. Technology adds a new dimension to the classroom and for myself, it’s important that I stay up to date with technology. Technology allows us to have the capacity to extend communication from beyond the borders of the classroom, it opens up different ways of communication, and it can introduce our students to a wealth of excellent resources.

Twitter? Although Mr. Couros highly recommended that we sign up for Twitter to connect with other teaching staff from around the World, I am still very hesitant. I have never been one to really enjoy social media and, in fact, I find myself too busy to check my phone for tweets. Teaching is a busy career, and I often find myself surfing the web for innovative ideas to bring to my classroom. In the future, I’d really like to explore things such as Skype in the classroom. I would love for my classroom to connect with another classroom from a different province or even city. I’ve also come across Skype sessions called “Mystery Chats” where a classroom connects with another classroom to solve a problem together. This type of innovation is more of my style as a classroom teacher. I’m not entirely ruling out the future potential of Tweeting with others, however, at this time I am not quite convinced. It may be “scary” for some or feel “unsafe” for others, however for myself, I feel like there are so many more types of innovations that I want to explore. The internet is constantly changing and before we know it, Twitter may be obsolete.

Has anyone explored Edmodo for their classroom?

Micheline Lesk

École Sir William Osler

cluster 1971