Monday, November 28, 2016

FDS Innovation Leader Certification


This learning journey was inspired during the #GoogleEI #TOR16 Google Innovator Certification when @LesMcBeth enthusiastically presented the Design Thinking process. Design Thinking embodied the mindset process of problem solving and prototyping, which aligned with my class program sparks, sprints and prototyping! Only, we take our ideas to production all leading up to our class annual @McMBusinessDay event. I needed to learn more and further refine my understanding and class program. So, I registered and started a month ago when I excitedly entered the MaRS building @MaRSDD, into the small office space of Future Design School @fdesignschool. There I was greeted by several other educators who also wanted to continue promoting an innovators mindset in their own classrooms.

Following short introductions we launched into a collaborative group icebreaker of stacking cups with the provided supplies. This was followed by a timed individual task of drawing a systems model for ‘How to Make Toast’ capturing how each of us represented information visually with variations of steps/procedures (I can’t wait to go back to class and do this activity with my students!).

This is when I realized that we were going to be ‘doing’ the Design Process as part of the learning within the certification course: beyond just talking about it.  Awesome!

@LesMcBeth took us through defining a challenge while going through ideation, validation and rapid prototyping. Throughout this process there is time embedded for the opportunity to test, offer feedback/critique and rethinking: leading to several iterations of a prototype.

A refreshing take on this is looking through the lens of empathy. Identifying the needs of the user and to continue to be inherently optimistic.

Our next group task was to each individually complete a ‘User Needs’ template addressing “How might we…”. The focus for us was “How might we provide constructive feedback in assessment that encourages intrinsic motivation in students?” This was followed by a Crazy 8’s challenge to come up with various ways to approach the challenge. This is a timed task, 40 secs per section and the brainstorming is done in 5 minutes, thus allowing us to pull out ideas under the clock without overthinking or second-guessing ourselves. From here, we transferred our individual ideas from Crazy 8’s and created our storyboard. Each of us presented our storyboard to the group and then co-constructed and create a collaborative group flow chart. Awesome! Through each unique “How might we…” our team Systems Model encompasses positive/optimistic doable elements that remains focused on the ‘user needs’.





We wrap up our day with a design challenge presented to us:
What do you love? What breaks your heart?
Our prototyping will be in the form of an app created in marvelapp.com, which gives us the flexibility to create digital or paper screenshots of screens within the app design for others to test.

Now this was an amazing Day 1!
Over the next few weeks each of us worked on our “How might we...”. A much appreciated form of communication was connecting and sharing in Slack: one stop messaging, collaborating, and archiving links, pdfs and so much more.  Furthermore, encouragement throughout this learning journey was the opportunity to participate in weekly Google Hangout sessions to share ideas, ask questions and set up for the next tasks of the Design Process for prototyping our app.


Day 2:

We start off the morning with a 4 corners icebreaker focused on our ‘comfort zone’ engaging us in valuable discussions from fixed to growth mindsets based on life experiences.

Laura @msharrison10 walked us through a design sprint she engaged her students in during #dotday @FablePaul @peterhreynolds taking in ideas from students which lead to the collaborative creation of a class mural. Reminding us that the Design Process can vary based on time commitments depending on the challenge presented to students.

We then spent some much needed time to discuss and then independently create our “How might we…” statement for integrating the Design Process into our class programs. We focussed on our ‘user needs’ being the student(s), made curriculum connections and then created our storyboards. The best part is each of us left with a new collection of ways to integrate within various grades and subject areas. We received feedback and held further discussions on instructional strategies and practices we haven’t considered or not yet heard of (my personal favourite resource is Artful Science of Instructional Integration).

Then, each of us steps up to present our 3-minute pitch our empathy prototype giving everyone a chance to take in our app design and business model.  Mine had undergone several iterations and I received even more effective feedback to bump it up further. Kinda wish I could bring the app into the production stages.

We wrap up our day with the presentation of certificates recognizing each of us for the completion of the Future Design School Innovation Leadership Certification course.

It has been an honour to learn alongside so many passionate educators who, like myself, seek out ways to engage & enhance students’ learning experiences through design thinking and innovation.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

TLP Entrepreneurial Adventure Launch 2016

It is an honour to be invited back to The Learning Partnership Entrepreneurial Adventure to present our journey with TLP these past 2 years and 12 years with Kamla Rambaran in our class program.

 Today we started off with a great video by Derek Sivers "Obvious to You, Amazing to Others" simply because we are our own harshest critic. How can we possibly expect and encourage students to take risks sharing ideas when we ourselves keep our own ideas in isolation? Be bold, share and let the idea go! It may take new life on its own or someone can use it as a launching point to feed into their own idea.

