Eric C. Sheninger's Blog, page 52

Leading With Video

There is no denying the power of video in society.  In a 2014 Forbes article, Richard Tiland makes some significant points when it comes to video and leadership. For example:

The use of video is so ubiquitous in our everyday lives; it has become part of our subconscious. We don’t even realize how much we know and learn from video—news, commercials, documentaries, even YouTube.  

As Tiland continues to explain, the use of video in society extends well beyond entertainment:

It has become a critical component in business, politics, communication, social media and even in music.   We need video to market and sell products, promote new ideas and share beliefs.

This paradigm shift has resulted in one of the most powerful tools available to leaders across the globe as explained by Tiland:

Ultimately, therein lies the power of video—the ability to effectively share beliefs and impact audiences worldwide from the comfort of their homes to the screens of their smart phones 24 hours per day, 7 days per week!

Image credit: http://success8760.com/wp-content/upl...
Digital leaders know full well the power of video. As principal I routinely used video tools to improve communications, enhance public relations, and create a positive brand presence.  Leaders today can harness mainstay video tools to build better connections and relationships with all stakeholders while telling the story of their school/district in a way that was never possible. Video tools can also be used as pivotal learning tools that save precious time and money.  Below I break down four main categories of digital tools:

Archived video (moderate/long length)

YouTube has long been the video tool of choice for digital leaders. Principal Tony Sinanis has used it as a communication tool for years by having his elementary students deliver morning announcements.  As principal I used a tool called ZippSlip where I could record video messages to my parents that were then embedded as YouTube videos right into the email.  Using YouTube as a public relations and branding tool is a seamless shift when leaders record and then share school events focusing on students such as art shows, concerts, athletic events, and award ceremonies.  For videos longer than fifteen minutes leaders can take advantage of Vimeo for free.  Want to learn something new? Check out YouTube EDU.

Archived video (short length)

Tools such as Vine and Instagram have revolutionized the way leaders can share innovative practices in brevity.  With only six and fifteen seconds respectively, these tools can capture short highlights that demonstrate the awesomeness occurring in our schools every day. These short video clips go a long way towards building a brand presence that extends well beyond a local school or district.  With such a short window to record, the excuses not to use these tools quickly fades. Check out how Laura Fleming uses Vine to showcase what her students are creating in the school's makerspace.  Want to use short video to support your learning? Well the popular walkie talkie app Voxer has you covered.  Voxer now allows users to take and share videos up to fifteen seconds in length.

Live video

Ustream set the standard for streaming video live, even in HD. When my New Milford HS students engaged in a book discussion on Drive with Dan Pink, I streamed the session live using this free tool and archived it to share with my superintendent and BOE.  The latest rage is Periscope, a free, live video streaming app for iOS and Android device.   As a “live video streaming platform”, educators can transmit live recordings of themselves to Persicope and Twitter followers.  Since Periscope is owned by Twitter it automatically links to your Twitter account.  Users get a notification anytime the educators you’re following do a live transmission. Periscope is great for catching glimpses of live presentations at conferences or sharing knowledge instantly using the power of video. You can re-watch any video from your followers for 24 hours after the live broadcast, but after that they disappear and are not permanently archived.  For more information on Periscope check out these great resources:

Periscope: top tips for using Twitter’s latest appThe Scoop on Periscope: Broadcast Live Video to the WorldPeriscope the School
Videoconferencing

Free applications such as Skype and Google Hangouts allow leaders to easily connect with both experts and practitioners. We used videoconferencing in my district to make better use of our precious time. In lieu of face-to-face meetings where we had to leave our buildings, I suggested to all of the building leaders across all schools to meet via Google Hangouts. The free group video chat feature was a game-changer for us.

Great leaders always strive to continuously improve professional practice.  Don't neglect the power of video to become a better communicator, learn on the go at times convenient for you, become the storyteller-in chief, and construct a school/district brand that will build greater support and appreciation from all stakeholders.

