Leadership Day 2014: A Call to Innovate

A comment made during this week’s #edchat,  for which the topic was “What are your 2 specific top priorities that you would put in place today for education reform?”  has inspired this writing for #leadershipday2014.  Justin Buckner (), a 4th grade teacher from San Antonio and author of the Everyday Project Based Learning blog  tweeted:

I wonder how many schools and districts have some version of the word “innovate” in their mission statements.   I also wonder how many of those schools and districts are prepared to back their teachers who truly want to innovate, within a system that is becoming more rigid and inflexible every year.

Innovation, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

 A new idea, device or method, or is the act or process of introducing a new idea, device or method. 

This is not research-based best practice if it is “new.” Because of this, there is a certain element of risk involved.  Will it work for one student? For some?  For all?  Teachers need to know that their educational leaders “have their backs” as they try to implement new tools and strategies in pursuit of helping each individual student to maximize his/her learning.

There are so many incredible technology tools available –and more are introduced every day. These tools open up a whole new world and the possibility of truly transforming learning for our students.   “Best Practice” needs to give way to “NEXT practice,” as students are learning through technology in ways that were never possible when those “best practices” were identified years ago.

Dr. John Sullivan describes it this way:

Best practices only allow you to do what you are currently doing a little better, while next practices increase your organization’s capability to do things that it could never have done before.

Educational leaders, empower your teachers to innovate, so that they can help students in ways they never could have done before.

“Technology” Initiative or “Learning” Initiative?

There seem to be an increasing number of “1:1″ initiatives, “mobile learning” initiatives, “BYOD” initiatives,  and “digital learning” initiatives throughout the country, perhaps in response to Obama’s call for digital textbooks to be in every student’s hands within 5 years (from 2012) or in response to online testing requirements.  Perhaps, though, the purpose of these initiatives is something more.

Here is what I am wondering.  If we call an initiative by the name of the strategy, rather than the results we hope to see, will we actually achieve the end goal?  Have we even identified what the end goal is? Isn’t the end goal about more than access to technology?

Falcon Virtual Academy, Colorado Springs

I had a moment of clarity yesterday, brought about by tuning in to the first of Broward County Public Schools Webinar series (through the Center for Digital Education) on their “Personalized Learning” initiative.  The first webinar of the series was about planning.  As I listened, I thought how odd it was that the planning they were really talking about had everything to do with getting a digital device into the hands of every student.  I thought I was listening to a webinar about a 1:1 initiative, and that perhaps I had tuned in to the wrong webinar.

Then it struck me.  Personalized Learning is the end goal. (-or should be.)  A major strategy to accomplish this is getting a personal digital device into the hands of every student, so of course this is a huge piece of the planning.

What a simple concept. By labeling the initiative what it is, I believe there is a much better chance of achieving it. Why? Because the measures of success will be to determine the level of personalized learning that is accomplished, or perhaps even student achievement, growth, or skill acquisition.  If the initiative is just about getting technology into kids hands, then the measures of success will likely look quite different. They will be more quantitative in nature, and probably not as focused on the learning–or the student.   Re-labeling the initiative might even be the shift needed to get all of the right people to the planning table – not just the technology team, but leaders in curriculum, instruction, and assessment as well.

What initiative do you have in your school or district? What do you call it? What are the measures of success? Are they in alignment? Would it help to call it what it is?

Global Competency or Global Understanding? Reflections following an Extraordinary Week in China

Standing on the Great Wall of China

I was ecstatic when I found out recently that I had been selected by EF Tours for a full scholarship to travel to China last month for a Global Student Leadership Summit!  This was an opportunity to see student global collaboration and problem solving in action, and to brainstorm and collaborate with other educators from Colorado and around the U.S. to start building a plan for students in my district to address global competency in a comprehensive way.  Ever since my first travel experiences outside of the U.S. many, many years ago– to Mexico with my high school choir, and Europe with my college choir –I have understood that my thinking, my understanding, and my world view were different from those of my peers and my family, I believe, as a result of this travel.  Sure, I had participated in the obligatory “cultural” experiences of my schooling – making crepes in French class, having an “international fair” with my Girl Scout troop, and even exchanged some letters with a French pen pal.  None of that prepared me for actually being in another country, where not only many of the buildings, but the traditions date back hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of years.  This makes Mt. Vernon seem downright new – and brings an unbelievably new perspective to  a person’s thinking in a way that is difficult to describe. Not to mention the perspective gained through real relationships formed.  In both of these travel experiences of my youth, I was pushed way outside my comfort zone. Brief as they were, we were immersed in the culture, in my case, through the language, the music, the historical sites we visited, the food we ate, the personal stories shared by our excellent guides, and staying with host families at least part of the time.  I was excited to see this impact on the students at the Summit.

