Eric C. Sheninger's Blog, page 54

Inspired Learning to Get Results Now at #ModelSchools

Rigorous and Relevant Adult Learning Fuels Rigorous and Relevant Schools

Solving ill-structured problems. Collaborating with peers. Integrating concepts across disciplines. Adapting to unpredictable scenarios. These experiences are hallmarks of what Willard R. Daggett calls “Quadrant D” learning – learning experiences that are both rigorous and relevant. Quadrant D tasks push students to their intellectual edges while engaging them in authentic and meaningful work.
Image credit: https://khspd12.wikispaces.com/
Most teachers and education leaders today agree that our schools need a nudge in the direction of rigor and relevance. However, even as they talk about the need for a shift in teaching and learning, educational conferences often model a very familiar learning experience—what Daggett refers to as “Quadrant A” (or what many teachers call less kindly: “sit n’ git”). It can be easy to leave a conference with a tote bag full of materials and new jargon, but very little else.

This year’s Model Schools Conference is going to be worlds apart from the traditional education conference. The organizers understand that in order to support students in engaging and challenging learning experiences, teachers and leaders need to be engaged and challenged. Rather than just listening to people talk about Quadrant D, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a range of Quadrant D learning experiences from the student perspective. Quadrant D opportunities at the Model Schools Conference include:

A focus on “makerspaces,” including a real makerspace provided as part of a conference partnership with Table Top Inventions. Makerspaces—collaborative, creative spaces chock full of tools and materials for informal creation, invention, and learning—are becoming increasingly popular at forward-thinking schools and libraries. Students are using the Model Schools Conference Makerspace as its venue to engage in a shared design challenge, working together to invent solutions to complex tasks. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a variety of makerspace-focused sessions, and learn from colleagues at schools that have successfully implemented makerspaces on their campuses, including Clark Burnett, a 4th grade teacher from Lang Ranch Elementary School in Thousand Oaks, CA.An opportunity for all participants to share, collaborate, teach, and learn in unpredictable ways through the DIY Design-Your-Own-Session strand of the program. Inspired by the popular EdCamp movement, and facilitated by Jimmy Casas, Principal of Bettendorf High School in Iowa and Jim Warford, of the International Center for Leadership in Education, this strand makes it possible for any participant to take the stage and present on an education-related passion.Proven effective for the past three years, these sessions provide teachers and instructional leaders with two options for immersing themselves into practical strategies ready to be implemented including:Engaging in simulated classrooms that allow conference participants to experience Quadrant D learning. Instead of just hearing about Quadrant D work, teachers and leaders will be able to see, hear, feel, and learn from real Quadrant D activities and lessons.Realizing that decision-making goes way beyond just giving a “yes” or “no” answer; for each decision made, factors must be weighed and looked at from every angle and a game plan for dealing with pushback must be devised. Ideal for both current and aspiring leaders, this high-energy, interactive session will challenge and inspire you with thought-provoking, real-life leadership dilemmas and real-time feedback and discussion among peers.This type of professional learning—immersive, creative, engaging, and challenging—is focused more on transformation than information. Providing teachers and leaders with Quadrant D experiences for their own learning is one of the most critical ways to shift the learning we ultimately provide to students. I’m excited to see the paradigm of professional conferences changing, and look forward to more rigorous and relevant learning for all members of our school communities. Register now to attend this years Model Schools Conference.

P.S. I will be there as well leading sessions on digital leadership and learning. Hope to see you there!

Remind Takes Student and Stakeholder Engagement to a New Level

We all know Remind as a safe way for teachers to send one-way messages to students and parents. It’s been great for sending assignment reminders, schedule changes, motivational messages, and more! However, what was missing was the ability to bridge the gap and bring conversation full circle to include students’ and parents’ voices. 


