Threshold: Review of 2013 and Preview of 2014

Review of 2013 Goals/Achievements:

1. 2013 Goal ACHIEVED- Begin to write a book- As we turn the page on another year, I have written seven chapters. My 2014 goal is to complete the current book and start two more books.

2. 2013 Goal ACHIEVED- Double my followers on twitter @drizzinkwine (expand my influence through social media)... at the time of this post, I was at 375 followers. I am now at 787 followers as we start 2014.

3. 2013 Goal ACHIEVED- Increase my readership on this blog: "Drinkwine at School" (at the time of this post, my most read post was was read 400X). I increased my readership especially with a blog post I wrote in September of 2013 as it pertains to twitter use in schools and a "how-to" plan for soliciting the participation of school communities in the twittersphere.

4. 2013 Goal ACHIEVED- Speak at one major conference/summit/retreat this year on the topic(s) of education, leadership, technology. I was invited to speak and lead three different organizations as each was creating or revising their mission and vision statements. I had the privilege of leading those organizations through the process. I also was able to lead a 20 minute session for a Technology Un-conference back in July.

*More 2014 Goals in addition to continuing the ones above:

1. Publish an eBook
2. Begin teaching as a professor in a Higher Ed setting

The East-setting Sun...

Close your eyes for five seconds and imagine yourself in Lebanon, Kansas; a seemingly obscure Midwestern town. Lebanon is quite special. This Kansas town holds the distinction for the being the "Geographic Center of the contiguous United States." Now, imagine yourself living in Lebanon and embarking toward the Pacific Coast. Which direction would you point your car, bike, bus, plane? If you said West, then you are correct. Now, let's say you change your mind and you instead want to take off for the more populated Eastern Seaboard, home of the Atlantic Coast. What Cardinal direction would you face for that sojourn? If you said East, then you are correct once more.

Now that we have established that the Pacific Ocean is in the West and the Atlantic Ocean is in the East, here is an additional geographical question: On which Ocean does the Sun set? If you said, the Pacific, then you are incorrect.

It is all a matter of perspective.

If you are still located in the United States, then the answer to the question: "On which Ocean does the Sun set?" would be, in fact, YES! However, the answer changes depending on one's perspective. If you are located in the midsection of the Central American country of Panama, then you would experience the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and the setting of the sun over the Atlantic. The serpentine of the Panamanian Geography makes this possible.

Now, I understand fully that this way of introducing the "East-setting Sun" is quite controversial and debatable. However, the idea is fascinating and appropriate for the conversation pertaining to the importance of perspective in leadership.

Whether you are the leader of your family, a school, a faith-based organization, a business, a band, or a team; the matter of perspective is important. Whether you work with toddlers, with adults, with teenagers, or with the elderly, it is important to remember that each and every one of us comes into every situation wearing a different lens, with a perspective, with an interpretation, with an understanding of how the world works. Matters are not always cut and dry, black and white. There are times for the color grey/gray.


What do you think? Is it good for leaders to view the world around them as "black and white?" Or, is it better for leaders to view the world around in terms of "grey/gray?"

How we got 76% of our faculty to use twitter for learning...

No matter where your paradigm is, there is no refuting the fact that technology has changed the world of education. There is no question the landscape of teaching and learning is different today than it was 20 years ago, even 10 and fives years ago. More recently the shifts seem to be exponential in nature and social in context. Specifically, social media in all its platforms have lent themselves to many frustrations and benefits among teachers, students, and parents. In some schools, the millennials, digital natives, the iGeneration who currently walk the halls of our schools have been told to put their devices away only to now be told to bring them out as adults (teachers) become more comfortable with approaches such as BYOT and BYOD. I have seen firsthand the frustrations and benefits of both approaches. Teachers can get upset over a student seemingly distracted by a device in class and therefore telling the student to hand over their mobile technology- this of course, is a cause and a reaction to frustration on the part of both parties. On the contrary, I have witnessed joy on both the part of teacher and learner when mobile technology is used to enhance the learning environment and is not only allowed, but also encouraged. As we continue to see the pendulum swing, I predict more smiles, more learning, more positive interactions among teachers and students, and more excitement.

