Brainstorming innovation ideas for the classroom 8-21-09 PD

On Friday's PD, staff was given 3 minutes to brainstorm ideas on the theme of innovation and then pick the one they thought was best or that they wanted to work on. Here's the list. Notice any commonalities?

Innovation Notes
Brainstorming session led by Joyce 8-21-09

o Order books from SF public library online (students)
o Computer-aide music program – GarageBand
o Using blogs or the idea of text messaging in terms of communication
o Using library catalog ---move from cards(history/past) to electronic(now/present)
o Science – experiment --- follow directions -- innovate
o Look around --- observe --- think what you see -- create….
o Have kids create their own way to measure wind or rain
o Identify strength & area of need. Students help each other create toolbox rather than reinvent the wheel.
o Research that leads to prevention/cure of AIDS
o Innovative places/ways to write
o Recruitment for MathCounts- Dailies, posters, visit classrooms, rewards, integrate into curriculum
o Create your own game; make your own equipment for the game
o Student needs collaboration between services for success
o Show ‘n Tell: At least 3 times during the year, create something at home & tell how you made it & what it’s for
o New extensions on topics
o Deepen understanding
o Use types of cooking or different foods to design clay bowls appropriate to the food.
o Creative reuse of familiar object. Eg.- Galileo used opera glasses technology to make telescope
o Design paper, cardboard or wooden airplanes through looking at existing test planes
o Expressing creatively through self portraits
o Reading comics –encourages writing – reading – overcoming fear of self expression
o What can you do to create a process/organizer/check sheet for an essay or edit a paper that works for you
o Using innovative strategies in working with middle school girls…
o Early communities and collaboration
o Earth Day. Give a simple item for child to create something new
o Redesigning challenges
o Back to School Night during the day
o Local history ---- architecture---Academy of Sciences, GG Bridge, City Hall --- EQ retrofit --- seismology
o Ending with your product