How have you evolved as an innovative thinker?
To be honest, I still do not completely identify with the term “innovative thinker”. I have definitely grown as an educator and my digital toolbox has increased tenfold, but I don’t know if I am innovative yet. Miriam Webster’s Dictionary defines innovation as “a new idea, device or method”. In my mind “innovative” is a high compliment that signifies a truly impactful change. I think part of my hesitancy in connecting with this term is that I haven’t yet seen an impactful change in my students. I am extremely excited about using my digital feedback tool and teacher/student conference form (still designing that piece), but I still don’t know if my new tool is going to “cut the mustard” as my grandma used to say. This course has forced me to think metacognitively almost every week since many of the concepts were are learning are abstract, deep and unfamiliar to me. At more than one point this semester, I have thought to myself “This is what my struggling readers must experience everyday!”. I had to reread the articles several times and even then, I felt like I was only to grasp a few of the most important concepts. Learning to struggle and giving myself permission to not understand all the material has helped me to become a better learner. The Why-How ladder was very useful in helping me to choose specific words that would encapsulate my driving question. Using a mind map to create my prototype was also valuable to me because I actually used the digital tool Popplet to help me think through my ideas instead of just creating a final product. Perhaps the most relevant part of this course was my book review choice of John Hattie’s Visible Learning for Teachers. His expansive scientific research study synthesized what actually works and doesn’t work in education. His emphasis on the high impact strategy of providing effective feedback and the specific questions that push students to reflect, helped to shape my final capstone project. I now want to include an monthly individual teacher/student feedback time to discuss “Where am I going?”, “How am I going there?” and “Where to next?” I’m fairly certain I know where I am going, less sure of how I am getting there, but where to next is yet to be discovered! Maybe it’s innovative thinking...
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This week you are asked to blog about how you incorporate gaming, gamification, game thinking, or design thinking into your class. How? What are your objectives?
Since I teach Read 180, gamification strategies have always been a part of my class because the students use R180 software everyday. When they first log in to their home screen, their “news feed” shows them their latest streaks and achievements. I have always appreciated and celebrated these streaks because they are based on actual reading achievement and are not artificial badges that I have seen on some other sites. I also think the concept of “leveling up” is very motivating for kids and is a great visual way for them to see their progress. Introducing challenges where failure is expected and even necessary really encourages even my quietest students to join in. I think back to some of my favorite teachers who made learning so fun simply because of their enthusiasm. Even the most boring worksheet was fun because we got to use a highlighter or smelly marker. Anytime teachers can make learning fun, whether through a digital tool or old school competitions, kids benefit. I was inspired by one of the TED speakers to learn more about the online games that kids use today because our generation is more out of touch than any other generation before us. This seemed surprising to me, but it rang true since I have 2 teenagers who are growing up in a world that is very different from the one I lived in. I decided to create an account on Clash Royale since my 16 year son old just reached Legendary status- whoa, right? He has been working for over a year on this accomplishment and regularly told me about different arenas/spells/hog riders/treasurechests/barbarians/goblinhuts/gems/knights/princes/archers/witches/muskateers/minion hoardes/hidden teslas/ and the list goes on and on...I always feigned interest and told him “Great Job!”, but once I experienced the many challenges I faced as a newbie in the game I gained a greater appreciation for his success. The roles are now reversed because I am seeking his advice about which cards I should put in my Battle Deck and should I upgrade my Valkyrie? (Pretty nerdy, but actually fun!) I try to think metacognitively about this game and why it is so addicting (incentives to log in every 3 hours, rewards for partial accomplishments, social teams that support each other and have “friendly battles”, different levels and opportunities that only unlock at higher levels). My struggle now is how to use some of these same concepts in my project? I hadn’t considered it before I began my prototype so I am wondering how I might leverage this idea? |
Dana HandI teach Read 180 at Northwood Elementary School and I am passionate about reading (obviously!) In my "free time" I love hanging out with my 2 teenagers and taking our two dogs for long walks. Archives
March 2017
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