What is Learning and Innovation?

Innovative learning includes critical thinking and problem solving, communications and collaboration, and creativity and innovation.

Innovative classrooms create, collaborate, encourage curiosity, extend knowledge, delve into deeper understanding and really take learning anywhere around the world!

The following you will see in this video are my goals for my future students.

“Critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaborations, and creativity and innovation are three top-drawer skill sets in our toolbox for learning, work, and life in the 21^st century” (Trilling & Fadel, p. 60).

I recently viewed a video by Sir Ken Robinson titled Bring on the Learning Revolution. During this video, he discusses that we are currently in the "fast food model of education." Just as that food depletes our bodies, so does our current education. We need to move from the industrial model of education to the agricultural model, where our children can flourish. Robinson compares teachers to that of a farmer; we need to create the condition in which they (students) can flourish. One point he made that I thought was very powerful is that "people develop their own solution with external support based on a personized curriculum." Technologies combined with extraordinary talents of teachers can provide opportunity to revolutionize education. This is vital to our future children. If you would like to view this video for further details, check out this link: http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/

I found a neat website, titled Mind the Gap.

As you move your mouse over various aspects, there are definitions. Some valid points made are "playing with ideas means putting logic aside for awhile. Asking the 'silly' question, doing the 'illogical' thing. Unfortunately we have mainly lost this ability as we moved out of childhood" and " without the ability to change, your company will not survive the next decade."

http://www.m1creativity.co.uk/tube/tube.htm

I wanted to get the general public's opinion about this topic, so I posed the question on the social network, Facebook. Someone said the following when asked "What is learning and innovation?" Lee says, "when achieving any task, you are learning new ways and techniques to help you do that task more efficiently, however you always run into obstacles, innovation then comes into play because the answers are not always known how to solve problems and its up to you to "think outside the box" to invent a solution and continue with your task."

“Creativity and innovation can be nurtured by learning environments that foster questioning, patience, openness to fresh ideas, high levels of trust, and learning from mistakes and failures” (Trilling & Fadel, p. 58). Daily instruction can include the use of the SmartBoards, webcams, Skype etc… We can learn with students half way across the world, we can have virtual pen-pals, we can blog our ideas on blogger. 21^st century learners learn by discussions, so having so many resources of social networking, not just in the classroom, can provide an opportunity of radiant education. They can search for information not only in books, magazines, and articles, but at Google and YouTube. They can talk with others on social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Skype.The range is infinite.

To help those at home, parents and children can explore their creativity at this website.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/creativity/

“What is possible when we change the design and delivery of traditional education for the children that teachers find hard to teach?” -Marie M. Clay Everything is possible.

I watched a short clip of Comedian Wanda Sykes. She refers to student’s brains as an etch-a-sketch. As students, we remember what we need to pass a test. Once the test is completed, what we memorized is erased. Watch this video, starting at 2:10-2:50. It sadly represents the type of learning we have created for our students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xRPnmvF2b8

Students are told what to know and remember. We, as human beings, are more likely to remember when it has meaning. We can generate meaning by doing things, making mistakes, trial and error, observations and by doing. However, remember while it is important that students use all of these resources of technology, they should also interact with teachers and peers.

"Knowledge is power"

Why are 21^st century skills important? Check out this video and see what you think?

“The illiterate of the 21^st Century are not those that cannot read or write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” (Alvin Toffler).