Yesterday, I had a quick back and forth with @irasocol about innovation in education. He had made a comment about parents wishing to have the same type of education that they had without all of this new Web 2.0 innovation stuff thrown in. But, you know, we agreed that our education has been filled with moments where teachers have tried new to them ways to innovate in the classroom. We’re still covering the material for the bean counters but the name of the game has always been opportunities for engagement to increased interest in the materials.
At the end of the term or semester, teachers do have to report back to parents for accountability purposes. Have our report card comments changed to keep up with things? Perhaps the following might help as we move from old school comments to those that reflect what is happening in classrooms.
![529141904_e7b741a343[1]](https://dougpete.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/529141904_e7b741a3431.jpg "529141904_e7b741a343[1]")
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbaunach/ / CC BY 2.0
“Plays well with others” – H/She set up a private wiki for the study of immigration and used it with his/er group to collaborate on their final presentation.
“Uses unethical computer technique” – H/She discovered some gaping security holes in our school network and explained to the IT Department how to plug them.
“Cheats by using Google” – During our unit on Confederation, h/she found all of the answers to the questions by using Google on his/er mobile device. I’ve learned not to put simple memory recall questions on the test.
“Organizes thoughts effectively” – By using an online graphic organizer, h/she was able to collect input on the outline of his/er essay and this resulted in a more thorough discussion about Green Industries.
“Analyzes data” – During our study of pit bulls, h/she conducted an online poll to collect opinions of this animal from students around the globe.
“Composes original music” – Using an online music editor and resources from Creative Commons sources, h/she was able to create an original composition by remixing their efforts.
Are we ready to be this transparent with our innovations?
doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.