Two years ago, the pendulum of my organization was so far to one side of the edtech argument, that we only had two professionals who used technology to their advantage in terms of professional use (a PLN). I have been privelged to experience the pendulum swing to the other side and now I have a front row seat watching educators integrate technology into every fiber of the day. Teachers incorporate student owned devices into their lessons weekly if not daily, and most of our teachers are now on twitter- the focus of this post. Today, 76% of my faculty is on twitter: and here is the formula for how we gained this amount of participation and support.

1). Modeling- it is important to me that I model best practices. It is also important to me that I cultivate trust. There is great proof that the increasing popularity of PLN's across the educational landscape has proven to be a best practice as educators who participate receive support, encouragement, resources, links, etc. In my opinion, twitter is currently the most powerful tool for this ambition. Furthermore, if I am going to encourage my teachers to do something, I must be able to do what I am asking. This garners trust. I believe the bulk of my faculty now models best practice with one another and also has the propensity to trust one another further too.

2). Training- I have been intentional in giving one-on-one trainings to many of my teachers who have expressed interest in growing more in terms of edtech. In addition, there have been a handful of faculty wide trainings in which teachers could select areas to grow. Many, not most, teachers have chosen to be trained in the area of twitter in education and the use of a PLN.

3). Patience- The phrase, "turn the ship slowly," has been a contstant reminder for me as I have been a school leader. For the past two years, I have modeled and trained teachers. I have not mandated any teacher to subscribe to twitter. I have not required it. I have not forced it down the throat of anyprofessional. I have only encouraged. I have taught, exhorted, and passionately lived out a growth mindset in the form of a PLN via twitter. This approach points back to the first step in which trust is a factor. We trust those who have our best interest in mind. We do not necesarrily trust those who place their own selfish motives in front of others. I do not seek to grow a faculty of tweeters merely for my name sake. I seek this because I have seen what it can do for professionals and I want my fantastic teachers to experience the same. It appears as though most of them are now experiencing this on a daily basis. This supports the old adage, "good things come to those who wait."

My Top 3 Tips for the New School Year

All across the country summer is giving way to autumn, swimming pool fun is being pushed aside to make way for weekend football games. School supplies are being stocked and re-stocked in stores, and the school bell is ringing. It is the start of school!

Some school districts begin in late July and some begin the new year after Labor Day. It does not matter who you are or where you are from... one thing remains, it is a new beginning for us all. If you are teacher, you get a new set of students, a new lesson plan book, and a new calendar. If you are a parent, you get a front row seat in the viewing of your child starting a new year. This could be the year your child "breaks through!" If you are a student, you can forget about your past failures and struggles and start anew. Teachers, Parents, and students ranging from pre-K all the way to adults learners can benefit from these three tips:

1). Get back in touch with the "Why?" for school. We all know "what" for what we are doing: we are going to school... we are teaching, we are supporting, we are completing assignments, grading assignments, etc. We do not need help necesarrily with the "what?"

Most of us have a good grasp on the "how?" for what we are doing. We know how to teach, support, grade, complete an assignment, etc. We need little help with "how" to do what we are doing this year.

Here is where we need more help: with being reminded for "why?" we are doing what we do. TED talker, Simon Sinek eloquently captures this formula in his "Golden Circle" concept.

I believe if we get back to "why" we do what we do, then our school year will be the most amazing school year ever. Why is it that you do what you do? Why is it important? Why should you get up in the morning?

2). Stay focused on your mission and vision. If you want to look back at your school year when you reach the end and think "wow! that was an incredible year of growth, learning, adventure, creativity, risk-taking, and maturity," then keep focused on the mission and vision. Often, you do not have to look any further than your organization's mission and vision statement. However, if you feel as if the organization you are with (a school) does not have a mission or a vision you are aligned with... you know, one that hits your sweet spot, than create one of your own. My wife and I have a vision for our family. And, out of that came my own personal mission statement. I imperfectly set out to accomplish my life's mission each and every day so that I can one day look back and say... "I achieved my vision for my life." Here is a picture of three words that summarize my own mission statement... I keep this posted on a mirror in my house. It helps me remember the "what, how, and why" I do what I do.

