I know that it seems silly to rave about how technology has changed our lives, but I think that it’s important for those of us who may be “digital immigrants” to reflect on the changes. It’s very easy to forget how quickly technology changes our lives.
I am currently in Bonito, Brazil hanging out at the pool writing this blog post. Bonito is a very small town near the Paraguayan border and it’s not exactly considered high tech. Bonito is known for its natural beauty and outdoor adventure activities (I probably shouldn’t even have brought my laptop). How long has it even been possible for people to access a wireless network here in Bonito?
What did we do before…
- Skype allowed us to interview teacher candidates? This year I have interviewed teachers who have been in China, Korea, the United States, Turkey, Malaysia, Myanmar, Taiwan and the majority of our hires have come via Skype interviews and online reference checks. Who needs the job fairs anymore?
- digital book readers were invented? I recently entered the digital print world by reading my first book on my new iPad. I don’t see myself going back to paper books any time in the near future. What a great option for those of us who are overseas and find it hard to get current books (in English).
- GPS navigators allow us to go anywhere without knowing how to get there? I panicked when I couldn’t find our GPS navigator because it is a necessity in Sao Paulo. Before having the navigator I used to get directions in Google Maps and download them to my smart phone. Before that I used to print out the maps and directions.
- video rentals were available for download? My children downloaded rental movies through iTunes so that they could watch movies on our iPad during the car trip to Rio de Janeiro. No need for the in car DVD player.
- tools like Skype and Google Docs were available for us to use with outside consultants? At school, we believe that we can work with a consultant via Skype, Google Docs and other tools rather than have him/her visit our campus. Think of the benefits that this model provides us with. Instead of bringing someone in for a few days, we can work with the person over several week or months.
- Facebook connected us with friends that we have not seen in years. I love the fact that I am communicating with friends from high school via Facebook. Who needs a reunion?
- before cloud technology allowed us to save files online? I recently had a third hard drive crash on my laptop and I never once worried about losing files. All of my files are saved in Live Mesh. I finally learned my lesson after losing a hard drive the day before an important presentation.
What examples do you have in your personal/professional life?
Filed under: Change Agent | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, change, Learning, Technology
Ricardo Semler in Maverick states the following:
If only minds were as easy to change as machines. I’ll wager that it’s easier to invent a new generation of microchips then get a generation of middle managers to alter the routes they drive to work every day. Technology is transformed overnight; mentality takes generations to alter. Who can blame us for thinking technology will cure all that ails the workplace. It’s so much easier to acquire.
This concept is important for leaders to understand when implementing a 1:1 laptop program. We are all creatures of habit and habits are difficult to break. This is why we frequently hear, “It’s not about the machines.”
Filed under: Change Agent, Instructional Leader | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, change, Educational Leadership, Teachers, Technology
Cross posted on 1 to 1 Schoolsnet
As I visit 1:1 laptop classrooms I have been trying to put myself into the shoes of a classroom teacher who has just had their world turned upside down with the introduction of these new 21st century tools. I’m learning that it’s not easy for educators to make the transition and that it is very easy to continue old habits. We are definitely creatures of habit and the most simple example is of the teacher who tends to rely on lecture and class discussion. In this case the teacher will use the technology to make presentations and the students will take notes (hopefully by using the computer).
Those of you in schools that have already taken the plunge can relate to that initial feeling of, “Now what do I do with this machine?” I plan to explore this over the next several posts but would like to introduce it with this great video, ‘The Class’ DU innovation Class. It’s a parody of The Office and it shows a teacher who is struggling to change his habits.
Filed under: Leadership, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Future, Kaplan University, Technology, Universities, Video, Vision
I saw this video the other night and I think that the theme is great. Don’t know much about Kaplan University, but they’re putting out a powerful message.
Filed under: Instructional Leader, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Libraries, Media Centers, Social Networking, Technology, Vision
From Flickr by melanzane1013
On my recent trip to New York City I had the opportunity to visit the main New York City Public Library. As someone who truly appreciates history I was in awe of the building. It truly is a magnificent place. Work on the building started in 1902 and the library opened in 1911. The initial building contained 75 miles of shelving and it had one of the most sophisticated book delivery systems of the day. The first patron waited 6 minutes for N. I. Grot’s Nravstvennye idealy nashego vremeni (Ethical Ideas of Our Time). To learn more about the history you can visit the NYPL site.
