tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post2918441993162528808..comments2024-03-28T04:13:42.906-04:00Comments on A Principal's Reflections: To Innovate or Not to InnovateEric Sheningerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733305358794643322noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-22061628499209512352017-11-20T21:04:15.335-05:002017-11-20T21:04:15.335-05:00I agree with the above...I believe that there shou...I agree with the above...I believe that there should always be a balance when innovating new ideas in learning organizations. It must make sense to how it would improve the outcomes. I don't believe that schools/organizations would move forward without believing it will improve it. I believe the estimate of how long it will take should always be doubled or tripled.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487595363706068978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-68321420343854744532017-09-30T09:42:34.757-04:002017-09-30T09:42:34.757-04:00I don't think either piece (Edutopia of mine) ...I don't think either piece (Edutopia of mine) was taking the stance of a just say no attitude. There as to be some sort of balance as to the number of new ideas and initiatives that a school or individual can successfully implement. The key word here is successfully. What makes something a truly innovative practice? My mantra as a principal was to say yes more than I said no. However, if I did say no it was for good reason to protect my staff (or myself) from taking on too much. Eric Sheningerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13733305358794643322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-45079390792777491982017-09-27T15:30:33.312-04:002017-09-27T15:30:33.312-04:00It's funny, but I always fall back to the basi...It's funny, but I always fall back to the basic principle of starting at the end goal when making decisions. Will adopting an innovative idea help my students get to our end goal? If the answer is yes, that it's almost always a worthwhile venture. If the answer is yes with significant struggle to justify the yes, then it's not worthwhile. So far, this litmus test has not let me (or more importantly, my students) down. Kate Gets Techiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18144015054704895779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-65398248998473424182017-09-26T17:06:07.342-04:002017-09-26T17:06:07.342-04:00I have heard some describe innovation as the inter...I have heard some describe innovation as the intersection of desirability, feasibility, and viability. See: http://bit.ly/2htvilo. I also recall years ago the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers for Technology (PT3) as part of the US Dept of Ed efforts, that in part looked at PD and innovative uses of technology. Unfortunately, some of those prior efforts, and even currently, do fall susceptible to the "Shiny Object Syndrome" where the eye candy (business/activity) supersedes an enhancement for learning, or innovation (change) is considered good because of a new administrator as they look to bring value and are not "into" embellishing existing efforts as part of the "Not Invented Here Syndrome." Many of these new learning management systems that promise "personalized learning" present visual graphics of student progress without providing potential reasons to teachers why they may be struggling, nor suggests strategies based on learning theory as to how to help students progress! I do like the notion of learning analytics/dashboards if empowered to this extent and learned a lot from the Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (LAK) hosted by Solar (https://solaresearch.org/).Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08711207208345958673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-12925830632403921472017-09-26T15:31:49.847-04:002017-09-26T15:31:49.847-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08711207208345958673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-65071153926559673012017-09-26T01:13:29.400-04:002017-09-26T01:13:29.400-04:00I believe that there should always be a balance wh...I believe that there should always be a balance when innovating new ideas in learning organizations. It must make sense to how it would improve the outcomes; it must be practical; and it must generate learning. However, innovation should always be allowed to make its suggestions. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10878137774815679288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-65013094899667948672017-09-24T22:06:34.022-04:002017-09-24T22:06:34.022-04:00I saw that Edutopia article and was hesitant to re...I saw that Edutopia article and was hesitant to read it. A just say no attitude can also be the thing that allows schools to continuing to do what they always have done. I see "saying no" as having potential to stifle teachers who are interested in attempting practices that may very well change instruction or student understanding in a positive way because of the fear of it not working "the first time." The innovators you mentioned may have been told "no" that's a terrible idea and we know the first light bulb that worked was not the first attempt to create light. <br /><br />As a leader, I strive to strike a balance between what we know is researched based and effective and supporting teachers in finding innovative ways to reach students. In a post I wrote title "Just Say Yes" talks about supporting teachers in these practices, creating a culture of risk takers and supporting children with the learning we know they need. <br /><br />I appreciate your posts as they always make me reflect on my learning. Thanks Eric. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14956201846680980660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-55271484725688713622017-09-24T16:30:11.001-04:002017-09-24T16:30:11.001-04:00Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have ...Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have updated accordingly. Eric Sheningerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13733305358794643322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-16182736743264484482017-09-24T12:20:04.667-04:002017-09-24T12:20:04.667-04:00Odd choices of innovators. The industrial revoluti...Odd choices of innovators. The industrial revolution took place between 1780-1830 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution well before Edison, Bell and Ford came on to the scene. The real innovators were people like Watt, Stephenson and Fulton. Stephen Downeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06140591903467372209noreply@blogger.com