Genius Hour is a part of a new culture of learning and incorporates
twenty-first century skills such as communication, collaborative teamwork,
creation and more. When this innovative project called a Genius Hour was first
mentioned in class, I think that everyone was a tad bit confused and
intimidated by the concept of one. I know that I was. I believe that it was
natural for me to feel confused and intimidated by something so new, unknown and
something that seemingly could not be explained. These feelings only
intensified as the date for Genius Hour approached; however, once my group
members and I decided on a topic and a focus of our exploration, which was
Skype, these feelings settled and changed. While I will not expand on what my
group's Genius Hour was about because it had to do with something that I have
already wrote about in one of my previous blog posts, I will say that, overall,
I think that the mixed thoughts about this project were understandable and
necessary for us to have in order to meet one of the objectives of this course, which is to be
open to change and engaged in our learning.
Source: http://marinasandoval.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/0/9/26098974/7230242_orig.png
As 4P19
comes to an end, I feel that Genius Hour will be something that I really take away
from this course and I never would have expected that without being subjected
to the full experience of this project. At first, I struggled to see the point
of Genius Hour. I thought that it wouldn't be useful to me, but I was wrong. Genius
Hour made me more open to the idea of openness itself. Less structured activities
is not something that I am used to or comfortable with given that most university
assignments have strict guidelines and as students we are not always encouraged
to follow our own interests. Not only that, but I believe that this
student-centered inquiry will have a positive impact on how I deliver any future
oral presentations. Maybe it was the fact that it was only five minutes long
and ultimately the fact that no one could present on the wrong thing, per say,
because the point of Genius Hour is for it to be an open exploration, that
contributed to me feeling more comfortable than usual with presenting in front
of the class despite feeling less prepared. Rather than relying on detailed notes, I
felt secure enough to just refer to our PowerPoint presentation and add in supplementary
material as it popped into my head.
In
general, it was fantastic to see how
different groups approached education and incorporated things that they were
passionate about or interested in into their presentations. I think that we all
got a better sense of what drives us and our peers to be better educators.
I would
like to conclude this blog with something that is a little unrelated to what I
have previously reflected on. It is
especially difficult as a student, and I imagine as a professor too, to find
the motivation and energy to complete or mark assignments and prepare for final
exams during this chaotic time of year. Have no fear though because Kid
President is here to give a pep talk. He stars in one of my favourite videos, which I think captures the difficulties of reaching this point in the semester, but also of engaging the twenty-first century learner and how, as long as we do not quit, it will all be worth it in the end. I find that sometimes
it is the little reminders that really keep you going, so I dedicate this to
everyone that is struggling to make it through the home stretch of the semester or still struggle with the concept of twenty-first century education. Here is some encouragement. Watch, enjoy, keep blogging and don't forget to be awesome. Until next time...
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o
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