"If we are to solve for creativity in education, we need a common language that defines what creativity in education means-a set of common values, subjects, and metrics that we can all agree on."

Electronic handouts to accompany Dr. Wagner's Rowland September 27 Rowland workshop. Tony Wagner, Ed.D. Innovation Education Fellow Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard

"Finland's education system has consistently ranked among the best in the world for more than a decade. The puzzle is, why Finland? Documentary filmmaker, Bob Compton, along with Harvard researcher, Dr. Tony Wagner, decided to find out. The result of their research is captured in a new film, 'The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World's Most Surprising School System.'"

"Tony Wagner recently accepted a position as the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard. Prior to this, he was the founder and co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for more than a decade. Tony consults widely to schools, districts, and foundations around the country and internationally. His previous work experience includes twelve years as a high school teacher, K-8 principal, university professor in teacher education, and founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility."

"In this groundbreaking book, education expert Tony Wagner provides a powerful rationale for developing an innovation-driven economy. He identifies a pattern in the lives of young innovators - a childhood of creative play leads to deep-seated interests, which in adolescence and adulthood blossom into a deeper purpose for career and life goals. Play, passion, and purpose: these are the forces that drive young innovators."

"How do the Millennials work--what motivates them?

"No matter what line of work you're in or where you're at in life, we're all trying to sell our ideas on a regular basis. (While we'll be using the terms "sellers" and "buyers" in this post, these are just easy ways to refer to the people trying to convince someone of something, and the people they're trying to convince).

"What happens with this is that time is the variable and learning is the constant," said Kristine Kirkaldy of Vergennes Union High School. This fall's freshman class is piloting new performance-based graduation requirements-- shifting the focus for earning a diploma from a traditional report card and hours logged in a classroom to one that includes a 4-year, cross-curriculum portfolio. "You will have a portfolio into which you have placed pieces of evidence showing your growth and learning in the various areas that were asking," Kirkaldy said.

"...there is an important lesson about the molding power of story. When we read dry, factual arguments, we read with our dukes up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally and this seems to leave us defenseless."

Interesting read as we prepare for our presentations next week. Also...has interesting applications for how administrators communicate new ideas with faculty and teachers engage students.

"...we are beasts of emotion more than logic. We are creatures of story, and the process of changing one mind or the whole world must begin with "Once upon a time."

Thought that this might be a useful tool for those Fellows presenting at our conference on the 27th.

Getting geared up for our Rowland Conference on Sept 27th!

1. Welcome authentic questions2. Encourage effective teamwork3. Be ready to go Big4. Build empathy5. Uncover passion6. Amplify worthy ideas7. Know when to say no8. Encourage breakthroughs

Great for teachers when we think about how to work with students. Perhaps...even more powerful if admin were to read this as "How to Turn your School into an Idea Factory" with a twist of creating a climate to foster Innovative Educators.

Dr. Yong Zhao is an internationally known scholar, author, and speaker. His works focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education. He has designed schools that cultivate global competence ... and founded research and development institutions to explore innovative education models.

Dr. Yong Zhao is someone that each of us should learn more about and learn more from.He is also my recommendation for our 2013 conference keynote speaker.

"It seems paradoxical, but the most boring classrooms tend to be the ones that are full of technology..." "...the reason, in a nutshell, is that in the sorts of classrooms I've just described, the emphasis is on technology rather than learning."

"Sometimes you need to convince colleagues to think about using educational technology in their lessons, or to identify where in their scheme of work they could incorporate it. This list is a starting point: you may find one or two points that would "resonate" with your co-worker, and grab his or her attention."

On how schools are focused on scores rather than noncognitive skills "Right now we've got an education system that really doesn't pay attention to [noncognitive] skills at all. ... I think schools just aren't set up right now to try to develop things like grit, and perseverance and curiosity. ... Especially in a world where we are more and more focused on standardized tests that measure a pretty narrow range of cognitive skills, teachers are less incentivized to think about how to develop those skills in kids. So it's a conversation that's really absent I think in a lot of schools, to the detriment of a lot of students."

Nice article about the work being done by the Rowland Foundation and the Fellows.

"Rather than worry so much about graduating all students college-ready, I have come to understand that the most essential education challenge today is to graduate all students innovation- ready."

This simple video makes the essential elements of PBL come alive and brings to light the 21st Century skills and competencies (collaboration, communication, critical thinking) that will enable K-12 students to be college and work-ready as well as effective members of their communities.

"The 6 Characteristics of A Successful Educator 21st century teaching skills ... an excellent account of the 6 main characteristics of people you should be around."