How can we encourage our students to become innovators?

[Norma Montalvan]

Base on what Dr. Tony Wagner said, teachers have to encourage teachers to become innovators instead of just consumers. Students should go beyond worrying about only for good grades and learning from failure. However, the system assess students by grades. Isn't it a bit contradictory?

[AShley Carmichael]

Yeah, I know that I personally try to learn from my failures but I am really focused on the grade I have a hard time getting beyind the mark.

[Norma Montalvan]

Thanks for sharing, Ashley. I think we tend to get used to measure our intelligence by grades that it is hard to encourage students to innovate and create their own products based on what they really learned.

[Marcel Coudenys]

Hi Norma,

I think that if we can make learning authentic, we will encourage students to be innovative in their approaches.  Here is an article I came across in a course I am taking:  http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3009.pdf.  Perhaps it is not always applicable of easy to do, especially when considering the time and subject.  But if you can wrap up several elements together and put a real world application to it, I beleive it will help.

Regards,
Marcel

[Norma Montalvan]

Hello Marcel,

Thanks for sharing such an interesting article. I agree that sometimes it is not that easy. However, authentic learning gives more real experiences to students and it is true that they now feel more motivated to solve real-world problems. We still have to continue to work on that. Thanks for sharing,

Norma

[Lynda Way]

Today our old classroom education is rapidly replaced by interactive digital approach. Software like Blackboard is innovating not only our class room learning but also brings new dimensions to first hand learning.
Involvement and participation in activities will encourage the children to do something new.

[andrew aker]

Hey!  Is blackboard a mobile app, or for desktop?