Innovating through Flexibility (EDLD 5305)

The overlying message that I took away from Joi Ito’s presentation is the true power of the resources we have at our fingertips. Obviously, most of these are based around the internet and technology, however, the opportunities that we have with these at our disposal cannot be overlooked. From an education perspective we can collaborate with fellow teachers in our field from around the world and develop curriculum/learning plans from thousands of miles away. Additionally, we can hear feedback of different strategies that have been used successfully/unsuccessfully to build the optimal plan.

I am a planner, but I am also a now ist at times and am moving closer to being one more consistently. I think what holds me back at times is fear of being ill-prepared or uncomfortable. In the classroom, I like to have an idea where I am going. With that said, some of my best lessons have been unplanned and strictly student driven. At the high school level students have experiences that can really allow for strong conversation and further the understanding of the content with authenticity.

I view myself as flexible. Although I like to have a general plan, I am always willing to step away from it, even at the last minute. One obstacle I face with this is the lack of flexibility that I have with curriculum and pacing in my organization. We are advised to stay at the same pace as those teachers teaching the same courses, so many of our lessons are planned together. While the collaboration is excellent, at times it makes the units a bit rigid. I do believe that my district is interested in the blended learning modeling, however, would struggle to get the school board approval. As I have mentioned in the past, the fully virtual and hybrid settings that we were forced into over the last two years perhaps have expedited the process.

As a one-to-one organization and someone who takes pride in the technology that I bring into the classroom, I would say I am committed to it, but I am also careful. I always ensure that the various tools that I may be using are truly enhancing the student learning of the material, rather than just taking the place of a previous method that has shown to be successful in the past. With my upperclassmen, I implement different tools for them to interact with that I know they will be expected to use in their own schooling moving forward, as discussed in the video. I believe my colleagues do line up with beliefs, with some being more interested/comfortable using new forms of technology than others.

Assuming the support is there from my organization, I believe developing a learning environment based around student choice starts early in the year but can be done in my classroom. Teaching students to be honest with themselves and to feel comfortable admitting when they do not understand something is very important. A big component of this comes when teaching the idea of a growth mindset.