Our project has grown over the years and it lends itself to create opportunities for authentic tasks and blended learning. Ours is a 4 month long project-based learning/entrepreneurial venture where students use a variety of skills and web 2.0 tools to develop 21st Century Competencies. Students are engaged in a series of mini lessons facilitated by the teacher for whole class or small group instruction.  However new learning is co-constructed among the students within their teams/companies using various online environments.

Constructivist-based instruction is often explored in groups and the teacher role is reserved for facilitation as opposed to traditional lecturing. (Schmidt, 2003)

 Students create a business that makes a difference not only in their own lives through the experience, knowledge and reflection on learning; but in the lives of the children who will benefit from building awareness in the community while proceeds are donated to Free the Children, Pillar of Education.

Building a collaborative relationship with a business partner brings in expertise and students appreciate alternate perspectives as discussions around decision-making become even more meaningful.

As a teacher, we need to guide students through the design thinking process and the inquiry process. We need to make the shift from “knowledge as habit”. It’s the ‘how’ & ‘why’ that will allow students go about their learning to engage in inquiry; it's not just about the “what”. To make relevant, cross-curricular connections starts with knowing the curriculum inside-out; rereading the front matter of the documents provides valuable information, guiding questions and so much more (e.g., Social Studies). There are many different flavours of inquiry: knowing how to balance inquiry along with other pedagogical teaching strategies will take time to establish but it will yield positive results in student success both emotional and academic as they learn to think about thinking.

Problem solving, critical thinking and entrepreneurship are a few of the many skills students will continue to develop. One thing we cannot forgot and must always feed is that our students are kids and as kids they are naturally curious (we as adults need to feed our own curiousity too). Creating opportunities to immerse within learning to foster curiousity, critical thinking, optimism and risk-taking because we are:
-naturally curious
-rational
-committed to making sense of our world

 As Kamla and I continued to share today we encourage new teachers to The Learning Partnership Entrepreneurial Adventure to start with a question when launching this project with their students: "What problem do you want to solve?"

 To end our presentation we share another great video, this one by Google 'A Question Waiting to be Answered'.  For our students to be entrepreneurs, let them question, seek out answers and question some more. Share their successes and celebrate their reflections.


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Thursday, November 3, 2016

MindShare Learning #cdnedtech16 Leadership Summit

MindShare Learning #cdnedtech16 7th Annual Conference Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit!
Although I was able to attend the second half of the day... it did not disappoint!
  1. Brian Aspinall's talk about learning alongside students and creating opportunities for students to be 'doers' in their own learning
  2. Maya Burhanpurkar's inspiring endnote focussing on the hidden genius in each and every child that educators and communities need to find (or help find) and bring it out!
What a great opportunity to connect and reconnect with educators and industry members who (yes, are promoting their own product) took the time to have a discussion. Where they were truly present and listening to needs, ideas, obstacles teachers and school infrastructures are working to overcome while continuing to focus on the student and 21st Century competencies.
Stakeholders coming together and all this to address, promote and inspire students from K-12 to be creative, critical thinking, innovators in the present and into the future. I can't think of a better way to spend the day!
I am proud to be an educator with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and it is always comforting that leaders like Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Peter Singh are actively involved in discussions with teachers (yesterday at the TDSB DLL meeting) and today with industry members. It is very much appreciated that he shares a clear vision and is seeking out solutions to overcome or address challenges to continue building a strong infrastructure. One that supports our IT departments and teachers to ensure students have access to resources to support 21st Century competencies.
TVO had a talented crew of educators who relentlessly work towards building relationships with school communities: Katina Papulkas, Ting Ginglo, Sandra Chow and Jane Silva. Together they shared their focus on Math in Ontario and the pilot launch of mPower, Grade 4-6.
Microsoft and FairChanceLearning was well represented with Nancy Teodoro, Dustin Jez and Brian Aspinall sharing their energy and passion for coding via Minecraft and LittleBits to promote innovation from the drawing board to building/prototyping.
It was definitely cool to finally meet Brian Aspinall face-to-face after all this time dialoguing via Twitter! And again, Brian thank you for taking part in the Coding & Student Voice co-presentation with students held at the TDSB Ward 11 meeting hosted by Trustee Shelley Laskin back in September!
Being a bit sentimental but it was awesome to run into #TOR16 #GoogleEI cohort Jeffrey Humphries, Sandra Chow and Leslie McBeth. Clearly we are continuously listening and connecting with others to dialogue about student opportunities for learning/innovations.
And let's not ever forget... my friend and co-teaching partner Kamla Rambaran who is my soundboard, and partner adventurer. I can't wait to check out what we jump into next!!!
Thank you Robert Martellacci for the invitation to be a part of #cdnedtech16!
 


 

 

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