Just Say "No" to Social Networking Sites in Schools

At this point in my life, I don’t have a lot of free time, so for some of my professional learning, I rely on my google communities, Twitter, and Diigo, to keep abreast of everything that is going on in my profession. I like that because I can get my learning at my convenience. I leave Facebook and Pinterest to my wife's care, which she uses to keep family and friends up to date on some of the more ridiculous things that occasionally happen in our personal lives and to find the next best recipe.

Recently, Michael Norkun, an educator in the "Ask a Google Education Guru" google plus community asked for help and posted this in a google form survey:

"I am trying to collect some data regarding social media in schools. Would anyone be willing to complete this short survey?"

It only had two questions. Short and sweet, the perfect survey.

Answer yes or no: Do you think social networking can be integrated into schools to enhance learning opportunities?  (my answer: yes) Which social networking site provides the greatest opportunities with education? (my answer: twitter) Then he asks: Describe the potential benefits of using these tools in school. (my answer: something about the power of using hashtags to find specific feedback and help, for example math students in a calculus math class)

He then provided this link http://goo.gl/7AbC8 so viewers could see the responses as they came in.  There were a lot of "yes" responses and brief descriptions of how and why they chose their favorite "social media" site.  

As I looked over the responses, my attention was drawn to the "no" responses and the reasons given why social media should not be used in school.

"Its purpose is social, not educational. The social aspect would serve to distract students. Less technology, more hands on"

I was dumbstruck. How could another educator who was obviously a connected educator in an educational google community claim social media sites such as google plus, edmodo, twitter, pinterest (add your favorite here) not see the value of a learning community for students?

I tried to rationalize how that could be. Maybe they were a lower elementary teacher and couldn't make the leap that little ones can blog and network, too? Maybe they were an upper high school teacher and had some bad experiences? Maybe they worked in a school that controls and squashes teacher creativity?

I could presume that Jack Dorsey (twitter) and Mark Zuckerburg (facebook) probably counted on the inate "social" nature of humans interacting to make their millions (or is it billions?).   But over time, educators have bent and shaped these platforms with a social twist into learning and educational platforms with endless possibilities for students.

Or maybe it is just a matter of semantics.

For those who are of the opinion that social media has no place in school, I think they may misinterpret and perceive it as purely "socializing media."

I suggest they change their mindset from the social(izing) media vocabulary to educational & personal learning media and then go back and answer the question again.

Do you think educational and personal learning networking can be integrated into schools to enhance learning opportunities?

Toll Booth Attendants and making a difference...

Traveling on a motorcycle can be quite an adventure.

My wife and I, recently made a ten-day road trip to the Carolinas and then down into Florida. Leaving from Ohio, we were just a few miles into West Virgina on I-77 when I was reminded by the prominent green highway signs that we would soon be paying $2.00 tolls for the privilege of crossing through their scenic state. Three of them on the way down, and three of them on the return trip. Great. Twelve bucks isn't usually a big deal, but it's the principle of the thing. I don't understand the politics about how they are able to do that, considering none of the other states along the same highway system charge a toll.

Since I had forgotten about the toll booths, we did not have the bills readily available like we usually do. It's not real easy to hold up a loaded bike, wrestle for your wallet, and keep the bike from rolling away while impatient cars are waiting behind you.  With all of the recent rain we were driving in, I wasn't in a good mood when the toll booth attendant gave me "the look" for holding up his line. I profusely apologized, handed him a large bill and received my change. No "thank you", no "have a nice day", no "thanks for visiting West Virginia." Just push the button and turn the light green.

I don't know of any other racket where you can just throw up a little shack and every single person who comes by throws money at you for no apparent reason. You don't even have to thank them, call them by name, or care whether you ever seem them again. Just collect the money and push the button.

As I pulled away and remembered that there would soon be another one coming up, I began to calculate how much money they must be collecting. $2.00 per vehicle, X number of cars per hour, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week....my brain couldn't calculate the number so I just rounded it off to like a gazillion dollars. For that much money, they should at least pretend to like me as they take my money. Next toll, same thing. Take my money, push the green button. No words. Last toll booth, not much different although I did get a slight nod of the head as acknowledgement.

Maybe it's their job. People come, people go. No time to make a difference?

On the return trip, I decided to have a little fun with them. So, at the first one, I made it a point to take my time paying and I asked the attendant if they worked at the same booth every day? He gave me a surprised look like "Omg, this guy is actually asking me a question and I need to answer him."  I found out that toll  attendants actually rotate booths. Hmm, maybe I was onto something here.

At the second booth, I again took my time paying and joked to the attendant that the guy at the last booth said to tell him hi and that he could go home an hour early. That one got a laugh and a "have a nice day!" Okay, this was working.

Maybe they just needed to be treated like people instead of a road sign.

