My New Year's Resolution

2015 will be a year of creativity, exploration, and new beginnings in my lab.  Over the past couple of years  I have attended and participated in numerous workshops and courses, read books, articles, and blog posts recommended by colleagues, and many which I have just “stumbled upon.”  In my mind I was expanding my PLC and being a life long learner; qualities found in many educators.  As I was sitting listening to a keynote at ETT Boston it happened; my mind was blown!  Suddenly the final piece of the puzzle fell into place as the picture became evident and I knew what I had to do. I needed to put the learning in the hands of my students; allow them to determine what they want to learn about and how they plan on sharing their knowledge.   In 2015 students will be following their passions, using technology as a means to the end, choosing the tools, conducting the research, creating the end products, and sharing them with an authentic audience; creating solutions to real world problems, or finding answers to their questions (not mine), and making mistakes along the way.   It is both exciting and terrifying; as I am letting go of the weight and the control that has been holding me and them back.  My role will be to provide an environment conducive to nurturing innovators; allowing my students to move from consumers to contributors. This infographic sums it all up!  So ready the sails, the course is changing and my students will be at the helm!

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