Filed under: Change Agent, Leadership | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Creative Tension
I know that Scott McLeod has cornered the market on the Irrelevancy of education today, but here is what Dilbert had to say this week.
Related to the theme of relevancy. Take a look at some of the top supplemental videos that students included in their application to Tufts University. Are we preparing our students for this type of presentation? It won’t be long before other schools follow suit.
Filed under: Change Agent, Instructional Leader, Leadership, Uncategorized, Visionary | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, change, Creative Tension, Educational Leadership, Gary Stager, Leadership, Vision
I’m currently reading Pamela Livingston’s 1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs that Work, which I think is excellent. I have to admit that I was skeptical because it seems almost impossible to write a book on such a complex and ever changing initiative. In the section of leadership Gary Stager wrote a piece on his experiences working with Australia’s Methodist Ladies College (MLC) in Melbourne during the 90s. He mentions that the Principal, David Loader, purposefully disrupted the status quo when promoting a move to a 1-to-1 laptop initiative by sending the message to parents that, “We love your children and the tuition that you send us, but frankly our school isn’t good enough.”
You have to hand it to him for his conviction and straightforward approach. I’m definitely going to use this quote in the future. You may want to keep it on file to use just at the right moment.
Filed under: Change Agent | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Creative Tension, Future, Media
As change agents we are always looking for ways to build on the emotions of our constituents to make change happen. Nowadays there is the continual search for videos on change (can find a few at Principals of Future). I’m a big supporter of showing high quality videos to teachers, students and parents since the visuals really help people see what may be possible. I really like the 8 steps that Kotter and Cohen’s define in Heart of Change and I believe that the use of multi-media help with “creating urgency” and “building the guiding team”. Instead of plugging videos, I”d like to promote my current top 5 change songs (with YouTube videos). They’re on my iPod and get played frequently when I’m looking for inspiration.
#5 Talkin’ Bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman
Top
#4 Changes by David Bowie
#3 Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer
#2 A Change is Going to Come by Sam Cooke (Jumped out at me last night on American Idol)
#1 If You’re Out There by John Legend
What are your favorites?
Filed under: Change Agent, Leadership, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, Creative Tension, Educational Leadership, Leadership, Peter Senge, Vision
The gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy. If there were no gap, there would be no need for any action to move towards the vision. We call this gap creative tension.
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline
I have had this quote hanging on my office wall for years but during the past year it has become much more meaningful to me. More meaningful because the gap between the vision that I have for schools and the current reality seems enormous. This large gap has created a sense of urgency for me that continues to build. It’s extremely exciting and I’m now on a personal and professional mission to provide the type of leadership that is necessary to move schools into the future. Fortunately or unfortunately, according to John Legend in If You’re Out There, “the future started yesterday and we’re already late”.
Myvision for schools is one in which:
- teachers and students seamlessly use technology in the teaching and learning process.
- students are engaged in meaningful and relevent learning experiences using technology just as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, artists, social scientists, etc.
- teachers and students have access to resources from all over the world.
- individuals are not constrained by the curriculum and have the opportunity to explore areas of study about which they are passionate.
- students are authors, publishers, creators of knowledge, collaborators, researchers and contributors.
This creative tension has me hungry to seek out ways to close the gap and this blog provides me with a venue to reflect, share ideas and promote discussions with colleagues and peers who share a common interest. I believe that this will help me grow professionally so that I can provide the type of leadership that our students deserve. Let’s use this energy to start closing the gap. The mission begins!
