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One area that schools always seem to struggle with are social technology. Is it good? How can we protect the kids? Should we allow it? I like to teach students the benefits of it, while also reminding them of the risks. This article reminds me that the world has changed, and that student need to be able to utilize social technologies to be more successful in many professions.

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The next generation of social technologies is beginning to transform the way people communicate and work with each other, according to a new survey.

After nearly a decade of research on the business uses of social technologies, executives say these tools are more integrated into their organizations' work than ever before-and that the most sophisticated of these tools, message-based platforms, are gaining traction. At the companies where messaging platforms have taken hold, respondents to the latest McKinsey Global Survey on social tools report that their fellow employees rely more often on social methods of communication than on traditional methods in their work.

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The use of advanced tools has implications for broader process-level and organizational changes, too. Where message-based platforms are in use, respondents are likelier than others to say their use of social tools has enabled employees to communicate more often and to self-organize with team members. They even say these technologies have changed the very nature of their work to become more project based, rather than team or function based.

The communication evolution

When asked about their own use of communication tools in their day-to-day work, most executives report that social technologies overall are largely supplemental. Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they rely primarily on older technologies, such as email, phone calls, and texting, to communicate with others at work.

At the same time, respondents report that the integration of social technologies in day-to-day work is greater than ever before (Exhibit 1). In the latest survey, 45 percent say social technologies are very or extremely integrated into day-to-day work at their companies, up from one-third who said so one year before.

Usage of these technologies is especially common at companies that have adopted message-based platforms-a share of respondents that more than doubled between 2015 and 2016. Respondents at these companies are 2.5 times likelier than other executives to say social tools are extremely integrated into company work. Relative to their peers, they also report less reliance on email and phone (Exhibit 2). On average, respondents at organizations with message-based platforms report spending 62 percent of their time using traditional communication tools and 38 percent of their time using social tools, compared with a 71-29 split for all other respondents.

What's more, respondents at companies using message-based platforms also say they communicate differently within their teams-and across levels, roles, and the entire organization. Within their day-to-day work groups, these respondents are half as likely as all others to report using the phone and about twice as likely to connect with colleagues through interactive, real-time tools such as team-collaboration apps and collaborative document editing (Exhibit 3).

Even across organizational units, the results suggest a similar pattern. If respondents' companies have adopted message-based platforms, they are likelier than executives at other companies to report the use of the newer, social technologies (Exhibit 4).

The scaling up of social technologies

The changes in employee-to-employee communication that more sophisticated technologies are already bringing about-and the potential they have to drive further change-is notable for a few reasons. First, the internal use of social technologies remains the most common reason companies adopt these tools. Eighty-five percent of all respondents say their companies use social technologies for internal purposes, up from 80 percent in 2015 and 69 percent in 2014. At the same time, a growing share of executives say they use social tools with partners: 59 percent in 2016, up from 49 percent the year before.

Second, the increasing relevance of social tools also appears at the process level. As we saw in 2014 and 2015, the use of social tools remains most common in externally facing processes such as PR, recruiting and hiring, and customer relationship management. But there have been notable jumps in several operations processes that three years ago were among the least social out of 27 processes we asked about. Since then, greater shares of respondents now cite the use of technologies in procurement, supply-chain management, and after-sales services (Exhibit 5).

The organizational value at stake

When we asked about the specific benefits of social tools, responses show that communication and collaboration are again top of mind. Reducing communication costs remains one of the most common advantages of using social tools internally, and also externally, with partners. And whether or not their organizations use more sophisticated tools, respondents recognize the value of social technologies to improve communication. When asked about the critical features of the tools their companies use, executives most often identify real-time interactions and internal collaboration-two elements that define message-based platforms-followed by voice and video conversations.

Executives also report that in the past three years, social tools have increased employees' ability to communicate more freely and to self-organize with members of their teams. They even say that the nature of work is changing-that is, work is becoming more project based, rather than team or function based. These first two effects are felt relatively strongly at the companies using message-based platforms, where clear majorities of executives report more frequent communication and self-organization (Exhibit 6).

Looking ahead, respondents most often expect that these same three changes-broader communication, changing work, and self-organizing teams-will continue over the next three years.

The evolution of social technologies Read the article

Looking ahead

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Tools should follow-not lead-new ways of working. Most companies have begun adopting digital tools, including social technologies, or even transforming their businesses with digitization in mind. But a mistake that many make is choosing the tool first and then expecting change will follow. Any improvement via social tools must begin with people changing the way they work first, then using the tool that fits best. Agile ways of working (such as cross-functional teams, scrums, or innovation hubs that are apart from company hierarchy), as well as user-centric approaches to product development, require the greater collaboration provided by the message-based platforms. And the more that message-based platforms are integrated into business processes and systems, the more critical they will be. But these tools will only ever enable organizational change, not fundamentally change the way organizations work on their own. Companies would do well to think first about the broader, holistic changes they want to make and then decide how social and digital technologies can play a supporting role.

About the author(s)
The contributors to the development and analysis of this survey include Jacques Bughin, a director of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in McKinsey's Brussels office; Michael Chui, an MGI partner in the San Francisco office; and Martin Harrysson and Shannon Lijek, a partner and associate partner, respectively, in the Silicon Valley office.

Survey - McKinsey Global Institute

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Advanced social technologies and the future of collaboration

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The next generation of social technologies is beginning to transform the way people communicate and work with each other, according to a new survey. After nearly a decade of research on the business uses of social technologies, executives say these tools are more integrated into their organizations' work than ever before-and that the most sophisticated of these tools, message-based platforms, are gaining traction.

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I love sharing with students situations where someone they think is important/famous has failed because we all need a reminder to continue to work for something we want!

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Vi Hart has a whole series that is called "Doodling in Math Class" that is about, well, doing that because math class is so boring. I use her videos in class to show that math isn't something that exists only to torment learners, but that can open the world up to new and exciting things. I often get kiddos watching her videos at home and then teaching me something new. This year, we also created a rotating learning model in my grade, where I would "teach" this lesson to other classes and my students would get to learn from another team member. It took some convincing but the rest of the team loved it.

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Hooraaaay flexagons! Happy October. Here's part 2: http://youtu.be/paQ10POrZh8 Hexaflexagon Safety Guide: http://youtu.be/AmN0YyaTD60 Historical Note: This video is based on a true story. Arthur H. Stone really did invent the hexaflexagon after playing with the paper strips he'd cut off his too-wide British paper, and really did start a flexagon committee (which we'll hear more about in the next video).

