Filed under: Change Agent, Instructional Leader, Leadership, Visionary | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, change, Essential Conditions, Planning, Vision
Something very exciting happened when our leadership team met for a leadership retreat to work on our vision for Graded. For the longest time we have been focusing on our 1:1 initiative in the middle school and amazingly enough, during the entire retreat, technology never entered the conversation. We even framed our learning around five of ISTE’s Essential Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning. The five that we chose were Skilled Personnel, Curriculum Framework and Student Centered Learning, Ongoing Professional Development, and Assessment and Evaluation.
I think that we owe the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and their “A Guide to Becoming a School of the Future” for this accomplishment. I highly recommend it as required reading for any school that is planning for the future. I think that we spent so much time focusing on the core of a our school in the future, that it was just assumed that technology would play a major role in the teaching and learning process.
What does the guide have to offer?
The first section is entitled, “Making the Case for Schools of the Future”. Even if you don’t need convincing, I suggest that you read it and share it with those who need to be convinced.
“We can choose to adapt, accepting that we do not know this world as well as our children and look to them to help us learn. Or, we can be infexible immigrants, focusing on how good things used to be. If we are to reach our children and help them learn, we must adapt, we must face the fact that our students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.”
The second section is, “Essential Capacities for the 21st Century”. We linked this to a curriculum framework where the main categories are Analytical and Creative Thinking and Problem-solving; Complex Communication —Oral and Written; Leadership and Teamwork; Digital and Quantitative Literacy; Global Perspective; Adaptability, Initiative, and Risk-Taking; Integrity and Ethical Decision-Making. There are many frameworks out there that describe what students should know and be able to do. This is just one that provides food for thought.
I love the third section and think that it is the core of the guide because it provides schools with a variety of models and resources for change. It’s great that they start the chapter off by saying:
“The intention is not to provide a formulaic approach to the challenges of teaching and learning in our times but rather to encourage exploration, innovation, and transformation within each school in a manner that is consistent with the school’s mission and the needs of its students.”
One can spend hours in this section exploring the ideas and the links to resources from a wide variety of school and teachers. The Stories of Excellence guide has examples of classroom units where technology is used (unfortunately, It looks like they have blocked it to non-members). This is one resource that is teaching and learning with technology focused.
The authors identified the following unifying themes:
- The schools are academically demanding
- Project-based learning, as an integral part of the school’s program, is woven throughout all grade levels and disciplines
- Classrooms extend beyond the school walls, actively engaging students in the world around them
- Digital technologies and a global perspective infuse all aspects of the curriculum
- Vibrant arts programs help promote creativity, self-expression, self-discipline, and fexibility
- The adults are actively engaged with one another and with the students in a process of continuous learning
- A culture of engagement and support invites participation, innovation, and a “growth mindset” on the part of teachers and students
- Transformational leadership challenges the status quo, draws out the issues, navigates through confict, and mobilizes people and resources to do the adaptive work necessary to create and sustain effective change.
Finally, the appendix has additional resources to use in your planning.
If you haven’t studied this guide, you’re missing out. It’s a must in my book.
Filed under: Change Agent, Leadership, Visionary | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, Collaboration, Communication, Planning
While our middle school has a 1:1 program in grades 6 and 7 our high school is planning to roll out a 1:1 program in August 2012. We have created a 27 member task force comprised of teachers, students, parents and administrators whose job it is to get out in front of the learning and to make recommendations for the 2011 school year. The task force leadership group decided to structure the group, which has a December – June lifespan, around these ideas and goals.
Goals
- Develop recommendations/action steps for the high school for the 2011-12 school year. Recommendations will be based on the International Society for Technology in Education’s Essential Conditions.
- Share information on 21st century education with the Graded community.
The group meets monthly for 4 hour chunks of time so we realize the importance of communicating and collaborating virtually. There are three tools that we are relying on heavily for communication and collaboration.
1. Ning - The 2012 Task Force Ning is our hub for communication. While there are 27 members of the task force, there are 56 members on the Ning. We have opened it up to our entire community. We started by posting notes from our initial meetings in the discussion forum and are encouraging video uploads, ongoing discussions and blog posts. We use it as a portal for discussions and an archive of our process. Recently, we asked our high school leadership team to review the Ning so that the members could gain a sense of what the task force is doing. While we’re never satisfied with the level of participation, the amount of information that has been generated after 3 months is fantastic.
2. Diigo - We have created a group called Graded 21st Century that members can use to share web resources. Members can also share highlights and notes with the rest of the group. We are finding that the long tale property holds true with a very small number of members contributing multiple sources. It will be interesting to see how participation improves over time.
3. Google Docs – We use Google Education tools to collaborate and present information. These tools are available 24/7 for members to use and we have a rich archive of information.
So, what have we learned in rolling out these tools?
1. Building the Ning doesn’t mean that people will automatically start using the tool. We found that we had to provide support to help the teachers, students and parents to get started. Sending the information out via e-mail only worked for some of the participants.
2. Using the tools during the face to face meetings is a must. Aside from the obvious reasons, this allows the participants to discuss the tools and they can get help, if necessary.
3. We’re working with an outside consultant and she is able to track our progress and participate in the discussions. On a recent Skype call with her I asked her to guess which direction the group took in a recent meeting and she had already seen the work and was able to comment. It’s so efficient and effective to have her linked in with our work.
4. Making a monthly post an assigned task has had mixed results. Some were more comfortable with expounding on their ideas that related to specific online resources and others just shared resources on the Ning. We’re hoping that with feedback and discussion that posting will become a habit and that the quality of the posts will improve.
5. We’re constantly looking for ways to increase the chatter on the Ning. We are optimistic that we’ll develop a culture of online collaboration but it seems to be something that we can’t give up on.
We’re very excited about the work that this group is doing and it will be exciting to see how this online culture evolves. What suggestions do you have for us?
Filed under: Change Agent, Leadership | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, Educational Leadership, Leadership, Planning, Technology, Technology Plans
I just recently started posting on the 1 to 1 Schools Net which is a blog that was established by CASTLE and Nick Sauers is the principal blogger.
Check out my latest post entitled Leadership and the 1-to-1 Bus.
Flickr by Edge of Space
Filed under: Change Agent, Leadership, Manager, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, Action Plans, Educational Leadership, Essential Conditions, ISTE, Leadership, Planning, Technology, Technology Plans
ISTE’s - National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators packet includes Essential Conditions: Necessary conditions to effectively leverage technology for learning. This type of document can serve as a guide for school leaders who want to move their school(s) forward.
- Shared Vision
- Empowered Leaders
- Implementation Planning
- Consistent and Adequate Funding
- Equitable Access
- Skilled Personnel
- Ongoing Professional Learning
- Technical Support
- Curriculum Framework
- Student-Centered Learning
- Assessment and Evaluation
- Engaged Communities
- Support Policies
- Supportive External Context
Have your team break down each item and define what it means. Then look at where your school currently stands, where you need to go and how you’re going to get there.
Why not use this to develop your school’s action plan and/or technology plan. We’re always looking for simplifying the complex.
