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Words are powerful and can literally can be "life or death" to those you speak them too. So the simple change of focus from simply giving facts toward appealing to the heart is huge. The video How to Change People Who Don't Want to Change by the Behavioral Science Guys is such a good illustration of how lecturing people with facts causes them to be reactive, while presenting them with a question that appeals to their heart motivates change. When people are motivated by their heart they actually discover for themselves what is important. While giving facts and information is not innately bad because plans and initiatives should be backed by research, cue the literature review, it is not the facts and information that people react to. This reminds me of the TedTalk from Tom Asacker where he says that brains don’t make decisions based on facts and that information doesn’t move us. Instead he suggests that desire moves us. When we appeal to the heart, people are more motivated to act or change. Asacker also mentions that people operate in who they believe they are saying "Who we think we are determines what we do." Translating this into how it fits into the classroom, if our students believe that they are not good at something they will not try because they believe they will fail. Instead of lecturing them on whatever topic they feel inadequate in and feeding them more information, educators should present them with a question that will get them thinking about what they really believe. As an educator, we have the responsibility to instill knowledge into our students it's true, however more importantly we have the obligation to inspire them to change their way of thinking and help them discover what they believe is true about themselves. When we help stir them to realize their true potential they will be unstoppable! References [Crucial Learning]. (2015, January 5). How to Change People Who Don't Want to Change | The Behavioral Science Guys [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACi-D5DI6A&t=6s [TEDx Talks]. (2014, June 20). Why TED Talks don't change people's behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014 [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jTZ-GP0N4 Photo: "Heart feeling head" by Free Stock Illustrations | Creazilla

I am almost done with my fourth week in this program and I can't help but reflect on my growth thus far. When I started this program just four short weeks ago, I was nervous and overwhelmed with the amount of work that I was going to be doing. I was looking ahead at all the reading and feel a little more than defeated before I had even begun. However, as the days passed and the weeks progressed I fell into a groove. There is still just as much work and reading as before, but the way I approach it all is different. That leads me to wonder why? Why has my outlook changed? How did it change? I am reminded of a previous blog post Why Growth Mindset is so Important and the video The Power of Belief -- Mindset and Success. I came into the program with a fixed mindset. I was ready to give up before I had begun because I was avoiding the challenge and decided my effort wouldn't pay off. Thankfully, in these short weeks my mindset has shifted. I now am embracing the challenges ahead of me and persevering and overcoming obstacles as they arise. I owe much of my shift in mindset to my husband who has been very encouraging and giving me feed forward when asked to help brainstorm with me. I also attribute my growth to my peers and Dr. Harapnuik, as I have received feedback and feedforward from them as well in the discussions. I still have much to learn and grow in this program, it is after all, only the beginning. But instead of being overcome with anxiety from the unknown, I look forward to the future of possibilities and that is so much more exciting! Learn more about me here. References Briceno, E. (2012, Nov. 18). The Power of Belief -- Mindset and Success [Video]. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc Photo: "Hand Light Free Stock CC0 Photo - StockSnap.io by Justin Tietsworth

Ito (2015) says that education is what people do to you and learning is what you do to yourself. I love that perspective, because receiving an education is mandatory, but the learning is up to the individual. That so easily transitions into the thought behind blended learning. Markoff (2014) so eloquently defined what blended learning is and what it is not. Blended learning is not just having students on the computer for the sake of learning technology skills, while that is important. Blended learning is using the technology to enhance the educational experience. Markoff (2014) says there is no right way or best practice when it comes to blended learning. I plan on using the station rotation model in my classroom. My students will rotate between face to face time with me, using a computer for learning and then a hands on learning station. While my students are at their computer station they will be focused on skills that are individualized for them so that they are able to go at their own pace as well as have flexible choice. It is my hope that with this model my students are able to take ownership of their learning. Ito (2015) says that often people get caught up in the planning and mapping of a project when instead we should "deploy or die". In a sense, as Nike says we should "just do it". Yes there is value in planning to an extent, but more importantly we should keep our compass at the forefront. Knowing where we want to go, not knowing how exactly we will get there. This makes me think of other projects and initiatives that I have started in my classroom over the years. I start at one place but it is continually growing and changing as my students needs are, as I use trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. I think this just reiterates again what Markoff (2014) says, there is no one way to initiate blended learning in your classroom. At the end of the day, I want my students to have choice, ownership and flexibility over their learning. How I get there doesn't need to be fully mapped out yet; the compass will direct me on the best path for my students. References Joshua Perry. (2015). Joi Ito Want to innovate Become a “now ist.” Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRAMQJJu7uY. TEDx TEd Talks. (2014). Click here-- blended learning and the future of education: Monique Markoff at TEDxIthacaCollege. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb2d8E1dZjY.

The concept of ownership is so much deeper than what I originally imagined. I had originally thought, "I did the work, I own it" and to some degree that is the case. But looking and reading more into it the ownership comes more when the student has more choice and ability to take the work with them wherever they go. When students are able to have ownership over their ePortfolios (or work in general) they are more invested and willing to keep it up. In general people are more dedicated to tasks when it is "theirs" and not something that they "have" to do, but rather choose to do. If we keep this knowledge at the forefront, we will keep in mind that our students should be "subjects of their learning, not the objects of education technology software" as is stated in the Do I Own My Domain If You Grade It? blog post. From what I am reading and seeing, I see this The Domain of One’s Own initiative at University of Mary Washington (UMW) as something that is only realistic at the college level and maybe high schools. My husband is a high school computer science teacher and I shared The Web We Need to Give Students blog post with him because I think it is something that he could possibly utilize in his classroom. My thoughts then lead me to how can I make this more of a reality in a lower elementary classroom? How much choice and ownership can a five year old have? This is definitely something worth pondering as I want to offer my students, young as they may be, the opportunity to have a space to develop their ideas and take ownership of their learning. References: Harapnuik, D. (2021, August). Who Owns the ePortfolio [web log]. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050. Rikard, A. (2015, August 10). Do I Own My Domain If You Grade It? [web log]. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-10-do-i-own-my-domain-if-you-grade-it. Waters, A. (2015, July 15). The Web Need to Give Students [web log]. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://brightthemag.com/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d97713713.