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Struggle for Smarts? from NPR (+TAbbott)

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Struggle for Smarts? from NPR (+TAbbott)

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I always hesitate when reading something that broadly compares education in one context or country to another, but I still find this piece an interesting through-provoker. Reminding us that all work and struggle deserves to be highlighted.

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In 1979, when Jim Stigler was still a graduate student at the University of Michigan, he went to Japan to research teaching methods and found himself sitting in the back row of a crowded fourth-grade math class.

"The teacher was trying to teach the class how to draw three-dimensional cubes on paper," Stigler explains, "and one kid was just totally having trouble with it. His cube looked all cockeyed, so the teacher said to him, 'Why don't you go put yours on the board?' So right there I thought, 'That's interesting! He took the one who can't do it and told him to go and put it on the board.' "

Stigler knew that in American classrooms, it was usually the best kid in the class who was invited to the board. And so he watched with interest as the Japanese student dutifully came to the board and started drawing, but still couldn't complete the cube. Every few minutes, the teacher would ask the rest of the class whether the kid had gotten it right, and the class would look up from their work, and shake their heads no. And as the period progressed, Stigler noticed that he - Stigler - was getting more and more anxious.

"I realized that I was sitting there starting to perspire," he says, "because I was really empathizing with this kid. I thought, 'This kid is going to break into tears!' "

But the kid didn't break into tears. Stigler says the child continued to draw his cube with equanimity. "And at the end of the class, he did make his cube look right! And the teacher said to the class, 'How does that look, class?' And they all looked up and said, 'He did it!' And they broke into applause." The kid smiled a huge smile and sat down, clearly proud of himself.

Stigler is now a professor of psychology at UCLA who studies teaching and learning around the world, and he says it was this small experience that first got him thinking about how differently East and West approach the experience of intellectual struggle.

"I think that from very early ages we [in America] see struggle as an indicator that you're just not very smart," Stigler says. "It's a sign of low ability - people who are smart don't struggle, they just naturally get it, that's our folk theory. Whereas in Asian cultures they tend to see struggle more as an opportunity."

In Eastern cultures, Stigler says, it's just assumed that struggle is a predictable part of the learning process. Everyone is expected to struggle in the process of learning, and so struggling becomes a chance to show that you, the student, have what it takes emotionally to resolve the problem by persisting through that struggle.

"They've taught them that suffering can be a good thing," Stigler says. "I mean it sounds bad, but I think that's what they've taught them."

Granting that there is a lot of cultural diversity within East and West and it's possible to point to counterexamples in each, Stigler still sums up the difference this way: For the most part in American culture, intellectual struggle in schoolchildren is seen as an indicator of weakness, while in Eastern cultures it is not only tolerated but is often used to measure emotional strength.

It's a small difference in approach that Stigler believes has some very big implications.
'Struggle'

Stigler is not the first psychologist to notice the difference in how East and West approach the experience of intellectual struggle.

Jin Li is a professor at Brown University who, like Stigler, compares the learning beliefs of Asian and U.S. children. She says that to understand why these two cultures view struggle so differently, it's good to step back and examine how they think about where academic excellence comes from.

For the past decade or so, Li has been recording conversations between American mothers and their children, and Taiwanese mothers and their children. Li then analyzes those conversations to see how the mothers talk to the children about school.

She shared with me one conversation that she had recorded between an American mother and her 8-year-old son.

The mother and the son are discussing books. The son, though young, is a great student who loves to learn. He tells his mother that he and his friends talk about books even during recess, and she responds with this:

Mother: Do you know that's what smart people do, smart grown-ups?

Child: I know ... talk about books.

Mother: Yeah. So that's a pretty smart thing to do to talk about a book.

Child: Hmmm mmmm.

It's a small exchange - a moment. But Li says, this drop of conversation contains a world of cultural assumptions and beliefs.

Essentially, the American mother is communicating to her son that the cause of his success in school is his intelligence. He's smart - which, Li says, is a common American view.

"The idea of intelligence is believed in the West as a cause," Li explains. "She is telling him that there is something in him, in his mind, that enables him to do what he does."

But in many Asian cultures, Li says, academic excellence isn't linked with intelligence in the same way. "It resides in what they do, but not who they are, what they're born with," she says.

She shares another conversation, this time between a Taiwanese mother and her 9-year-old son. They are talking about the piano - the boy won first place in a competition, and the mother is explaining to him why.

"You practiced and practiced with lots of energy," she tells him. "It got really hard, but you made a great effort. You insisted on practicing yourself."

"So the focus is on the process of persisting through it despite the challenges, not giving up, and that's what leads to success," Li says.

All of this matters because the way you conceptualize the act of struggling with something profoundly affects your actual behavior.

Obviously if struggle indicates weakness - a lack of intelligence - it makes you feel bad, and so you're less likely to put up with it. But if struggle indicates strength - an ability to face down the challenges that inevitably occur when you are trying to learn something - you're more willing to accept it.

And Stigler feels in the real world it is easy to see the consequences of these different interpretations of struggle.

"We did a study many years ago with first-grade students," he tells me. "We decided to go out and give the students an impossible math problem to work on, and then we would measure how long they worked on it before they gave up."

The American students "worked on it less than 30 seconds on average and then they basically looked at us and said, 'We haven't had this,' " he says.

But the Japanese students worked for the entire hour on the impossible problem. "And finally we had to stop the session because the hour was up. And then we had to debrief them and say, 'Oh, that was not a possible problem; that was an impossible problem!' and they looked at us like, 'What kind of animals are we?' " Stigler recalls.

"Think about that [kind of behavior] spread over a lifetime," he says. "That's a big difference."
Not East Versus West
This is not to imply that the Eastern way of interpreting struggle - or anything else - is better than the Western way, or vice versa. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which both sides know. Westerns tend to worry that their kids won't be able to compete against Asian kids who excel in many areas but especially in math and science. Li says that educators from Asian countries have their own set of worries.

" 'Our children are not creative. Our children do not have individuality. They're just robots.' You hear the educators from Asian countries express that concern, a lot," she notes.

So, is it possible for one culture to adopt the beliefs of another culture if they see that culture producing better results?

Both Stigler and Li think that changing culture is hard, but that it's possible to think differently in ways that can help. "Could we change our views of learning and place more emphasis on struggle?" Stigler asks. "Yeah."

For example, Stigler says, in the Japanese classrooms that he's studied, teachers consciously design tasks that are slightly beyond the capabilities of the students they teach, so the students can actually experience struggling with something just outside their reach. Then, once the task is mastered, the teachers actively point out that the student was able to accomplish it through hard work and struggle.

