“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”—Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was the innovator of his time in the field of biology. Today, modern biology would cease to exist without the Theory of Natural Selection and Evolution. However, when Darwin created this Theory, he was ridiculed and rejected by his community and fellow colleagues. I begin with this because the processes of evolution can also be used to explain the transmission of ideas, also known as the meme. Furthermore, we cannot resist “change” because it may be difficult or uncomfortable.

A meme can be treated like an organism in gene pool (population). That organism must survive by adapting to its surrounding environment and passing along its genetic information to each successive generation. In order to survive, a variety of variables (changes) in the environment may occur and those organisms who have the “tools” to adapt to these changes will flourish and pass these “tools” on to their offspring. In order for a meme to survive in the meme pool (eg: culture), the idea must be able to be transmitted understandably to other individuals and survive the process of “imitation”. In order for the meme to flourish, it must thrive and be accepted in the meme pool or risk being lost forever. (1)

The culture surrounding education is changing whether we accept that or not. That change may be technology, social media or knowledge acquisition. Regardless of what change we see, or which one effects us the most profoundly, it is our duty to teach our students how to foster these changes. We need to provide our students with the appropriate “tools” that they require to succeed in their next challenges. Let us start first with a meme, educational innovation. With the support of colleagues, we can successfully propagate this meme (however it may look to us individually) and prevent it from dwindling away because of the fear of change. Let us end the culture of complacency and begin the culture of innovation. We owe that to our students.

Thank you to George Couros for inspiring me to change and innovate.

• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/what-defines-a-meme-1904778/?no-ist=&story=fullstory%2F&page=1

Kristin Melnyk

Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute

Cluster 2010

 

“To start, change one thing, not everything.” I found this quote from George Couros at the March session to be particularly interesting. Not only because it explains the best way to incorporate innovation into our daily practices, but because it also represents a perfect summation of what I have always tried to do in my classroom.

From year to year, we often teach the same courses in the same subjects. While this is a great way to improve the lessons and activities we plan for our students year over year, it also has the potential to create a mind-numbingly boring work environment for ourselves, redoing the same thing over and over. In order to prevent the potential boredom of repetition, I have always had a rule for myself to change/rework/revamp/redo one unit per year. This has allowed me to bring fresh topics, readings, and perspectives into my classroom and into my teaching.

Interestingly, I always assumed I was doing this for myself. However, after our March session, it occurs to me that this is something I do for my students, as well. Bringing new topics, ideas, and perspectives to students each year is important. It helps us keep our teaching fresh and current, and ensures that we are meeting students where they live. This is also true of changing or adapting new technologies for use in our classrooms.

I created a Twitter account several years ago in order to follow the show runner of a favourite TV program. After a relatively short period of time, I realized that this person was not the creative genius I had assumed him to be, so I unfollowed him and did not visit my Twitter feed for several years. Going back to it and beginning to follow people who are creative geniuses in the area of education innovation has opened my eyes to the benefits of social media, and Twitter in particular, as a learning tool. It has also confirmed the importance of other technology I have started using in my classroom – Edmodo for notes, and online game developers like Sporcle and Kahoot for vocabulary development.

I also use Telegram for group chats with students who have questions outside of the regularly scheduled class time. With group chat, one student has a question and all students have access to the response. Additionally, students can work collaboratively with each other without being together, and at the same time, I can monitor their comments and jump in if there is confusion or misunderstanding. The only thing I remind students is that “I can see everything that you post.” This keeps things focused and on-topic and adds to everyone’s learning.

To start, I make sure I change one thing, not everything, and I hope that my students’ learning is richer for it. I know, for sure, that mine is.

Leigh A. Brown

Daniel Mac

Cluster 2010