Future Ready Schools?

The assignment was to watch at least three short films from edutopia's Five Minute Film Festival: Future Ready Schools so naturally I started with the first one Audri's Rube Goldberg Monster Trap which I LOVED! Such a creative enthusiastic young man who advises us..."If you don't succeed try, try again."

The next video, Cain's Arcade began streaming directly after and that is where I stayed! After I watched this short film, I quickly clicked to view Cain's Arcade 2 to see what has happened since the first movie was filmed.

I was in tears! It really took me by surprise how moved I was by this story! When I see something like this and I think about the majority of the classrooms across our nation I think that we are failing kids when we don't allow them opportunities to use their "natural power of creativity" It is so true that "children need to be innovators and inventors" and not only at home on their own time away from school but during the school day as well. I know that there are plenty of initiatives promoting project based learning and that there are many schools and school systems that are doing GREAT things but it concerns me that these are more the exception than the rule.

The guy, Nirvan Mullick, who discovered Cain's Arcade and decided to do the movie about him which has now turned into a complete movement The Imagination Foundation says this...
"the idea is not only to give kids the tools to build the things that they can imagine but that they can also imagine the world that they can build." 

Powerful stuff! Are our schools really future ready?

Connected or Just "Lurking"?

So, October is Connected Educator Month and I find myself asking, Am I a connected educator? I understand that connectedness begins with collaboration and in the past collaboration was held back by restraints of time and space unlike today with the use of technology collaboration has no such restraints and takes place pretty much 24/7 all over the globe. This is quite exciting when you think about it! The ability to connect with just about anyone at any time...the possibilities are limitless!

But the question for me still lingers...Am I a connected educator? An edutopia post titled The Connected Educator: It Begins with Collaboration states that, " The idea of collaboration requires a mindset of believeing there is room to learn and grow. It is also a belief that we are smarter collectively than individually." When I read this I think yes, that is me and I do seek opportunities to collaborate for my own growth and learning as well as the growth and learning of others. I agree that collaboration provides a great deal of transparency in education and that is always a good thing! But does a mindset make me connected?

I think about my journey toward connectedness which has been a slow and gradual process starting with the infamous Facebook page. Prompted by close friends and family I created my profile, well after most of my own children had moved on to other social media platforms that I am still trying to figure out :) My initial interaction with fb was mostly looking, reading, and "liking" which my daughter informed me is called "creeping" so I began to become more actively engaged with posting status, pictures, and commenting...making myself known instead of just creeping. Shortly after fb I started a LinkedIn profile followed by a Twitter account and now I use Pinterest and LiveBinder very regularly as well as Instagram. I have a blog (or two) a webpage and I participate regularly in webinars but I am more of a listener than an active participant. I am pretty good at communicating, curating, and collaborating to a certain degree but think that I have yet to cross the threshold of "allowing my voice to surface, connect, and collaborate on issues of importance" as Carol Varsalona  points out in The Connected Educator: All About Connectedness but I'm working on that!

It has been said that "A connected educator is as much a learner as a teacher" and that I am! So with that being said I think that yes, I am on the connected educator continuum with lots of room to learn and grow!

CoolToolsforSchools & Class Tools

Last night during class we shared a tool(s) to the rest of class that we investigated on one or both of these sites: CoolToolsforSchools and Class Tools

If you havent heard about or explored these two sites before YOU REALLY SHOULD! They include an extensive collection of the latest and greatest of web tools for schools/classrooms.

I shared...QwikSlides



Here is a glimpse of what some of the others shared...

noteapp -  Organize your thoughts visually and quickly add notes with one click. Easily find them again in seconds.

Word Mosaic - word collages, shape poetry and more...

Addict-O-Matic - "inhale the web...instantly create a custom page with the latest buzz on any topic" - AWESOME!!!

newsela -  Daily news articles at 5 reading levels from grades 3 - 12. Talk about access to CCSS required increase in informational text and text complexity :)

This AWESOME resource regarding things you can do with photos!!! Using smore


And last, but certainly not least my favorite discovery of the evening, blendspace - create lessons with digital content in 5 minutes! YES!!! it is that good and very user friendly! CHECK IT OUT!