Introducing two-way messaging on mobile for can be tricky, because teachers need messaging to be safe when communicating with minors and parents, and many don’t want to have to manage incoming text messages from their entire class! A balance of professional and personal life is key, and keeping personal contact information private helps manage this. 
The announcement of Remind Chat addresses all of these concerns, while enabling powerful two-way conversation among teachers, students, and parents. Some of the highlights of Remind Chat include:Office hours: Teachers can set Office Hours of when two-way conversations are available with students and parents.Message transcript history: A complete message transcript history is recorded of all conversations. This can be helpful to present to administrators or parents for review.Flagging features: Users can flag and report any inappropriate language. 
Building Community and Digital Citizenship
Using mobile communication to build school community and facilitate learning brings an opportunity to teach digital citizenship. Students use texting as a social activity, but it can also be practice to build a positive digital footprint. Try out some of these resources to use mobile devices to facilitate digital leadership:
Remind has partnered with Common Sense Media to create a Digital Citizenship Starter Kit for all schools to download and use with teachers, students, and parents. The kit contains one week’s worth of content, activities, and tips to help introduce all users to Remind’s two-way Chat while communicating the importance of safe digital communication.Take a look at these teachers’ perspectives and activities including:Developing Digital Citizenship through Mobile CommunicationUsing Mobile Devices to Have Fun with DialogueRemind Chat: Building Relationships and Digital CitizenshipRemind has also developed Community Guidelines to help schools use the service safely and effectively. Also, check out their blog post to find out more around their dedication to safety. 
Get on The Wait List
Remind Chat will be available soon, but they’re giving first access to accounts that are on the Wait List! It’s filling up fast, so be sure to sign up.
For more great resources and support from the Remind team, you can always get in touch with them on Twitter or Facebook.

The Student Resume Re-imagined

“Resumes land in piles. Digital profiles land internships.  The resume is an anachronistic method of branding that needs to be reinvented. In its current form, it doesn’t tell you anything about anyone.”  - Shara Senderoff via Dell Tech Page One

I started to think about the value of resumes for today’s high school students after a Twitter conversation I had with New Milford High School junior Sarah Almeda. Some of you might remember Sarah from a few blog posts I wrote in 2014 where she created an amazing project on creativity that has been viewed close to 10,000 times on YouTube. She also gave me quite the send off when I stepped down as NMHS principal with this video that still makes me cry every time I watch it.  As a guest blogger on a Principal’s Reflections, Sarah shared her perspective on the importance of blogging as a means to support and enhance her learning.


What does this really tell you about a student?Image credit: http://www.college-financial-aid-advi...
I am always curious to see what Sarah has been up to in school as she is one of the most creative people I know.  So I reached out to her on Twitter to ask and below is a summary of our quick conversation:

Hey @tehshmarah have you created anything cool with digital tools lately in school?Thanks for asking @E_Sheninger!  In school, well, we're all a little too busy figuring out PARCC testing to do much of anything else.@E_Sheninger Outside of school I've been teaching myself Actionscript and I'm so excited to put it to use at @GamesPlusPlus this weekend!@tehshmarah if you ever want to share how you have been teaching yourself Actionscript for my blog just let me know :)@E_Sheninger Taking CompScience via VHS has opened so many doors for me; Can't wait to show you what I've started working on when it's done!@tehshmarah I would really like that! Just let me know and we can schedule a video call.@tehshmarah By the way, I am digging your website that functions as a digital portfolio. Wish more students took the time to do this.@E_Sheninger omg! Thank you for taking the time to look at it!! It was so much fun to make.
As you can see our Twitter conversation led me to Sarah’s website, which is listed in her Twitter bio (very smart move by the way).  Out of curiosity I checked it out, as I either didn’t notice it when I was at NMHS or she hadn’t created it yet.  Her site is titled s[hm]arah almeda: I make things and stuff and was created using Wix.  Pure genius in my opinion!  In essence Sarah’s site is a digital portfolio that showcases her creative student work.  The home page identifies three main categories describing the type of work she is showcasing – Media Gallery, Graphic Design Portfolio, Art-Stagram.  The best part is that she developed the site on her own free will.  My feedback to her would be to include more examples of the amazing work she has created over the years, both in school and out, as well as to include a hyperlink to a copy of her traditional resume in the “Who I Am” section.



When reflecting back on the quote at the beginning of this post I can see quite clearly about the downsides of traditional resumes. If I were to look at a textual description of Sarah’s educational experiences at NMHS it really wouldn’t tell me much about her passions and interests.  I certainly would not be able to see her dynamic work firsthand. Sarah’s initiative to showcase creative work beyond just listing on a one-dimensional sheet of paper separates her from other students looking to get into the same programs as her in college.  

Schools need to stop shortchanging students by having them conform to outdated practices such as the traditional resume. Sure, this still has value, but it is limited in breadth, reach, context, and detail as to what students really know and can do. Students today should not only be encouraged, but also taught how to curate and then showcase their work aligned to specific career interests in order to strengthen their ability to get into the top college programs. The traditional resume should be only a hyperlink, in my opinion, as part of a dynamic student portfolio. In addition to Wix here are some other resources that students can use to create digital resumes and portfolios.