Musings on Leadership, Change, and #EdTech

As I am driving my SUV and family guinea pig from Staten Island, NY to Texas (more to come on this later) I took the opportunity, when my father was at the wheel, to peruse my professional Facebook page.  As I looked through my updates I noticed that I had posted quite a few quotes, ideas, thoughts, and opinions on leading change.  The idea then popped into my head that I should archive all of these in a blog post. Maybe some of you will find value in them (or maybe not). 

Image credit: http://www.changefactory.com.au/
Without further ado:

Leadership is not a popularity contest. Make the tough decisions instead of trying to please everyone. 

Great leaders build capacity in others knowing full well that it takes more than one person to successfully implement change. 

A testament to true leadership is one's ability to not just initiate change, but also sustain it. 

If you don't tell your story someone else will. Digital leadership is about becoming the storyteller-in-chief to take control of your public relations and build a positive brand presence. 

Reach for the sky and experience your potential. Reach for the stars and discover unlimited potential. 

Success is achieved when you zero in on a goal with an undeniable focus and a determination to overcome an array of challenges. 

Real change comes from colleagues modeling expectations to others, not from those with titles. 

Respect is a fickle thing. It is not earned through opinion, talk, and putting down others, but rather example and action. 

If you truly believe a certain way is better put that belief into action to inspire others to change. 

Don’t just give opinions. Illustrate how your opinions have been implemented in some way to change educational practice. 

Technology will not revolutionize education. Educators who effectively integrate technology to enhance and support learning will. 

Actions speak louder than words, sound bites, and rhetoric. Model for others and change will follow. 

Don't ask others to do what you won’t. 

Digital leadership is about working smarter, not harder, by enhancing professional practice with the assistance of technology. 

You can complain about the decisions made by someone else or take the initiative and make your own. 

As a leader if you are making students conform to your views and ideals about the structure and function of school without their input you have it all wrong. You work for them; it's their school, and most importantly their voice matters! 

Stop telling people what they need to do and instead take them where they need to be. 

Digital leadership is not an add-on or about giving one more to do. It is a natural compliment to the work school leaders are already doing. It is time to do what you do better. 

An idea is wasted if it is not acted upon leading to change in culture and/or practice.
Instead of conformity, rules, and maintaining status quo schools need to focus on choice, ownership, and autonomy. 

Don't expect others to change professional practice if you are not modeling those same expectations. 

Engagement, relevance, and fun are great, but make sure there is observable evidence that students are learning when integrating technology.

I hope you enjoyed some of my thoughts based not only on observation, but also practical experience implementing and sustaining change in schools. I now encourage you to add your thoughts below.

Be Wary of Putting the Cart Before the Horse

"Unless you get instructional design right, technology can only increase the speed and certainty of failure" - William Horton

As budgets expand or money becomes available at the end of a school year, the knee jerk reaction of many schools is to go all in and spend it as quickly as possible.  With advances in affordable technology, such as the ultra-cheap Chromebook, it has been tough for schools to resist spending these funds on devices.  Now don't get me wrong, I am all for schools increasing student and staff access to quality technology. However, the cart before the horse scenario has played out in so many schools across the globe. The end result has been a massive influx in tools, but a clear lack in vision and planning as to how these powerful tools can, and will, actually impact learning. In some cases the technology resides unused in classrooms and schools due to the cart before the horse approach. There is nothing transformational about this.

There are many technology frameworks out there for schools to refer to such as SAMR, TPACK, and the TIM. The SAMR Model has provided us with a good lens to observe firsthand the need for proper planning prior to investing large amounts of money on technology.  This by no means is a perfect framework to guide the effective implementation of technology initiatives, but it does give us a good idea of what should not be taking place.  I have visited one too many schools where I have seen time and time again devices being used in ways that serve as a direct substitute for the same ineffective practices that we are trying to move away from. Technology in itself will never transform teaching and learning. Students, teachers, and leaders who effectively integrate technology with purpose aligned to learning and leadership outcomes will.

