Inspirational Videos
Caine's Arcade - A 9 year old boy with some boxes and imagination
If you haven't seen the video that went viral a few months ago, stop what you're doing and watch it now. Be ready to have your heart stolen by this 9 year old boy with empty pockets an imagination and perseverance. Make sure you have a tissue nearby too. This story will stay in your mind and heart for quite a while. Enjoy!
Toto...I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
This video takes just over 8 minutes to watch, but it's well worth it. It will help you to understand the value and importance of technology and more importantly, technology in the classroom. This is an updated version of the "Did You Know" video that came out a few years ago and I also added it to my list on this page.
Did You Know?
This is a video that came out a few years ago but it's still valuable today. It speaks to the 21st century educator about the importance and need for exposing our students to more technology in the classroom.
Even Kids Know We Need To Fix Education
The automotive industry has evolved. The tech industry has evolved. Heck, the oil industry has evolved (and they’re essentially selling fossils!). So why hasn’t education evolved? Watch this video made by students to see what they think.
Tim Brown - Creative Thinking and Play
I believe the concepts of creativity and play do have a place in education because as students explore and create they are using many different learning styles and intelligences. It can be challenging to help students learn how to be creative but I believe that any attempt at teaching students how to play and be creative would be better than nothing at all. Even if it's something as simple as having students use Play-Doh to create something that relates to the subject/topic, they are still having to use different parts of their brain to accomplish the task and they are learning.
I am not sure that students feel secure enough to play in the current educational settings. There are so many demands on teachers to help students master objectives and be proficient on tests that many lessons can tend to look like drill and practice rather than lessons full of creativity and exploration. I think it is also challenging to design creative lessons or lessons that facilitate exploration, playful building, or role play situations. Most lessons don't encourage creative risk taking. Students are required to complete assignments where they demonstrate measurable mastery and I think it is hard to put a rubric on creativity and play. I would imagine that many teachers just don't have the time to include creativity and exploration into their lessons.
I wouldn't mind trying the 30 circle activity. I believe that it would help many students to push themselves creatively and they would be able to have richer discussions and experiences with their peers. It would be a great activity for adults too. I think it would help to open up more brainstorming opportunities for them as they think outside of the norms.
I am not sure that students feel secure enough to play in the current educational settings. There are so many demands on teachers to help students master objectives and be proficient on tests that many lessons can tend to look like drill and practice rather than lessons full of creativity and exploration. I think it is also challenging to design creative lessons or lessons that facilitate exploration, playful building, or role play situations. Most lessons don't encourage creative risk taking. Students are required to complete assignments where they demonstrate measurable mastery and I think it is hard to put a rubric on creativity and play. I would imagine that many teachers just don't have the time to include creativity and exploration into their lessons.
I wouldn't mind trying the 30 circle activity. I believe that it would help many students to push themselves creatively and they would be able to have richer discussions and experiences with their peers. It would be a great activity for adults too. I think it would help to open up more brainstorming opportunities for them as they think outside of the norms.
Sugata Mitra - The Best Schools and Teachers Don't Exist Where They're Needed Most
The TED Talk by Sugata Mitra was very inspiring. I know that kids take to technology without restraint and inhibition but watching the Indian children at the "Hole in the Wall" experiment was amazing! I couldn't believe how quickly they figured the whole thing out without any instruction from adults. Looking forward to the future of educating millenials, I have a couple of concerns. The first is that we need to be careful to give students a balanced approach to instruction. I think we are going to see more and more students accessing new information via technology as opposed to the traditional lecture style of teaching. There is a place for both in the life of the classroom and in the student's educational opportunities. The second concern is the reliability and validity of information that students are accessing on the internet. As teachers we need to ensure that students are accessing reliable information on the internet because not everything out there is accurate and valid. Therefore, we need to be ready to direct students to legitimate websites as they search through the world wide web.
I really like the idea of the "granny cloud". SOLEs are fabulous for facilitating this! Students are getting affirmation during their learning which helps to encourage them to push farther with their learning endeavors.
