21 Century MythologieAs augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence creep their way into mainstream society, what will happen to our education system, or more specifically, to teachers? Are you ready for what lies ahead? According to Fullan, “only 8 percent of teachers fully integrate technology into the classroom” and “only 23 percent of teachers feel that they could integrate technology in the classroom” (2013, p. 37). Although those statistics date back to 2013, I believe that with the changes that these technologies bring, these numbers are still relevant, and even more alarming today. How can we get ready for what is to come when there is no way to predict it? As these tools become readily available, we need to familiarize ourselves with them and with the opportunities they present. However, we should not be fooled into integrating technology without first thinking about the pedagogy, and, more importantly, of the role the teacher plays in the equation. Since technology has given birth to a multi-billion dollar gaming industry (Fullan, 2013, p. 41), it is difficult to see technology as an education tool since its first use is for entertainment. Yet, there is a lot we can learn from this industry, such as how to make learning, “irresistibly engaging, elegantly efficient, technologically ubiquitous and steeped in real-life problem solving” (Fullan, 2013, p. 33). This being said teachers should not lose sight of their area of expertise which is pedagogy. They are the experts at creating lessons and could be more involved in creating rich learning simulations such as “serious gaming for education” (Fullan, 2013, p. 38). No matter how great technology is “It still requires a great teacher” (Fullan, 2013, p. 38) and if we “omit the teacher. It is as if the pedagogy is irrelevant.” (Fullan, 2013, p. 38). Much like Fullan, I encourage teachers to get out there and take part in the creation of new innovative ways of teaching, “my message is, pedagogues, get in there! (Many of the games are in business, the military, the health sector, but not in education)” (2013, p. 41). Of course, this might seem like an edutopia. Yet, if we combine our knowledge and efforts we could create a better experience for teachers and students alike. By creating a learning community that creates a “partnership between teachers and students (and among teachers and students)” (Fullan, 2013, p. 39) we could take part in creating, not only better learning experiences, but a better world. In order to implement a successful learning community, we need to follow MacFarlane’s advice: “When it comes to creating a better experience for teachers and students, ownership, independence and self-determination are important elements of a Learning Network” (2013). References:
Fullan, M. (2013). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge – Chapter 4 – Digital Disappointments and Dreams. Don Mills, ON: Pearson. MacFarlane, M. (2013). Understanding & creating professional learning networks. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uoJwy3oa0I
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Stratosphere JigsawThis week we were challenged to create an artifact about Michael Fullan’s book Stratosphere. We were split into groups and had the opportunity to collaborate with new people, both synchronously and asynchronously in the creation of our artifact. Our group chose to study Stratosphere from the perspective of change knowledge. The final result turned out great, you can find it at this link: https://changeknowledge.weebly.com/ if you wish to review it. Although we all have different schedules, and we all live busy lives, we were able to get together and have everyone contribute their different perspectives. With one administrator, one coach, one elementary and one secondary teacher, I believe the rich diversity of our team allowed for a considerable dialogue. Through online meetings, email exchanges, what I have learned is that when you work with new people, it is important to share what you can bring to the team and your area of expertise. For my part, it was the visual design aspect. One of the many takeaways from working with the team was a new technology tool, deck.toys. I had never seen it before, but after a bit of exploring, it is something I integrated to my coaching sessions and it was a hit. Once we had published our artifact, we were invited to review other teams’ artifacts and comment on them. Firstly, I was impressed by the quality and, again, learned a lot from my peers. Although, we had all read the book, this group project forced a deeper study of pedagogy, technology and change knowledge. I found it interesting to see the different examples that were chosen to support the book’s quotes. Although all I appreciated all of the projects, one of them really stood out because it was informative, visually pleasing and seamlessly interactive. It was created with Venngage an infographic maker that asks a question then shows the data in an animated table format. This a tool I will be using in the near future. In conclusion, as Sir Ken Robinson says “creativity loves collaboration and creativity thrives on diversity” (as cited by Fullan, 2013, p. 24). In this project we were able to be creative by sharing our different talents and experiences, therefore maximizing our collective efficacy. Moreover, we were able to gain knowledge from diverse viewpoints, both from our team and other teams’ artifacts. These brought us a better understanding of the book and profound learning from each other. I believe that this strategy should be implemented in classrooms everywhere to allow for better collaboration, creativity and understanding. As the African proverb says: “alone we go faster, together we go further”. Reference:
Fullan, M. (2013). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge. Don Mills, ON:Pearson. Characteristics of Technology Leaders and Online Learning CommunitiesWe want our kids, our students to be innovative leaders but are we? Are we ready to get out of our comfort zone, set an example for them, and lead the way? Albert Einstein once said, “example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach”. As teachers, coaches and administrators we have to “walk the talk” and set an example for our kids and students who are looking up to us. “Not only do we need to ‘think’ differently’ but we need to ‘act’ different” (Couros, 2014). In other words, thinking about change is not enough. We need to embody the change we want to see in the world. “For leaders to be effective in changing a school or an organization, they need to change themselves first” (Couros, 2014). This is not easily done, it forces us to face some of our fears and more importantly to get out of our comfort zone. But what does innovative leadership look like? According to Couros, there are 8 characteristics that are embodied by innovative leaders. first, we need to be visionary, we need to have a “powerful vision” but also, we need to be able to communicate that vision and break it down into smaller steps to make it happen (2014). Secondly, we need to be empathic, meaning that we need to understand the needs of the people we lead. For instance, by being respectful of other people’s time, we can replace part of a meeting by an email. “Is having a shorter meeting innovative? No. But trying to put yourself in the place of those that you serve is where innovation begins” (2014). Third, we need to model learning ourselves, we need to stay informed and gain new perspectives, by reading books and blogs, watching videos, listening to podcasts attending conferences, etc. because, “we rarely create something different until we experience something different” (2014). Fourthly, we need to be open risk takers, it is not enough to say that we take risks, if we want to create an innovative culture we must make ourselves vulnerable and be ready to openly model it by trying something new (2014). Fifth, we need to be networked, we need to be able to reach out and see how things are done elsewhere and get inspired by these new ideas to improve our own (2014). Sixth, we need to be observant, we need to see what works not only within our school, in other schools but also in other industries, then we can think of new innovative ways to improve our own practices (2014). Seventh, we need to be team builders, we need to foster divergent thinking and surround ourselves with people who will challenge us to think further (2014). Finally, we need to always focus on relationships, I strongly believe that, “When people know they are valued and safe in trying new things, they are more likely to do something better” (2014). References:
Couros, G. (2014). 8 Characteristics of the Innovative Leader. [Blog]. Retrieved from https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4811 |