- Genius Hour
- Copyright, what is it and why does it matter?
- Photopeach Learning Object
Week 1 Reflection: Introduction to Genius Hour
Welcome back! Day one of teachers college has just begun where I will resume posting about hot topics in education!'Genius Hour' is a topic that I have some familiarity with, but have never fully grasped, as it goes by many names. To my understanding, it incorporates elements of play, passion, and inquiry based learning where students are encouraged to pursue topics of interest in order to engage more deeply with the material. But as it was pointed out by my colleagues, 'Genius Hour' can take a variety of forms, from blogging, to social media posts, YouTube videos and so on. As previously mentioned in my blog posts, Robby Novak better known as Kid President uses his social media prowess to inspire others through motivational YouTube videos. This is an excellent example of Genius Hour, as Robby was allowed to explore his own passions using a multimedia medium.
Week 2 Reflection:
Is it possible to design the perfect classroom? Probably not, but it is my prerogative to try! Incorporating smart design elements into any setting has always been a passion of mine, so naturally I have been thinking about the design of my future classroom for quite some time. A student's environment can dramatically affect their response to learning materials, whilst improving motivation, and attention. On average a student spends a whopping 11,700 hours of their lives cooped up in a classroom, so let's set up our students for success. I will be discussing the following topics: layout, colour, wall space, & light to create a brain-friendly environment in the next couple of weeks!
Week 3 Reflection:
This week we watched an inspirational video by Sugata Mitra who explained that children can learn almost anything in small groups if the interest and motivation are there. In terms of my Genius Hour project, a 21st century classroom would consist of small group settings in order to foster collaboration and idea-sharing. I though Sugata’s Child-driven Learning video was a great link to the concepts I will explore in my Genius Hour Project. In this video, the teacher did not act as a leader or facilitator, they were entirely absent from the student’s learning; in fact, their only job was to ‘plant the seed’ or suggest a topic to the students and sit back to watch the learning unfold. However, I question the practicality of this approach, or how it could be successfully coalescent with the curriculum. Furthermore, would this technique be more/less successful with younger or older students? For next week, I will delve into space planning to invoke cooperation, and the resources that these students need in order to become successful.
Week 4 Reflection:
This week we explored a number of digital tools that can be used within the classroom, including Powtoon, GoogleDrawings, Pinterest & Twitter. In connection with my Genius Hour assignment I have created a Pinterest board that explores a number of creative elements within the classroom, such as space planning, white board desk tops, and individual mailboxes for each student. I implore my readers to follow the link at the top of my blog which will take you directly to this page. Within today's class, it became apparent that thinking 'outside of the box' is a true asset to any classroom. In fact, we were asked to come up with our own non-traditional uses or representations of a box. I chose to expand my box, and moulded it so it became a giant piece of bread instead. Thinking outside of the box can easily be adapted to classroom design, as it requires a creative and thoughtful approach. Throughout the next couple of weeks I hope to have narrowed down specific elements of design that will prove useful in any setting, and publish mu findings on my Pinterest account. 
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