“The benefits of the COVA approach are fully realized through the proactive implementation of CSLE.” (Dr. Harapnuik)

Buzz phrases and words were coming fast and furious from the videos that got my attention. Such as

The teacher becomes a “change agent” or “activator”, and the students “take control and ownership of their learning” (Dr. Mike Fullan).

This totally debunks the old paradigm construct of the teacher dominating the classroom and rightfully refocuses on the student.

              The classroom in this digital age has initiated a “flipping of the classroom” that teachers must understand and embrace in recognizing the power of the empowered learner in this setting; or risk becoming antiquated, translating into being very much irrelevant, left behind. (Dr. Mike Fullan, Dr. Harapnuik)

When considering the dynamics of the “push – pull” context surrounding a student’s learning gradient, digital learning offers a rich entrée that feeds the hunger of the learner. The challenge will be in the evaluation of the “assessment” metrics currently available and yet to come/be developed. But for now, these are exciting times. (Dr. Mike Fullan)

The presentation “Thinking Outside of The Box” by Giovanni Carraza was eloquently delivered, and most beautifully, succinctly illustrated in a developing a new rubric for doing a Ted Talk presentation. His growth mindset was simple, and clearly addressed the Why, Which, How, Where, What, and When.

Wow, this certainly is a “fresh” perspective whose time has come/is here. The charge Lamar University has given to me as a student in the DLL program, and now that I have it, what do I do with it? It has opened the floodgates of stimuli to the growth mindset. I have always espoused claiming a personal growth mindset, but this takes it to another level, with the bars completely removed, and the responsibility resting squarely with the me, the learner to step up my game. COVA’s appeal is enticingly what I need, It is what my organization needs.

My greatest challenge perhaps will be to think outside the box, and when I’ve ventured into the unknown, to be patient enough and trust the process of learning that will come from my failures, which only will lead to further successes.

I recently watched the video “Bugs: Nature’s Little Superheroes” (Available on Amazon Prime or can be rented/purchased on Youtube.com, $3.99/$9.99).

The underlying theme was how real-world problems are/were being solved by simply studying different insect groups in their natural habitat, or what facilitated their survival. But to meaningfully and constructively use that information, the powers of observation being paid to every detail was important, and the questions that followed were patiently explored to completion. Hint: if you choose to watch this video, you’ll be amazed at the architect’s solution to building a pavilion, and had him asking himself the question, if this was so simple, why did no one think to ask this question before? There are many scenarios of thinking outside the box that I found empowering and will revert to for inspiration in my own journey.

In some ways, there are many coloration/mixtures of feelings that I’m dealing with right now. Excitement, a bit of  nervousness (like my first day of school, but ready to embrace them all in thinking outside the box); and exactly just how much more can I do with me as well as my students in creatively learning and solving real world problems. Great stuff.