I want to be a linchpin. Seth Godin says, “Every organization needs a linchpin, the one person who can bring it together and make a difference.” Can we create an organization of linchpins committed to making a difference? And he adds, “What will make someone a linchpin is not a shortcut. It’s the understanding of…
Author: innovativelearningdesigns
Extreme Learning: Extreme Influence
Karen Lirenmans is an extreme learner. This is not much different from how she trains. We rode our bikes out to the tip of River Road and back again. It was on the way back and in the last five minutes of our 90-minute ride that she dropped me. I was actually stunned. I had…
21st Century Learners: Activating & Facilitating the Passions of Students
Student: What is binary code? Mr. Hong: I want you to find out for tomorrow and explain it to the class. This student showed up the next day, explained what he learned to the class, and had completed his first homework assignment of the year in what else, but binary code. The assignment was to…
Insanely Great Learning: Are we creating it?
Do we have insanely great learning? What does it look like? Can we describe it using the power of story? Can we act as if this is going to be a transformational year for our classroom, our school, and our organization? These are the challenges from Nigel Barlow, author of the book Re-Think: How to…
Pondering Personal Space, Connected Minds and Action
Chance favours the connected mind. Steven Johnson How do we create a coral reef in our organizations? Where do good ideas happen? Can we create an environment where innovation thrives? Is there a space where good ideas can collide? Do we encourage opportunities for personal reflection too? And how do we allow that collaborative collision…
Genius Hour: Exploring Your Passion
Who owns the learning? The students! Who’s working harder, and enjoying it? The students! …
What is your story?
“Great stories happen to those that tell them.” Dean Shareski We are all story. Story happens. We are in the center of it. We are also the co-creators. We can design our story. It is about choosing to see the story, choosing to frame the story, choosing to direct the story and choosing to share…
The ‘go-to-place’ for learning
Libraries should be more like kitchens than grocery stores. They should be creation spaces, instead of pulling-things-off-the-shelf spaces. …
In the Land of Possibilities
Education is facing some important questions and exploring ways that ensure our students have the very best chance to be successful in the world and the society that lays ahead–a world we can’t even begin to imagine. One of the questions we need to ask is if the present curriculum, the way it is…
What does digital literacy look like?
The conversation with The Vancouver Sun reporter went something like this: How does your district definite digital literacy? Few people seemed to have a clear definition of what it means. No one seems to be nailing it down. Most districts are merely teaching students how to use software and hardware. I hear that perhaps…