During the mini-keynotes at iPadpalooza over the summer, George Couros, author of “The Innovator’s Mindset,” talked about a kid who made a YouTube video, hoping somebody would see it. When he gets one “like,” he makes another video in gratitude and ends up going viral.
“So, this kid totally reminds me of me when I was a kid,” Couros said. “A little bit awkward, a little bit chubby and just hoping he connects to somebody…. He makes a six-minute video to thank people all around the world for his one like. So, he goes on and on. He starts doing musical impressions. You just never know the impact you can have. Something very simple can make someone’s day.”
The point of Couros’ talk: When connecting with people online, “always err on the side of positive. You never know the impact you’ll have on other people, so make it a good one.”
Another mini-keynote speaker, educator Amy Burvall, talked punk ed. “Passion over skill” was her point.
“The Sex Pistols didn’t even know how to play their instruments when they started in the band. They learned as they went. And, isn’t that just like us, sort of building the plane as we fly it with technology,” she said, adding that failing “is a reminder for us to find the why of our teaching and to help students find the why of their learning.”
I missed iPadpalooza, an ed tech conference held in Austin in June, but all the mini-keynotes are online. Each is about three minutes long and features learning and teaching using ed tech. All 12 are worth watching. The following are three. Find the rest on YouTube.
Banner image: YouTube screenshot of George Couros at iPadpalooza 2016
Editor’s note: Watchworthy Wednesday posts highlight interesting DML resources and appear in DML Central every Wednesday. Any tips for future posts are welcome. Please comment below or send email to mcruz@hri.uci.edu.