I believe that education does need to re-think some of its basic notions of educating. When students are able to access and learn information in varied formats I think they will make huge gains in learning. Technology gives students the opportunity to take in information in different modalities. They are able to have a better understanding and retention of knowledge because they will be using their auditory and visual modes of learning. I also think that teachers should consider the advantages that technology offers to students. Students are already interested in using technology so we should take advantage of that and use it to support what we're already doing. Antoher way that education should re-think it's basic notions is in the area of increasing critical thinking skills. Sugata mentioned that students can learn more using technology in groups as opposed to sitting alone in front of a computer. This deep learning is due to the student's discussions and interactions with each other. They also expanded their learning by using Google to learn more information. I think you can help students learn things more deeply if you give them opportunities to take the information in and then give them a chance to discuss it with someone else. They are more likely to retain the information if they are able to use more critical thinking skills such as analyzing and synthesizing the information.
I really like the idea of the "granny cloud". SOLEs are fabulous for facilitating this! Students are getting affirmation during their learning which helps to encourage them to push farther with their learning endeavors.
I believe that education does need to re-think some of its basic notions of educating. When students are able to access and learn information in varied formats I think they will make huge gains in learning. Technology gives students the opportunity to take in information in different modalities. They are able to have a better understanding and retention of knowledge because they will be using their auditory and visual modes of learning. I also think that teachers should consider the advantages that technology offers to students. Students are already interested in using technology so we should take advantage of that and use it to support what we're already doing. Antoher way that education should re-think it's basic notions is in the area of increasing critical thinking skills. Sugata mentioned that students can learn more using technology in groups as opposed to sitting alone in front of a computer. This deep learning is due to the student's discussions and interactions with each other. They also expanded their learning by using Google to learn more information. I think you can help students learn things more deeply if you give them opportunities to take the information in and then give them a chance to discuss it with someone else. They are more likely to retain the information if they are able to use more critical thinking skills such as analyzing and synthesizing the information.
Brene Brown - The Power of Vulnerability
After viewing the TED Talk by Brene Brown I thought about my own perspective on the topic of vulnerability. I had never really thought about how what you do with vulnerability can determine so many other emotions and behaviors. I have to agree with Brene that when we can realize our own vulnerability we can find true joy and gratitude.
The idea of being vulnerable can relate to education in the realm of our interactions and relationships with out students. We have a large responsibility on our shoulders as we instruct and care for our students. Quite often we tell our students to be brave...take risks and many other encouraging phrases. But do we live it out as their teachers/mentors? I can think of many teachers in my past that stood out to me in their profession. Not all of them were necessarily the best in their respective disciplines. But they were the ones who were transparent for the students. They were teachers who admitted when they were wrong or misleading. They were the teachers who apologized to the class or individuals when they were in the wrong. They were humble and made themselves vulnerable. As students we could trust them because they were real to us. We found a comfortableness with them because we didn't have to be 100% perfect or right all the time. Being accurate and doing your best was encouraged...but not held over us if it wasn't attained. I think that our students need leaders in their lives who are willing to lead them with vulnerability. It may be the only time they'll experience it (vulnerability) from adults in their lives. Letting our students see us be imperfect is an opportunity to show them how to respond in struggles or hardships. The adults around them at home might get angry or lash out at them when things are difficult. But we get a chance to show our students how to let things roll off your back (so to speak) when adversity comes and try harder the next time.
I definitely want to practice having gratitude and joy more and let myself be vulnerable. I grew up with a parent who was not vulnerable and have spent the last 2 decades trying to learn how to be vulnerable. It sure isn't easy...but I think it's worth it.