So where do you stand on the usefulness of a traditional resume for a student in 2015 and beyond?

Engagement Does Not Always Equate to Learning

No matter where I am, whether it is a physical location or virtual, I am always hearing conversations about how technology can be used to effectively engage students.  This is extremely important as the majority of students spend six to eight hours a day in schools where they are completely disengaged. I for one can’t blame today’s learner for being bored in school when I all have to do is observe my own son at home playing Minecraft to see firsthand his high level of engagement.  His Minecraft experiences provide meaning and relevance in an environment that is intellectually stimulating, but more importantly fun. Schools and educators would be wise to take cues from the real world and make concerted efforts to integrate technology with the purpose to increase student engagement. Engagement, after all, is the impetus for learning in my opinion.

Image credit: http://www.hercampus.com/sites/defaul...
Let’s take a closer look at defining what engagement really means from the Glossary of Education Reform:

"In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Generally speaking, the concept of “student engagement” is predicated on the belief that learning improves when students are inquisitive, interested, or inspired, and that learning tends to suffer when students are bored, dispassionate, disaffected, or otherwise “disengaged.” Stronger student engagement or improved student engagement are common instructional objectives expressed by educators." 

The last line in the description above elicits a great deal of concern for me.  With or without technology, there always seems to be a great deal of emphasis on student engagement, but the fact of the matter is that engagement does not necessarily equate to learning.  I have observed numerous lessons where students were obviously engaged through the integration of technology, but there was no clear indication that students were learning.  Having fun, collaborating, communicating, and being creative are all very important elements that should be embedded elements of pedagogically-sound lessons, but we must not lose sight of the importance of the connection to, and evidence of, learning. Thus, students can walk away from a lesson or activity having been very engaged, but still walk away with very little in the form of new knowledge construction, conceptual mastery, or evidence of applied skills. When speaking at events I often ask leaders and teachers how they measure the impact of technology on learning. More often than not I receive blank stares or an open admission that they have no idea. The allure of engagement can be blinding as well as misleading.

It is so important to look beyond just student engagement when it comes to technology. If the emphasis is on digital learning we must not get caught up in the bells and whistles or smoke and mirrors that are commonly associated with the digital aspect alone. Engagement should always translate into deeper learning opportunities where technology provides students the means to think critically and solve problems while demonstrating what they know and can do in a variety of ways. Technology should be implemented to increase engagement, but that engagement must lead to support, enhancement, or an increase in student learning. It should not be used as a digital pacifier or gimmick to get students to be active participants in class. With technology there should be a focus on active learning where students are doing.

Image credit: http://acrlog.org/wp-content/uploads/...
Here are some questions that will assist in determining if engagement is leading to actual learning:

Is the technology being integrated in a purposeful way grounded in sound pedagogy?What are the learning objectives/outcomes?Are students demonstrating the construction of new knowledge? Are they creating a learning product/artifact?How are students applying essential skills they have acquired to demonstrate conceptual mastery? What assessments (formative, summative) are being used to determine standard attainment?How are students being provided feedback as to their progress towards the specific learning objectives/outcomes?Is there alignment to current observation/evaluation tools?
Engagement, relevance, and fun are great, but make sure there is observable evidence that students are learning when integrating technology. Need more support? Participate and engage in Digital Learning Day 2015 on March 13. Digital Learning Day provides a powerful venue for highlighting great teaching practices while showcasing innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes.  Follow along, grab some resources, and let’s move past engagement to ensure learning is taking place in our technology initiatives.

Digital Learning Prospers With the Right Culture

As of late I have been doing a great deal of work with schools and districts on how to effectively implement digital learning across the curriculum. When it comes to technology in general, the overall goal is to support learning, not drive instruction. Where digital learning initiatives miss the point is a focus on how technology actually accomplishments.  Schools invest billions of dollars to purchase technology with no real thought as to how it is actually impacting learning.  When I routinely ask school leaders how they determine or measure the impact of their technology on student learning, I get blank stares or open declarations that they have no idea.  This is a problem. 

