Prior to taking part in a presentation by George Couros I was very “green under the collar” so to speak about the term “Innovative Teaching.”  What is innovation in the realm of education? What does innovative teaching look like? How would innovative teaching benefit the early year’s classes I work with in Phys. Ed?  How would I introduce innovative teaching to students and other staff I work with? Most importantly, with our society transferring so rapidly into a digital world full of technological advances and internet usage, what steps must I take to ensure the students I am teaching are not leaving me behind if they haven’t already done so?

So like any person would do I decided to login to the laptop, open up google and try to answer the questions that were making this term “innovative technology” so foggy.  It didn’t take long to find an answer to my first question, which was the root of all other questions I had. Innovation is creating new and improved ways of thinking and doing that inspire and empower learners ~©Winnipeg School Division.  

Reading and re-reading the definition of innovation, I couldn’t help but think of myself as being an innovative learner.  I empowered myself to use technology to research questions that were blocking my path from moving forward.  Therefore, if I can be an innovative learner, surely the students I teach have the ability to do so as well, providing they have a positive model to follow.  To go even further they would see how technology is used as a positive tool rather than a tool where we watch them under a microscope to prevent poor choices such as cyber bullying etc.

So where do I go from here?  I have a theoretical understanding of innovation and how innovative technology can be so beneficial to education, but in a practical sense how do I apply innovative technology within the parameters of Early Years Physical Education.  I guess being a life-long learner has never been more important than it is right now.  Let the learning continue.

Chris Yaremkiewich

George V School

Cluster 1965

Since our first session with George Couros, I have spent a lot of time thinking about innovation and what more I could do to support my students in a world surrounded by technology. I realize that innovation is not only about technology, but my mind automatically goes to that. At the first session, I decided to create a Twitter account. I knew very little about Twitter, and have always been very worried about social media because of all the “bad things” that have happened to people with accounts. Even though we had discussions about how to be safe, knowing who to add and so on, I still felt very nervous about the whole thing. Is it because there is such a focus on the negatives of social media that I don’t spend enough time thinking about the positives?

Despite my concerns, I took the plunge….but now what?

As George Couros said in his book, “Innovation is less about tools like computers, tablets, social media, and the Internet and more about how we use those things.” Adding a Twitter account won’t make me a more innovative teacher, just as having more IPads in your school or classroom doesn’t make you more innovative. Learning how to use it, and making good use of it could.

Another one of George Couros’ quotes is “Sometimes the most valuable thing you get from the network isn’t an idea but the inspiration or courage to try something new.”  I look forward to networking and seeing what I can learn from others. Through participating in only one session so far, I have already developed the confidence to try something new. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and am taking small steps towards my goal. My plan over the next few months is to focus on all of the positives related to social media, rather than the negatives. There are so many positives. I hope to inspire my students and myself one small change at a time.

 

Lindsay Price

George V School

Cluster 1965