I woke up early this morning, planning to make the 2-hour drive to our state's Education Technology Conference... today was to be my only day of attendance. Two years ago, I wrecked my car on the way to the conference driving through conditions similar to today's snow. I chose to stay at the office today -- turned out to be a snow day.
So the natural question I often get is "What does a Principal do when the students and teachers are away?"
Here is my attempt to answer that question on our 1st snow day of the year (This post was inspired by "The Principal's Principles" blog):
Follow the Conversation... Since I couldn't make the conference, I will follow the #OETC12 hashtag on Tweetdeck all day, hoping to learn, connect, and get inspired.
Read... There are always a few books on my short list and plenty of professional publications stacked on my desk.
Clean my desk... this one is usually at the bottom of my list. Everything else seems more fun. But today, I am thinking more and more about going paperless (inspired by the Beyond Paperless info on Ryan Collins' blog) -- an effort I have been making for several months now. For me, Evernote is the tool of choice.
Play with my kids... my 6 year old just called to ask me when I was coming home to play with him. Maybe I can carve out an extra couple of hours this afternoon to get out the Wii or maybe play a game of Scrabble Jr. Who knows, might even go sledding!
I just did a presentation for a great group of administrators in Tipp City, Ohio on using Social Media to engage the school community (check presentation files under the Social Media Tab). A great topic for discussion... and such a broad one. Probably one of the most under-utilized tools in education, Social Media is a great tool in a lot of avenues... from Professional Development to Public Relations and even a little bit of fun mixed in, Social Media has revolutionized the economy, the world, the media, and our social and personal lives. It is definitely time for schools to jump on board by:
using social media to promote the school and connect/engage with the community
using social media to develop as professionals
teaching social media skills and etiquette to students
Feel free to add your comments and share your social media resources below. Mine are under the Social Media tab (work in progress).
Well, maybe Google isn't taking over the world, but we sure better invite them into our schools and classrooms with open arms!
After attending today's 'Ohio Goes Google' conference (#ohiogoesgoogle), any doubts one might have had about the usefulness or ability to implement Google into K-12 education should be subdued! Despite our lack of useful Wi-Fi access within the conference (ironic for a 21st Century Skills type conference!), the sessions and networking opportunities have certainly given many of us useful ideas, wonderful links, and fantastic insight that can be instantly taken back to our schools and implemented for increasing student achievement.
Obviously, I am a Google user (Googler?)... I maintain multiple Blogger blogs, cram Google Docs down the throats of my staff, and upload ALL of my pictures to Picassa. In fact, I also use You Tube, Calendar, Reader, Gmail, and Maps, and I have a Droid powered by the Google Android Market. What don't I do with Google? Very little. As I said about a year ago (to a small circle of people!), Google is taking over the world. If you don't believe me, imagine one hour without Google...
But what does Google mean to education? For most of us, this is a game changer... there are so many ways to be innovative and to engage learners in (and out of) the classroom using the Google Tools.
Here are a couple of resources shared with me today... check them out:
So, if Google hasn't taken over the world yet, Ohio should at least brace itself for a take-over after the Ohio Goes Google conference. This is a great step for education in Ohio. Its great to see over 700 educators talking about 21st Century Skills... sorta feels like we are beginning to head in the right direction!
What's the next step? For me, its all about passing this information on to my teachers. Beyond the many ways I discovered today for sharing and collaborating, I also host 'Tech Tuesday' to share ideas with others -- every Tuesday we discuss a different tech tool that can be used in the classroom. We also share and collaborate on a staff blog and through Google docs.
Please share your thoughts on Google, ways you spread the word, or links you took away from the Ohio Goes Google conference.
Recently, we began discussing (in our district) the possibility of going to a 1:1 program. The discussion has evolved from conversations, tech sessions, and our observations of what other schools are doing. For the past several years, I have watched as a neighboring district implemented a 1:1 program for their 4th grade students via MLDs (aka Mobile Learning Devices) and soon after, our district did the same. Both districts have expanded their program and now, we are considering how the evolution of this technology will impact our current 5th graders (who all have a device) if we don't change how we operate in the high school classroom.
So this is where we are... how do we prepare to teach a different type of student? The 'Networked Student' (see video below)? We have been saying for years that students' needs are different today than they were 5 or 10 years ago. So how do (or should) we as educators adjust and change to meet the needs of these 21st Century students?
Going 1:1 (putting a device in the hands of all students) is not the solution. This new tool can certainly be used in the process, almost as a vehicle for getting us to a 21st Century classroom. But it is in no means the end-all, be-all. 21st Century classrooms must teach students how to collaborate, how to innovate, how to communicate (digitally and otherwise), how to investigate, how to research, how to use every tool at their disposal in order to problem solve.
In a discussion with a group of teachers recently, the issue came up as to whether or not we were degrading the basic skills by using too much technology. Making students memorize facts that they can Google isn't educating them. Teaching students how to find information and then evaluate, synthesize, and analyze that information in order to solve a problem or create a solution is educating them.
In a recent conversation with my good friend and teacher @SNewco, we were discussing a math problem he had given his students. He had expected them to have to use paper and pencil to come up with the answer. One student, however, used Google and some other intuitive internet research on his MLD to arrive at the correct answer. While stunned, @SNewco couldn't have been happier with his student's ability to find the correct answer. This is 21st Century Learning! We have to change how we question and teach our students, knowing full well that they have the ability to 'Google' the answer!
To me, going 1:1 next school year is no different than it probably was to give every student a book 100 years ago. Sure its the next big thing, but it is becoming a standard item. I would be willing to predict that within 5 years, the word 1:1 will be nearly obsolete. A learning device (i.e. smart phone, iPad, netbook, ipod, etc.) will be the standard, not the anomaly. In reality, long before my career is over, a student device with be as standard as a 3-ring binder or a calculator is today.
So the question isn't should we or shouldn't we go 1:1... the real question is will we be ready when the students are?
As if we needed any more evidence that social media and technology has permeated our world completely, I found two references to 'tweeting' in prime time television and one instance of an Interactive White Board (IWB). Grey's Anatomy gets the award for best use of Twitter in prime time this week (see video below). For those of us that have delved into the world of Twitter from a PD perspective, this was a Twitter dream come true! Doctors were using this collaborative tool to learn, develop, connect, and get advice. It might have been a bit of a stretch, but in this episode, Twitter actually saved a life!
So is it possible that Twitter could save education in America? Or maybe even in your school? Again, maybe a stretch, but use your imagination. As a principal, I read many Twitter feeds. I started seriously Tweeting about 2 months ago at the suggestion of my good friend @SNewco. My first thought... "No one wants to know what I am having for dinner... and I don't care what they are doing right now either!". But I gave it a shot anyway -- I went out on a limb. It has changed the way I think about education.
Can you remember when commercials would simply give a web address? Now companies just tell you to find them on Facebook and Twitter. How many schools, classrooms, or teachers can say "follow me on Twitter"? Why is it that education seems to be the last to adopt the latest innovations? Let's face it... our world is different. We have to keep up if we want to keep our students' attention!
So, where can YOU start?
Follow me on Twitter! Or follow @SNewco. Or read one of the resources on Tweeting found here. Then start Tweeting!
Follow the Conversation... Since I couldn't make the conference, I will follow the #OETC12 hashtag on Tweetdeck all day, hoping to learn, connect, and get inspired.
Clean my desk... this one is usually at the bottom of my list. Everything else seems more fun. But today, I am thinking more and more about going paperless (inspired by the Beyond Paperless info on Ryan Collins' blog) -- an effort I have been making for several months now. For me, Evernote is the tool of choice.
