Nocking the Arrow

Here is a summary of " Google's Nine Principles of Innovation " as shared recently by their chief publicist, Gopi Kallayil. Google's 9-principles-of-innovation from Robert Schuetz Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. I find Google's principles to be simple, yet powerful. Their mission, like their nine principles, is clear and at the same time, ambitious. What can we, as educators, learn from Google's vision?  How can this information be adapted to create a school vision statement? Why is it necessary for schools to have a clearly stated mission, and set of guiding principles?  Related Reading Top Ten Company Mission Statements - Dr. Diane Hamilton Google Reveals its 9 Principles of Innovation - FastCompany Your School and Google's Nine Principles of Innovation - The Learning Pond Google's 9 Principles of Innovation for Every Organization ...

What if attendance to your classroom was optional? Would students still come to your class? These questions were inspired by a recent post by Ryan McLane, " Teach Like a Pirate Day ". Ryan's leading question was, " If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room? " This question was prompted by the book, " Teach Like a Pirate ", by Dave Burgess . The premise is that students would not attend their classes. Instead, students would look over a menu of learning "experiences" and attend whatever they find interesting. The offerings were interesting, fun, engaging, mysterious, and challenging. The results at Utica Junior High were impressive. So much so, students and teachers responded by asking, " Why can't every day be Pirate Day? " One student offered to pay money to attend a " Mystery Skype " session, which was full. Would students pay money to attend a meaningful learning exper...