"And I just think that especially in schools, we don't create enough of those experiences, and then we don't point them out clearly enough."

But we can, Stigler says.

In the meantime, he and the other psychologists doing this work say there are more differences to map - differences that allow both cultures to more clearly see who they are.

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Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning

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In 1979, when Jim Stigler was still a graduate student at the University of Michigan, he went to Japan to research teaching methods and found himself sitting in the back row of a crowded fourth-grade math class.

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I follow this @social_studies_success on
Instagram and love the innovation here.  Not always involving technology,  but innovated just the same. Many ideas can be adapted to other units/subjects as well.

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While this is on, maybe, a lower level of innovation, when I first saw Robert's site presented/introduced at a conference, I immediately added it to the Professional Development Google Classroom I created for my staff and made a point of meeting with my team member that teaches math, as she still does not use the technology available to her (self admittedly).  The idea of using real world problems to teach math and the various concepts are more relevant to students.  The other part I love about Robert's site is the fact the he has taken the time to offer ideas and lessons to all grade levels.

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I train mathematics educators who want their students to be better problem solvers.

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Teaching our students to think inside the box means that sometimes they need to fly inside the box. Designing and building flying robots is one of our classes at UMA and this TED Talk is a great example of what can be done for flying inside the box.

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Vijay Kumar: The future of flying robots

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At his lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Vijay Kumar and his team have created autonomous aerial robots inspired by honeybees. Their latest breakthrough: Precision Farming, in which swarms of robots map, reconstruct and analyze every plant and piece of fruit in an orchard, providing vital information to farmers that can help improve yields and make water management smarter.

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AMLE- Moving into Action: Middle Level Learners as Change Agents (+DChurchill)

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AMLE- Moving into Action: Middle Level Learners as Change Agents (+DChurchill)

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Great article on how project based learning can harness student passion, offer voice and choice while empowering students to innovate solutions for authentic problems.

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AMLE - Association for Middle Level Education

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"Students in the middle grades ... have the ability to perceive deep truths and are making decisions that will affect the way they live the rest of their lives. This transitional time between childhood and adulthood is the prime time to introduce students to important concepts, such as the need to seek social justice."
(Gerstung, 2013)

At the La Crosse Design Institute (LDI) during the 2015-16 school year, students engaged in trimester- long, cross-curricular projects:

A sixth grader passionate about animal causes gave back to the community by organizing and leading a year-long fundraising campaign for the local Humane Society.

Sixth and seventh graders planned and led professional development on racism, sexism, and LGBT issues to university students and faculty.

Two seventh graders designed, created, and sold duct tape wallets sending proceeds to support education equity initiatives in Mali, Africa.

Concerned over comments made by politicians, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders tackled metaphorical walls built up in society via the creation of their own social justice wall.

Why Do Projects Matter?

These projects were not part of an after-school initiative nor a unit that takes place once a year. Rather these projects are manifestations of a curriculum that honors student voice and student agency with a focus on middle level learners as change agents. This matters because, in an era of high stakes testing, the principal and advisors at LDI have not allowed accountability to stifle student creativity and voice. Instead, they have fostered a school culture of risk-taking and have found by providing their middle level learners with ownership over the curriculum, their students are aptly meeting accountability standards while engaged in projects of social significance.

Student Voice

"I have a million ideas for projects that it makes it hard to choose where to start. I love that there is choice, and it's mine. I get to study and do projects on what I am interested in, while I'm still in school. I don't study some historical event just to study it. I figure out how it relates to me, to my life today."
Tami, 7th grade

In their 1999 book Curriculum Integration: Twenty Questions - With Answers, Gert Nesin and John Lounsbury reminded educators that when young adolescents are asked about their concerns and given voice in curricular decisions they take this charge with a robust level of seriousness leading to curricular themes grounded in social significance. Middle level guru Chris Stevenson (2004) has stressed that responsive middle level teaching involves thoughtful consideration of the developmental and learning needs of the young adolescent, needs that require an aggregate, integrated understanding of how curriculum themes address their personal and social concerns. Further, curriculum integration scholar James Beane encourages middle level teachers to ask questions such as "Do young people have a say in what happens in the classroom? Does the curriculum include space to learn about and work on personal and social issues both in and outside of school?"

Being mindful of the recommendations of Nesin, Lounsbury, Stevenson, and Beane, the advisors and principal at LDI have committed to providing their students with "curricular voice," and what has emerged is high-quality projects where students demonstrate their knowledge of content in an integrated fashion, and, as one might predict, their projects largely center on social justice issues.

At LDI, the curriculum is based on the questions and interests of the students. Oftentimes, these questions and interests are grounded in issues of equity, access, and power. As the students explore these questions and interests, they interface with knowledge across content areas, address varied curriculum standards, and often collaborate with members of the community to develop and create prodigious projects.

Student as Change Agent

"The Humane Society has helped us with our animals when they have gotten lost. I wanted to give back. Many people give to others, and their gifts are not always appreciated. I wanted to let the Humane Society know that I DID appreciate their help."
Erin, 6th grade

Students innately want to make a difference in society. As Eric Gutstein says in his 2006 book Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics, becoming a change agent is "a developmental process of beginning to see oneself capable of making change." Change agency is a belief that grows gradually; it is not like a light bulb that is suddenly turned on. Many social justice educators who desire to assist their students in change agency draw from the work of Paulo Freire (1970) who discusses the consciousness-raising needed for students to critically analyze societal inequities. This analysis often begins in the form of critical questioning.

The advisors at LDI guide their students toward enacting change by helping them recognize their agency through questioning society. This mentality is fostered at the onset of the school year as students are asked to identify a need in society and develop an action plan to address this need. After ample research followed by critical questioning of potential barriers to change (e.g., societal structures, finances, or policy) students identify a means by which they can contribute. As the students delve into projects centered on their interests, tangible outcomes begin to surface in the form of letter-writing to organizations or government officials, public speaking to bring awareness, volunteerism for an organization, or donations garnered by students through their projects.

For example, questioning the equity of education around the world, Layla (seventh grade) found an organization called Save the Children, which supports the education, health, and safety of children around the world. As a project, Layla focused her efforts on learning about the work of Save the Children in Mali, Africa, with the intent to raise money for the organization. By developing a small business, Layla fashioned and sold duct tape wallets, and donated her profits to her chosen organization. This example highlights how Layla's voice and choice in her project led her toward change agency at a global level while simultaneously meeting content standards in math, social studies, English language arts, technology, and art.