It is this kind of experience, I believe, that leads to global understanding.  People who travel abroad with an open mind can experience this. (Note –open mind required!)   It goes beyond “global competency.”   Don’t get me wrong – global competency is essential for our students’ future success – and certainly better than nothing, but there is a huge difference between knowing something –and really understanding something.

Winners of the Judge’s Choice Award: Innovation Village at #EFSummit

In China, in addition to the group of educators I traveled with, about 400 American and Chinese high school students were brought together  for the Global Student Leadership Summit to use the Stanford dSchool Design Thinking process to design and present solutions to  global issues. This was true global collaboration.  Students came together to address a topic they were passionate about, and in the case of the Chinese students, in a language that was not their own.  They had just two days to accomplish this!  (The rest of the week, we spent touring in and experiencing the culture  of Shanghai and Beijing.)  During the Summit, students were inspired by NPR’s Planet Money hosts, Adam Davidson and Alex Blumberg, and by former ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman Jr.  Click on the image below to see some highlights of the Summit experience:

Here is what I am wondering:   Can we duplicate the intensity of an immersion experience through technology – to go beyond global competency to achieve this kind of global understanding?  I believe whenever possible, we need to make travel experiences like this available to our students, but when travel is not possible, technology can and must help bridge the gap between global competency and true global understanding.  Veronica Mansilla and Anthony Jackson state in their book,  Educating for Global Competence: Preparing our Youth to Engage the World. Published by the Council of Chief State School Officers and The Asia Society:

 Videoconferencing, social networking, and other communication technologies now allow students unprecedented opportunities to investigate issues of global significance with students around  the world—much the way working professionals now operate in global teams.

The issue, though, is how in-depth teachers design these learning experiences to be. A simple cultural exchange about weather, holiday traditions, music, and foods, while students sit surrounded by their own comforts of home,  might be a good starting point for young students, but for older students, to really grow their global understanding,  we need to design opportunities for actual cross-cultural collaborative problem solving.  It is through this kind of experience that we will develop students as future leaders.

I encourage you to investigate EF Tours for future Student Leadership Summits, service learning, exchange programs, and  travel opportunities for students and educators – I am quite impressed with the programs they offer.   Also check out  Flat Connections for opportunities for technology-enabled global, collaborative problem solving.  On my Global Collaboration Wiki Resource page, I have listed several other  links to help students make connections through service learning and problem solving globally.

What If? The Airbnb and Lyft of Education

Item #5 in Betty Ray’s article on Edutopia, “5 Awesome Innovations in 2014” sent my mind wandering yesterday, as ideas converged and my imagination soared.

Item # 5 in Betty’s list of innovations is about Airbnb and Lyft – innovations of the travel and transportation industries, that make use of social media and technology to help people find charming and inexpensive places to stay when they travel, and inexpensive and reliable rides when and where they need them. Betty posed the question, “Is there something in this model for educators?”

I thought immediately of an idea I’ve been tossing around in my mind for a while now –a way to build a database of community mentors for our students that would allow them to learn about careers that interest them and form relationships with professional people that might help motivate them to stay in school.  My dream would be to contact alumni from our school district to start this ball rolling.  Colleges and universities have alumni associations –why not K-12 school districts? Indeed, my school district in St. Louis – Parkway School District – already has a large and successful alumni association.  Their primary purpose seems to be to collect funds for schools and scholarships, but what if we expand on that? What if we give choice to our alumni to give time, talent, and/or money?  How many different problems could this solve for schools and districts?

Now I am beginning to think that this idea is good, but not big enough.  What if we used the same kind of technology and social media connections that Airbnb and Lyft use to build a national – or even international database of potential mentors for students? What if there’s an app for that?

