I left class tonight thinking about the survey we reviewed about teacher's creativity. I am not sure if it was tonight's intention or if it was just a breakthrough for me; but I want to understand this. It makes sense to incorporate this new technology into my curriculum. This is what the kids will be doing, so let me get them ready to compete. The job market they will compete in will become more and more selective. If they are already comfortable with the tools they need to use; then that is half the battle.
My difficulty is time; but this is more a problem of time management. My major life's goal is to have their be little distinction between work and play. We spend so much time at work, whether that is thinking of, planning, or doing activities with students why not make them fun, exciting, and worthy of my time?
I have started a new program with my students that focuses on responsibility, following directions, time management, social skills, and academics. My plan is to take some time to figure out how I can meaningfully incorporate these new skills into my new program. The students are highly motivated by the cooking group; so I can sneak a lot of new and hard skills into the lessons. The students are more willing to do the work if the carrot is shiny enough.