The quote at the beginning of this post from William Horton provides an important reminder of the critical need for teachers to be supported in proper instructional design prior to any massive technology roll out. We found great success at my school during our digital conversion by focusing on a pedagogy first, technology second if appropriate mindset.  Not only was there a focus on solid instruction, but we also provided numerous supports for our teachers in the form of ongoing and job-embedded professional learning opportunities. If the expectation was to integrate technology with purpose to support and/or enhance learning we made sure everyone was prepared to do just that.  As Michael Fullan has stated, pedagogy is the driver and technology the accelerator. 
Image credit: Shelly Terrell
It is not just teachers that need work on instructional design when it comes to effectively integrating technology.  The same goes for school leaders who also deserve support in the form of professional learning so that they can properly observe and provide valuable feedback to teachers when technology is being integrated in lessons.  Ultimately it is a leader’s overall responsibility to make sure technology purposes are having an impact on learning. Thus it is wise to put them in a better position to do just that.

The critical need for learning doesn't stop with teachers and leaders. It also extends to students and parents. As learning changes with successful technology integration and students begin to have more access to technology, a golden opportunity arises to not only address critical digital literacies, but also responsibility. When rolling out either Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or 1:1 initiatives create programs to prepare students for the purposeful use of technology to support their learning. In the end this will mitigate many issues before they arise. At my school I met with all the students in large-scale assemblies to educate and reinforce the role of mobile learning devices at the beginning of the school year. Having parent programs in place is also vital to the success of any major technology initiative. With large scale purchases they will want to know the impact on learning and others will need guidance on the how teaching and learning is now changing.

The importance of getting instructional design right cannot be stressed enough.  Don't fall victim to the cart before the horse scenario. If you or your school has the ability and funds to purchase technology, don't rush to get it into the hands of staff and students. Take the time to develop a shared vision and plan for integration that aligns with sound pedagogy. Consider using the trudacot developed by Scott McLeod and Julie Graber.  This discussion protocol will allow you to work on instructional design within the context of student agency and higher-order thinking skills.  Provide professional learning opportunities before, during, and consistently after the roll out.  After a focus on instructional design, work with students and parents to build broader support. In the end this will help to not only make the implementation process easier, but also to have your technology initiatives primed to get results.

Make Change Stick

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Zigler

Change in any organization is an arduous task at some point, especially during the initial implementation stage.  The onset of the process is typically fraught with challenges such as overcoming the status quo, a mentality of if it isn’t broke why fix it, fear, a void of leadership somewhere in the hierarchy of schools, lack of knowledge on initiating change, no clear vision, too many initiatives at once, naysayers/antagonists, and a one size fits all approach.  One must realize that change is really hard and a commitment to see the process through is vital if the end goal is cultural transformation that sticks.  

Success also lies in a leader’s ability to make difficult decisions when needed. Leadership is not a popularity contest.  True leaders make the tough decisions instead of trying to please everyone.  I fell victim to the allure of putting popularity first early in my career as a young principal.   It took some self-reflection, after realizing that the school was stuck in a rut, to get myself on track and do the job that I was getting paid to do.  From that point on several change initiatives were implemented and sustained resulting in a culture that worked better for our students and staff.  In the end, real leaders take action and their ability to be catalysts for change are not defined by a title or position. They are defined by the example they set.

One must develop a mindset for change.  This process begins with an examination of why change does not work in organizations and then looking more closely as to why it has failed in your school or district.  The challenges described in the first paragraph provide a good starting point, but by no means are an inclusive list as each school/district has it’s own set of unique roadblocks. Pinpoint areas of potential difficulty beforehand that morph into challenges or excuses such as time, lack of collaboration, finances, limited support, poor professional development, resistance, mandates/directives, and frivolous purchases to name a few.  Once the challenges and potential obstacles are in front of you, begin to develop a road map for change using the following questions:
Where do we begin?What are the school factors that influence student learning and ultimately achievement?How do you change culture and move past the status quo?How do we get educators and school systems to embrace change as opposed to always fighting for buy-in?There are many frameworks and ideas on change leadership.  You can’t go wrong with the work of Michael Fullan and his Six Secrets of Change. When I began to develop a shared vision and strategic plan for change with my staff back in 2009 I referred to the Katgar Model of Change. 