Now my idea is converging with thoughts I am still tossing around from a fascinating discussion with Monika Hardy, who stretched my thinking on how to redefine public education. I’m also thinking about the efforts of Daniel Bassill, and his tutor-mentor connection in Chicago.  What if we combine these ideas, using technology and social media in a big way? Imagine this scenario:

Image CC licensed on Flickr by USACE HQ

Company X is sold on the value of helping build the skills and knowledge of high school students who can learn their business and contribute ideas and solutions while still in school through the “21^st Century Apprenticeship Program.”  Company X will offer incentives to employees who agree to mentor high school students in X community.  John Smith decides to give this a try –his youngest son has just left for college, thanks to the great mentorship he received in the 21^st Century Apprenticeship program. His son developed a drive and passion to complete his schooling in a way John didn’t think was possible.  John wants to be able to “give back” and help another young person.  He accesses the website to compete an application form.  Company X will pay for the application fee and background check required.  John fills in the form, indicating the high school and universities he attended, the areas he is certificated in, and his personal strengths and interests.  He writes a friendly letter of introduction, which is stored along with the data he has entered, and his photo supplied by company X, ready to be sent when the computer algorithm finds a match for him.  Once completed, he downloads the app to his phone, which will alert him when a match is made.

Mitchell is having a hard time focusing in school. He knows he needs to do well, and he should be beginning his college search, yet he just has not discovered a career area he is passionate about, let alone any reason to really do well on next week’s Chemistry exam. The stress is really getting to him, between his mom nagging him to study more, his “perfect” brother, who was offered every scholarship under the sun and is now top of his class at his university, and his friends who keep telling him to “blow it off” and go shoot some hoops down at the park.  Then, his counselor, Ms. Brown, texted a link out to all the seniors through Naviance. It was about that 21^st Century Apprenticeship Program – an app he could download that would allow him to be paired up with a community business mentor based on his interests and strengths. It didn’t cost anything, and it would give him an inside look at some different careers and the world of work. Come to think of it, his brother had this app – he used to spend more time on that than Facebook!  He decided to give it a try.

So –what do you think? How will this story end?  Will Mitchell go on to be successful? Will Company X be able to tap into new talent and insight, with a new employee fully trained and ready to contribute and innovate upon college graduation? Can we develop this tool?

What if?

Tag – You’re It! Blog Meme

Many thanks to Ben Wilkoff for tagging me in a blog meme –what a great way to reflect as 2013 comes to a close!  Ben was tagged on  Jeremy Inscho’s blog, who was inspired by Dean Shareski’s post.  I decided to follow Ben’s lead in tagging some Colorado bloggers – many from my school district.  I hope you’ll play along.  Here’s my homework:

11 Random Facts about Me

1. I started my education career as a music teacher, and my first job was actually at an early childhood center on Bolling AFB in Washington DC.
2. During the height of the aerobic craze of the 80s – I taught aerobics in Hampton, VA and once was in a mall show with Richard Simmons!
3. I have been participating in social media since the early 90s– a favorite hobby is planning vacations for my family and I used electronic bulletin boards and cruise critic travel boards via Prodigy and AOL back then to do this!
4. I have played guitar since the 5^th grade, and have sung in many weddings over the years.
5. I lived in Germany with my Air Force husband for 3 years, and visited 12 different countries during that time, in addition to Volksmarching in multiple German towns every weekend.
6. I grew up in the St. Louis area.
7. In my sophomore year, I became president of our school’s chapter of Future Teachers of America.
8. When I was in high school, my first job was at Six Flags Over Mid-America (St. Louis).
9. I’m left-handed.
10. I am very proud of my 2 daughters – one in Seattle who is a former Peace Corps volunteer (Guinea) & recruiter, now working for the Department of Immigration, and one who is an Air Traffic Controller in the Denver area, after serving 6 years in the Air Force.
11. I just celebrated my 30 year anniversary with my husband – the love of my life, and my best friend – who received his PhD last week in Engineering- Security.

