I will be honest, the reason for this is more than slightly selfish!
a) I want to set myself the challenge of committing to weekly blog writing (I find declaring things publicly helps me to commit.
b) I want to help change NZ education, even if it's one classroom at a time!
Why am I doing this?
I have a messiah complex....thought I might as well say it before you think it. I actually do believe, I, you and any one individual can led cataclysmic change, so lets just get on a do it...and use it for good.
More seriously, I am doing this because I believe education needs to change, see my earlier post here about the why and how. I am also worried that we are all waiting for someone to tell us to do it, to push the big red MoE button, that will mean we have to change. I suspect if we wait for the that message and support to come officially, it will come too late.
I actually believe we have what we need to make the change. We all have a classroom, we all have students, we all have an awesome curriculum to guide us.
However you may of may not have technology or even the mindset yet - this would be preferable, but not a deal breaker.
And let's honest, it's more likely you are not in a shiny new 'modern learning environment' like me, but actually that doesn't matter at all (oh I know, easy to say from my ivory tower you say)! The whole point of this challenge is that it is about about developing a growth mindset (and possibly your own messiah mindset) about how you CAN turn your classroom, prefab, block, department into a thriving 'modern learning environment' that delivers a kick-ass future focused approach to teaching and learning....even if it is within the confine of a depressingly locked down year planner your boss gave you. BTW - I'm not saying you don't already, if you do, please share!
This is about taking back the power....for your learners.
So how will this work?
Every week I will posting a different idea for how you can "hack your classroom". I will be sharing some of the fabulous thinking going on here at HPSS and beyond (we certainly don't have the answers...but definitely have ace ideas!) and looking at how any teacher could be making the change in their classroom, and changing now.
I will be looking at topics such as:
- Developing a growth mindset
- Turning a growth mindset into a hacker one
- Getting to know your learners - hacker style
- Bringing design thinking into the classroom (I don't pretend to be an expert...you ca learn with me)
- Making every classroom a maker space
- Ideas for blending leaning without 1:1 devices (or even wifi)
- Intro to Universal Design for Learning for all (again. I don't pretend to be an expert...you ca learn with me)
- How to let you students co-construct a unit, a course, a task without your HOD kicking your butt!
- Tips for going free-range within the confines of a cage...
- and anything else you suggest...or takes my fancy along the way.
What do you need to do?
- Join in!
- Read, share, contribute of you like.
- Make suggestions.
- Maybe start a blog and share your experiences.
- Get a Hacker buddy - an in school one would be great...then you two could hatch a school wide plan...or even just a twitter buddy - there are plenty of those to be found at #edchatnz on a Thursday evening.
- Use the tag #hackyrclass in tweets and posts so we can all tag along #seewhatIdidthere Lame. Dad joke.
Most important is that you simply just do something and then share it. As I said, I don't pretend to be an expert, but I am however an enthusiast, and I am keen to share my enthusiasm with as many people as possible. As my lovely boss Maurie Abraham said the other day - negativity and positivity is highly infectious, which one do you want to spread.
Easy.
Positivity.
If you want to join in, please do. Because, remember it only takes two to start a movement...
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