While there is virtually no elaboration that I could find on this model an image provides some detail on the elements that are essential to successful change in any organization.  The central tenets of leadership described in this model center on why change is needed.  Effective leaders develop a shared vision with input from all stakeholders, including students.  They then craft and implement a plan for action that supports the purpose for the change. The glue that holds the entire process together is a leader’s passion for how the change will positively impact students and staff.  The Katgar Model for Change then identifies five essential elements that leaders can focus on to ensure success:
Strategy – After developing a shared vision a plan for action has to be developed.  The plan not only identifies the purpose and focus for the change, but also provides methods to monitor to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.  Always model the expectations you have for others.Communication – You won’t find an effective leader who is not an effective communicator.  The art of communication allows leaders to accomplish tasks and get things done, pass on important information, acquire information, develop a shared vision, reach many decisions through consensus, build relationships, and move people to embrace change. Leaders in the digital age leverage available technology to transform communications.People – Successful change initiatives rest on moving the masses, but you must begin at a foundational level. This can best be accomplished by building positive relationships at the individual level.  Empower staff to embrace change by putting them in a position to experience the value firsthand for themselves.  Provide autonomy to those who are already on board while focusing more time and effort supporting staff who are not yet willing to change.The Work and Fun – With any change initiative ensure that a solid foundation aligned to teaching, learning, and leadership is in place. It is always good practice to align the work to the latest research and best practices.  As change takes hold have fun by celebrating the successes of your staff and students.  Nothing moves change along better than showing people how proud you are of their hard work.  This will also assist in motivating others to embrace the change effort.Learning – The best and most effective leaders never stop learning, as they understand that there will always be work to do, not matter how much success is encountered.  As Antoni Cimolino states, “There is something to be learned every day, both by looking in the mirror at yourself and by looking at the people around you.” Today’s leaders have a great advantage when it comes to learning and that is social media.  The ability to learn anytime, anywhere, anything, and from anyone through Personal Learning Networks (PLN’s) is a leadership game changer.A great deal of effort, time, and hard decisions embody every successful change effort. With this being said it is imperative that the changes being implemented stick.  Hargreaves and Fink (2004) provide some key points on sustaining change that will enable you to develop a clear focus during the initial visioning and planning process:
Improvement that fosters learning, not merely change that alters schooling.Improvement that endures over time.Improvement that can be supported by available or obtainable resources.Improvement that does not affect negatively the surrounding environment of other schools and systems.Improvement that promotes ecological diversity and capacity throughout the educational and community environment.If you are serious about implementing change then lead with conviction so that your efforts result in sustainability.  Just the willingness to change doesn't cut it. Making change stick is what separates great leaders from the good ones.

InvolvEdu: Changing the Extracurricular Landscape

The other day I had a great conversation with Nick Alm, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying Entrepreneurial Management and Social Justice. For the past few months he has been working on a tech start-up called InvolvEdu. As a former high school principal I was really intrigued by the concept.  InvolvEdu is free web and mobile app for high school and university students that allows them to get credit for what they do outside of class. InvolvEdu can be used by student groups for student outreach and promotion, by students for event discovery and tracking, and by school administrators for student group management.


InvolvEdu regulates a historically unregulated market.  Besides just taking a student’s word for it, there's no real way to know for sure whether or not a student actually attended computer science club, or was an officer in the economics students association. InvolvEdu not only makes it easier for students to find these activities, but it also tracks and validates their involvement in them. In 2014, the University of Minnesota’s annual “Biz Pitch” gave InvolvEdu the “Most Socially Beneficial Business Concept” Award and InvolvEdu was also a semi-finalist in the 2014 Minnesota Cup.

Why InvolvEdu?

Letter grades have been gradually inflating for decades – which is causing the in-class GPA to become much less relevant.  As a result students are turning to student groups and other activities to find new ways to stand out.  By tracking and validating involvement, students are able to export all of their activities into their own, personalized co-curricular transcripts that can be used in college applications and as supplements to resumes for job interviews. One of their goals includes making sure that InvolvEdu is a service that students from any background or socio-economic standing can access and use to further their academic and professional goals.