The Importance of School Culture

"In an era of standards-based accountability, affording students the opportunity to have voice into their curriculum and explore controversial issues can be scary for both teachers and principals. However, students can address state standards and meet proficiency measures on statewide assessments while engaged in a curriculum grounded in both their interests and social justice."
Dr. Reedy, LDI Principal

The advisors at LDI, along with administration, regard their work with middle level learners to be one of privilege. They recognize they must work with their students to develop curriculum that addresses their interests and supports their desire to impact the world. This critical work grounded in social justice flourishes due to the supportive school culture established, in large part, by the collaborative efforts of teachers and administration.

The school culture at LDI supports middle level learners as change agents with a collective expectation that all members of the LDI community embrace creativity, innovation, and iteration of failure. This belief system frees both students and teachers to seek out personalized learning opportunities, which often come in the form of what is most meaningful to middle level learners-social justice issues.

Steeped in the work of Deal and Peterson (1999) from their book Shaping School Culture, administrators at LDI recognize the role they play as the cultural leaders of the school. Because of this they continually communicate the importance of centering the curriculum around student voice and agency.

Further, the students at LDI appreciate the culture of risk-taking and having control over their learning. Dave (eighth grade) shared the following, "My principal and teachers support me to take risks and ask questions. This makes me want to keep learning." Roquelle (seventh grade) added, "Learning isn't passive at LDI. We decide what we learn and have to justify how our projects meet curriculum standards. Having this much control can be stressful, but we are encouraged to take risks and not penalized for false starts."

Concluding Thoughts

The work of the advisors and principal at LDI is a testament to how students can meet curriculum standards and demonstrate proficiency in state accountability measures while simultaneously having voice into a curriculum grounded in issues of social significance. As Darion (eighth grade) sums up, "I want to make a difference in the world. Why should I wait to be an adult to make this difference? Why can't I start making a difference now? Shouldn't school and my teachers help me learn how to do this? Shouldn't we learn in school what will help us be better people and citizens? This is what I'm practicing at LDI."

Dr. Maggie McHugh is a teacher/advisor at La Crosse Design Institute (LDI).
mmchugh@lacrossesd.org

Dr. Penny Reddy is the principal of LDI as well as Longfellow Middle School and 7Rivers Community High School.
preedy@lacrossesd.org

Dr. Ann Yehle is an assistant professor at UW-La Crosse.
ayehle@uwlax.edu

About the La Crosse Design Institute
The La Crosse Design Institute (LDI) is an instrumentality charter school serving students in grades 6, 7, and 8. As an instrumentality charter school, LDI is an "instrument" of their larger school district versus an independent or private charter. Operating for five years, the three advisors (i.e., teachers) at LDI serve approximately 60 students with a wide range of strengths and areas for growth. With that, LDI is an inclusive school meaning students who benefit from special education services, as well as students who are considered high performing, learn in concert with one another. Students at LDI are engaged in authentic, project-based learning with a strong focus on using community resources to support their academic growth. The curriculum design at LDI is marked by integration similar to what Beane (1997) describes inCurriculum Integration: Designing the Core of Democratic Education. Published inAMLE Magazine, August 2017.

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Moving into Action: Middle Level Learners as Change Agents

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"Students in the middle grades … have the ability to perceive deep truths and are making decisions that will affect the way they live the rest of their lives. This transitional time between childhood and adulthood is the prime time to introduce students to important concepts, such as the need to seek social justice."

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Nurturing the Innovator's Mindset in the Classroom from Edutopia (+SConnors)

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Nurturing the Innovator's Mindset in the Classroom from Edutopia (+SConnors)

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I always look for specific ideas to help me get started when learning something new. It gives me a place to start so I can expand my own ideas that meet my learners' needs. This article spoke to me for that reason.

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Galileo Learning's California-based programs have been developing K-8 innovators for the past 13 years. This summer, more than 20,000 kids worked with 1,300 educators to build go-karts, print 3-D projects, program Java to modify Minecraft, paint Italian frescoes, engineer bridges, and design fashion lines.

One thing that we always come up against, and I'm guessing it will sound familiar, is that students are often reluctant to engage in creative work because they fear making mistakes and are overwhelmed by open-ended design challenges. They can also be quick to give up when they experience a setback.

To counter this, we identified a set of attributes required for innovation, and we call them the Galileo Innovator's Mindset:

These attributes are prominently visible in every one of our classrooms. But the words are just the starting point. Dozens of practices and rituals come together to make our culture of creativity and innovation real for students. We find that, after just a few weeks in this setting, students are willing to imagine new possibilities, take risks, build off each other's ideas, and keep going until they reach their goals.

8 Strategies for Teaching Innovation

Many Galileo teachers have taken this framework back to their schools and have incorporated it into their teaching, which we believe is something that can work for you, too.

Your first step is to place the five elements of the mindset (or your own version) prominently on your classroom wall. Simply naming these attributes and teaching your students what they mean will emphasize that your goal is bigger than imparting knowledge. You're making a statement that you see your students as people who have the power to chart their own course, rather than being victims of circumstance.

Next, make it real by adopting practices and rituals that reinforce the Innovator's Mindset:

1. Assign meaningful projects with multiple drafts or iterations.

When students have the experience of trying something multiple times before ultimately succeeding (and then comparing the first draft to the final product), they learn to embrace the power of failure in the creation process and are more willing to try new things and stay determined.

2. Highlight a Mindset of the Week.

Reference the mindset element when discussing that week's assignment, and describe how students might practice the mindset in context. Throughout the week, ask students to share times when they (or others) exhibit the mindset, and facilitate peer recognition. Make time for a wrap-up discussion where students can reflect on how applying their Mindset of the Week impacted their work and their experience.

3. Use the "Two Stars and a Wish" feedback tool.

Build reflection time into your class time. With the Two Stars and a Wish exercise, ask students to share two things they appreciate about a peer's project, and one idea they have for improvement. This builds the ability to give and receive feedback, supports critical thinking, and creates a collaborative learning environment.

4. Celebrate failure with a "Marvelous Mistakes" wall.

When something doesn't work in a student's design, have them jot it down on a post-it and put it on the wall. Have them include a sentence describing how the mistake is informing the next phase of the work. Lead your students in applause (or another ritual) whenever the wall is used.

5. Engage in reflective conversations with your students about their work.

What was your vision? What was most challenging? What is and isn't working in your first attempt? What would you do if you had more time or different resources? This practice supports learner agency and helps students think of themselves as actors and creators in the world.

6. Personify the mindset.

Make it real for students by sharing human stories from history and your students' communities that exemplify different elements of the mindset. Show that the mindset is important in and out of school.