Image credit: http://innovate.champaignschools.org/
The right culture focuses on technology as a tool to enhance learning in a variety of ways.  When technology is integrated with purpose, students can create artifacts to demonstrate conceptual mastery, apply an array of acquired skills, illustrate the construction of new knowledge, and be empowered to take ownership over their learning.  It can also increase relevance and make the curriculum more contextual.  This is just a sample of how digital learning can complement the work that is already taking place in schools while allowing students to clearly see the value in their learning.   As with any holistic initiative, the key is sustainability and a resulting change that sees all aspects of digital learning become an embedded component of school culture.  Without the right culture in place for digital learning to be embraced and thrive, there will only be isolated pockets of excellence.  The following are some suggestions on how to ensure digital learning initiatives in your district or school don’t fall flat:

Build a shared vision – This important aspect is notably absent in many digital leaning initiatives.  Efforts must be made to developing a shared vision with a variety of stakeholder input, including students.  This is vital if the goal is sustained, cross-curricular application on a routine basis.  The vision should be established in a way that clearly articulates how technology will be used to support/enhance student learning.Develop a strategic plan backed by action – Begin to form a plan for digital learning using some essential questions that add perspective for the change: Why is this change needed? How will it be implemented? What resources are needed? How will we monitor progress and evaluate on a consistent basis? What other challenges have to be overcome? By focusing on these questions and others that you develop, a concrete plan for action can be created.Access matters – During the planning process it is imperative that there is a critical analysis of existing infrastructure.  There is nothing more frustrating to teachers and students when an activity incorporating technology fails because of poor WiFi connectivity.  In addition to WiFi, it is important to ensure there are enough devices and associated software if the goal is integration across the curriculum.  To increase access give some thought to a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative if there is not enough funding to go 1:1.  An audit of available resources during the planning process would be a wise idea.Ensure ongoing professional development – I cannot overstate the importance of this suggestion enough.  Teachers need training on how to develop pedagogically sound lessons and quality assessments aligned to higher standards.  They also need to be exposed to a variety of tools and ways that they can be seamlessly integrated to support specified learning outcomes. School leaders need professional learning opportunities that assist them to effectively observe and evaluate digital learning in classrooms.   Professional development should be ongoing and embedded throughout the school year.Monitor with intent – The vision and planning process provides the focus, but consistent monitoring helps to ensure sustainable change leading to transformation.  School leaders need to consistently monitor and provide feedback on digital learning activities through observations, evaluations, walk-throughs, and collecting artifacts.  Provide support – Throughout the initial implementation stages, and well after the initiative gains steam, ongoing support needs to be provided. Support comes in many ways such as empowering teachers to be innovative through autonomy, giving up control, being flexible, and encouraging risk-taking. Budget allocations will also have to be made each year to not only sustain current digital learning initiatives, but to also move forward. Model the way – To put it simply, don’t expect others to do what you will not. Attempt to model at a basic level the expectations that you have when it comes to digital learning. Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and work along side your colleagues. Honor student voice and choice – Digital learning initiatives are all about creating schools that work for students.  When developing lessons allow students to decide which digital tools they want to use to show you what they have learned.  The key is being able to assess learning, not knowing how to use thousands of tools.  Put students in the driver’s seat when it comes to allowing them to determine the right tool for the right task.  Also encourage them to consistently provide input to improve digital learning initiatives.
The whole premise of digital learning is to increase relevance, add context, acquire then apply essential skills, construct new knowledge, and enhance critical literacies. Regardless of what standards you are accountable for digital learning can be integrated seamlessly to foster deeper learning. Education today should not prepare students for a world that no longer exists.  It is time to not just prepare students for college and careers, but also life in an ever-increasing digital world.

Looking at Teacher Accountability Through a New Lens

In case you haven’t noticed the education profession has been under attack as of late. The brunt of these attacks has been aimed at the very professionals who are tasked with positively impacting the lives of children each and every day – our teachers.  In my mind education is the noblest of professions.  Without education, at some level virtually all other professions would be non-existent. This places our teachers at the forefront of molding young minds into the next generation of doers, thinkers, creators, leaders, and entrepreneurs.  If there is ever a profession that should be revered as much as that of a doctor who saves lives it is that of a teacher.  

Image credit: https://larrycuban.files.wordpress.co...
Unfortunately there is a growing rhetoric and sentiment that the education system in America is broken and our teachers are to blame for this.  New accountability systems have been championed and adopted across the country that reduce teacher effectiveness to a mere number.  The algorithm adopted by many states, which quite frankly makes little sense, crunches data sets in an attempt to measure the quality of a teacher against his or her peers. Each state has different factors that go into their value-added measurement (VAM) of a teacher, but the dominant component is standardized test scores.  Teachers are the true catalysts of change that can create schools that work for kids. Even though countless studies have debunked this means to truly assess teacher effectiveness states have moved full steam ahead ignoring the research.