I hope you find something you can use too :)

Understanding the BIG PICTURE

6 Ideas for Teaching Digital Reputation is an exceptional article that outlines classroom lessons/ideas that empower students to "build a digital reputation that aligns with the legacy they hope to achieve."

As I read through this article I was quickly reminded of endless possibilities that social media provides if we think about it in these ways and how it can be used for good; to promote a cause, build a following, become well connected in any field. The article points out that "networking can be amplified when using digital tools...a Twitter chat gives you a chance to talk about real issues and topics with a much bigger group of people!" YouTube is so much more than funny videos if used in a productive way students can "develop good creative content and use YouTube as a positive platform to share your message with the world."

I think as instructional leaders it is our obligation to guide students to a deeper understanding, a greater purpose, to see the BIG PICTURE of social media use and the building of a digital reputation that they can be proud of. This article is a must read! Check it out!

LIVE from class TONIGHT!

We created Animoto videos to share about ourselves.WHAT FUN! Check it out...

ANIMOTO

edWeb.net a professional learning and social network

If you are not already a member of this AMAZING resource…STOP right now and do it! Before you read on! Prior to joining the Leadership 3.0 community I joined the Assessment for Learning community and participated in the live webinar titled: Closing the Achievement Gap with Productive Struggle

Presented by Dr. Philip Lanoue, Superintendent of Clarke County public schools, Athens, Georgia, Kristina Patel, 8th grade math teacher at Clarke Middle School, and Aoife Dempsey, Chief Technology Officer for Triumph Learning

Airdate: 8/26/14

What a FANTASTIC way to connect and learn from the best minds and practitioners in the field of education! According to Eric Sheninger, this is “an EXCITING time to be a digital leader and learner! I can learn anytime, anywhere, from anyone!” And with the continual availability of web tools and social media this has never been truer.

What stood out to me from the webinar presented by Eric Sheninger, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times is that the willingness to change is indicative of instructional leadership. During this webinar Sheninger outlined the 7 Pillars of Digital Leadership illustrated in the graphic below.

Sheninger says that leadership has not changed but rather it is our style, mindset, and behaviors that MUST change. He affirms that learners are changing, “this is their new world… and we cannot expect them to learn without their tools” and reminds us that “what we fear is what we don’t know.” We can’t allow our lack of understanding keep them from learning in the our schools while they are with us, Sheninger defines Digital Leadership as, “embracing the tools of our age to do what we do better, to unlock our potential and to leverage the collective knowledge of each and every one of us who are trying as hard as we can with all the many pressures to help our kids be the best that they can be!” WOW!!! Now that’s what I’m talking about!PLN (Personal Learning Network) “It’s PERSONAL! Cultivate and grow it”  Check out Sheninger’s blog for a quick start  guide…http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2010/08/pln-quick-start-guide.html
And I could easily go on and on…but instead I’ll leave you with this and encourage you again, to join the community at http://home.edweb.net YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID!“Be that catalyst and champion for the change that our students deserve and yearn for. They want to have the opportunity to use these real-world tools (mobile learning devices)”

http://www.edweb.net/.5a0b1eb5/

Presenter: Dwight Carter, Principal, Gahanna Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio

Airdate: 6/3/14

Another AWESOME watch! Build today’s learners with the 4 C’s: Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking say principal Dwight Carter from Gahanna HS in Ohio. He encourages us by stating, “You have to create the environment for the 4 C’s to take place.”

What really got me was the story Cater told about Ian Jukes (http://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/ian-jukes) research when he asked a 16 year old student to describe his experience at school and the young student offered the following analogy, “Going to school is like getting on an airplane. When I go to school they ask me to have a seat, buckle up, and turn off all electronic devices.” Thus, school is compared to boarding a plane; a passive experience L Sad but true…

“Our kids are different.”

Cater encourages us…”as your changing the mindset also change what the learning spaces look like and how they can be used.”

GOOD STUFF!!! Check it all out at Leadership 3.0 :) Until next time remember...It's okay to not know but it's not okay to not try

Aspiring Administrator, LINDA

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

First evening back in class :) Exciting and scary at the same time...Vickey Sullivan is NO JOKE! She is a techno-beast! I am excited to continue to learn more about technology, specifically for administrators but at the same time am a little scared because I know what lies ahead. Ready, set, GO!