Staff Development

Technology and trends and the various applications to education have been instrumental components in our staff development days and ongoing changes to our culture at my school. As the administrator in charge of staff development, I put a survey out to the staff at the beginning of the school year regarding topics for professional development. Technology and the various applications was clearly a majority favorite. Our departments all use Edusoft in order to disaggregate data and fine tune their dept. pacing calendars. Webgrades is a fan favorite of the parents (and the students) in order to best maintain a pulse on their student's progress.

I plan on sharing the video clip, "A Vision of Student's Today" to our staff along with providing a technology website handout. The ideal theme of 'create experiences and not lectures' is fast becoming a culture change at our school and it is exciting to see all teachers embrace the idea of technology applications in their classrooms.

In order to get a greater perspective on technology and school culture, I have agreed to create an online survey through Kwik Survey for the teachers, parents and students. The survey will ask specific questions about technology but will also reference general aspects of the school. The survey will be posted on our website and all stakeholders will have easy access. I am looking forward to the results of such a survey and hope it will enlighten everyone and assist in future decisions.

Tech Trends

Ed Tech - The Trends for the Next Five Years...This article was enlightening and started a conversation that surrounded the idea of cell phones and various hand held devices that should be used as apart of the learning process. The idea of incorporating a device that the students already hold dear is genius. Ed brought up the idea that his school wants to spend thousands on 'clickers' but Ed and others (based on an active conversation regarding tech trends) were quick to realize that thousands of dollars could be saved if a method was set up through Tweet Deck and the utilization of students hand held devices. Great Stuff!

The conversation above is a prime example of creativity on the move and the social environment willing to change with the assistance of a few pioneers and progressive individuals. The leadership it takes to get the mass majority on board is a crucial element. Like Faverty stated, 'A leader should open the door and not let it close.' I suppose it takes trust on both ends to create an environment that maximizes full potential and celebrates 'out of the box' thinking. Self- Actualization is the idea that we are all striving to reach our full potential even leaders who are constantly rethinking their various game plans and evolving. What we do is what we learn!

Innovation and Vision

A great quote to start off with...." The task of the modern education is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts."~C.S.Lewis. I see this quote as a friendly reminder to not forget where we came from and to move forward with close ties to assist all students on all levels. School reform can be seen as a daunting task but I believe the educational leaders can add value when looking through the lens of the 21st Century Skills. On this note, educators have to challenge the thinking of today and truly buy what they are selling. Lip service is only going to cause disservice to all involved. Let's break the mold and think big...Innovation,Leadership, and Technology!

The concept of 'buy what you sell' was a prominent componenet in the Toffler book, Revolutionary Wealth. The Tofflers coined the word "prosumer" to describe people who consume what they themselves produce. They are quick to point out that everyday activities such as blogging, facebooking, tweeting contribute and add value to the traditional economy. Other ideas mentioned in the book: 1) wealth cannot exist in isolation and, 2) politics are not the same as economics.

Trust is a factor that is folded into politics and leadership. And I believe in order to move forward we need to loosen the grip of various constraints formed by unions and the like if we want to see progress and trust a new-found direction. Again, referencing the 21st Century Skills, experts are insisting that we need to evolve and emphasize technology, problem solving, workforce connections, and civil responsibility when looking at school reform.

Gaining Momentum

A comment was made in class last week (Oct. 19) regarding human literacy and application of technology..."Is the learning changing or the vehicle to learning changing...Or perhaps both." I thought this was a very interesting inquiry and very much a open ended question. Certainly one for debate! The way in which we share information has changed and the amount of information we share has exponentially increased....Thus, dubbing the next generation or the times, 'contributory society'....Hence, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and so on. The brain is a social tool and is in need of stimulation and meaningful connection. I suppose that is why the students in the classrooms today are in greater need for learning that comes alive and makes sense to prior knowledge and/or real world application.

The video, '2 Million Minutes', was long coming in light of the above statements. Because the world can connect on so many levels, it was a matter of time before other countries gained a solid footing on the road to education and career advances. Technology being the largest contributor to making such social advances and life changing movements. As mentioned in the video, "Education is the passport out of poverty." It was fascinating to hear the students from the other countries speak so passionately about learning and the idea of challenging themselves to fulfill their highest potential. Whether it is built into their cultural identity or a family dynamic, it is still refreshing to know that young people have big dreams and it starts with the fundamentals of a strong educational background.

