Be Brave.

Being brave is sometimes easier said than done.
Fear can isolate us and stop us in our tracks.
This quote from Ann Voscamp spoke to me...

"Fear is something we feel. Brave is something we do." 

We are allowed to be afraid and feel fear, but we should not let it keep us from experiencing great things.
Brave is what I need to DO.
Brave is what educators need to do to be better for our students.

I Learn.

"I Learn. This is not reserved for our students. We must all be learners." -George Couros

 

The past six weeks I chose to be the learner. The #IMMOOC journey has been nothing less than eye opening. I have had a complete shift in my thinking. My classroom has become more student driven--more of their voice and less of mine.

Over the past six weeks of IMMOOC, I have made a conscious effort to activate powerful learning experiences for my students. Most recently I took a Big Business/ Industrial Revolution project that is written into the curriculum and took all boundaries out of it. Choice was already written into the assignment, but I left the door open for students to take it where they wanted. My students more than impressed me! I could feel that students felt empowered with this project. The final products represented what my students were interested in, not what I told them to be interested in. The variety of projects ranged from digital projects using Sway/ Venngage/ Prezi/ Powtoon all the way to Legos/ Zoobs/ cardboard/ paperclips/ Strawbees. The word "no" did not exist in my vocabulary for this project. The oil, steel, and automobile industries came to life in our classroom. Students felt empowered and I could hear the buzz. This one little project left our classroom yearning for MORE!

I look forward to using my knowledge to allow for my students to experience better and more intentional learning experiences. My students have/will benefit from my learning and change in mindset. I encourage others to read The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros and challenge their own mindset.

"Embrace the challenge and see it as an opportunity to move forward." -George Couros

On the Journey

Innovation is a journey. George Couros reminds us that we will never "arrive" at a final destination, but continually move forward to create better learning opportunities. This innovation journey will constantly push us to give our students a place to build on their strengths. 

"Every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation rather than memorization, for creativity rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation." -Erica Goldson

This whole idea of innovation being a "journey" lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. I am on a journey as an educator to better my practices. I can start today by being more intentional and connecting with other educators that have the same passions. I know that I am on my way and headed in the right direction because my focus is on my students. This is where it starts. Each morning I can begin by asking if what we are doing is going to cause my students to have a "hunger for learning." My mindset will open the opportunities for my students. The way I teach, guide, and facilitate will unleash my superpower and lead to innovation. Let the journey begin!