Here’s a big question: how can educators create learning experiences that foster collaboration, and problem solving, but also nurture imagination and curiosity during the school day?It’s simple: try something new. An innovative teacher is a mentor, and allows his or her students to share their voices and become future innovators. Innovators make learning relevant, and they commit to sharing digital learning content and powerful ideas for improving teaching and learning.Check online, and you’ll see various options for "innovative teaching" fly across the Twittersphere. Some teachers engage in creative learning spaces with makerspaces, some create "classrooms without walls" via social media), and some explore virtual and augmented reality. But at the end of the day, one thing’s for sure: Teachers need just as much engagement, collaboration, and choice as students in order to facilitate innovative experiences in the classroom.So, how can you bring innovation into your classroom? Here are a few innovative practices that might help get you started—complete with a number of resources to support your innovation experiments.1. CodingTechnology theorists predict that the need for computer science literacy will be essential for careers of the future. But a 2015 Gallup poll of students states that only 52% "say computer science is taught as part of other classes at their school," and the stats worsen for low-income environments.The "Hour of Code" is during Computer Science week in December, but it doesn’t have to stop with just an hour. Code.orgresources are available 365 days a year, and many schools are focusing on ways to go beyond just the hour of code through simple programs like Google CS First, and coding programs geared towards girls like Made with Code.2. Virtual RealityVirtual reality emerges the user in a world that they can interact with. The low-cost Google Cardboard viewer, which works with virtual reality apps like Discovery VR, gives students a 360-degree view of the world and gives "virtual field trips" a whole new definition.And over at Nearpod, the company recently launched Nearpod VR. Through a grant, Nearpod is giving select schools full sets of VR Cardboard, access to 25 content-based lessons, and professional development with one-on one support.3. Augmented RealityDifferent from virtually reality, augmented reality involves a trigger image or QR code. With apps like Aurasma and Daqri, triggers activate the apps to show something, like a video or another image. This emerging technology creates mind-blowing learning experiences that captivates students and gets them excited about learning.For the classroom, teachers are using augmented reality apps paired with QR codes to create interactive scavenger hunts, where students solve puzzles, that tap hidden codes, through music, movies, and images.4. STEM and Design ThinkingYou might’ve heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and you might’ve heard of "design thinking." But couple those together to create a creative process that mirrors design engineering in the real world, helping to empower students to make meaningful connections and solve complex problems in the classroom through an interdisciplinary approach.Here are some examples. More and more educators are attempting to fix the decline in graduates of STEM-related fields by developing successful STEM classroom learning environments beginning as early as Kindergarten. Just take the Biome Charter School (located in St. Louis, Missouri), offers "customized, project based and student-centered learning opportunities with an emphasis on growth mindset and STEAM." From STEM Expos and Design Thinking competitions, to transforming the traditional Science fair nights to Family STEM Nights, schools are deep in the throws of creative experimentation.And what about project-based experiments? Check out Breakout EDU. Similar to escape rooms, these educational games engage students in critical thinking, teamwork, and complex problem solving in a scavenger hunt format. These games can be adapted to any grade level, and any content area—whether STEM or otherwise.5. Student Blogging and ForumsStudents need a space to share their voice, and we can accomplish this through blogging, school broadcast teams, and student forums. Or, give students a voice through events like an "Edcampfor students"—this informal platform allows students to explore topics of their interest and become facilitators of their own learning through discussion and collaboration.6. Creative Learning Spaces Like MakerspacesI recently came across a picture on social media that showed a classroom in 1916 on one side, and a classroom in 2016 on the other side. Besides the fact that the 1916 photo was in black-and-white, there was no difference. Should today’s classrooms look like they did 100 years ago students sitting in rows, while the teacher stands in the front of the room? My opinion is no.Makerspaces are great ways to create innovative learning spaces, and they empower students to be problem solvers. Makerspaces can fit any budget, theme, or age level. Students can work at the highest levels on Bloom's Taxonomy to demonstrate understanding of curriculum standards when they "make," and to create, evaluate and analyze solutions to problems. You don’t have to teach kids how to be makers.7. Social Media in the ClassroomGoogle+, Twitter, Instagram, Voxer, Snapchat—chances are you’ve heard of at least two of these platforms. But there are so many more opportunities for students to connect and create socially:Mystery Skyping, Google Hangouts and Connected Classrooms, Edmodo and social media tools like Pinterest provide spaces to build many lifelong skills—even from an early age.Innovators commit to sharing digital learning content and powerful ideas for improving teaching and learning, and innovative educators have amazing stories of how they've transformed learning—so how are you sparking innovation in your classroom?

In addition to being a HUGE educational technology nerd, I am also quite a government geek…which works out well for me, since I teach American Government classes - ha! I typically struggle, however, to make learning about the President’s Cabinet engaging, exciting, or at least not dull. Let’s face it. Learning about what each part […] The post American Government Activity: The President’s Cabinet appeared first on Teaching with Technology.

