The Next Five Years (2016-2021)
Being successful in today’s highly technological and globally competitive world requires a person to develop and use a different set of skills that were once needed before. In the beginning of this school year, many of my students viewed science, technology, engineering and math as isolated subjects with no real world applications. My ImagineIT idea originated from my students’ misunderstanding and the realization that STEM is a part of their daily lives. Throughout this past year, my students experienced the design thinking learning process and they began to redefine what they thought was possible. They attacked design problems and experienced failure daily and in the end their fixed mindsets transformed to a maker’s mindset.
As I look into the future for tomorrow, next year, and beyond, I look at what we have built in this school and I would like to expose this kind of thinking to more students in my school. We have developed a tight-knit family within this past year, but we have more work to do to share this experience with others.
My short-term goal, for the rest of this school year, is to continually shift my student’s mindsets from a fixed mindset to a maker’s mindset. I am hoping to allow my students to be more reflective in their own work and allow time for their ideas to come to fruition. By guiding my students through the design process, my goal is to allow them to take more ownership in their learning and their journey into making. By the end of next month, I want my students to accomplish solving a design problem in their lives by creating a product that fits that need.
After I have met with my focus group, my dreamMakers discussed ways we could expand this space to the entire school. Currently, we brainstormed a potential list of ideas and we will review the possibilities over the summer. In the next five years, I would like to grow my dreamMakers’ Makerspace to be inclusive to all students who are interested. I would like the program to be fully funded through partnerships with local community groups and through fundraising of products designed and sold by my dreamMakers. As the program grows, I would like to expose more students to the maker’s mindset. I would like to hold a community Maker’s Faire in the next couple years and run a community making competition.
My other long-term goal is to continue documenting on my website the changes we are undergoing over the next five years. Most importantly, I want to continue holding monthly focus group meeting with my dreamMakers. Roselinde Torres’ thoughts on how leaders anticipate change are insightful. She states, “ Great leaders are not head-down. They see around corners, shaping their future, not just reacting to it.” As I plan for the future, my dreamMakers’ focus group will be a great asset to shaping our space and give it a voice for change.
When thinking of the diversity measure of my network, I feel I have extended my PLN to outside of the technology field. In CPS, I have always been a part of the Technology Magnet Cluster PLN, the Technology Leadership group, and the iPad PLNs. The great thing about these networks, I always had a place to bounce technology issues too. By being a part of MSUrbanSTEM, I have grown my PLN to not just technology, but to all the subject areas in STEM. This has not only increased my knowledge of the other subject areas, it also allowed me to expand on my teaching repertoire. I’m so grateful for being part of the MSUrbanSTEM family and I know I have grown as a teacher and as a student this past year.
Torres thoughts about great leaders being courageous enough to abandon the past have great value in moving forward. It would be easy for me to regurgitate my entire year for next year, but that wouldn’t be taking a step to the future of this program. I believe great leaders truly need to understand the past before you abandon what you did in the previous years. Some times taking a step is what you need to do before you take a leap. Personally, my baby steps will be to continually share my dreamMaker space on my website and in the Twitter-universe. The next great leap will take place as I continually plan for the next year with my students.
Overall, I want to thank MSUrbanSTEM for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this cohort. I have truly been blessed by the amount of knowledge that has been taught to me over this past year. I have developed some great connections and I look forward to cultivating this PLN in the future. I look forward to one day continuing my education at MSU for the Master in Educational Technology. Thank you Candace Marcotte for always challenging me in my technical skills. I am truly grateful for this experience!
As I look into the future for tomorrow, next year, and beyond, I look at what we have built in this school and I would like to expose this kind of thinking to more students in my school. We have developed a tight-knit family within this past year, but we have more work to do to share this experience with others.
My short-term goal, for the rest of this school year, is to continually shift my student’s mindsets from a fixed mindset to a maker’s mindset. I am hoping to allow my students to be more reflective in their own work and allow time for their ideas to come to fruition. By guiding my students through the design process, my goal is to allow them to take more ownership in their learning and their journey into making. By the end of next month, I want my students to accomplish solving a design problem in their lives by creating a product that fits that need.
After I have met with my focus group, my dreamMakers discussed ways we could expand this space to the entire school. Currently, we brainstormed a potential list of ideas and we will review the possibilities over the summer. In the next five years, I would like to grow my dreamMakers’ Makerspace to be inclusive to all students who are interested. I would like the program to be fully funded through partnerships with local community groups and through fundraising of products designed and sold by my dreamMakers. As the program grows, I would like to expose more students to the maker’s mindset. I would like to hold a community Maker’s Faire in the next couple years and run a community making competition.
My other long-term goal is to continue documenting on my website the changes we are undergoing over the next five years. Most importantly, I want to continue holding monthly focus group meeting with my dreamMakers. Roselinde Torres’ thoughts on how leaders anticipate change are insightful. She states, “ Great leaders are not head-down. They see around corners, shaping their future, not just reacting to it.” As I plan for the future, my dreamMakers’ focus group will be a great asset to shaping our space and give it a voice for change.
When thinking of the diversity measure of my network, I feel I have extended my PLN to outside of the technology field. In CPS, I have always been a part of the Technology Magnet Cluster PLN, the Technology Leadership group, and the iPad PLNs. The great thing about these networks, I always had a place to bounce technology issues too. By being a part of MSUrbanSTEM, I have grown my PLN to not just technology, but to all the subject areas in STEM. This has not only increased my knowledge of the other subject areas, it also allowed me to expand on my teaching repertoire. I’m so grateful for being part of the MSUrbanSTEM family and I know I have grown as a teacher and as a student this past year.
Torres thoughts about great leaders being courageous enough to abandon the past have great value in moving forward. It would be easy for me to regurgitate my entire year for next year, but that wouldn’t be taking a step to the future of this program. I believe great leaders truly need to understand the past before you abandon what you did in the previous years. Some times taking a step is what you need to do before you take a leap. Personally, my baby steps will be to continually share my dreamMaker space on my website and in the Twitter-universe. The next great leap will take place as I continually plan for the next year with my students.
Overall, I want to thank MSUrbanSTEM for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this cohort. I have truly been blessed by the amount of knowledge that has been taught to me over this past year. I have developed some great connections and I look forward to cultivating this PLN in the future. I look forward to one day continuing my education at MSU for the Master in Educational Technology. Thank you Candace Marcotte for always challenging me in my technical skills. I am truly grateful for this experience!