7. Set the example.

We can all continually strengthen our Innovator's Mindset, so show students that you're willing to take risks, imagine new directions, and innovate in your classroom. Ask them for feedback and share your own struggles and learning with them.

8. Enlist parents.

Share with parents that you are emphasizing the Innovator's Mindset, and encourage them to do the same at home. Get students to self-evaluate against this mindset and then go over it at parent conferences.

It Starts Here

Creating a culture of creativity and innovation in your classroom is absolutely possible. But it's not something that happens on Tuesdays from 1-2PM. Look for ways each day to highlight the Innovator's Mindset, and you will change the way that your students see themselves and their role in society.

How do you teach your students to innovate?

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Nurturing the Innovator's Mindset in Your Classroom

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Galileo Learning's California-based programs have been developing K-8 innovators for the past 13 years. This summer, more than 20,000 kids worked with 1,300 educators to build go-karts, print 3-D projects, program Java to modify Minecraft, paint Italian frescoes, engineer bridges, and design fashion lines.

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Beginner's Guide to Integrating Technology Effectively from Twitter. (+SConnors) 

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Beginner's Guide to Integrating Technology Effectively from Twitter. (+SConnors) 

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From @ATorrens84 It can be overwhelming to think about incorporating technology into our curriculum. This is a great visual reminder of how to put it all together.

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Using popplet and an iPad in the classroom to create a graphic organizer (+SConnors)

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Using popplet and an iPad in the classroom to create a graphic organizer (+SConnors)

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George Couros encourages educators to share what they are doing with others (pg. 159). He says later in the same chapter (pg. 163), "The basics (developing the whole child) are at the core of learning in this approach, but they are only the beginning. Starting with the student in the center, the next focus is on the skills of literacy and numeracy." This tweet reminded me of both of those ideas. Ms. Wideen is gladly sharing innovative ideas that focus on literacy and science. This is a great example of how technology can transform what young learners can do in a classroom. I would love to see it taken a step farther with the ability for students to comment on each other's graphic organizers.

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This is a 5 min blast that inspires me when I am looking for change. For me Chris has got it all packaged here for me to come back to time and time again.

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Chris Lehmann -- The Schools We Need: A Remix from Ignite Philly 2

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Chris Lehmann, principal of the Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, was unable to present as planned at NCTE12. Instead, his Ignite from Ignite Philly 2, September 23, 2008, was used with his permission. Chris's original slides were inserted into the video for this presentation. Thanks to Ignite Philly for their cooperation.

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Cheatsheet to evaluate Educational Apps (+ M Larrabee)

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Cheatsheet to evaluate Educational Apps (+ M Larrabee)

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Just came across this resource in a daily blog post.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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A Handy Cheatsheet to Help Teachers Evaluate Educational Apps

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Sesame Street: Will.i.am Sings "What I Am" (+I Ayotte)

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Sesame Street: Will.i.am Sings "What I Am" (+I Ayotte)

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My students and I view this inspirational video whole class thru a mounted LCD. We dance or simply move to get oxygen flowing to the brain.  It reminds us to not give up (be resilient,)  to recognize our strengths, and embrace the growth mindset, not fixed mindset. LIke Couros,  my focus is "... every person moving forward, not that everyone reached the same point (Chapter 8.)

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Sesame Street: Will.i.am Sings "What I Am"

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John Green: The nerd's guide to learning everything online (+D Churchill)

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John Green: The nerd's guide to learning everything online (+D Churchill)

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This is an entertaining TED Talk in which John Green explains how the Internet, specifically YouTube, has opened a window for intellectual engagement and life long learning. He talks about not seeing the value of education until what he needed to learn became relevant and personal. I feel this speaks to the need for learner centered education.

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John Green: The nerd's guide to learning everything online

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Some of us learn best in the classroom, and some of us ... well, we don't. But we still love to learn -- we just need to find the way that works for us. In this charming, personal talk, author John Green shares the community of learning that he found in online video.

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Although this is an older article, Nov. 2012, the information is still pertinent to developing an innovative mindset. Miriam Clifford’s article examines how mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and should be used as tools to support problem solving and innovation.

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James Joyce affirms that geniuses not only accept mistakes as part of the learning process, but willingly seek them out as doors to self-discovery. In education, our perception of mistakes is important. It challenges conceptions of what defines success and failure.

The greatest mistake I ever made in my education was failing a physics course at Cornell. I opted to take an auto-tutorial class that did not require calculus because I was afraid to make math errors. Up until this point, I had never failed at anything. It was a turning point for me. I had to dispel prior notions of learning to succeed. I accepted that there would be many errors along the way. I relearned the basics I had previously memorized through difficult examples and repeated, detailed lab work.

If we see knowledge as just enough to "pass a course" then we miss the point of learning.

Changing the way we see errors and the time it takes to learn can help us produce better learning outcomes. It allows students to engage independently in the learning process.

Why are mistakes important to achieve engagement and learning?

We live in an age where we are a bit afraid to let children fail. Generation Y had 'helicopter' parents who were super involved in their children's upbringing. Support is a great thing. But over-involvement in a child's life can stagnate growth. The New York Times ran a recent article that considers how allowing children to make their own mistakes naturally, helps them develop a stronger sense of self. Research on parenting suggests that children with responsive parents who balance high expectations while respecting a child's sense of self fare better. Allowing age-appropriate mistakes can increase confidence and problem solving skills.

Educators can fall into the same trap as parents. We want to be responsive, but not overbearing. The goal of education, after all, is to have students solve problems independently. Students should be able to take a generalization and apply it to different situations. Mistakes are the basis of application. They allow for experimentation.

If we don't allow students to fail in the classroom we are setting them up for failure in the real world. If we see knowledge as just enough to "pass a course" then we miss the point of learning. Sure, students might get the 'right answers' on an exam but know little about solving problems. This is essentially what happened to me in Physics. I memorized the textbook because I realized I was not very inclined towards left brain thinking. Had I allowed myself to make more mistakes in my past learning, I would have probably fared better in college Physics. When it came to college, my memorization didn't help much-the gaps in knowledge produced a poor foundation for future success.

Taking time to engage in mistakes actually allows students to move to a deeper level of understanding. We can argue that this type of in depth learning influences their entire life, rather than knowing "just enough" to pass a course. One may question why more teachers don't incorporate this approach? Well, it is counterintuitive. Mistakes are costly in terms of time. And time is limited in classrooms. But if we see learning as a continuum based on the individual, rather than set principles we must achieve, it breaks down this reasoning.

