Creating Significant Learning Environments
See the full interactive map and related information at https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-top-export-in-every-country/
This is one case when a picture does say more than a thousand words. I am a big fan of infographics from visualcaptiliast.com and this is just one example of how powerful infographics can be.
Change Starts With You
Moving your organization forward or encouraging your colleagues to join you in implementing innovation or change is an ongoing and challenging process that includes multiple steps and continued effort. Most innovation initiatives start with a proposal.
Your innovation proposal should focus on your specific audience who may include, but may not be limited to, the administrators who will be affirming the completed innovation plan, your colleagues or peers you are hoping will be inspired to join you, and/or other stakeholders who have an interest in how the innovation will impact your learners.
Ideally, your innovation proposal should take the form of a 1-page letter because it will become part of your overall plan that you will be sharing with your audience.
The innovation proposal should address the “Why” or purpose of your innovation initiative which is expanded on with the following 5 key points:
Be prepared to revise and update as your ideas develop and your situation changes.
Letter Format Examples
Document Format Example – Depending on your audience and their expectations more detailed documentation may be required and the following example followed the format that was required by these student’s district. Remember, this proposal must be developed for your intended audience.
Innovation Proposal Planning Tips
Completed Innovation Plan – Looking Ahead
Your innovation plan will include the following
Examples of how the innovation proposal will fit into the final innovation plan:
Revised October 2021
Attending academic conferences is simply part of conducting and sharing research into improving the learning environment. Over the past few years, I have often used Zoom to join my colleague who has taken the time to travel to the conference. Most often we have simply added this virtual function to our presentations and since I have been working fully online since 1995 being brought in via some form of video-conferencing tools has been what I have been doing for over two decades. Quite often session the moderators are simply surprised by how easy it is to have someone join the session virtually.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic I was able to attend the SITE conference fully online via Zoom and did a presentation on the paper Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Factors that Contributed to ePortfolio Persistence Beyond the Program of Study. Other than a few minor glitches in getting their slides screen shared all of the academics in my session were able to present without any major problems. Yes, some will point to the fact that OLC and other organizations have offered a virtual attendance option for a couple of years now.
Makes one wonder if we will ever go back to the way that is was where we have to spends dozens of hours and hundreds or even thousands of dollars to present. Yes, there is the serendipity of large collaborative environment but as we are seeing with the lock down or stay in place situations there are other ways for us to communicate and collaborate. I have to admit I didn’t miss the 2 hour trip via bus, seabus, and then train to the airport. I didn’t miss the long lines and the hours of waiting to check in and get through security. I didn’t miss the jet lag or the cold that I always seem to catch from a sick passenger that I sat next to on the plane. I didn’t miss the taxi or shuttle bus ride to the hotel or conference center. This morning I logged onto the system 15 minutes early, ran a last minute test on my audio and video, and waited for the rest of the conference participate in my session to join. Everyone was on time, each session stayed within the allotted time, and the Q & A session was as good if not better then in many face2face sessions I have experienced. Yes, I do miss the chance meetings of colleagues I haven’t seen or simply experiencing the power of the crowd, but this morning presentation and session was much more efficient, less costly, and still a really good experience. To answer may own question at the start of this paragraph…I liked the virtual conference experience and I wouldn’t mind if we do not go back to the way that it was.
One more thing it is also easier to share my conference files online – go ahead and download a copy of the paper that we submitted and the slide deck I used this morning.
Enjoy!
I have been an avid reader from the time I learned how to read. In first grade, I read over 150 books and the next closest student read less than a dozen. I spent a lot of time in libraries over the years so books have been a big part of my life. Now with Kindle and Audible, I take my reading with me where everywhere I go and it has only gotten better. I often listen to a book a week and when you factor in all the other traditional reading I will read 60-80 books a year.
Over the past few years, I have been using Goodreads to track my reading but I am finding that I haven’t been as diligent in maintaining my book list as I should. I am often asked by students or other folks what books I would recommend and once I find out what they are really interested in learning I can point to an assortment of titles that I have read and can recommend.
