Welcome to my final blog post of 2015 and my annual tradition of my Top 3 Lists for the year.
Previous Top 3 lists for 2014 (here) 2013 (here) 2012 (here), 2011 (here) and 2010 (here).
Hopefully there is a link or a video that connects with you and starts a discussion. I am finding I am having fewer interesting discussion online – hopefully something here might help.
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts which have generated the most traffic this year:
1. The Learning Commons Mindset
3. Will School Sports Disappear?
Top 3 Learning opportunities I went to:
- CONNECT 2015 – I am usually not a fan of large conference events, but this one has a good mix of sessions are great opportunities to network across the country. I see they have Chris Hatfield as a keynote for 2016.
- IGNITE West Vancouver – Sean Nosek hosted our first Ignite session in West Vancouver. It was a great way to learn with colleagues in a relaxed environment. Who knew pro-d at the bar could have so much value.
- C21 Superintendent’s Academy – A group of about 25 superintendents from across the country have monthly conference calls meet in-person a couple of times a year. We helped put together the Shifting Minds (pdf) paper earlier in the year.
Top 3 Education Books I Read That Influenced My Thinking:
- Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros
- Beyond Measure by Vicki Abeles (and the movie is also excellent!)
- Creative Schools by Ken Robinson
Top 3 Speakers I Saw And Remembered Their Messages Days or Weeks Later:
- Yong Zhao – I saw him speak several times in 2015, and even if I heard some of the same jokes a few times – he said something that stuck with me each time.
- Wab Kinew – I got to see Wab in the spring, and I am really looking forward to having him as our opening day speaker in West Vancouver this coming August.
- Will Richardson – Will’s TEDx Video (see my next list below) proved again that he is one of the best out there at making the urgent case for change in our education system.
Top 3 TEDx WestVancouverED 2015 Videos:
- Collaboration . . . It’s Starts with Competition by Allison McNeil
2. The Future of Education is Ready by Lane Merrifield
3. The Surprising Truth About Learning in School by Will Richardson
Top 3 Technology Influences I Saw in Schools This Year:
- FreshGrade – It is a monster in British Columbia and likely it will be across Canada soon.
- Google Classroom – If you don’t think people in your district use it – you are wrong. They are just not telling you.
- Coding – Each year it gains momentum and Hour of Code is part of most schools now.
Top 3 Signs That Have Nothing To Do With Technology (mostly) That Show Schools are REALLY Changing:
- new curriculum in British Columbia with a focus on big ideas
- all the value being placed on core competencies for students
- the changes in student reporting
Top 3 Pop Culture Phrases That Get Used Too Much in Education:
- This ain’t my first rodeo
- Go down the rabbit hole
- Anything 2.0 or 3.0 or 4.0 or . . . .
Thanks everyone for continuing to read and engage with me through my blog. It continues to be a great place to work through ideas and connect to some of the most passionate people I know. I have struggled to get a tweet from Dean Shareski out of my mind – he said something like, blogging is like jazz – it is not for everyone but will have a loyal following. I did think that blogging was going to be for everyone but I was wrong. There seem to be fewer people in education writing today than even a year ago. I am not sure why. That is probably a good blog post for the new year 🙂
Happy New Year – I look forward to learning together in 2016!
cultureofyes.ca 
Resolution for 2015…Make Chris Kennedy’s top 3 list. Check!
Thanks for including me and sharing so many other great resources!
You have always had big dreams. I am looking forward to having you in West Vancouver in 2016!
[…] 2015 draws to a close, I’m going to follow Chris Kennedy’s lead with some year in review lists over the next few […]
Once again, a great personal summary. It’s a formula, I think that’s easily replicated.
With regard to the tweet, “Blogs are like rock and roll and jazz. A one time popular genre, now a niche. The same will soon be true for twitter.” I’m with you in that I miscalculated the roll of blogging. What I will stand by is that while blogging may not be for everyone, reflection is. I can say my reflections are finding other spaces and avenues to happen but the discipline of blogging is really difficult to beat.
I was so convinced five years ago that everyone (principals, teachers, students) would have a blog. It is too bad, because I think that would have been awesome.
Great overview- includes many of my “tops” as well. 🙂
As for “blogging”, makes me cringe sometimes to read back thru some of my posts- a digital artifact of my stumbles & challenges. I quite literally “write my way into understanding”. It’s not always pretty. But for me, writing is an invaluable, powerful medium to reflect, process and ultimately, share.
Thanks for sharing your posts Chris. Look forward to more in 2016.
I think the cringing is one of the best parts. It is why having student blogging can be so powerful. Over time they see how their writing improves and their ideas shift. I know that blogging has definitely made my writing better.
[…] not have the nerve to publish it. Now we are in 2015 and he has published his Top Three again (see here and read his first). I was waiting for it. I cannot keep my cheek in check. Even in this form, […]
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