With such a focus on standardization in schools, many teachers feel compelled to prepare students for a litany of exams, as the data extrapolated from them will be used for high-stakes evaluation. Administrators are also intimately tied to these results as well, so as a knee-jerk reaction an environment that resembles a test-taking factory is created.  The sole focus becomes one that emphasizes performing well on a test as opposed to learning.  What results is the proliferation of an industrialized model of education that reformers claim they want to get away from, but the policies they support only help to sustain it. This gloomy depiction of what is happening to schools across the country by people that have no business enacting education policy is forcing teachers to leave the profession at alarming rates. 

The structure and function of the majority of schools in this country is the exact opposite of the world that our learners are growing up in.  There is an automatic disconnect when students, regardless of their grade level, walk into schools due to the lack of engagement, relevancy, meaning, and authentic learning opportunities.  Our education system has become so efficient in sustaining a century old model because it is easy and safe.  The resulting conformity has resulted in a learning epidemic among our students as they see so little value in the cookie-cutter learning exercises they are forced to go through each day. The bottom line is that they are bored.  It is time that we create schools that work for our students as opposed to ones that have traditionally worked well for the adults.

Creating schools that work for students requires a bold vision for change that not only tackles the status quo inherent in the industrialized model of education, but also current education reform efforts. Even though Common Core is not a curriculum, many schools and districts have become so engrossed with alignment and preparing for the new aligned tests that real learning has fallen by the wayside.   We need to realize that this, along with other traditional elements associated with education, no longer prevail.  How we go about doing this will vary from school to school, but the process begins with the simple notion of putting students first to allow them to follow their passions, create, tinker, invent, play, and collaborate.  Schools that work for students focus less on control and more on trust. 

There is a common fallacy that school administrators are the leaders of change. This makes a great sound bite, but the reality is that many individuals in a leadership position are not actually working directly with students.  Teachers are the true catalysts of change that can create schools that work for kids. They are the ones, after all, who are tasked with implementing the myriad of directives and mandates that come their way. Leadership is about action, not position. Schools need more teacher leaders who are empowered through autonomy to take calculated risks in order to develop innovative approaches that enable deeper learning and higher order thinking without sacrificing accountability. If the goal in fact is to increase these elements in our education system then we have to allow students to demonstrate learning in a variety of ways.  

For change to be successful it must be sustained.   Teacher leaders must not only be willing to see the process through, but they must also create conditions that promote a change mentality. It really is about moving from a fixed to a growth mindset, something that many educators and schools are either unwilling or afraid to do. The essential elements that work as catalysts for the change process include the following:

EmpowermentAutonomyOwnershipRemoving the fear of failureRisk-takingSupportModelingFlexibilityCollaborationCommunication
What I have learned is that if someone understands why change is needed and the elements above become an embedded component of school culture he/she or the system ultimately experience the value for themselves.  The change process then gets a boost from an intrinsic motivational force that not only jump starts the initiative, but allows for the embracement of change as opposed to looking for buy-in.  We should never have to "sell" people on better ways to do our noble work nor rely on mandates and directives. These traditional pathways used to drive change typically result in resentment, undermining, and failure.

Even in the face of adversity in the form of education reform mandates, Common Core alignment, impending PARCC exams, new educator evaluation systems, loss of funding, and an aging infrastructure, at my school we have not only persevered, but proven that positive change can happen with the right mindset.  Teachers were put in a position to overcome these challenges and experience success.  Others can as well. Throughout the past couple of years I have seen improvements in the "traditional" indicators of success by mainly focusing on creating a school that works better for our students as opposed to one that has always worked well for us. Technology was a tool that my teachers harnessed and leveraged to do what they did better while creating a culture of learning that actually meant something to our students. My recent TEDx talk provides insight into how this was accomplished.  

My message is to everyone who has and continues to bash teachers by implementing accountability structures that will do nothing to help our students succeed in life and follow their dreams.  There needs to be more creative ways to hold teachers accountable so that a school-wide focus on relevant learning becomes the norm. Teachers should no longer be forced to prepare students for a world that no longer exists and be held accountable through one-dimensional means.  Teacher success should be judged on the products students create with real-world tools to solve real-world problems.  If teachers are allowed to innovate and allow students to create artifacts of learning to demonstrate conceptual mastery, the end goal should be the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills.  

