In college, I had a professor who would read PowerPoint slide shows to us about the benefits of engaging instruction for students. The irony was not lost on me. It’s rare that a class is a perfect match for you as a learner, but I learned a great deal of what not to do throughout […]
Creativity and Innovation
The Myth of Innovation Killers #IMMOOC
I’ve been in several conversations lately that go something like this: “[THAT WHICH IS OUT OF MY CONTROL] is an innovation killer.” Don’t get me wrong. I understand that there are real constraints and awful situations that educators find themselves in. I know that those happen more often than we’d like. But if we wait […]
Risks Worth Taking #IMMOOC
I love this video. Jason Mraz is playing a show, and when he realizes there’s a guy playing a shaker in the audience, he takes a risk and invites him onto the stage. I think there’s a lot we can learn from it. But first, watch the video: I love the way Mraz is surprised […]
Starting Innovative Change #IMMOOC
I love the conversation around innovation in education. George Couros’ definition of innovation (something that is both new and better) allows for a wide interpretation of innovation in a time when many associate the term exclusively with tech-laden change. When we get it right, being innovative often helps makes our work focus more on learning than […]
8 Big Ideas From #TCEA17
I made it back home from TCEA. As is often the case after a great conference full of amazing sessions and incredible educators, I’m just drowning in good ideas. Last year, I posted 10 Big Ideas From #TCEA16 after returning home, and I’m bringing back that style of post here. I could probably go into a […]
Making the Most of TCEA #TCEA17
I’m headed to Austin, TX this week to be part of a huge EdTech conference called TCEA (that’s the Texas Computer Educators Association). Like most excellent education conferences these days, there is no shortage of valuable information to be learned at TCEA. In fact, quite the opposite is the problem. It’s very much the “drinking […]
Why Do We Do That?
I’ve got a little story for you. It’s Christmas, and it’s the first time the family is having dinner away from the home they grew up in. The cook (not the matriarch of the family) is preparing the roast to cook, and the first thing he does is cut off the ends. He puts it […]
Leading with an Innovator’s Mindset #IMMOOC
One of my goals this year is to help create a culture of innovation and risk taking on the campus I serve. My last post highlights why that’s so valuable to me, so I won’t retread that conversation here. Innovation, creativity, and change are not ushered in through announcements. Most of what is worthwhile in education just isn’t […]
Why Educators Must Innovate #IMMOOC
Take a look at this image. Do you know what you’re looking at? That’s what they were stealing in the first Fast and the Furious movie in 2001. That’s crazy to me. They could have filled that thing with anything they wanted, any technology imaginable, and they filled it with a bunch of VCRs, TV/VCRs, and camcorders. I remember […]
Embrace Challenges
Growing up, I can remember my dad going to exactly one movie: Apollo 13. As a Mechanical Engineer, how could he resist the pull of a movie where the engineers are the heroes of the day? This is the scene he came home telling me about: I love the way they approach this. They’re faced […]