How does InvolvEdu work?  

InvolvEdu is completely free for both students and groups to use! Students are able to find events that they’re interested in and rsvp straight from their phones. They can also toggle on/off notifications and automatic calendar sync/updating per student groups that they follow.  Student groups are also provided with key data prior to their events – such as rsvp count, demographic information of attendees (year in school, major, etc.), which students are the most active, etc.  Additionally, student activities personnel are given tools to manage everything from group registration, to officer turnover as well as insightful analytics into the health of their activities programs.

What’s next for InvolvEdu?

After a successful small beta with a select group of students and organizations at the University of Minnesota, InvolvEdu has been iterating and developing on a much larger release of their platform.  They have also just recently launched a Kickstarter in order to raise the funds that are needed in order to expedite the development of their v.1 product due out prior to the start of the Fall 2015 semester.  

Please make sure to check out and donate to their Kickstarter campaign so that InvolvEdu can continue on its journey of making it as easy as possible for students to get involved, while also providing them with the platform to showcase their involvement.

The Philosophy Behind Maker Success

For many students school has become an irritating experience grounded in boring lessons and learning activities.  A national focus on standardized testing and accountability has only made the experience worse for kids who only crave relevance, meaning, and value out of the hours of time spent in classrooms each school year.  To make matters worse many states, districts, and schools made knee-jerk reactions when the budget ax came down a few years and cut traditional hands-on courses such as wood shop, agriculture, metal shop, and cooking.  In many cases elementary schools have even taken fun out of school for kids by cutting recess.  

These courses represented a lifeline and a glimmer of hope in what has become a day fraught with relentless preparation for college and careers.  However, the powers that be found that they consumed precious time from the school day that could have been spent on more important curricular endeavors.  In the end, students, especially those most at-risk based on learning needs, have immensely suffered.  They desperately need an outlet during the long school day.  If not, their motivation to learn in all their other classes will wane resulting in either a lack of effort or desire to even attend school.  The bottom line is that many schools have deprived students of real-world learning experiences that are needed now more than ever. 

This might seem like a bleak scenario that I describe above and it should.  Our students deserve activities that will not only prepare them for vital trade careers, but also allow them to openly explore the solving of problems that are relevant to them.  During my tenure as New Milford High School Principal our district cut wood and metal shop.  Over the years I have also seen recess time dwindle for my own kids and others who attend the New York City Public School System.  All hope is not lost though for any school looking to create a better learning environment that works for kids.  The solution for all schools comes in the form of makerspaces. 


Image credit: https://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.co...
A few years back I had heard of the concept when I was principal.  When I hired Laura Fleming in 2013 to take over the traditional library she was tasked with giving it a reboot and was given complete autonomy to do so.  Her vision and subsequent plan resulted in a collaborative learning space open to all students where they could come to tinker, invent, create, and make to learn.  It was like having a 21st Century version of wood and metal shop back in school with the main difference being the infusing of technologies for students to engage in informal, self-directed learning tasks.  Her Worlds of Making theme gave hope back to kids that had lost and needed it most. Don't just take my word for it. Read about what the makerspace did for Chris HERE.

There is a great deal of content out there about maker education. In addition to Laura’s website and book, I highly recommend you check out the work of Jackie Gerstein and the book Invent to Learn by Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez.  Laura also collaborated with Steven and Debby Kurti from Tabletop Inventing to publish a series of articles featured in Teacher Librarian magazine that not only discuss the philosophy of makerspaces, but also provide practical implementation tips. Below are the three articles:

The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces: Part 1 of Making an Educational MakerspaceThe Environment and Tools of Great Educational Makerspaces: Part 2 of Making an Educational MakerspacePractical Implementation of an Educational Makerspace: Part 3 of Making an Educational MakerspaceSchools today have a golden opportunity in makerspaces to increase relevancy while providing powerful ways for students to engage in self-directed learning. When embarking on this initiative don't discount the importance of leadership during the planning, implementation, and evaluation process.