Tips for BYOD Equity

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives are being adopted by districts and schools around the globe.  With the growing access that students now have to technology at home, educators are seizing this opportunity to increase access in the classroom.  For cash strapped districts BYOD seems like the logical solution to leverage the mobile devices students have to enhance learning, increase productivity, conduct better research, address critical digital literacies, and teach digital responsibility.  In theory this all sounds fantastic and there are many benefits that I have witnessed firsthand after successfully implementing a BYOD initiative over five years ago at my high school. However, in practice it is important to ensure that any initiative involving student-owned devices is well thought out with a resulting plan for action focused on student learning. For more information on how to implement a successful BYOD initiative make sure all of these drivers are firmly in place.

One issue that comes up frequently with BYOD initiatives is equity. The equity issue either haunts those who have or are in the process of going BYOD.  There are other times, however, that this issue stops the initiative from moving forward.  In any case the ones who suffer are our students.  In today’s digital age, who are we to tell a student that he or she cannot bring their tools to class to support learning? Don’t get me wrong; equity is a real issue that needs to be addressed when rolling out or sustaining any BYOD initiative.  It is our job as leaders and educators to provide the best possible learning environment for out students.  With this being said the equity issue should not be seen as an obstacle or challenge that cannot be overcome. Instead of using this as an excuse, or allowing the naysayers to use this as ammunition to derail the initiative, it is our job to find applicable solutions in order to create schools that work for today’s learners.  After all, it is not about our (adult) learning, but our students.


Image credit: www.securedgenetwork.com
In my community where we made the decision to roll out BYOD many years ago, we did so knowing full well that all of our students did not own a device. Through our planning we also discovered that some students had parents/guardians who would not allow them to bring them to school for fear of theft or breakage. Then there was a small group of students who flat out told us that they had no interest in using their technology in school to support learning. All of these challenges could have been excuses not to move forward, but we decided to find some solutions to benefit the majority while not excluding any student.

Any successful BYOD initiative should focus squarely on how students can use mobile devices to support their learning.  If a lesson called for every student to use a device to demonstrate conceptual mastery aligned to a specific learning outcome it was our job to ensure this.  Here are some practical tips that we utilized to ensure BYOD equity:
Know Your Students – Once a decision has been made to implement BYOD in your school/district and proper professional development has been provided find out who are the haves and have nots.  One suggestion is to use Google Forms to curate this information.  Going forward this will allow you to focus on those students who need access.Advance Planning – Notify students the day before that they will need to bring their device to class the following day if the learning activity calls for it. Supplement School Technology – If a learning activity calls for every student to have a device then it is imperative that supports are put in place. Students will either forget to bring their device, not have one, or chose not to bring it into school. A successful BYOD initiative has ample technology on hand to make sure all students have access to tools. Utilize Cooperative Learning – This archaic pedagogical technique is a necessity in a BYOD environment. There will be some cases where supplemental school technology is not available. Developing lessons where collaborative groups are established and all students have equitable access to a mobile device to accomplish the learning outcome is a sound practice.Engage Parents - Prior to going BYOD parent meetings should be planned and held to discuss the initiative as well as outcomes and expectations. These conversations should also clearly outline how the issue of equity will be handled.  Device envy is another issue that is commonly referenced by BYOD critics as a reason for not implementing BYOD.  As children we all experienced some sort of envious situation in school.  For me personally it is when I wanted Air Jordan sneakers and my parents bought me Converse. Sure, it didn’t make me feel good, but I learned to deal with it.  Part of preparing our students for life is helping them to deal with envy in positive ways.  As educators the last thing we want to do is make students feel bad about the type of device he/she has, but we also don’t want to use this excuse to exclude the potential of mobile learning.  The best way to avoid any envious situation is to keep the focus on learning. Not only did we do this, but we also began signing out school owned technology to students who did not have access at all.  When it was all said and done we never received one complaint from our parents on the equity or envy issues.

So what are your thoughts on the equity issue? Would you add any tips that I might have missed?  For more BYOD resources visit this Pinterest board.

Administrating Your School With Success Using A Multi-Functional Communication System

The following is a sponsored post by DialMyCalls.

If long lists of numbers and phone chains are still part of your school’s communication system, it is time for an upgrade. There are hundreds of people you may need to contact at any given time, and dozens of different groups. Luckily our modern technologies have included amazing communication systems that can make your important job of over seeing a school so much simpler.

General Messages

Are you still relying on notes sent home and paper calendars to let students and parents know what is happening in the upcoming year? If you set up a website for your school, all of that information can be kept in one place where a distracted student can’t lose it. 

A comprehensive calendar can be set up to show school events and holidays for quick reference. You can even grant your teacher's access to post messages about necessary supplies and upcoming tests. A website lets school officials and families communicate effectively, and at their convenience.