Fourth quarter is upon us! We’ve almost made it through another year! Who needs a cup of coffee? Or, at least a new coffee cup I had a creative moment yesterday, and decided to design a coffee cup because, why not? More coffee mug creations are coming soon! Click on the image to see a close […] The post I TEACH Coffee Mug Giveaway! appeared first on Teaching with Technology.

Greetings! Its been awhile. I’ve taken an extended hiatus whilst debating the future of my blogs. As of this moment, I will begin afresh and [...] The post Additions to the Edtech Archive 44 appeared first on Many Pebbles, One Pond: The EdTech Archive.

Houndstooth Studio Executive Director Mark Heaps will deliver the opening keynote speech at the 2016 Bloomsburg University’s Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) symposium on Thursday, March 17th at 9:30 EST.  Mark, formerly director of development for Duarte Inc., has more than 20 years of experience working with clients including Google, Apple and HP. He joined Houndstooth, Enspire Learning’s media and experience design arm, in 2015. This year’s CVPA symposium focuses on building careers in the arts, and also features Orange is the New Black actor - and Bloomsburg University alumnus- James McMenamin. The post Mark Heaps at Bloomsburg University appeared first on Enspire.

Hot Learning Trends for 2016 Last year we incorporated some solid, foundational trends for us to build upon. Keeping those strategies in mind, the learning landscape of 2016 should prove to be exciting as we look to drive results. One constant challenge is narrowing down all the new learning options to find what will really work for each specific environment. There are some that provide a strategic purpose and can help a learning team solve many goals. Our Top Trends from last year that will be the most impactful for 2016: Social Learning. It’s already happening with or without a formal strategy. Speed of dissemination, increased learner engagement, and cross-functional communication opportunities made identifying a social learning strategy a top priority. Small Bytes Learning. People retain information better when it is received in smaller chunks. This trend forced us to resist the temptation to view every training opportunity as a "data dump" and to find the right blend of delivery. Reinforcing Training. Mobile platforms as a reinforcement tool is providing an opportunity to get creative with our technology options and utilize them to reinforce messages previously learned via other methods. As these trends remain at the forefront, we have a strong foundation to build upon to help us reach our 2016 learning goals. 2016 has us excited about: Tying Learning and Talent Development goals to the corporate culture and business objectives. Companies that are doing this are seeing maximized employee productivity and engagement! Flipped Classroom Models that present the key learning through pre-work, and practice and application occurs in the classroom. Performance Support strategies for on-demand training needs for reinforcement of specific skills. One thing we can be certain of this year is a continued overdose of information and choices about learning. Contact Locus today and let us help you sort through the options, keep the focus on your goals and learning strategy, and determine the optimal blend of content and technology to drive improved learning outcomes. Visit our website to learn more.

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Every fortnight I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds. @Goonth - "Our so-called leaders will not create our futures for us. That is entirely up to us. Nothing to concede." 8 Symptoms Of Organizations On The Cusp Of Change by @MarkRaheja "In theory, organizations are meant to enable us — to make us faster, stronger and more effective than we’d be on our own. And yet today, in listening to my clients, it feels as if the exact opposite is true — as if the organization is actually getting in their way. The symptoms of this are many and may sound familiar: Siloed teams with misaligned incentives; bureaucratic processes governed by inflexible policies; paralyzed decision-making strewn across way too many meetings. The list goes on." What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team - via @MarkFederman ‘Within psychology, researchers sometimes colloquially refer to traits like ‘‘conversational turn-taking’’ and ‘‘average social sensitivity’’ as aspects of what’s known as psychological safety — a group culture that the Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson defines as a ‘‘shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.’’ Psychological safety is ‘‘a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up,’’ Edmondson wrote in a study published in 1999. ‘‘It describes a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.’’’ This Is the 1 Thing That Worries Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield the Most: people - via @ChristineGeith "The company has six core values, expressed in three sentences, Butterfield explains: 1. Empathy as expressed through courtesy 2. Craftsmanship tempered with playfulness (That’s where those funny Slack messages come from) 3. Thriving, both in ourselves and others (That means thriving not only as a team, but also making sure you’re personally thriving and doing this thing you’re meant to be doing with your whole heart, Butterfield explained)" Note: compare with self-determination theory: relatedness, competence, autonomy. Buffer sees clear benefits to transparent employee salary policy "For Gascoigne and Buffer COO Leo Widrich, transparency’s benefits are clear—even if its unintended consequences (like the eradication of salary negotiations) do occasionally surprise them. Buffer’s leaders have always been—well, transparent—about their reasons for stressing transparency. More transparency, they say, leads to faster innovation, more rapid feedback, a just and equitable workplace, and a greater sense of integrity." Pew Research Center: Public Predictions for the Future of Workforce Automation - via @amcaffee Image: Pew Research Center