Carie Johannsen
Disruptive Innovation
The idea of a disruptive innovation is something that has challenged me since I heard about the assignment in May. The virtual setting has its own set of unique challenges and in many cases, we are also walking parents and grandparents through their first time schooling online too. My families needed an innovation that would allow their children to be successful in ways they had not found success before.
I wanted an innovation that would give my families the ability to have the best of the virtual world, the flexibility of homeschool, and the best elements of the brick and mortar. My disruptive innovation is blended learning flipped model in the virtual school setting.
I have no other schools to contact to see how it has or hasn't worked for them. I do not have peers who have attempted this, and my experience with blended learning is minimal, However, after looking at the literature for my literature review, I have found this to be the best approach for my students. I'm confident that my students will gain knowledge and confidence from this approach and I can't wait to see where this innovation leads me.
Resources
 homeschool space |  Tablets |  Experimenting |
|---|---|---|
 messes |  Painting |  groups |
 Team Development |  collaboration |  Play |
 learning everywhere |
A New Culture of Learning
We need a shift in learning environments; we need to make every environment we are in a learning environment. While reading the book A new culture of learning by Douglas Thomas, it made me think about what type of learning environment is necessary for the 21st-century learner. He mentions using our daily lives as learning opportunities. It is interesting that this is not common sense in our society today. In the world we live in everyone is leaving learning, all learning, to the classroom teacher. We need to start recognizing that there is an opportunity around every corner to teach our children and each other. I went to purchase a shirt just today, and this shirt was new to the store, and it was yet to be in the system and so the women behind the counter was unable to figure out how much the shirt would be with 20% off due to labor day holiday and then how to add the tax. I pulled out my calculator on my phone and proceeded to tell her how much I owed. At this moment I realized this young woman was not failed only by the education system but by those who have gone shopping with her throughout her life. No one made the daily activities of her lifetimes for growing and learning.
Much of today's pedagogy stems from not understanding or agreeing with how people learn in today’s world. We need to blend the lines between school and education outside of school. There are no boundaries between school and learning. When students get out of school they seem to think “learning” is over, however this is currently when the fun and meaningful learning begins. Just this weekend the learning that occurred in my household was terrific, and I didn’t have to set up one moment of structured lessons. There was learning that happened when we went to purchase an item on sale; my son wanted to learn to do a back flip on the trampoline so angles came into the conversation, the geometry when playing a game of pool, or what happens when trying to ski behind a boat for the first time.
Play and imagination are the two unique keys to a meaningful learning environment in life and the classroom. My virtual class is based on creating an environment that is full of interaction with the group, discussions, and play. I have to take into account the whole student and their environment in, out, and around my class. I need to know how the parent feels about algebra and realize that effects my student, I need to take in consideration the distractions they have around them at home while I’m working to draw the student into my virtual world. In the virtual setting you are one click away from being replaced by a game or other distraction. By taking in all the factors of a students learning environment I am better able to serve my families and meet students educational needs.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.
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