Want to Innovate?

In the Ted Talk, Want to Innovate, with Joi Ito, he says " Education is what people do to you. And learning is what you do to yourself." When I think back to the majority of my own education, I do think that I was getting an education. In the years since I have become an educator, we have moved more towards the students being in charge of their own learning and they are getting better at it as they go. Gone are the days of "memorizing the whole encyclopedia before you go out to play." Students are able to learn using the tools we give them in a way that works best for them. We are now teaching students how to learn and giving them the guidance to take them where they desire. 

At our school, we focus heavily on the Project Based Learning model. The students are given an essential question and then the teachers guide them while they go on a learning exploration. This gives the students an opportunity to learn real-world skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and even the basic computer skills they will need. In the Ted Talk given by Monique Markoff, she speaks of how blended learning is having the student use technology 25% of the day, but I think it is so much more. In order to fully accomplish blending learning in the classroom, she tells you that you have to be committed, flexible, and have the mindset to follow through. Although I use technology in the classroom, I do sometimes think it can be a struggle to use it in a meaningful way with the time restrictions we are given for planning our lessons. Becoming a more blended learning environment is definitely a goal that I have. 

TED. (2014, May 6). Click here-- blended learning and the future of education: Monique Markoff [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb2d8E1dZjY&t=749s

TED. (2015, May 15). Want to innovate Become a 'now ist'| Joi Ito [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRAMQJJu7uY&t=751s