So, this blog post marks the
conclusion of my reflection on, “The Innovator’s Mindset,” and I have to say
that overall, I think that this book has provided me with some really great
ideas and has helped me put into words some of the thoughts that I have concerning
education. That being said, I would like to offer some critique.
First, Couros is explicit in stating
that using technology isn’t synonymous with being innovative, however most of
the innovations that he gives as examples involve blogging, tweeting, or online
portfolios. Don’t get me wrong, I think that those are great pathways to
sharing successes and strengthening community involvement in your program, but
I also recognize that not all schools or members of the community have access
to internet or know how to participate on Twitter. I am specifically thinking
about the school that I will be student teaching at this spring and
conversations that I have had with my cooperating teacher.
Also, I know that a primary target
audience population were leaders in education such as school administrators,
and trying to help them see the importance of empowering teachers so that they
can empower students, but I found myself thinking many times that many
scenarios presented in this book seemed a bit utopic. I don’t want to say that
the ideas aren’t relevant, because they are great and I am excited to strive
for the ideals that Couros has and that I share, but at the same time I don’t want
to enter a new school with unrealistic expectations.
That being said, let me share with
you some great insights from the last part of the book. Chapter 11 is about
embracing an open culture, which emphasizes the importance of sharing and
competitive collaboration. So far in this journey to teacherhood I have been so
impressed by people’s willingness to share their time and resources with me
because they are passionate about their work and the students that enter not
only their classrooms, but all students. That to me is an amazing thing.
Another insight is how you can
involve the local community in what is going on in your classroom by
communicating via social media and encouraging students to share what they are
working on in with others. I know I just finished criticizing the reliance on
technology and social media, but I really do think that, where it is available
to the school and community members, social media is a great way to involve and
strengthen community ties with the school, teachers, and students.
In conclusion, I am excited to
teach! I am excited to try out some ideas that I will borrow from this book as
well as some others that I have gathered along the way.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. As you continue to explore blogging as form of reflection, here are a couple of tips:
1) Challenge yourself to incorporate other media (videos, links, pictures, etc)
2) Are you "growing an audience"? Consider sharing direct post links over social media