When thinking about schools of the future, today we have to consider how libraries will change and adapt. By just looking around and then checking out their website is appears that the library is working hard to move ahead into the future. In fact, I think that school libraries can learn a thing or two.
Start with the cool looking banner showing “Discover”, “Connect”, and “Get Inspired” on the website . There is a link that shows you how to connect to the library through a variety of social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes and Flickr). Patrons can also subscribe to their blogs and check out their audio/video and digital projects. The library uses VoiceThread for people to contribute comments and to highlight the NYPL Picture library.
One of the highlights of the library is the main reading room which is very impressive. I couldn’t resist taking this picture of the dictionary on the stand and all of the illuminated laptop screens. I have to wonder how often the dictionary and thousands of beautiful books in the room are used. Users can go online to reserve a library laptop to use within the library.
It is refreshing to see the contrast between the historical surroundings and the new technology. Hey, they even had a Wii in the children’s library for kids to play. I hope that places like this will keep pace with today’s digital world so that we can continue to learn from the past.
Filed under: Change Agent, Instructional Leader, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Learning, Technology, Vision
My 3-Year Old at the Apple Store
This is a photo of my 3-year old at the Apple store in NYC. Seems pretty amazing that she would have just as much fun in this store as she did at the famous FAO Schwarz store next door. She’s familiar with the iPod touch because she has a variety of apps that she plays with on my wife’s iPod touch so maneuvering through songs and apps is fairly easy to her.
Let’s look ahead 3-4 years from now when she is ready to enter 1st grade. Who even knows what other technologies she’ll be exposed to by then. How can the current school model possibly fit with her background and experiences? If she is in a typical American school, it probably won’t.
Will Richardson in his post entitled 2020 Vision questions the ability of our educational system to make substantial changes over the next 10 years. He mentions Alan Collins and Richard Halverson’s book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America and their point that we are not going to fix education by fixing today’s schools.
While these ideas can be depressing I choose to look at how I can use this information to make me a better parent and school leader. I may not be able to influence the entire system, but I can certainly act within my own circle of influence. As a parent, I can provide my children with learning opportunities that better match today’s digital world and as a principal, I can strive to lead my school community into this digital revolution. In both roles I must constantly scan the current landscape and horizon to find out how technology is being used in real life now and in the future. I can then have meaningful discussions with my wife, children and community members on how these technologies can be used to adapt teaching and learning. Or maybe just learning.
By thinking about the challenge this way, I have hope for the future of education for my children and my students.
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.
Filed under: Leadership, Manager | Tags: 1:1 Laptop Programs, 21st Century Schools, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, Technology, Technology Support
Here’s the message. Make sure that the technology is up and running 99.9% of the time and that it’s easy for the teachers, students, administrators, and support staff to use.
This summer I learned about the research study of 1:1 high schools in North Carolina that is being conducted by a team from the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. The team spent this past year studying 8 schools in the state that were implementing 1:1 laptop programs. While the initial evaluation report that was submitted to the State Board of Education has tons of interesting information, one of the key findings caught my attention today.
Attending to the details makes all the difference. Having ways to plug-in computers and charge batteries, make printer supplies available, establish email class lists for teachers,backup teacher and student machines, respond promptly to technical problems, and address the many other day-to-day needs of making the use of 1:1 laptops go smoothly in classrooms is essential for successful use of the technology to improve student learning.
from Flickr by James W. Bell Leeds
Nothing can sabotage a 1:1 implementation quicker than failing to make the technology reliable and easy to use. Sometimes I think that if I prioritize the barriers for a successful implementation, that this should be the #1 barrier to address. If this barrier can’t be removed, then don’t bother moving forward. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen enthusiastic educators crushed when the technological glitches make it too difficult to do their work. What happens in the end is that they just quit trying and they don’t bother with trying something new because they fear that it won’t work and It only takes a few instances when a teacher is standing in front of a class trying to figure out why the technology isn’t working properly for the person to give up hope.
