#IMMOOC Post #1 - Why is innovation in education so crucial today?

It is round 3 for #IMMOOC, round 1 for me!

I started reading this book a few weeks back, and posted this as a #booksnap 


This really resonated with me - teachers need time to learn and grow and they need to feel like it is all hands on deck (as it should be).  Sometimes it feels like the time isn't there or not everyone is on board - and that can stifle the positive changes that could be happening.  

We were posed this question: Why is innovation in education so crucial today?

 So I thought... and I thought... and I thought.  I have a thousand buzz words going around in my head, and yet nothing sticks to the answer of that question.  So I started thinking about changes and new experiences in my own life. 

I went to my first NCAA Women's Volleyball game this week - my family went out to cheer on the Texas Longhorns.  I've been to many, many football games and quite a few basketball games - but never volleyball. We went because my youngest daughter started playing volleyball at the beginning of 2017 and she wanted to see what college volleyball looks like.  She had so many questions during and after the matches.  Do they go to 21 points like my games do?  Are there only 3 sets like mine?  It doesn't seem like they rotate like my team does?  

As we sat there, enjoying the matches and learning the cheers, I googled the answers to her questions. We talked about how we should go see her middle school team play and the local high school volleyball team too.  I found the online calendars and added a few games to my personal calendar to remind me.  We talked about she had been practicing her serve in the front yard and she had been watching YouTube videos on proper technique. 

And that's when it hit me - why we need innovation today - because of our learners.

They have a wealth of information at their fingertips.  News articles, blogs, videos... all there on a mobile device for them to find.  In order to keep up with this generation, we have to change.  They are learning and experiencing life differently than previous generations, and we need innovation to reach them, engage them, and still teach them. They are the reason we get into education, and they are the reason we need to innovate - to do what is best for them. 

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