The BrandED Difference

When I first dipped my toe into the social media waters in March 2009 I really did not know what to expect. My sole purpose for embarking into this uncharted territory was to improve my professional practice by becoming a better communicator.  This was a natural connection to my work as a high school principal as you will not find an effective leader who is not an effective communicator.  So there I was churning out tweets about everything going on at New Milford High School. Little did I know that my tweeting would lead to a feature story on CBS Channel 2 NYC during November 2009 and in the process catch the eye of business maven Trish Ruben.  It was at this point in time that I was exposed to the concept of branding in education.

Image credit: http://www.eminentbrandidentity.com/
Now when Trish contacted me out of the blue I was really caught off guard. She passionately explained that what I was doing was creating a brand presence for my school as well as me professionally.  At first I wasn’t buying it, but after some more time speaking with Trish and analyzing how I was strategically using social media in my role as a school leader it began to make perfect sense.  On the surface I always thought a brand in a traditional sense was a term specific to the corporate world and revolved around selling.  I later learned that a brand promises value through the evolution of a unique identity that relates to a specific audience or stakeholder group. Value can be defined in many ways. Some brands promise durability, health, style, safety, taste, convenience, or savings. Brands are designed to stand out and ultimately influence the consumer in a fashion that builds trust in the product. Sustaining a sense of trust is an integral component of a brand’s ability to promise value. 

The definition above provided clarity, but it was still missing some integral components in order to make the concepts of branding more applicable to the education world.  Trish recently provided a fantastic synopsis:

"BrandED tenets are about trust, loyalty, promise, and creating better offerings and innovations that distinguish the educational brand experience for every user including kids, parents, teachers and community.  A brand isn't a short-term fix or a fad, but a way to strategically build a school's assets in a transparent digital world. No more Ivory Towers.  BrandED is about a genuine personality that can impact school culture, achievement and resources."

The statement above clearly identifies the importance and power of establishing a positive brand presence in education.  In the field of education, schools are considered a brand. They promise value to residents of the district in terms of academic preparation to succeed in society. Many families will chose to reside in a specific district if the schools have a track record of academic success. Specific variables that are ultimately imbedded into an educational institution’s brand are state test scores, curriculum, teacher/administrator quality, number of AP courses, college acceptances, and extracurricular activities. By establishing a school’s identity or brand, leaders and other stakeholders can develop a strategic awareness of how to continually improve pedagogical and management practices that promise, as well as deliver, a quality education to all students. More detail on this is provided in Chapter 7 of Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times discusses this in detail

As a high school principal, I felt that it was my responsibility to continually develop and enhance my school’s brand through innovation, risk-taking, building of relationships (students, teachers, parents, community stakeholders, institutions of higher education, businesses/corporations, etc.) and a commitment to the community. In my opinion this vision can assist all educators in establishing a brand for their respective schools that not only promises, but also delivers value to residents of the district.

By developing and enhancing one’s school and professional brand we move past a developed perception of our admirable work by providing a necessary reality for all stakeholders to embrace and celebrate.  Thus, a brand in education has nothing to do with selling, but showcasing work of students, staff, and leaders in an effort to become more transparent.  Digital leaders understand the importance of branding in their work and by leaders I mean any and all educators who take action to improve learning opportunities for their students and themselves.  A positive brand presence is developed with consistent attention to the following Pillars of Digital Leadership:

Communications – We must begin to meet stakeholders where they are at by employing a multifaceted approach to engage them in two-way communications. Digital and non-digital strategies are used to not only communicate important information, but also become more transparent.Public Relations – If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. When you roll the dice and take this gamble it typically results in a negative story being told.  In education we do not brag enough and as a result we pay the price dearly.  By becoming the storyteller-in-chief you can turn this tide and take control of public relations for good.  There is so much power in stories and we must do a better job of sharing them. 
When it is all said and done, the most important and crucial outcome of a brand presence in education is the building of powerful relationships with all stakeholders in ways that were not possible before social media. The end result will be a greater appreciation for the work you and your students are doing in your district, school, and classroom. Let your amazing work and that of your students turn perception into reality by developing a BrandED mindset.  

