Archives For Learning
Change Starts With You
Moving your organization forward or encouraging your colleagues to join you in implementing innovation or change is an ongoing and challenging process that includes multiple steps and continued effort. Most innovation initiatives start with a proposal.
Your innovation proposal should focus on your specific audience who may include, but may not be limited to, the administrators who will be affirming the completed innovation plan, your colleagues or peers you are hoping will be inspired to join you, and/or other stakeholders who have an interest in how the innovation will impact your learners.
Ideally, your innovation proposal should take the form of a 1-page letter because it will become part of your overall plan that you will be sharing with your audience.
The innovation proposal should address the “Why” or purpose of your innovation initiative which is expanded on with the following 5 key points:
- Opportunity or problem that you have observed – always focus on the opportunity perspective rather than the problem.
- How you will address the opportunity or solve the problem.
- What you are proposing to do (1.2. adopt a Blended Learning initiative…).
- Benefits of this solution (summary of your why).
- What are you asking for? (I am asking to pilot blended learning in my classroom… over what time frame)
Be prepared to revise and update as your ideas develop and your situation changes.
Letter Format Examples
- https://booksbirdiesandearlgrey.wordpress.com/2021/09/11/from-basal-to-blended-a-new-way-of-creating-content-for-the-k-12-publisher/
- https://bjosephs6.wixsite.com/teachingincolor/project07
- https://stemtoolkit.weebly.com/project-proposal.html
- https://sharplibrarian.weebly.com/innovation-plan.html
- https://tashiamossman.wixsite.com/tmossman/innovation-plan-proposal
Document Format Example – Depending on your audience and their expectations more detailed documentation may be required and the following example followed the format that was required by these student’s district. Remember, this proposal must be developed for your intended audience.
Innovation Proposal Planning Tips
- Begin with the end in mind, 100k view, learning outcomes, be clear about your purpose
- Understand that the proposal will change based on situations, personnel, circumstances
- Be flexible, adaptable, and patient, rest assured that things will not go as planned
- Collaborate with others–get others on board with your ideas, key influencers
- Start with a pilot/trial/focus group, don’t extend too far too fast
- Plan forward, but do not map every step; fail forward opportunities are automatically built into innovation planning
- Consider how you will measure success; what will be happening and what will others be doing
Completed Innovation Plan – Looking Ahead
Your innovation plan will include the following
- Media Pitch – 2 minutes or less, capturing your project and Audience
- Innovation Proposal Letter to District/Principal/School Board/Administration/Management
- Literature review support
- Implementation Outline, plan ahead for next steps over the next 12-24 months
- Innovation Plan – your final post that narrates and summarizes your plan and includes links to all the above
Examples of how the innovation proposal will fit into the final innovation plan:
- https://nnbagot0.wixsite.com/nnbagot23/innovation-plan
- https://booksbirdiesandearlgrey.wordpress.com/applied-digital-learning/edld-5305-my-authentic-innovation-plan/
- https://bjosephs6.wixsite.com/teachingincolor/project07
- http://www.patricknreid.com/ipadopportunities/
- https://haileyfrogge.wordpress.com/disruptive-innovation-in-technology/
Revised October 2021
Attending academic conferences is simply part of conducting and sharing research into improving the learning environment. Over the past few years, I have often used Zoom to join my colleague who has taken the time to travel to the conference. Most often we have simply added this virtual function to our presentations and since I have been working fully online since 1995 being brought in via some form of video-conferencing tools has been what I have been doing for over two decades. Quite often session the moderators are simply surprised by how easy it is to have someone join the session virtually.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic I was able to attend the SITE conference fully online via Zoom and did a presentation on the paper Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Factors that Contributed to ePortfolio Persistence Beyond the Program of Study. Other than a few minor glitches in getting their slides screen shared all of the academics in my session were able to present without any major problems. Yes, some will point to the fact that OLC and other organizations have offered a virtual attendance option for a couple of years now.
Makes one wonder if we will ever go back to the way that is was where we have to spends dozens of hours and hundreds or even thousands of dollars to present. Yes, there is the serendipity of large collaborative environment but as we are seeing with the lock down or stay in place situations there are other ways for us to communicate and collaborate. I have to admit I didn’t miss the 2 hour trip via bus, seabus, and then train to the airport. I didn’t miss the long lines and the hours of waiting to check in and get through security. I didn’t miss the jet lag or the cold that I always seem to catch from a sick passenger that I sat next to on the plane. I didn’t miss the taxi or shuttle bus ride to the hotel or conference center. This morning I logged onto the system 15 minutes early, ran a last minute test on my audio and video, and waited for the rest of the conference participate in my session to join. Everyone was on time, each session stayed within the allotted time, and the Q & A session was as good if not better then in many face2face sessions I have experienced. Yes, I do miss the chance meetings of colleagues I haven’t seen or simply experiencing the power of the crowd, but this morning presentation and session was much more efficient, less costly, and still a really good experience. To answer may own question at the start of this paragraph…I liked the virtual conference experience and I wouldn’t mind if we do not go back to the way that it was.
One more thing it is also easier to share my conference files online – go ahead and download a copy of the paper that we submitted and the slide deck I used this morning.
Enjoy!
Considering all the challenges that educators, parents, and society are facing in moving online to deal with life, learning and the new normal, I couldn’t help but think of this old EDS ad –
