Blog - Page 34 of 46 - John Spencer

Nov 08 2016

10 Things That Happen When Students Engage in Design Thinking

By John Spencer Design Thinking 23 Comments

In a recent post, I wrote about why I want to see students become innovators: Subscribe to YouTube Channel Unfortunately, the system isn't designed for innovation. For years, schools have been stuck in a one-size-fits-all factory model, where students passively consume content. Some people will point…

Nov 04 2016

It’s Time to Celebrate the Small Stuff

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 2 Comments

When my grandpa died, my grandma told me that she missed the small stuff. She had plenty of photo albums packed full of memories, but what she missed the most was waking up next to him in the morning. I remember visiting her on a hard…

Nov 02 2016

Innovation May Be a Buzzword, But It’s a Term I’ve Grown to Love

By John Spencer Innovation, Podcast 2 Comments

Subscribe to YouTube Channel I used to hate the word “innovative.” See those quotes right there around the word? Those are actually air quotes that I would use whenever I used the term. “It’s a buzzword,” I would say. “It’s overused,” I would point out.…

Oct 30 2016

Start with the Mindset, Not the Space

By John Spencer Podcast One Comment

Yesterday, I got the chance to lead a discussion on makerspaces. I felt out of place as a facilitator, because I've never actually created a maker space. I know my limitations; and that includes redesigning the physical space of the classroom. If you asked me…

Oct 22 2016

The Power of Hands-On Simulations to Push Critical Thinking

By John Spencer Podcast 5 Comments

I've been exploring this idea of "vintage learning" all month. It's a simple idea. Sometimes the best way to look forward is to look back. Some of our most innovative lessons are actually low-tech. Two students in my social studies pedagogy class chose an area that…

Oct 16 2016

Why Duct Tape and Cardboard Might Be a Better Option than a 3D Printer

By John Spencer Creativity 6 Comments

A few days ago, I met Manuel Herrera at MORENet. He has an amazing maker space where students engage in creative thinking on a daily basis. It's a bastion of creativity and wonder and his passion for it is contagious. However, as we talked about…

Oct 11 2016

Should School Be More Confusing?

By John Spencer Innovation 4 Comments

I recently listened to a 99% Invisible podcast where they mentioned an excavation of a ship deep underground in the San Francisco business district. I paused the podcast and pondered how a ship would end up buried deep within the city. Who put it there?…

Sep 30 2016

10 Tips for Global Collaboration Projects

By John Spencer Future of Learning, Innovation 2 Comments

Two years ago, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of speaking at the White House and sharing the story of a global collaboration project. It was part of the Future Ready initiative and I spoke about the need to leverage the connective and creative power of technology…

Sep 23 2016

Showing My Work: How I Use Feedback and Self-Reflection to Modify My Lessons

By John Spencer Teacher Life 4 Comments

Every Tuesday and Wednesday night, I teach a 4-hour pedagogy class. I use the design thinking cycle to plan the course (a topic for another blog post) and so as I teach, I am in the Highlight and Fix phase. I thought I would give…

Sep 22 2016

Critical Questions for Making Sense Out of a Connected World

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

A few days ago, I noticed people sharing a few random articles from Atlas Obscura. I noticed a few of their tweets rising to the top of my Twitter feed as well. As I drove to work, I caught a part of an NPR story with one…