Excellence Should Not Be Isolated

Through social media many of us regularly share examples of excellence in classrooms, schools, and districts across the world. Twitter and other tools provide me for one with a daily and continuous dose of inspiration. In many cases students have been empowered to take ownership of their learning by being allowed to pick the right technology tool for the right task in order to showcase what they have learned.  Conceptual mastery is now being demonstrated through the creation of artifacts that align to more rigorous standards and the attainment of essential skill sets.  In these cases learning has become more meaningful and relevant for students, which in turn sets the stage for increasing achievement.  

Image credit: http://www.serviceexcellence.com.au/
The amplification of these stories through the use of social media would make the unknown observer think that this is common place, but in reality it is the exception. Once one moves beyond the lens of social media, innovative practices, especially those involving the purposeful integration of technology, are mere isolated examples of excellence.  When it comes to technology integration in schools transformation has been painstakingly slow.  It can no longer be acceptable to pat a select few on the back while others either are unwilling or not pushed to change. This does not best serve the whole child or every child for that matter. We must not only make a habit of modeling these practices online, but also in our schools. Isolated pockets of excellence need to become the norm, not the exception.  Regardless of your position it is on your shoulders to help usher in change at scale across your respective system to create schools that work for all kids. 

The Need For Digital Literacy

The following post is cross-posted at edu@scholastic.

With 1:1 technology initiatives and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs increasingly being implemented in schools across the globe, the need for digital literacy education has become more important than ever. Although technology enables students to access more information in much less time, it does not always foster learning. Teaching digital literacy helps to manage all of the benefits of technology while helping students understand how to safely weed through the vast amounts of information online.

Image credit: http://writingforelectronicmedia.wiki...
Technology in the classroom has the following advantages:

Allows students to manipulate information and media to construct their own meaningsEnables students to share their ideas quickly and easilyEngages students of all cognitive levels and abilitiesPrepares students to be college and career readyThese benefits, among others, are why technology has become a major part of the global curriculum. However, teaching digital literacy has its challenges. The aspects of e-safety, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and finding and evaluating information must all be addressed. Many teachers lose sight of creativity and collaboration because Common Core and other initiatives focus on gathering and evaluating information with very little emphasis on creativity.

Educators need to embrace the creative and collaborative aspects of digital literacy. So much great learning happens through the creative and collaborative processes. Bridget Burns, Michael Crow and Mark Becker noted the benefits of collaboration in their article Innovating Together: Collaboration as a Driving Force to Improve Student Success, March 2, 2015. They state that collaboration spurs innovation because bringing together groups of people who have different ideas, approaches, experiences, and areas of expertise creates a fertile environment for generating new concepts and methods. Sharing insights allows ideas to be refined and improved. Charging a group with developing a promising idea incentivizes the group—not just a single individual—to commit to its success and paves the way for trusted collaboration.

Giving students the opportunity to broaden their ideas and experiences opens up pathways of learning that can be extremely beneficial.

Brianna Crowley, an educator in Hershey, PA, successfully teaches her students digital literacy while infusing creativity throughout. She says it took a series of small steps to begin the process. One thing in particular she does is refrain from introducing any new tools into her classroom unless she knows they are going to enhance learning. Often she utilizes tools to engage her students, such as A Google a Day which is teaching her students to search for information in a safe yet creative way.

Another challenge teachers face while teaching digital literacy is the differing views on social media in education. Many schools have strict policies in place to avoid educational use of social media, while others feel that these restrictions are stifling the creativity and collaboration capabilities of today’s students. Dan Haesler, a teacher and educational consultant, believes in proactive social media education, and allowing students to make use of all that it has to offer.