Urgent Matters

Of course unplanned events happen with frequency at a school, and you need a quick method of contacting the affected individuals immediately. This is where a school notification system like DialMyCalls will become your communication central. All of the phone numbers your school needs to stay connected are stored in a central online database. Here they can be grouped into whatever categories you need, like teachers and staff and class by class. This makes it a breeze to pick out the right people you need to reach when time is critical.



DialMyCalls offers a variety of ways to communicate, depending on the situation: 

Voice message: When you want to remind a class of parents about an upcoming field trip, or your teachers of tomorrow's meeting, you can record a message and then send it to their phones. The calls are made instantly through your account, and when answered, the right recipient will hear your message. Consider the time you save by only having to say your spiel once, instead of having to make repeated calls during your busy day.SMS text message: More and more people are relying on texts to communicate and now your school can too. Text messages get immediate attention when you have emergent information to share. Is snow causing your school to close early today? Let the parents know right away with an urgent text. An automated text message broadcast is the fastest way possible to get an important message across to hundreds at the same time.Email messages: You can all use a special email feature for when you just need to send gentle reminders. Maybe your PTA wants to let parents know about their fundraising schedule, or you need to make a change on the calendar. An email can be used to direct parents to your website to get any updates about the school.
With the right technology at your fingertips you can completely modernize the way your school communicates. There are dozens of issues that need your attention daily, make them your priority by making communication quick and easy.

Getting Digital Tools On Your Side: 4 Steps

This is the second post as part of an adapted article I co-authored, Real-World Ready: Leveraging Digital Tools

A few weeks back I shared ways that digital tools can improve teaching and learning.  It goes without saying that the most important aspect of digital leadership is enhancing student learning while increasing achievement. Technology needs to be integrated with purpose in ways that support learning as opposed to driving instruction.  A good rule to follow is pedagogy first, technology second when appropriate. Using technology just for the sake of it is an ineffective practice.  Effective digital leaders understand this and through the observation and evaluation of instruction ensure that digital tools align to learning outcomes and are having an impact on student learning.


Image credit: http://www.robeson.k12.nc.us/cms/lib6...
The main driver of successful, effective teaching originates from educators who are scaffolding learning in relevant and strong ways. A grounding in the Rigor/Relevance Framework -- an action-oriented continuum that describes putting knowledge to use -- gives teachers a method for charting learning. This framework is based on traditional elements of education yet encourages movement from acquisition of knowledge to application of knowledge. Although digital tools themselves are no substitute for a clear framework, they can underpin it. No matter what digital tool is considered, introduced, or integrated into the classroom, capable teacher presence and teacher-centered instruction always belongs in the foreground.



How can you, as a school leader, take your understanding of the strengths behind some digital tools and create pathways for rigorous and relevant use of digital tools? Use the following best practices when assessing digital tools and their use in your school:

Prioritize Instructional Excellence : Technology can be an effective tool but it remains just that -- a tool. Educators provide the backbone of the student’s learning experience. A teacher should always have concrete answers to these questions:
What capabilities do I want my students to develop? In what specific ways is my instructional design rigorous and relevant? What are my benchmarks for rigor? relevance? relationships? creativity? inquiry? Armed with responses to these questions, a teacher can then go on to consider a specific digital tool, asking:
How does this digital tool provide a way towards full development of the capability I want to develop in my students? Is my teaching, using this tool, still just as structured, rigorous, and relevant as it would be without this tool?  Identify Student Needs Around Use of Digital Tools : Information should not be confused with knowledge in evaluating digital tools. Knowledge is the recall of information, discovery, observation, or naming. Teachers should be able to define what knowledge (not information) students will need to apply when using a digital tool.

Create a Game Plan for Managing Student Use of Online Tools :  It takes work and careful planning to implement the use of digital tools in defined ways. Before introducing a digital tool into a learning context, teachers should understand:
How he/she will be able to support students in using a tool that might be unfamiliarHow each student will be able to manage it independently How he/she will take advantage of students’ diversity and inclination towards building community online How students and instructor will connect across sometimes great distance Maximize Opportunities for Diverse Forms of Feedback :  Rather than relying on feedback or evaluation models suited to older models of assignments, have teachers ask:
How will this online tool allow me to hone in on each student’s thought process and provide targeted, formative feedback that can be immediately and usefully applied? How can my feedback help pave the way for next steps in learning and in reaching established, articulated, or modeled goals?Educational landscape and digital landscape have become inherently intertwined. Learners are teachers alike are enmeshed in digital life and need effective, specific ways to best use digital tools in rigorous and relevant ways. Educators must be able to develop and enact rigorous, relevant instructional methods and formats, while learning about and using effective digital tools to underpin their instruction. As long as educators are clear about the learning objectives, digital tools can be a powerful supporting tool.

