Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The Arrows Go Back and Forth #IMMOOC

Starting “The Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC this week (#IMMOOC), a lot of people are jumping into blogging, and many people are reluctant and nervous.  Rightfully so. It can be a daunting task.

But as you are doing it, think of this image created by my brother years ago:

Image by Alec Couros

Image by Alec Couros

Many people focus on the technologies on the outside.

Awesome.

Many people focus on the “teacher as learner” in the centre.

More awesome.

I always focus on the arrows.

Transformational.

If you notice something about the arrows, they go back and forth.  It is not only what you consume, but what you create.

Over the years, I have encouraged a lot of people to blog, and the ones that have stuck with it, I have seen grow tremendously.  But I also have grown from THEM blogging as well.  I know that every educator I interact with can make me a better educator, but I always ask, “where is your stuff?”  That “stuff”, is where many great ideas are not only shared, but are born, remixed, and shifted for someone else.

Transformational.

I was watching this very interesting documentary on the changing dynamics of the music industry recently titled “Artifact“, and it was powerful to watch how their industry was disrupted by technology, and how it has both had positive and negative repercussions.  Yet this quote (paraphrased) stuck out to me from one of the people interviewed:

“It’s easier than ever to make music and videos, but it’s harder than ever to beard with all the noise of the Internet.”

It stuck with me.  It is hard to get your blog post noticed by the masses when there is just so much out there.

But think of it this way…If one teacher reads your blog post and changes something for 20-25 students, that’s a pretty big impact.  That’s just if it makes an impact on only one.  What if it was 10?  100?  By no means would that be deemed “viral”, but what an impact it could make on schools today.

 

Think.

Reflect.

Share.

If you stick with it, I guarantee it will make an impact on at least one person. And if it is just one person, and they work with kids, the influence and inspiration will only spread.

Don’t think about only what you have to lose, but what you (and we) could possibly gain?



from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/2cy2dk7

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