Week 2: How can we keep our lessons engaging? Does innovation play a part in this?

I really enjoyed section 2 of TLP. He talks about a lot of things that I think are really important to remember.  When I think about how I've taught over the years, I realize the times I really used a lot of these engagement "hooks" were a. my first few years of teaching, b. the one year I taught elementary, and c. when I started teaching full technology-only classes.  I had a few years in there where I'd bust that stuff out once in awhile, but I'm sorry to say it wasn't something I attended to all the time.  I feel like the first 3 instances I listed were the times when my teaching was the most dynamic, and I remember feeling warmest toward my students during those times.  I'm quite sure there was a connection between the effort I was putting in to engagement, and how they were responding positively to it.

The one year I taught elementary (3rd grade) I actually did keep a checklist that I made sure to look at every time I planned a project.  It read, "Is it fun? Do they get to collaborate? Do they get to create? Is it beautiful?"  That was about 7 years ago, when I was really starting to get into technology integration, and my 3rd graders were my guinea pigs for a lot of new things I wanted to try in the classroom.  I was willing to take a lot of risks that year, as there were a lot of ideas in my head. I really wanted to know about teaching that way. I was inspired constantly by what I was reading, blogs I was following, my twitter feed, you name it. Luckily I was building a PLN with a lot of ed tech "innovators" - people who were already out there taking risks, and that was really making me think a lot.

I wish I could say that I've approached everything since then with the same daily enthusiasm I brought to my 3rd grade classroom that year, but I hate to admit I'm a little sporadic about it.  I've realized that when I go through periods of time where I'm not following my PLN, my creativity tends to dwindle, as I don't have that injection of inspiration coming at me all of the time.

Last year, a real shot in the arm came from a digital storytelling class I was taking.  It really helped to formalize a lot of ideas I'd been playing around with about ways to bring storytelling into the curriculum in a way that let students be creative, and take ownership of their learning.

I think it would be a good idea for me to take out that list again that I used when I taught 3rd grade - it's a good reminder.

Many of the ideas Dave Burgess emphasizes in Part II of TLP remind me of a post I read by blogger Scott McLeod awhile back called, "Things that AREN'T on the bubble tests".  Most of Burgess' ideas fall squarely on this list.

Resources:
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate: increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. San Diego, Calif.: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc..

Porter, B. (n.d.). Creative Educator - Digital Storytelling Across the Curriculum.Creative Educator - Articles, stories, and lessons for a creative approach to learning.. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v05

McLeod, S. (2011, November 21). Things that AREN’T on the bubble tests | @mcleod. Dangerously Irrelevant | @mcleod. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2011/11/things-that-arent-on-the-bubble-tests.html