11 Questions from Ben:

1. Where do you go when you want to think? It’s not so much a place as a time. My favorite thinking time is actually just as I am waking up in the morning. (Often times, this happens earlier than I’d like!)
2. What is your writing ritual? I have been known to get up out of bed and write down some ideas –usually in the form of lists.  I tend to do my best writing early in the morning while these ideas are still percolating.  But leisurely weekends are nice too – I read some of the gems shared by my PLN, follow links, add to my curated topics on Scoop-It, and realize I have some new insights to share  as a result of this process.
3. What is the best thing that you can cook? Lasagna! A close second, in the dessert category, is Chicago-style chocolate chip cheesecake.
4. When did you know you wanted to be an educator? Since about the 9^th grade.  I was inspired by my high school choir teachers, Miss G. & Mickey and also from a “cadet teaching” experience.
5. How do you learn best? Through personal research, reading, reflecting, creating my own visuals—essentially curating. If we are talking about learning a new skill, though—I Iearn by doing, as I believe all people do. Practice, practice, practice!
6. What is the most amazing thing you ever saw a kid do (your child or someone else’s)?  What comes to mind –the first time your children offer to pick up the bill when the family goes out to eat—you know they’ve “made” it.
7. What is the one thing you want to do most before you shuffle off this mortal coil? I have always felt truly blessed to have such a wonderful family, the opportunity to travel, meet interesting people, have a job that I love to do and the ability to continuously learn and grow. I really can’t think of anything that is a “must do” at this point.
8. What do you think of ? Since I am traveling to China in March, the language translation capabilities are the most intriguing to me at the moment. Otherwise, I haven’t really given them much thought.  I tend to be “on the fence” with new technologies until I see a way that they can be transformative – rather than just another fad.  Time will tell, I guess.
   

   Stained Glass by Margaret Hansen

9. What is the best piece of art you ever purchased? A good friend, Maggie Hansen, is a stained-glass artist.  I like to think of

   my living room as a “Maggie Hansen art gallery” –with a 3-panel Tuscany stained-glass scene, and a beautifu mountain scene.

10. What would the tagline for a movie about your life be? “Lifelong learner.”
11. What do you do when there is a jar that you just can’t open? First I get one of those rubber jar-opening gizmos and see if that will do the trick. If not – I hand it over to my husband to open for me!

Now It’s Your Turn: Tag –You are IT!

1. Susan Murray-Carrico: Paradigm Shift  –
2. Phil McIntosh: Mister McIntosh Says  –
3. April Gudenrath: The Blended English/Ethics Classroom  –
4. Matt Pacione: Matt’s Math  –
5. Ryan McClintock: The Collaboraider  –
6. Cathleen Nardi:  Exploring Digital Culture  –
7. Zoe Midler: Not a Rocking Chair Librarian –  
8. Deanna Dykstra: Forthcoming  –
9. Matthew Woolums: The Village Green –  
10. Doug Hinkle: –This is a challenge to Doug to use this opportunity to start a blog – I know he has a lot to share!!
11. ??? – Who in my PLN wants to take this challenge?  I leave this slot open for you!

11 Questions for these Bloggers

1. What is your favorite technology tool for personal use?
2. What is your favorite technology tool for students?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. What is the “next big thing” for education?
5. Who do you most admire?
6. What topic/topics are you currently researching?
7. What is a favorite place you have visited?
8. What inspires you?
9. Who was your most memorable teacher?
10. Were you a good student?
11. How do you learn best?

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: When you are tagged…

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers.
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

Thoughts on Defining Innovation in Education

I’ve been doing some thinking about how to best define innovation in education.  I’ve been reading a lot of mission statements lately for schools and districts and keep finding the word “innovative” used, yet little sign of practices in the objectives, tactics and goals to back this up. The tactics  and action plan seem to be oriented towards producing test scores and the practices seem 20^th century at best.

If Business Innovation is defined this way:

The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.

…does this definition for education innovation follow?

Implementation of a new design, process, idea, or learning environment that increases an individual student or group of students’ ability to learn, as evidenced by their ability to make meaning and transfer.

Then I started translating additional parts of the business innovation definition for education this way:

Business: Innovation involves deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful products.

Education:

Innovation involves deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources

This could be resources of time or people as well as money.

In education, innovation often results when ideas are applied to satisfy the needs and expectations of the students.

CC Photo by Brad Flickinger. Available http://www.flickr.com/people/56155476@N08/

This is a powerful statement when you think about it –do we intentionally design and plan for the needs of the students? The individual student? How do we know what those needs are?  Do we go beyond test scores and consider the whole child when determining those needs? Their learning style? Their 21st century skills? At what point do we address the individual student needs in the backwards planning process? There is an obvious connection to personalized learning here.  Universal Design for Learning offers a framework that provides one possible approach.

I continued reading and translating the Business Dictionary.com article for education:

In education, innovation helps create new methods for collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, flexible time ,  and flexible learning environments.  Innovations are divided into two broad categories:

1. Evolutionary innovations) that are brought about by many incremental advances in technology or processes and
2. Revolutionary innovations which are often disruptive and new.

Innovation is synonymous with risk-taking and organizations that create revolutionary changes in services and learning environments take on the greatest risk.

Given this definition, is your classroom, school, or district innovative?