The idea of being vulnerable can relate to education in the realm of our interactions and relationships with out students. We have a large responsibility on our shoulders as we instruct and care for our students. Quite often we tell our students to be brave...take risks and many other encouraging phrases. But do we live it out as their teachers/mentors? I can think of many teachers in my past that stood out to me in their profession. Not all of them were necessarily the best in their respective disciplines. But they were the ones who were transparent for the students. They were teachers who admitted when they were wrong or misleading. They were the teachers who apologized to the class or individuals when they were in the wrong. They were humble and made themselves vulnerable. As students we could trust them because they were real to us. We found a comfortableness with them because we didn't have to be 100% perfect or right all the time. Being accurate and doing your best was encouraged...but not held over us if it wasn't attained. I think that our students need leaders in their lives who are willing to lead them with vulnerability. It may be the only time they'll experience it (vulnerability) from adults in their lives. Letting our students see us be imperfect is an opportunity to show them how to respond in struggles or hardships. The adults around them at home might get angry or lash out at them when things are difficult. But we get a chance to show our students how to let things roll off your back (so to speak) when adversity comes and try harder the next time.
I definitely want to practice having gratitude and joy more and let myself be vulnerable. I grew up with a parent who was not vulnerable and have spent the last 2 decades trying to learn how to be vulnerable. It sure isn't easy...but I think it's worth it.
Sheena Iyengar - The Art of Choosing
The TED video: How to make choosing easier was interesting to me. I like having choices as a consumer but too many choices can make the whole process overwhelming. Whenever I have a lot of options to wade through I am usually more preoccupied with skepticism about the quality of the items from which I'm choosing. There are so many variables to consider when purchasing something. You have to think about the ingredients, the unit price, the store sales, coupons, etc. I find that when I have a multitude of choices I usually revert back to an item that I am most comfortable or familiar with rather than taking a risk and trying something new. For example, when going to a restaurant with a broad menu, I will typically just order a nice hearty salad or fettucine alfredo because those are good standbys when I cannot make up my mind on the other array of choices.
In the classroom we can also offer too many choices to our students which can lead to their frustration. For example, if we require students to research a topic using the internet but don't help them fine tune their searches, they could be incredibly overwhelmed by the choices that arise from their searches. If we can give students more fine tuned criteria to apply to their search process then they will have a better chance of finding websites that provide information that is better aligned to their specific searches. Helping them to think through the mindset behind performing detailed online searches can be a helpful tool that they will be able to use with success in their future search attempts.
I know that I have been really growing in this area in this last school year. I am a 1:1 for a student on the spectrum (low functioning) and I have to be so very careful to use my words/phrases with precision and brevity. Due to his disability my student doesn't do well when he has to make choices. So I have had to really learn a lot about narrowing down choices for him in his daily work, recess activities, break time choices, etc. I have to evaluate the best choice for him in these areas, make the choice and stick to it. If I give him choices in any of these areas he grows very agitated and frustrated. So I can truly appreciate it when the choices are few! :)
Malcolm Gladwell - What We Can Learn From Spaghetti Sauce
I thought this was a fantastic video! Gladwell is a very gifted communicator and I would like to check out some of his writings (as someone mentioned in an earlier post). I definitely see many parallels between the food industry that Howard Moskowitz researched and the field of education. As educators we would love to find the perfect fit for challenging lessons, behavior management issues, and many other concerns in teaching. But there isn't one perfect fit or universal approach for these issues as Moskowitz exposed in his consulting research. We have to allow for variance as we teach. Students come to us with a variety of skill sets and academic abilities. To try and teach a class of students in an exclusive style or method is not likely to be effective. We may reach a number of students but consequently, there will be a number of students that we don't motivate academically. If we can add variety to our instruction and format we enrich the learning environment of our classrooms.
I think that we as teachers can also help our students to grow in awareness of their strengths in learning. As Gladwell pointed out in the TED video, many people are not aware of their preferences. As students begin to understand how they learn best, they can begin to take ownership of their learning!