3). Stay positive! It is a fact that you will have struggles this upcoming year. You will reach points of stress, distress, frustration, disappointment, and sadness. You will not be able to avoid this. And, you would be wasting your time if you tried to prevent the low points. Keep at it... have courage, be bold, and stay positive. Do not lose sight of the "why," stay focused on your mission and vision for your life, and stay positive. It is the positive individuals who make a difference. It is the positive leaders who are the change agents for the better. You can do it! I cannot wait to look back at the 2013-14 school year and see all the growth, learning, achievements, accomplishments, joys, celebrations, and so much more. Let's have a GREAT year!

Red Light Infatuation and the Disdain for Green

I was recently watching Saturday morning cartoons with my 2 1/2 year old son, when the cartoon "Curious George" came on the television screen and attracted us into the episode like a magnet attracting metal. We were glued to the episode as the infamous monkey began to bounce around the TV screen and get into his typical mischief. This one particular episode attracted my son and I for (what I have to believe is) different reasons. For my son, the colors, the sounds, the musical tunes, and the funny monkey attracted him to the cartoon. For me, I was attracted by this particular episode's message. It was simply invigorating, thought-provoking, and insightful.


You see, this monkey named George, taught me a lesson on this one specific morning. It was a lesson I believe we all need to be reminded. It is the lesson of perspective. Life is all about perspective. 

In this episode, George, as always, was wanting to help others. He wanted to please those around him. He was walking around outside when he noticed a street lined with cars which were stopped at a red light. George was intrigued by all of the drivers who were seemingly enamored by the color red. The silly monkey was also fascinated by all of the commuters who did not appreciate the color green. As you have probably figured out... Curious George thought that because drivers of automobiles stopped at any street light that was red, it must mean this color was liked and enjoyed by all. Conversely, when drivers drove away once the street light turned from red to green, George thought that no one appreciated the leaf-like hue. George, in fact, corrected the street lights (in all directions) to be fixed on the color red. Well... you see, there was a problem with this solution: it caused traffic jams. Instead of drivers being pleased, as Curious George set out to have happen; drivers were furious, upset, and impatient. In turn, George was sad and confused.

This lesson of perspective was particularly enlightening to me for two reasons. The first reason is that life, as mentioned above, is all about perspective. George's perspective was that individuals loved the color red, when instead it was that drivers, all around, really did not like red at all... the driver's were merely trained and conditioned to stop in order to follow the rules of the road and observe safe driving. In fact, the opposite is true for Curious George's green observation: most drivers, if not all, love a green light. They do not have a disdain for it.

The second reason I was enlightened by this one episode of a children's cartoon is that perspective is often dictated by the information we have. The silly monkey did not have all of the information. He was simply going by the information he had: his observations. He was not taught the rules of the road. He was not educated in a driver's school. He was not even a driver himself. He had the best of intention based on the limited amount of information he had. This is not unlike leadership. As a leader I am compelled to remember that those I work with, more often than not, want to do the right thing. Most of us want to help. We want to please. We do this with the information we have.

The next time I am tempted to get upset with someone, I need to ask myself two questions: 1). was this person trying to help? 2). did this person have enough information in order to help?

As a leader, this thought is convicting. It directs all actions back to me. I am responsible for assuring everyone I work with has the needed information to help with the mission and vision of the organization. I need to make sure my wife and children are informed. I need to make sure my students and teachers, and parents have all the information needed to make a difference. If not, then we may not make any progress as we just sit, stopped at a red light staring into frustration at the thought that the red light is actually fascinating, when it simply is not. I want to make sure we are headed in the right direction. The implication of the previous statement is that if we are "headed" anywhere, we MUST go. In order to go, we MUST have the green light. The green light of progress is paved with information.

Are you clearly supplying the needed information to those you work and live with on a daily basis? If not, how can you begin to shape the perspective of others with information that is needed?