Every person will learn differently and perhaps focus on different parts of a topic. If we see learning this way, allowing mistakes seems more logical.For example, I just talked to my daughter's first grade teacher about her reading skills. She is currently reading on the middle of the continuum-she may very well progress to level 2 or stay at her current level. Whatever her reading level is at the end of the year it is okay as long as she is challenged, because she has already mastered the basic skills of reading. There is no "set" level she must achieve each month. Learning is based on her individual progress. A continuum allows room for errors.

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Why do we avoid mistakes in our current model?

1. Our education system often punishes errors, rather than rewarding risk-taking. Schools were modeled in the Industrial Revolution to be efficient and reduce time spent on divergent thinking. After all, in a factory environment, divergent thinking might break down a process or the status quo. In today's global technology-based economy, we often want students to do the opposite-to find a way of improving a process or a way of seeing things differently.

2. Our grading system, on a scale of A-F follows with this approach of seeing failure and errors as a thing to be avoided. In some cases, perhaps failure is just that, a lack of understanding that needs to be corrected or lack of preparation. But mistakes on the way to mastery can be valuable learning opportunities. They solidify learning connections.

3. Mistakes require a time investment. We can teach the entire textbook, but if students can not apply knowledge to solve problems it is meaningless. We may want to focus less time on covering the entire scope of knowledge, and rather focus on real mastery. As the saying goes, learning that is mile wide, inch deep is not very useful. A student can go back and fill in the different topics if there understanding of a topic is deep enough to solve problems. Application of knowledge is more important than acquiring additional superficial knowledge-which is easy in today's day and age with technology.

4. Our current standards focus on topics that should be covered, in addition to skills. If we only focused on skills, teachers would have more time to go deeper into subject areas and allow students enough time to achieve mastery. Sometimes, teachers are racing against the calendar to make sure all required topics are covered by the end of the year. Less specific standards on a continuum might be more beneficial, rather than rigid requirements.

5. We define success as limiting the times we fail. Instead of focusing on complexity and mastery, we measure success as the number of times we avoiding making mistakes. On many exams, we are choosing the correct answer, rather than demonstrating we can solve a complex problem.
We try to reduce the time spend on trial and error. We don't think students will clearly understand a topic if they make errors. A better way would be to consider what errors students are making-and focus on how a student applies knowledge. Exams can focus on building information, rather than regurgitating it.

6. We focus more on lecturing and providing a foundation for knowledge. Lecturing can afford students with a basic understanding of a field, but when solving problems trial and error is necessary. For example, most homework is a problem set, or application of a lecture.

7. At times as educators we try to avoid assigning problems that are too challenging. We may not allow opportunities for blunders to occur. We are afraid that making too many mistakes might confuse students. But when we lose sight of mistakes, we may be missing exceptional learning opportunities.

8. Learning is teacher directed, rather than student-led. In the old model, learning often focuses on listening to the teacher lecture and then applying knowledge to specific situations. We might want to consider reversing the order of traditional learning: presenting a problem first and then letting students learn how to solve it. This type of reversed learning scenario allows opportunities for growth through trial and error.

Our current model often tries to curtail errors. We limit the time students spend in class figuring things out on their own.

Mistakes can be a very powerful learning tool. How we view mistakes can transform our classroom model. Our current model often tries to curtail errors. We limit the time students spend in class figuring things out on their own. We see learning time as a limited resource, rather than approaching learning as a continuum individual to each learner. We set standards that are the same across the board and allow little room for mistakes.

PART 2: Turning Mistakes Into Learning Opportunities

Today, if you asked me about my most memorable learning failures, I will tell you I am glad they happened. My errors have made me a better teacher and learner. I can now relate to students who have a difficult time understanding a concept. The failures themselves may not have been my strongest point, but what I learned from them was invaluable. Mistakes can be excellent learning opportunities.

It may seem contradictory: to create situations where students will make mistakes purposefully. We might allow extra time for class problem solving or focus on more challenging examples. Errors often result in increased knowledge. Controlling where and how these errors occur is an option. Frustration can result if no resolution and feedback are given after errors are made. A positive classroom environment that encourages students may also provide a good groundwork for allowing this type of learning.

How can we use learning errors to our advantage?

1. Instead of discouraging errors, educators should find ways to support individual learning processes. Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Standford studies motivation and found that rather than praising intelligence, educators should focus on encouraging students to think of their mind as flexible and support individual responsibility. Similarly, Jonah Lehrer, in "How we decide" talks about how educators suppress problem solving and may make students feel that mistakes are a sign of lesser intelligence. Lehrer suggests relying less on praise and allowing time for students to develop skills on their own. ". . . Instead of praising kids for trying hard, teachers typically praise them for their innate intelligence. . . . This type of encouragement actually backfires, since it leads students to see mistakes as signs of stupidity and not as the building blocks of knowledge."-Lehrer

2. Acceptmistakes as part of the learning process. Half the battle is realizing that errors can be used as learning tools. The other half is learning to use them correctly. Mistakes can work to our advantage. Some students resort to memorization, rather than risk making errors. But something is lost if education does not allow students time to try things on their own. Many teachers steer away from this model because mistakes take away valuable instructional time. But some new proponents argue there may be something wrong with this model. Perhaps we must reconsider why we aren't letting students make their own mistakes.

3. Achieving mastery should be the purpose of education. Professionals are essentially experts who after years of study have learned specifics in a field. But the process of learning a concept is just as important as the concept itself. Why? Mastery produces learning that is meaningful.

4. Use mistakes as part of a discovery process that engages students. Allowing time for individual exploration will create opportunities where failures may occur, but they can be used as a tool. In a recent talk, Noam Chomsky discussed how education should allow students to search, inquire and pursue topics that engage them. Chomsky believes that education should allow students to discover on their own. Education should prepare students to learn on their own in an open-ended way.
The Khan Academy is a great example of this. Their model focuses on students experimenting to achieve mastery. The Khan Academy is essentially a series of educational videos in math and other subjects. Their aim is to have a student be an expert before moving on to another subject. Using interactive exercises, teachers can gauge student understanding.

5. Focus on self-paced learning strategies whenever possible. Media can be used to incorporate self-paced learning in the classroom, where students complete lectures at home, and "homework" examples in school. This saves classroom time and switches the focus of learning to problem solving. Students learn general information at home and practice examples in class. Allowing students to make errors in the classroom, rather than at home is beneficial. At home, there is no teacher or at times, support may be absent to guide students who may give up and not ask a teacher the next day. Salman Khan compares achieving mastery through experimentation to learning to ride a bike. The gaps must be bridged before students can move on to the next skill. You cannot ride a bike without achieving balance first.