Leading Schools of the Future

Portions of this post are adapted from the Future Ready Schools website with permission.

Advances in technology continue to impact society in amazing ways.  The evolution of the Internet allows anyone with access the ability to communicate, collaborate, acquire information, and learn with anyone, at anytime, and from anywhere.  Learners today have embraced this digital world and have begun to explore their passions in ways never imagined.  They thrive in this world and find relevancy and value through a variety of experiences that technology provides.  Growing up in a digital world has expanded their creative boundaries while motivating them to be self-directed learners.  With the changes in technology, virtually every facet of society has adapted in some way, with one major exception – schools.  

Image credit: http://www.schooloffinehearts.net/201...
The structure and function of the majority of schools in this country is the exact opposite of the world that our learners are growing up in.  There is an automatic disconnect when students, regardless of their grade level, walk into schools due to the lack of engagement, relevancy, meaning, and authentic learning opportunities.  Our education system has become so efficient in sustaining a century old model because it is easy and safe.  The resulting conformity has resulted in a learning epidemic among our students as they see so little value in the cookie-cutter learning exercises they are forced to go through each day. The bottom line is that they are bored.  It is time that we create schools that work for our students as opposed to ones that have traditionally worked well for the adults.  Schools and districts need digital leadership.

Digital leadership takes into account recent changes such as ubiquitous connectivity, open-source technology, mobile devices, and personalization. It represents a dramatic shift from how schools have been run and structured for over a century, as what started out as a personal use of technology has become systemic to every facet of leadership. Digital leadership can thus be defined as establishing direction, influencing others, and initiating sustainable change through the access to information, and establishing relationships in order to anticipate changes pivotal to school success in the future. It requires a dynamic combination of mindset, behaviors, and skills that are employed to change and/or enhance school culture through the assistance of technology.

Creating schools that work for students requires digital leaders who articulate a bold vision for change that not only tackles the status quo embedded in the industrialized model of education, but also one that sees the inherent value of technology to enhance the teaching and learning process.  We need to realize that many traditional elements associated with education no longer prevail. How we go about doing this will vary from school to school or district to district, but the process begins with the simple notion of putting students first to allow them to follow their passions, create, tinker, invent, play, and collaborate.  Schools that work for students focus less on control and more on trust. 

Future ready schools are those focused on learning in a digital age and prepare students for the world of today and of the future.  The culture of these future ready schools is based on building a leadership team, establishing a coherent vision for change, developing a systematic action plan, modeling for leaders effective and efficient ways to leverage digital tools to increase effectiveness, and modeling for teachers how to harness tools to support students’ learning. Working smarter, not harder, by discovering natural complements to the work already being done enhances outcomes.  

Digital Leadership and Future Ready 

Recently the U.S. Department of Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education announced Future Ready Schools (FRS), which aligns seamlessly with the Pillars of Digital Leadership. FRS is a free, bold new effort to maximize digital learning opportunities and help school districts move quickly toward preparing students for success in college, a career, and citizenship. Future Ready provides districts with resources and support to ensure that local technology and digital learning plans align with instructional best practices, are implemented by highly trained teachers, and lead to personalized learning experiences for all students, particularly those from traditionally under-served communities.   If your district has not taken the pledge yet please do so by clicking HERE.  There will also be a series of free summits for district leadership teams to attend.  Leadership is central to the FRS effort.  As a coalition partner ICLE is uniquely positioned to assist leaders in transforming their districts to be Future Ready.


The Time is Now

This effort comes at a critical time as districts embrace college and career readiness as the goal for all students and recognize the potential of digital tools to help teachers personalize learning for each student. While less than 30 percent of U.S. schools have the bandwidth they need to teach using today’s technology, federal and state efforts are expanding this capacity to ensure that at least 99 percent of the nation’s students have access to high-speed internet in their schools within the next five years. Such connectivity, along with strategic planning by districts to maximize its availability, has the potential to transform the educational experiences of all students, regardless of their background.  Will your district be ready for this transition?”  District leaders must respond to these changes with thoughtful planning to align necessary technologies with instructional goals to support teaching and learning.


For more on Future Ready, visit www.FutureReadySchools.org.