When asked by Common Sense Media about social media bans in schools Haesler replied, “What if we approached driver’s education in the same way?” He concluded: Driving lessons would be taught by adults with little or no driving experience, they would only focus on what not to do, and they would never take place in an actual car. Both driving a vehicle, and navigating the internet require experience and knowledge of safety precautions so as to avoid any major incidents.

The students at Maker’s Place in Homewood, Philadelphia, PA, are a prime example of digital literacy at its finest. Children from the inner city get together to work on their digital literacy through creative and collaborative projects. Instructor Jomari Peterson teaches the students to “take control of your destiny and change the world.” Her students work together to utilize different apps and programs that help them first build a business idea and then use collaborative tools to bring that idea to life.

Although there is no “secret sauce” to effectively help educators teach their students digital literacy, there are some key points to focus on:

Allow students to maintain blogs or webpages that enable them to track their own learning. Google Drive easily allows students to create blogs and sites that they can share and collaborate on with their peers.Have students create digital stories that they can share and publish. Edu.buncee.com is a site where students can utilize hundreds of custom stickers, animations, multimedia and even record their voice into their project so they can make it “their” own, both figuratively and literally. For example, “My Day at the Beach” a student tells her story with stickers and animations and her voice recording. “Come to Istanbul” describes the city and all it has to offer.  Getting creative with Buncee is a breeze. Offer students the ability to email and video chat with students in other countries. Skype Translate allows students to have a real time conversation with immediate translation.Don’t get caught up in the need for strictly finding information and evaluating it. Always allow for creative ways to learn and produce.With the help of great Ed Tech tools and dedicated educators, students can gain digital literacy and become fluent in safely finding and evaluating information, creating, and collaborating.

I'll be speaking about this an other digital leadership issues at the 23rd Annual Model Schools Conference this month. I hope to see you there!

Finally, an SIS Worth Switching For

I’ve recently discovered an exciting new company called Alma, which has built a groundbreaking new Holistic Student Engagement Platform (an SIS/LMS hybrid) that I believe in so much that I’ve joined their Advisory Board.  

Here’s why I’m excited about Alma’s potential to make a big impact on K-12 education:

It’s actually easy to use.  You don’t need to be a database administrator or techie to make it work for you.  Most of the SIS’s out there are just good enough to get the job done, but take awhile to learn and can still be challenging.  Why should we as educators settle for that?  We are increasingly accustomed to using extremely intuitive software on our smart phones, tablets, and laptops.  Why shouldn’t our school and district management tools be just as intuitive?  We deserve this.  It saves a ton of time for admins and teachers.  We all know how stretched for time we are.  If a system’s tools and ease of use can save us just 30 minutes a day, wouldn’t that be a huge win for both educators and students?  Think of the positive impact on educator happiness and work/life balance, not to mention the potential gains for student improvement as a result of reclaimed time to focus on students.  Many in the K-12 space don’t think an SIS can impact student outcomes, but when you consider the potential time savings for teachers, it can actually have a huge impact. It saves schools and districts money.  With most schools and districts using up to ten different systems serving niche needs to operate, a lot of time and money is spent trying to integrate and connect these systems to each other.  Because Alma offers SIS, LMS, and communications tools in a single platform, business managers and principals save big by consolidating.  And much less is required to be spent on training due to the ease of use.  It fosters communication like no other.  Alma has woven communications tools into virtually every aspect of their SIS and LMS, so that you don’t have to leave whatever you are doing to engage any member of the community in seconds.  Building these tools right into the workflow increases efficient communication, and we all know how important that is for success.'All in one' is the future of school management software.  Think about it.  How many different tools do you have to remember and save passwords for, not to mention learn how to use?  It just doesn’t have to be that hard.  With more capability in a single platform, you have less to learn, fewer disparate places to go to get things done, and a simpler existence.  Why pass the data though so many systems and put data privacy and security at risk in the process?  It’s like going to the doctor’s office and filling in the same information on so many different forms – it just doesn’t have to be that complicated.  These are the big reasons I’m so excited about Alma.  But don’t just take my word for it – I encourage you to see for yourself at www.getalma.com and requesting a demo.  It’s unlike anything else you’ve seen – in a good way.