Twitter Chats & Shift Happens

Last night I stumbled upon a Twitter chat that seemed interesting to me. Using #dtK12 I suddenly found myself in conversations about creativity, innovation, and confidence with educators from all over the world. Twitter has really opened doors for me both personally and professionally. Using tweetdeck, I was able to create a column for just this conversation. Immersed in a conversation with like minded educators I learned a vast amount about using creativity in the classroom to encourage students to think and explore. Other ideas that came up were take risks, discover failing is okay because we get back on our feet and try again, and think inside the box. We are often told to think out of the box, but thinking in the box truly leads to innovation. 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324188604578541843266186054

I found this perspective refreshing and still wondering about whether I agree or disagree with it. It got me thinking! People also discussed the differences between creativity and innovation in which innovating is when you do something to, as Steve Jobs said, “Put a dent in the universe.”

Another great resource from this conversation came from clicking on a blog link.

http://newteachingnewlearning.com/

I strongly suggest reading the second one down, titles “To Clarify.” It clearly explains my philosophy about technology in education so eloquently. It was nice to have a “conversation” with so many like minded educators. 

During this conversation I happened to mention it is okay to admit to students that I am not the expert on everything. Today was one of the moments where I needed to figure something out. The sphero would not connect to Nathan’s device. Upon a quick Google search I learned that it can only be attached to one device. Since we had used my phone with it earlier in the week I had to disconnect it from my phone in order for it to connect to Nathan’s. Can you honestly imagine life before Google?

Check out this video for some staggering info about how shift happens:

http://www.teachertube.com/video/shifthappens-1785

Lastly, congrats to Ryan for winning his playoff game! The pride on his face says it all! Thanks to his mom for the quarterly updates. I felt like I was part of the experience!