6. Use technology can turn errors into a teachable moment. Some teachers use student examples on the overhead or power point to show divergent thinking and how students might approach a problem differently. Actually showing mistakes during class (with their names to avoid embarrassment), can make students realize that they are an acceptable part of the learning process. Seeing another student's mistakes can also help bridge learning connections.

7. Use immediate feedback to reduce frustration. Bill Gates pointed out that the Khan academy relies on "motivation and feedback" of a learning process. Immediate feedback from mistakes in learning can actually be a powerful learning motivator. The teacher can serve as a resource that helps students find answers on their own.

8. Accept that learning is a messy process. When attempting one of his inventions, Thomas Edison once said, "I haven't failed; I have just found 10,000 ways that didn't work." If we want to encourage our students to achieve their ultimate best, we must acknowledge that learning is non-linear. Each learner will have preferences and inclinations. No two students are the same. By accepting this, we allow room for individual differences. By allowing students to make errors, they can better assimilate information to their needs and learning styles.

9. Rather than resorting to memorization, allow students time to practice in class. They may discover that their weaknesses are just different ways of approaching a subject. Rather than a weakness, their errors can be ways to realize that they are just seeing things differently. They are part of a greater learning process that is individual to each learner.

10. See learners as apprentices. An apprenticeship is a good way to understand how this model works. An apprentice works for years under a Master until he is ready to complete the task on his own. He is allowed to make mistakes, and even encouraged to do so. After learning the basic skills from the master, an apprentice is often required to design a complex project on their own that showcases their unique skills. Errors are considered part of the process of being an novice. The trainee eventually develops his own style and point of view. After many trials, the apprentice becomes the master.

As James Joyce suggests in Ulysses, a true genius sees all learning as an opportunity to improve and discover. Errors are taken at will. In making mistakes, we can reach new heights and finds our true genius.
While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. - Henry C. Link
Miriam Clifford holds a Masters in Teaching from City University and a Bachelor in Science from Cornell. She loves research and is passionate about education. She is a foodie and on her time off enjoys cooking and gardening. You can find her @miriamoclifford or Google+.

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The Value of Mistakes: Should It Matter How Long A Student Takes To Learn? - InformED

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James Joyce affirms that geniuses not only accept mistakes as part of the learning process, but willingly seek them out as doors to self-discovery. In education, our perception of mistakes is important. It challenges conceptions of what defines success and failure. The greatest mistake I ever made in my education was failing a physics course...

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Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover (+S Drake)

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Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover (+S Drake)

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I believe this Ted Talk by Dan Meyer is a true representation of what Couros meant by innovating within the box. Excellent example of how to adapt math textbook problems and use technology to create rich problem solving experiences.

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Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.

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The idea (adapted from Google's 20% Time) that four days a week everyone works on the curriculum they are expected to work on. The fifth day? Students are empowered to learn about (and produce something) that shows their passion. This would be so cool in a school setting, for teachers as well, imagine the creativity that could arise?

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A sample of York School 20time Projects from York School.

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The Tween Tribune, run through Smithsonian, is a resource that allows teachers to choose an article and modify it in several ways: 1. grade level 2. lexile level 3. Spanish or English. They have current world issues articles, science articles, etc. In this way, many disciplines can gain value by way of personalization for students in an ever growing PBE world.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

Get Smithsonian Educational Resources

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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I am not a grade school teacher, and maybe this concept is not just for a grade school teacher, but this is simple and I think would be effective.  We just have to adjust how we communicate with challenging students.  There is probably why a reason they are challenging. Relationships, relationships, relationships!

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Simple Way to Build Relationships With Students

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Building positive relationships might be the most important thing you can do as a teacher. In this teaching tip video I share a strategy I use to do just that. https://youtu.be/nXd_6T8PE28 👇👇👇👇👇 Subscribe here for more content: https://goo.gl/zGMxlT Click here for my most popular video!

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A MakerSpace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, collaborate, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. The possibilities are endless.

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All the Makerspace resources you could hope for (and more)

I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way. My hope is that you will consider this a go-to resource as you progress along your own Maker journey. No matter whether you're just getting started with makerspaces or are looking to grow your program, there's something here for you.

What is the Maker Movement?

The Maker Movement has been around for a lot longer than many of us realize. Really, the desire to make things with our hands has existed since the dawn of humanity and DIY culture has long played an important role. Make Magazine has been around since 2005 and the first Maker Faire was held in 2006. Check out the articles below for a great take on what the Maker Movement means for education.

Colleen Grave's first started a makerspace at Lamar Middle School and then when on to pilot a makerspace at Ryan High School. She shares all about her experiences, projects her students are making and has gathered substantial resource lists as well. Her blog is seriously awesome. (Of course, I'm biased because we wrote a book together)

Laura Fleming's blog about her library and makerspace at New Milford High School. One of the pioneers of the school library makerspace movement, Laura has shared many amazing resources (and she has an awesome book too!)

Andy Plemmons' blog; in addition to being an all-around awesome librarian, Andy does an amazing job of bringing making into Barrow Elemenntary School. He collaborates with the University of Georgia and often brings the makerspace into his curriculum collaborations with teachers. He's also amazing at fundraising and creating big, school-wide projects.

Krissy runs an amazing makerspace called the Launch Pad at her elementary school, and she is an fantastic advocate for creativity. She also creates gorgeous posters (many with maker themes) that she makes freely available on her site and she founded the #elemaker hashtag. Did I mention that her job title is Innovation Coordinator?

Gwyneth Jones is an all around awesome librarian who shares resources relentlessly on her blog. She started a makerspace in her library recently and has taken a balanced approach, starting with a few affordable centers. She also makes amazing posters and graphics and offers them for FREE on her blog.

Robert Pronovost's blog about Ravenswood Elementary Makerspace. He's documented his space since he created it and offers some great advice on procedures. Definitely an excellent example of a successful elementary space.

Blog run by public librarians who work with young adults. The write about all things YA and have quite a few posts on makerspaces and maker programs.

Blog that focuses on libraries and artists working together. More of a public library and museum focus.

The people who started it all - there's amazing project inspiration and ideas on here, as well as lots of free resources.

Co-written by me, Colleen Graves and Aaron Graves, this book is packed full of lots of practical information and real-life examples of using design challenges in makerspaces. We cover everything from building a maker culture and setting up the physical space of your makerspace to organizing global collaborations and sharing your projects through Maker Fests. We go into detail about creating design challenge prompts that can inspire your makers. The book has sections specifically focused on elementary and secondary curriculum connections and we feature interviews with a ton of amazing maker educators at all grade levels.

Available from Amazon and other book sellers now!

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I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way.

