Guest Post: Lucky Kalair, Grade 6/7 Teacher at Panorama Park Elementary Panorama Park’s Innovative Learning Design Story: A continuing journey of reflecting and sharing…. we are just scratching the surface. Context: School with a population of 350 students, high ELL Prior to ILD: • slow wireless connection, limited experience with iPads, only a couple…
Category: Social Media
Guiding Principles: What do we believe?
What do we believe? We have some guiding principles that have anchored our digital learning journey as a district. Our vision has grown and is best represented through our Digital Learning Principles. Below is a short form of the “baker’s dozen,” a series of belief statements that guide our work. These principles, outlined in the district strategic…
iStory-Telling
“The truth about story telling is… that’s all we are.” Dean Shareski We live in our stories. There is power in telling our stories and sharing them with others. This video celebrates the learning that took place in the Surrey School District during Year One of our Innovative Learning Designs Project. The focus for the…
Reflection: The Vehicle for Continuous Improvement
Reflection can help deal with ambiguity, stress and change. In our work, we often have to cope with new, unique problems we have not met before. The ability to reflect is essential to recognising and confronting the uncertainly we feel as we try to deal with these problems. All this means that reflection is not…
Learning: Just so-oh, pedestrian
What am I learning? Well, the magic fairy didn’t appear; I had no personal tutor over the holidays and my fantasy did not materialize (see post here). I did, however, have a commitment to myself that I would try and PLAY with my learning. I wanted to have time to just “fiddle” and learn some…
My Top Three List for 2012 (with apologies to Chris Kennedy)
Ahhh…I too have drafted a top three list. Thank you to Chris Kennedy (@chrkennedy) for inspiring this post but sincere apologies as well. As you can see, my categories are a bit different. Unlike Chris, this list does not represent a long tradition but a spontaneous moment of reflection. I am still drowning from “drinking…
What’s your rock?
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…
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…
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…