The impact of technology on international education and overall affairs is just starting to be felt. I think the we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the true possibilities of technology and cultural literacy and world affairs. Globalization in the classroom will be a topic that cannot be ignored and I think the students from the US will greatly benefit the most.

Process..Not Product!

Streamlining all processes and making the most of our time (efficiency) appears to be one of the underlining themes regarding technology. For example, staff meetings should be utilized for the purpose of sharing and collaborative learning from one another...Meetings should not be used to handout information. It is about building the capacity for leadership in all individuals who share a common goal. It goes back to the saying..."Create an experience and not a lecture."

At my campus, there is a big debate on whether or not all teachers should be forced to use Webgrades. The teachers who do insist that it makes their jobs easier and streamlines all of the processes for students, parents, and teachers. Not everyone is convinced and it is building some frustration between dept. members. One of the ideas that came up in class is the use of technology for the sake of being cutting edge or is it adding value?! Ultimately, it is all about adding value to your life and job. Besides, the idea of staying cutting edge is virtually unrealistic as a new technology based product comes out every 17 seconds or so.

Whether it be in the educational setting or in general, the use of technology needs to validate the old and build the new in order to show connection in its movement forward. It is a paradox...Always looking for new ways without giving up the old. All the while, streamlining the process and looking to add value.

Knowledge is no longer static

In one of the articles that we read to prepare for our second class, it stated that education is the attempt from one generation to the next to teach the skills and knowledge needed to survive. However, in class, much of our conversation and examples surrounded the idea that adults (those making the future decisions for education) are inept in terms of technology and future educational application. All the while, our clients (the younger generations that we are serving) are much more competent and knowledgeable about technology and its application to learning and ideas on the horizon. One of my suggestions was to consult the younger generations to fulfill a needed component in thinking about education and future technological applications. Perhaps are students can grasp more of a visionary perspective...And in the days of collaboration and team building this may be a significant resource.
Another quote I took from one of our readings is that 'knowledge is no longer static but is liquefied and constantly evolving'. Learning nneds to transform and transfer from one setting to the next. Interdisciplinary themes are starting to blur the boundaries, taking the process of digesting and utilizing information to a higher level.
Onto a different avenue was the topic of leadership and how difficult it is to define. It was talked about whether or not leaders must have followers in order to call themselves leaders. My humble opinion thinks not! A leader is a person that does the right thing and works to their fullest potential when nobody is looking and nobody is quick to reward such behavior. I think it was Faverty that said we are more likely to attach success and great leadership to a person and not a process. I feel this is so true on all levels and observed in all professions. I am sure we do it to our students all the time. I think that this is human nature.
Great discussions...Look forward to more!

First Class Reflections

With much anticipation, I entered our first class meeting with anxiety, knowing I would need to be open minded and rise to the challenges of the course material with a tenacious spirit.  The use of technology has been known to cause me grief more often than not but I know technology is engulfing our everyday lives and I best jump on for the ride if I am going to be competitive professionally and seek out the comforts of everyday life.

I have to admit that I was taken back by the simple concepts that were discussed in our first class meeting...Many 'gems' that I found to be refreshing and pleasant reminders that we are all striving to be better in all capacities of life.  The PITS process, Ego, Power, and Love, the 4 C's, Leadership, and Reflective Synthesis.

The comment that 'everything we do is emotionally based' caught me off guard because it was the last statement that I thought I would hear in a technology based class.  But as the class progressed, much of the 'gems' above were all surrounding human emotions and the sense of coming together for the greater good.  The 4 C's, for instance, speaks about the progression from 'command' to 'convenience' and how trust is built within an organization and/or between individuals.  Trust is described as consistent behavior overtime and I think in order for a leader to make room for the 'convenience' stage in his organization he needs to be able to trust and not fall back to micro-managing.

The conversation regarding reflective synthesis was very enlightening.  It is unfortunate that our schools are often caught up in the cycle of comprehension and knowledge but are often void of the application component.  Much of our reading this week talks about the hands-on dynamic and the idea of constructivism and the 'participatory-culture'.  Students, early on and throughout, need to be able to have some creative room to take pieces of information and apply it how they see fit.  The standards based education today has removed much of the creativity from the classroom...Leaving students with memorizing and rote learning.  With the use of technology, I would hope that more of our teachers and, ultimately lessons in school, become project based and constructive in nature.