The intention of the following list is to provide a place where I can point people to a book that they may find useful. I think the reason that I may not have started a list like this much earlier is that I always assumed that I should write a short annotation, review, or summary for each of the entries. I have decided to not do this because it would just take too long at this point. But, I do plan on doing a top 10 list for most of the categories at some point which would include a review or a minimum a detailed annotation. The books are separated into different categories and if the book is on this list I have read it (often more than once) and I recommend it. I will be adding the books on a regular basis and adding additional categories as necessary. For example, I haven’t included any of the books on parenting, theology, science, philosophy, and a few other areas—YET.
I haven’t ranked or rated the books in the categories below and for the most part, the most recent books I have read or reread are closer to the top of the list in each category. I must repeat I only put books on this list that I have read completely and would recommend. I have read so many more that obviously aren’t on this list.
Books on Learning
Books on Teaching, School, & the System of Education
Books on Curriculum & Instructional Design
Books on Leadership & Change
Books on Creativity
Books on Reading Writing, & Presenting
Books on Psychology & Behavior
Books on Self-Help and Personal Development, & Motivation
Books on Entrepreneurship & Marketing
Books on Health
Books on Sports Psychology & Performance
Books on Philosophy, History, General Wisdom
PLEASE NOTE: All of the hyperlinks are from the Amazon Associates program, and if you choose to buy the book through the links below I’ll get a small commission that I use to buy and read more books from Amazon and Audible. When you read as much as I do the cost of all these books does add up so please consider helping me feed my reading habit. If you want to buy the book, but don’t want to use the link, feel free to search for it on Amazon or Audible (or anywhere).
Books on Learning
Books on Teaching, School, & the System of Education
Books on Curriculum & Instructional Design
Books on Leadership & Change
Books on Creativity
Books on Reading Writing, & Presenting
Books on Psychology & Behavior
Books on Self-Help and Personal Development, & Motivation
Books on Health
Books for/on Entrepreneurs & Marketing
Books on Sports Psychology & Performance
Books on Philosophy, History, & General Wisdom
Revised on Jan 2024
Your innovation proposal should focus on your specific audience who may include, but may not be limited to, the administrators who will be affirming the completed innovation plan, your colleagues or peers you are hoping will be inspired to join you, and/or other stakeholders who have an interest in how the innovation will impact your learners.
Ideally, your innovation proposal should take the form of a 1-page letter because it will become part of your overall plan that you will be sharing with your audience.
The innovation proposal should address the following 5 key points:
Be prepared to revise and update as your ideas develop and your situation changes.
Letter Format Examples
https://stemtoolkit.weebly.com/project-proposal.html
https://www.teachingincolorwithmrsj.com/project07 (does not deal with programming or computational thinking but is still a really good example)
https://sharplibrarian.weebly.com/innovation-plan.html
https://tashiamossman.wixsite.com/tmossman/innovation-proposal
Document Format Example (Depending on your audience and their expectations a more detailed document may be required).
http://www.patricknreid.com/2016/09/05/ipad-educational-opportunities/
Innovation Proposal Planning Tips
Begin with the end in mind, 100k view, learning outcomes, be clear about your purpose
Understand that the proposal will change based on situations, personnel, circumstances
Be flexible, adaptable, and patient, rest assured that things will not go as planned
Collaborate with others–get others on board with your ideas, key influencers
Start with a pilot/trial/focus group, don’t extend too far too fast
Plan forward, but do not map every step; fail forward opportunities are automatically built into innovation planning
Consider how you will measure success; what will be happening and what will others be doing
Completed Innovation Plan – Looking Ahead
Your innovation plan will include the following
Examples of how the innovation proposal will fit into the final innovation plan:
https://www.teachingincolorwithmrsj.com/project07
http://www.patricknreid.com/ipadopportunities/
