First obstacles

The first obstacle is not being together in the same space. My special skill is motivation of others. However, I realize I do it by the sheer power of being with someone and helping them understand their special skills. In order to do that from afar, there needs to be some adaptations. What worked before does not work now.

George Couros tweeted this quote today:

“Change can be hard and sometimes seemingly insurmountable, but remember, change is an opportunity to do something amazing. If we embrace this mindset and become the innovators our kids need (and need to be), the opportunities in front of us are endless.”

There has to be change, so finding ways to be creative on a Zoom call is a must. But it can not only be me that is being creative on a Zoom call. I found out last week that having the students create the google slides deck kept them more engaged. So, I am going to do that again this week.

Kahoots and padlets really work to break up the Zoom call. But make sure that they are used with the content in mind and not just to play.

Even though I want my class to be fun and challenging, doesn’t mean that the kids want the challenging part. I am trying to figure out how to make sure that they understand that challenging is important for them in the long run. So I am working to make a video of past students that talk about their experience in CAS and how it has helped them in their lives. Maybe that will help create a unique selling point for my class. It definitely helps me differentiate from other classes.

I guess at the end of the day my obstacle is change. Change for me and for all of the students at this time. We are all trying to adapt and be present but sometimes that is difficult to do when we feel out of control.