I have a personal example from this summer that describes what happens. In June I went out and purchased a HP 2140 (which I love) and I decided to go out on a limb and only use open source software. I wanted to see if I could do everything that I needed with these tools. So, I enlisted the support of our school’s open source guru and within a week I was set up. It took a bit longer than I would have liked and there were a few quirks that made me a bit worried, but I was really looking forward to this experiment. It was OK that I had to use a headset to use Skype and I was even getting used to the music software which wasn’t quite iTunes quality. I even signed up for 2 of the open source sessions at NECC.
By the end of June I was talking up Ubuntu and all of the open source products that I was using at the time. I loved that the computer started up and shut down quickly, that I did not need virus protection, and that it was FREE. I kept telling people that I thought that schools could use low cost netbooks and open source to provide all students with tools for learning. I loved the whole idea…until, one day, my computer stopped booting up and I was stuck.
On my initial call to HP the representative told me that they did not support Ubuntu. I then went online and joined a forum to see if I could trouble shoot the problem. Now, I’m definitely not a techie so it was difficult for me to understand language like this,
“Replace sda1 with the appropriate device (a = disk, 1 = partition number), then mount the virtual disk therein”
My friend who setup the computer, the Ubuntu guru, was on vacation and not available to help me from afar. Just as I was about to panic I put in one more call to HP. This time they put me in touch with an open source specialist who helped me determine that my hard drive was bad. To make a long story short, I sent the computer back and asked them to reinstall Windows for me. I gave up. I just did not feel like I had the support that I needed to continue with Ubuntu. It’s too bad because I think that it would have worked for me.
Now I’m trying to figure out if I want to pay up renew my virus protection to buy Microsoft Office since my trial copy is about to expire.
At one of the NECC open source forums someone asked about the availability of IT experts in the field who can support schools that choose to use the platform. The panelists response is one that all of us should remember, no matter what platform you use. While there isn’t an overabundance of experts out there, it’s best to find someone who is good and then provide them with the training over the long term. Develop that person(s) professionally so that they can truly support your users.
Filed under: Change Agent, Instructional Leader, Leadership, Visionary | Tags: 21st Century Schools, change, Disruptive Innovation, Educational Leadership, Future, Software-based learning, Technology, Vision
Repeatedly, originally uploaded by OsakaBen.
This summer I am working on getting through my list of books to read. It’s a good thing that my summer has been extended because I was way behind. Fortunately I was in the middle of Disrupting Class by Christenson, Horn and Johnson when I saw Scott McLeod’s presentation at NECC. Scott’s presentation got my into the spirit and the book really pushed my thinking on the role of technology in education. For years I have promoted the integration of technology into the classroom while the authors of Disrupting Class are now telling me that, “Teachers have implemented computers in the most common-sense way- to sustain their existing practices and pedogogies rather than displace them.” and that the real disruption will be with software-delivered instruction. There’s even a section entitled, “Cramming Computers in Schools”.
Sure, I’ve complained that too many educators “don’t get it”, “that it’s not happening fast enough, that the majority of uses of technology in the classroom is lame, and that we have to keep pushing this change in instructional tools. What has kept me going is that I have witnessed classrooms where the tools are making a difference in student learning. My vision for schools was soundly based on the integration model and I truly believed that progress was essential and possible.
Christensen, Horn and Johnson are now laying out a new paradigm that is forcing me to step outside my comfort zone. They describe an educational system where…
- the classrooms are virtual and students are guided by software that is tailored to learning styles.
- the feedback to students will be immediate and they will not move ahead unless they have mastered the topic.
- the pace will be determined by the student’s needs
- the role of teachers will be to coach their students (many more students) during the various stages of learning.
- schools are organized, not geographically, but by students’ individual learning styles.
Can this really be true? Are companies like leArnin3.com and ALEKS on the cutting edge? Do I need to stop chanting the integration model mantra and start plugging software options?
I am going to seriously begin looking at how I can use their suggestions for school leaders.
“Use the right tools to introduce change….negotiation toward radical change simply won’t work.”
“Solve it (problems) by facilitating disruption.”
“each school should have one person – whose sole job is to implement online courses.”
“Don’t place artificial limits on what students can take online or what teachers can build online either…”