A Flipped PD Model via Twitter

 

Social Networking, via the Twitter medium, offers an option for professional development which supports the flipped classroom approach, in that online collegial discussions, research, surveys, and an enriched professional learning approach can be done outside of the traditional faculty meeting time and then the learning that takes place through Twitter can be implemented during the “faculty meeting time.” While some faculties of educators in many schools today operate in the old way of scheduling after-school meetings and gatherings in the library to comply with mandated professional development, other schools and teachers are incorporating the flipped approach by maximizing the capabilities of Twitter and allowing teachers to be entrusted as true professionals to conduct their learning outside of the traditional faculty meeting time and to replace that time with the implementation of the learning. 

            Professional development via twitter and Professional Learning Networks (PLN’s), unlike traditional forms of faculty meeting based or site-based professional development, have resources growing at exponential rates that are available to Twitter users which allows the user to be independent and in control of his or her own professional learning outside of mandatory times and places in which many teachers are used to spending their “professional development”.  For example, with Twitter, one has the ability to follow authors, mentors, researchers, educators, colleagues, etc. based on their own desires, interests, and musings and then be able to grow at their own rates rather than at a set time and place with the “whole faculty.” Other options for faculties using twitter include online discussions using hashtags, such as #edtech, #formativeassessment, #socialstudies, #edudream, #edchat, #satchat and many more, where teachers simply post their own thoughts, questions, and/or links that relate to the topic in the hashtag. Twitter, like online textbooks, allows teachers to investigate relevant and current topics in order to expand their learning in a subject, similar to the way students use their online textbook features.

            In lieu of spending hours on end searching for topics, learning opportunities, and relevant educational trends, Twitter allows users to follow other Twitter users in order to have desired information to be tweeted straight to the follower which saves time and energy.

            Peter Dewitt, praises professional development through Twitter by opining:

“Conversations with peers, whether they are in our building standing next to us, or a password away on the social network, help us make sure we are on the right track. By going to a social network like Twitter we are surrounded by people who are experts in the area of (our interests) and they are a helpful resource as we negotiate our way through this process.”

In addition, college professor, Steve Wheeler, details the importance of creating a professional learning network through the use of a metaphorical graph below. You will see Twitter is in the first quadrant:

“It is worth noting that only the first quadrant of this PLN model is actually performed synchronously, that is, in real time. That may give some a clue as to the latent potential of tools such as Twitter to connect people powerfully and instantly across the globe and to give all of us access to a worldwide network of experts and enthusiasts in any subject for which we have an interest. Everyone should have a PLN, because in today's connected world, without it you are not fully equipped as a professional.

 

The Next Greatest Generation

This week's guest blog is from Dr. Ryan Longnecker, a Metro-Nashville Public School Dean of Students at an urban middle school. His musings here are a charge for us all to reflect upon the current state of public education and see where it is we (each and every one of us) can contribute.

Tom Brokaw originally coined the term "The Greatest Generation" to describe the generation "who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war's home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort." This great group of people, who despite their desperate beginnings, came together as a nation to defeat great evils and desperate odds. This is one of the main reasons our country can enjoy the freedoms and successes that it does today.



Now our country faces another great evil and desperate odds....but on a completely different front, and instead of struggling against outside forces that would threaten the freedoms of our nation, we now fight an internal war that is slowly chipping away at the very foundations that make our people and land great.

The current state of education has become a battleground as teachers, students, parents, governments, LEA's, and private businesses all maintain that they know what is best for learning and blame the other parties for the lack of achievement in our schools. Every day brings a new wave of methods, technologies, and learning methods that are promised to raise achievement, growth, and the success of students. And yet, the solution does not lie in trinkets and methods, it sits on our kitchen tables.



To "fix" our education system and put it back on the path towards success will take the efforts of the NEXT "Greatest Generation." It will take an entire generation letting go of the current mindset of "what can I get for myself" and "what can I do to enjoy myself tonight" and getting back to a sense of sacrifice for the greater good. It will take turning off the TV and getting back to the kitchen table. Putting down the iPad and teaching your child how to multiply fractions. Take a moment and read http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf and ask yourself if YOU are making the sacrifices you need to make so that your children will be successful.

What are your thoughts? What did you think about the statistics in the www.michigan.gov article? Are we living in desperate times? Could this next generation be the NEXT Greatest Generation?