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Adam Grant TED Talk - The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers (A LaCroix)

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Adam Grant TED Talk - The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers (A LaCroix)

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Adam Grant talks about surprising habits that people have when they are thinking originally, and how we can try out some of these habits to improve our thinking! He discusses how original thinkers aren't first, feel fear and doubt, look for better options, and more! Some of the ideas are counterintuitive to what we would expect from innovators!

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The surprising habits of original thinkers | Adam Grant

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I was moved beyond words when I watched Adora Svitak's TED talk some years ago.  Last summer she posted on the TED blog about Ted-Ed Clubs, urging kids to start or join one at their schools.  That stuck with me all through the past school year, as I debated how that would work in my middle school.  I never did go beyond that, but promised myself I would revisit the idea again for the upcoming school year.  There is so much truth in her words, and merit to the idea.

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If you watch my TED Talk from 2010, you might see a confident 12-year-old, cracking jokes and striding around the stage in glasses that keep sliding down her nose. You won't see me going home and crying, or starting every page in my journal with four words: "I feel sad today."

I divided my life into two parts: my tear-stained journal versus my well-practiced speeches. A space to be vulnerable with others, for the larger purpose of sharing ideas? I didn't have that in my high school.

When I was 12, TED-Ed Clubs didn't exist - but today they provide students with a place to bat around ideas without judgment. Through a series of 13 meetings, TED-Ed Clubs support students in writing and giving short, TED-style talks. TED-Ed Clubs teach students presentation literacy - whether public speaking is something that comes naturally or outside their comfort zone.

If you asked me or my friends to sum up our high school experience in a word, we might have said "competitive." While parents peered hawk-eyed at transcripts, students pulled all-nighters and posted on Facebook about acceptances to Ivy League colleges. In discussions in high school, there was a finite amount of time and thus a finite number of "points" to be earned for speaking up. This setup led to a desperate crush of raised hands among those who wanted A's - and a silent half of the room, filled with kids who had given up on speaking up. We learned to write about "safe" topics in our essays and college applications, because the cost of taking risks seemed too high. In clubs like Model UN and Speech & Debate, we always tried to win - to beat somebody else.

TED-Ed Clubs aren't about that. By exposing members to great talks on subjects of deep personal relevance, TED-Ed Clubs shine a light on old problems that need fresh perspectives. They create a strong, supportive community of students around the world, and truly celebrate student's ideas.

As a TED-Ed summer intern, I've watched TED-Ed Club talks on everything from human-animal grafting to bullying. There's a glimmer of recognition when I watch some of these videos. Whenever a student chooses to reveal a hidden part of themselves, I'm reminded of a moment at 15 when I finally chose to speak up about the two years of sadness chronicled in my journal. In the days, hours and minutes leading up to this talk, I found myself plagued with self-doubt. I considered backing out and giving a "safer" speech. But I realized that this was the talk I needed to give. It marked the first time I hugged a friend for moral support before darting on-stage, the first time I was scared to look into audience members' faces as I spoke, the first time I cried because of a standing ovation.

Sometimes it's easy to discount the value of a story. I was recently asked in an interview, "What achievement are you most proud of?"

I stumbled for a second as I tried to answer. I briefly wondered: is giving a talk really an achievement? But then I remembered Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's famous "Just Words" speech during his election campaign. He said in response to an opponent:

"Her dismissive point ... is [that] all I have to offer is words. Just words. 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal' - just words. Just words. 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.' Just words. 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Just words. 'I have a dream.' Just words."

It took me years, both of speaking and of silence, to realize that the worth of my talks didn't come from some line item on my resumé or flashy slides, but from the authenticity of my story. Start or join a TED-Ed Club, and you won't have your achievements memorialized with plaques or monetary rewards. But you will most definitely get, and give, "just words" - the kinds of words that bare your soul and earn you unconditional acceptance from your audience. The kinds of words that give you the power to change someone's mind, introduce a new idea and affect their life, as subtly as flowing water shapes stones.

Shouldn't every teenager have that experience?
More than 10,000 students are now sharing their ideas in TED-Ed Clubs. Interested in starting one at your school? Find out more "

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Advice from a young TED speaker: Start a TED-Ed Club at your school

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If you watch my TED Talk from 2010, you might see a confident 12-year-old, cracking jokes and striding around the stage in glasses that keep sliding down her nose. You won't see me going home and crying, or starting every page in my journal with four words: "I feel sad today."

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Mr. C's Teaching with Technology (+ M Larrabee)

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Mr. C's Teaching with Technology (+ M Larrabee)

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If anyone has had the pleasure of taking a class with Billy Corcoran, I am sure you will agree that what he does in his classroom is both innovative and inspiring. I have always loved creating video in the classroom and Billy has inspired some of my projects. His take on flexible learning environments is worth a look!

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(K Ventrella)
I love reading about educators' experiences with alternative seating in the classroom. Alternative seating enables students to have a choice in their learning environment. Structuring the classroom to promote collaboration between learners is also possible with alternative seating.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Be A Real-Life Citizen Scientist/Historian:  Finding A Student's Passion (+A Beiermeister

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Be A Real-Life Citizen Scientist/Historian:  Finding A Student's Passion (+A Beiermeister

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Zooniverse.org allows students to be an actual part of a current, real world project. Do your students like seals? Count them on satellite pictures and contribute to the Weddell Seal Project? Love giraffes? Count, identify and track them with the Wildlife Kenya Project. Tomorrow, save them.  Love history? Transcribe Civil War Memos or annotate and tag WWI War diaries! I think the possibilities with these real world scenarios is endless, amazing and within the box of what we can do to empower our students!

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Breakout experiences provide engaging opportunities for students to think together, collaborate, problem solve, communicate and "fail forward" ( love that wording!)

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Innovation is needed for the future(+ S Hoisington)

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Innovation is needed for the future(+ S Hoisington)

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I thought this video was an accurate assessment of how we need to prepare our students to be successful in the future.

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8 things to look for in Today's Classroom  (+ J Prince)

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8 things to look for in Today's Classroom  (+ J Prince)

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I love this graphic from Couros - helps me keep in mind ideas for innovation.

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Adventures of a Cardboard Box ( + J Prince

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Adventures of a Cardboard Box ( + J Prince

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I guess I have a thing for the potential of a cardboard box. Another video about how we might let kids play and invent.

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This short film tells the story of a boy who meets and befriends a large cardboard box, and was shot on a Nokia N8.

I hope you find it as much fun to watch as it was to make.

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I wonder a lot about what would happen if we allowed kids to have more time to invent in education. This video represents what I think might happen.