#EdPins

In 2017, I was accepted into the Google Certified Innovator program in Stockholm, Sweden. It was at this incredible event that my innovator project to reshape education was born; it was called #EdPins. The mission statement of the project is a simple one 'To highlight the beautiful, unique work in every school'. #EdPins does this by repurposing schools' Google Maps reviews as a way to share and promote learning.

Going through a project of this scale, from identifying my user base, to designing the project, to the actual roll-out and ongoing maintenance of #EdPins has redefined my self-perception as a leader in education and as an innovator. It has connected me to the most incredible community of educators around the globe. It is one of my biggest achievements professionally and I would like to invite you to visit the full project website above.

Sample #EdPins Submissions

Google review of École College Park School by Ed Pins★★★★★ "Official #EdPins Submission for École College Park School #InnovationPin iGen is a very innovative classroom and I will tell you why. First, our class is in a partnership between Ecole College Park and Sherbrooke Community Centre. Ecole College Park is a regular public elementary school and Sherbrooke is a care home where people who have special medical needs reside (Elders). iGen is a grade six classroom that happens right in Sherbrooke Community Centre for an entire school year. When in iGen, you learn from others, Elders specifically. We define Elders as someone who is here to teach us something and is deserving of our respect and kindness. Being an Elder has nothing to do with age and there are many younger people living at Sherbrooke. We believe that we are all teachers and that we can all learn from each other. We are led by two classroom teachers, Keri and Callie, who work together with the students, the whole Sherbrooke community, and College Park School to plan learning adventures. Grade six students in the iGen classroom learn all of the same curriculum as other grade six students in Saskatchewan but they learn it in integrated projects that involve Elders. In iGen, our main goal is to fill in the gap between young and old. It is much easier to learn in an environment that you have fun in. Having a simple conversation with other people of any age is the best pleasure in the world. We make the Elders’ day, and we learn their wisdom."

Google review of Maria Parkskolan by Ed Pins★★★★★ "At Maria Parkskolan we have a special unit for students, ages 10-15, with special needs (for instance students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD/ADD and/or other communication disorders). These students follow the regular curriculum but are in need of individual adjustment and support in the learning process as well as in the classroom environment. As most students have had a rough time at their previous schools we try to help them by making them feel safe and secure, we try to strengthen their confidence and focus on the students own interests as a foundation for learning. In order to give the students a more cohesive way of understanding we work with larger projects, broken down into smaller and more subject oriented projects, over time. We also use game based learning were we use games such as Minecraft and Starbound as a medium for creativity and storytelling."

Opinión de Aaron Alcodray sobre The American School in Japan en Google★★★★★ "Official #EdPins Submission for The American School in Japan #InnovationPin The American School in Japan is host to an innovation in personalized learning called the IMPACT program. The IMPACT program is a personalized learning framework targeting ASIJ’s three strategic objectives. The program empowers high school students with skills for self-efficacy and a passion for learning that transcends school. A student’s IMPACT experience may be enriched by work they have done in previous courses, or it might spring from an area of personal interest. The possibilities are diverse and driven by students’ interest in becoming self-guided, lifelong learners. 1 Chome-1-1 Nomizu, Chōfu-shi, Tōkyō-to 182-0031 35.6815422,139.5193398 Submitted by Aaron Alcodray on 10/03/2018 04:10:47"

Google review of American School of Bombay, Mumbai by Sam Bourke★★★★★ "The middle school science faculty at ASB have taken an active role in differentiating for passionate, gifted, talented and high-achieving students in STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). They have spent the past three years developing the ASB STEM Club as an extracurricular activity. The club is open to any student interested in pursuing deep, rigorous STEM related research projects, with a particular focus on horticultural science. In 2016 they began prototyping a student driven, project-based STEM inquiry club. In 2017 they entered 3 student teams into the NESA (Near East and South Asia) International STEM competition, taking 1st 3rd and 9th place amongst over 100 teams of talented science and technology students. Projects have included solar powered water purification systems for clean water access in impoverished local communities, automated Arduino controlled irrigation systems to reduce water wastage in drought affected regions, and evolving salt tolerance into bacterial decomposers for soil rehabilitation."