ePortfolios seem to be great tool to help students engage and reflect in their learning and the process. Students are able to use it as a way to set goals, monitor them and set a new course to adjust them. Being a kindergarten teacher, though, I struggled to put my mind around this. I was stuck thinking of an eportfolio only in the way we are doing one in class. However, reading some of my peers posts I quickly thought of Seesaw or ClassDojo for lower elementary students. I personally have used Seesaw in my classroom for several years and while I never formally thought of it as an ePortfolio it certainly is! This piques my interest even more and I am excited to use it with intentionality this year. An ePortfolio is a great instrument for reflecting. In just my short time using mine I have already put that aspect to use. I have used my discussion posts and consider those of my peers and reflected on my stance. I think this could be a valuable tool for the classroom for students to be able to do the same. Thinking forward, I think of how I can transition this to my classroom as well. I want my students to be able to use their portfolio as a means to check in on their goals, reflect and self-monitor. While, yes, they are very young in kindergarten they are very capable and more than ready to start owning some of their learning! References 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio https://kbarnstable.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/41-benefits-of-an-eportfolio/ Reflection4Learning – https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/why-reflect Seesaw https://web.seesaw.me/

Growth mindset is a huge buzz word at the moment, and for good reason. Growth mindset is so important because it sets the stage for how a person will respond in the face of adversity, challenge and criticism. This is especially true for education and students. As a kindergarten classroom teacher, I can tell from an early age that students are already developing fixed mindsets. As Eduardo Briceno (2012) put it, often parents and teachers alike give praise that focuses on the child’s talents and abilities, rather than praising based on their progress, learning and the process. Changing our own mindsets to be able to praise in this way is crucial to our student’s success and what they think about themselves When looking at the graphic by Nigel Holmes, a fixed mindset and growth mindset are so drastically different. It is clear to see that a person with a fixed mindset avoids challenges and bases their worth off of how well they can or cannot do something. Where a person with a growth mindset is the exact opposite. They see each challenge as an opportunity to learn, to find others to help them and take criticism as another way to improve. Their worth is not caught up in how well they can do a task, but instead know they are worth continuing to try. They believe that they are capable and will learn and grow through challenges, setbacks, and effort. Telling a child that they are smart is not inherently bad, but it can shift the focus of the receiver of that praise. It allows them to believe yes, they are smart, but when they face a challenge, they then come face to face with the thoughts of whether they really are or not. As an educator we hold so much power in the words that we speak over these young learners. We have the power to build them up believing that they can learn to do something hard or the power to tell them they never will. My hope is to empower them to believe in the yet and work through processes and failures to help them learn and grow into whoever they can be. References Briceno, E. (2012, Nov. 18). The Power of Belief -- Mindset and Success [Video]. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc Dweck, C. [Stanford Alumni]. (2014, Oct. 9). Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ

When looking at education 80+ years ago and comparing it to now one would assume that it is completely different. But is it really? So many of the same buzz words from then are still used now. So many of the same theories, strategies and expectations are the same. After watching “Progressive Education in the 1940s” and reading the related blog posts by Seth Godin I realized that we are still having this same conversation after nearly eight decades and we haven’t seen much change. I think a big part of this is just as the blog post is titled “people who like this stuff… like this stuff”. If people like the way they are doing something then they stay the course. Like the old saying goes “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”. However, is this really what is best? In my opinion, no not necessarily. While I believe that my district and campus as a whole has made some progression in the right direction, I can see some “old ways” still in some classrooms. I know there are teachers who are “set in their way” or are hesitant to try anything new. Is it from fear of failure, the reality that it will be challenging, the fact that they like the traditional learning environments or a combination of them? For that I cannot say for certain, but either way the progression is at a stale mate in some of those classrooms. I would also challenge that a lot of the progression has been inhibited because so many teachers are focused on the assessment piece. While I am in kindergarten and do not have state testing, we still have a huge emphasis on assessment and tracking academic movement through the learning progressions. I have no doubt that testing grades have an even bigger focus on testing as it is state mandated. Due to this I think that a lot of the progressive initiatives have been thrown to the wayside, because if the current strategies are “working” then district officials do not see a reason to change it. However, as Dr. Harapnuik reminds us of what Richard Freynman (2014) says there is a difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. If all we are teaching students are the “names” of things (teaching to the test) but not really teaching them about it, they will only be successful when needing to recall facts based on memorization not on the application of a given topic. My reflection has me asking how can I merge progressive teaching techniques and continue to get valid, positive results within my mandated assessments? This is one of the biggest goals and desires for me in my search for knowledge and learning in the Applied Digital Learning program. I hope learn how to better be able to create an environment for my students that meet their needs, engages them and pushes them towards a future of life long learning. References Godin, S. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff... Seth's Blog. https://seths.blog/2014/09/people-who-like-this-stuff/ Harapnuik, D. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff…like this stuff. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5198 Harapnuik, D. (2017, June 9). To Get the Real Story You Need to Go to Primary Sources. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5198 Richard Feynman : Knowing the Name of Something. (2014). [Video file] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/lFIYKmos3-s