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"Kids are creative, every moment of the day… in the way they draw, the way they experiment with language, the way they interact with objects, the way they imagine new worlds. At IDEO we believe that creative confidence - believing in your ability to create change and having the courage to act on it - is something all of us are born with. But as David and Tom Kelley write in the book Creative Confidence, too often people lose this innate ability as they grow. Perhaps they get a "creativity scar" when somebody tells them they aren't a good artist or they're doing things the wrong way. They become fearful of what other people think. They play it safe. And the safe answer is rarely the most creative or innovative one."

"Jeremy and Brian are two Calgary teachers and leaders that believe in the power of Design Thinking as a vital tool for instructional design and learning. Their experiences have given them a diverse skill set as, between the two, they have taught from K-12 in both regular and specialized settings. As teachers, leaders, and program developers they have learned one thing about themselves: they have always believed in the power of making, tinkering, and design thinking in both education and in their personal lives. They are now seeking to share their understanding, gained through years of classroom experience, with other educators. "

"Most administrators and teachers believe in the importance and value of professional development.  Sadly, though, too many teachers believe that those mandatory, one-size-fits-all professional development sessions offered by their schools are a waste of time and money. "

"Having a growth mindset allows you to believe that you can improve and change with practice and determination. With a growth mindset, you view challenges with excitement and look forward to the opportunity to overcome them because you know you will get something out of the process and learn from your mistakes. Those with a fixed mindset, who believe their traits, talents, and abilities are permanent and cannot be improved, are less likely to enjoy as much success in school, work, and life in general. When teachers foster a growth mindset in the classroom, it helps students understand their full potential. Teachers with a growth mindset teach their students that intelligence is moldable and expandable, which keeps students inspired to learn, even if they are facing failure."

"I've just been brainstorming digital skills that I believe are required by teachers in the 21st Century. So far I've come up with 45 of them. "

I've just been brainstorming digital skills that I believe are required by teachers in the 21st Century. So far I've come up with 45 of them.

"I believe that every single child is gifted and that every kid has a talent which we as educators should help uncover. This is not easy when you have a curriculum to follow and tons of material to teach. But that given we need to make time to work with kids in a different and more creative setting. It's important to let them explore new things that may not be present in your curriculum but are in your students' heads all the time. This is how we can awaken curiosity in young children and help them develop creative thinking. Interestingly though, this idea does not originate in education or teaching practice. It was actually inspired by Google's "20% Time" rule, which encourages employees to spend 20% of their time working on their own projects and ideas outside Google. This concept inspired the idea of a "Genius Hour" at school."

"All it takes is a single selfie. From that static image, an algorithm can quickly create a moving, lifelike avatar: a video not recorded, but fabricated from whole cloth by software. With more time, Pinscreen, the Los Angeles start-up behind the technology, believes its renderings will become so accurate they will defy reality. "You won't be able to tell," said Hao Li, a leading researcher on computer-generated video at USC who founded Pinscreen in 2015. "With further deep-learning advancements, especially on mobile devices, we'll be able to produce completely photoreal avatars in real time.""

"Teachers, You Won't BELIEVE What ChatGPT Can Do! [8 Use Cases]"

"Everyone makes mistakes and children are no exception. What's important is how we learn from them. Yet, children grow up in a society that pressures them to be perfect and intelligent - to achieve the highest SAT scores, land prized scholarships, and get into the best universities. Parents reinforce this pressure at home when they cover up children's mistakes, correct homework to improve grades, or drill knowledge into kids until they get it right. Stress is increased when children are constantly praised for their intelligence. How does this focus on perfection and IQ affect learning? And how can we help children and teens believe in themselves by accepting their mistakes and learning from them?"

"On comparing iPad apps with iPhone equivalents, one thing rapidly becomes clear: apps for Apple's tablet are pricier. Many of the best free iPhone apps cost 59p or more in their iPad incarnations, and the quality level of what's still free is often ropey. But among the dross lie rare gems - iPad apps that are so good you can't believe they're still free. Of those we unearthed, here is our pick of the best free iPad apps. Note that apps marked 'universal' will run on your iPad and iPhone, optimising themselves accordingly."

"A recent blog by Grant Wiggins affirmed what I have long believed about creativity: it is a 21st-century skill we can teach and assess. Creativity fosters deeper learning, builds confidence and creates a student ready for college and career. "

"The NMC is pleased to announce the interim results of the 2013 Horizon.K12 Project, as presented at the 2013 CoSN Conference in San Diego. The Horizon Project Advisory Board voted for the top 12 emerging technologies as well as the top ten trends and challenges that they believe will have a significant impact on teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in global K-12 education over the next five years. These initial results will be compiled into an interim report, known as the "Short List," and described in further detail. The "Time-to-Adoption Horizon" indicates how long the Advisory Board feels it will be until a significant number of schools are providing or using each of these technologies or approaches broadly."

"Carolyn Cameron, one of the most open and progressive principals I have ever known (she was also my former boss), shared the following video regarding student expectations for school. The first point was that it was important to build relationships and know students as individuals. The nine other points are things that I really believe in, but it was great hearing it from a student perspective."

"As an advocator of the use of technology in teaching and learning, I believe that there are several ways we can use this technology to make teaching writing a more enjoyable task for students . Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has already shared some of the web tools to help teachers improve students writing and today we are sharing with you some great writing apps for iPad. Check them out below and if you have more suggestions share them with us below."

"Recently, when I perused my twitter feed, I came upon a blog post titled Teacher as Learning Designer. Andrew Miller, the author, states: "If you are a teacher and you are trying to explain what you do, say, 'I am a learning designer!' Teachers need to be empowered with a variety of instructional designs to meet the needs of all students. They need to be honored for their expertise to create creative and engaging learning environments. We can re-frame the concept of "teaching" to truly encapsulate all that teachers can and should do!" The way teachers teach their students has, I believe, a direct correlation to the way in which they learn themselves. We have all read in the latest teaching journals that teachers of today have to be devoted to lifelong learning. But what does that mean, really? What elements affect teacher learning and then in turn affect how that teacher teaches?"