I don't believe that teaching is stuck in the Ragu era. There are certainly teachers who fit that description, but as a whole, I sense that educators are embracing differentiation in their classrooms and growing in their knowledge and practices of how to best teach a class of diverse learners. I think this is a positive direction to be heading. When students are learning in ways that are better fit to their styles and ability levels they are likely to progress academically and not grow stagnant in the classroom. To help other educators who may be stuck in the Ragu era, perhaps more can be done to encourage them to see the benefits in student's successes as they experience a diversified learning environment. As teachers gain successes in teaching with variance, they could share those experiences with other teachers through staff newsletters, blogs, etc or perhaps principals could showcase a couple of teachers during a staff meeting. During the meeting they could take a few minutes to share some challenges they were able to overcome by diversifying their instruction. It might be an opportunity to encourage the Ragu era teachers to try something new!
I think that we as teachers can also help our students to grow in awareness of their strengths in learning. As Gladwell pointed out in the TED video, many people are not aware of their preferences. As students begin to understand how they learn best, they can begin to take ownership of their learning!
I don't believe that teaching is stuck in the Ragu era. There are certainly teachers who fit that description, but as a whole, I sense that educators are embracing differentiation in their classrooms and growing in their knowledge and practices of how to best teach a class of diverse learners. I think this is a positive direction to be heading. When students are learning in ways that are better fit to their styles and ability levels they are likely to progress academically and not grow stagnant in the classroom. To help other educators who may be stuck in the Ragu era, perhaps more can be done to encourage them to see the benefits in student's successes as they experience a diversified learning environment. As teachers gain successes in teaching with variance, they could share those experiences with other teachers through staff newsletters, blogs, etc or perhaps principals could showcase a couple of teachers during a staff meeting. During the meeting they could take a few minutes to share some challenges they were able to overcome by diversifying their instruction. It might be an opportunity to encourage the Ragu era teachers to try something new!
Salman Khan - Khan Academy
I really enjoyed watching the TED video by Khan. I was introduced to Khan Academy a year ago and I began sharing it with my colleagues as well as having my own children go through the tutorial vids and the lessons. I really enjoyed seeing Khan explain Khan Academy from it's genesis to where it's at now, or at least a year ago when the vid was launched. I like the idea of the individualized approach to learning, where students can work at their own pace and I also like how the software is designed for the students to move from one lesson to another when they achieve 10 problems in a row. I also think the teachers dashboard is a terrific concept. This interface allows the teacher to use data to drive instruction. I am curious to learn more about the schools who are getting rid of traditional math curricula and using Khan Academy now. Khan mentioned that they aren't using Khan Academy for all of their Math instruction. I'd like to know more about what other tools they're using for math support.
I agree with Khan that this is the new direction for classrooms to begin incorporating or go towards. The data driven nature of Khan Academy will show the exact areas where students are missing the proficiency mark. The flipped classroom mentality is great and Khan Academy extends that because teachers will be able to see where specific students need additional support and bring in the humanization piece that many flipped classrooms may be missing. I also like the idea of students being able to mentor other students. I think Khan is giving many students a chance to grow in their knowledge and confidence as they become mentors on Khan Academy. I don't believe that I can teach all of my students everything they need to know. It takes many teachers/mentors to be able to help students understand concepts and to broaden their educational experiences. With that in mind, I don't worry about Khan Academy or any other web tool taking away the need for real life educators. If anything, it will help to make us better educators as we team together.
I agree with Khan that this is the new direction for classrooms to begin incorporating or go towards. The data driven nature of Khan Academy will show the exact areas where students are missing the proficiency mark. The flipped classroom mentality is great and Khan Academy extends that because teachers will be able to see where specific students need additional support and bring in the humanization piece that many flipped classrooms may be missing. I also like the idea of students being able to mentor other students. I think Khan is giving many students a chance to grow in their knowledge and confidence as they become mentors on Khan Academy. I don't believe that I can teach all of my students everything they need to know. It takes many teachers/mentors to be able to help students understand concepts and to broaden their educational experiences. With that in mind, I don't worry about Khan Academy or any other web tool taking away the need for real life educators. If anything, it will help to make us better educators as we team together.