And then we pulled up to our final toll booth.  My wife had the exact change ready in hand, I had the timing in the correct line judged perfectly where we could have just coasted to an "almost stop", exchanged the money and not even put my feet down. If I wanted, we wouldn't even have to look at each other or say a word. The perfect toll booth system working flawlessly and efficient.

Except for one unexpected turn of events....this final toll booth attendant decided to make a difference. When my wife tried to hand him the bills, he smiled, waved her off and told us that our toll had been paid. Have a nice day, thank you, come again!

Another life lesson learned. There is always time to make a difference.

Making the switch from professional development to professional growth...

 I have not always been completely successful with the professional training I have delivered to my staff over the years. Don't get me wrong, I put a lot of time and effort into them and I have great people helping me.  I have been encouraging my staff this year to take more ownership of their own professional growth by showing them how I use Twitter, Tweetdeck, FeedlyReader, Google+, Diigo and a host of modern tech tips to grow my own learning.  I have even at times flipped our staff meetings and professional development sessions by creating glogs, tutorials, and screencasts when appropriate, to use our time more efficiently when we get face to face. But, it seems we still quickly revert to "I come back from district meetings and then you sit and listen while I tell you what you should learn and do." Somehow, that is suppose to make my staff better? And there doesn't yet seem to be a lot of RV teachers taking advantage of modern social media networking to drive their own learning. Or maybe they are, but just aren't in my PLN or circles. Sometimes it seems that I get more professional development thanks and feedback from teachers and administrators who don't even work for or with me as I follow more and  educators on twitter or google plus.
    My teachers worked really hard this year and several of them took college credit classes along the way to improve themselves. During conversations with some of them, I realized that the topics that interested them most were the ones they were living day to day in their classrooms. Next year I will try to change from delivering professional development to professionally growing with them. I will let them choose some of the topics, times, and colleagues they think they should be working with. I will support them as they lead each other in their own professional growth. They have all grown so much in the last 3 years as we worked through one initiative after another and I will be excited to start another excellent year with them in the Fall.

 

Finding your balance and letting go...

   Another lesson of life: Finding your balance and letting go is a matter of context and perspective. Change the circumstances and you change the meaning.

     This past weekend, my six-year old granddaughter faced the dreaded "no training wheels" time on her bicycle. I had secretly begun to feel out what I was up against a couple of weekends earlier when I nonchalantly mentioned it might be time to attempt such a monumental feat when the weather warmed up. When she replied with a firm "No!", I knew I had my work cut out for me. But, another weekend passed and I gently prodded again, this time implying that many of my kindergartners at school had probably taken their's off by now. This time, there was a faint acknowledgement of the possibility when she replied with a "maybe."
      I don't know what finally motivated her, but she was barely out of the car on the next weekend, when she proclaimed to everyone that she had decided to take the training wheels off of her bicycle. So, it was off to the garage, and because I can't resist a good teaching opportunity, I gave her a mini-lesson about numbers and leverage and how a 9/16 Craftsman wrench worked.
     First, it was all around the grassy yard with me pushing her until my back was aching, and imploring her to "find your balance, find your balance." It was after many easy falls and trying again and again, that she was truly beginning to find that elusive feeling. She was not going to give up easily and it was time to move on to the large blacktop parking lot next to our garage. I figured that the next childhood memory to be burned into her brain was going to either be one of glory and victory, or it could very well be one of traumatic terror, blood and stitches.
     With her chin held high, she shouted for me to let her go as I gave her one final push and sent her on her way. She peddled and peddled, around and around, smiling, giggling and shouting as only six-year old girls can do. She had found her balance and let go! She is going to be okay....

Paradox

     My dad is loosing his fight with cancer and I don't know how much time we have left. Lately, when I am alone with him, we quietly talk of finding a different kind of peace and balance, and letting go. He will be okay, too.

Truck Driving 101

   I could have been a truck driver, except for one small problem: I hate to drive, especially long distances. Instead, I am a school principal.
      I am one of the lucky ones. Fifteen minutes from home to school, five days a week, 210 days a year. Mostly two-lane road, most of the traffic going the opposite direction.  And this may sound strange, but a lot of times I never even turn the radio on. It's just me, corn fields and trees for 15 miles.
     On my morning ride, I usually find myself prioritizing the several tasks for the upcoming day,  reminding myself that it's "people first, paper later", putting on my "game face", and bracing for the onslaught of unknowns that are sure to arise the instant crowded buses pull into a school and 300 kids come together for the day.
    On the ride home, it's reflecting on what got done, or more often, what didn't get done, and wondering if we made a difference today to the one's who really matter: our students.
   
   
     I've come to notice a few subtle things out on the road as I travel to and from work. If you pay attention, you can learn a few life lessons from truck drivers. Truckers are really the stewards of our roads. They control how fast we go, or how slow. They honk at us when we aren't paying attention and are constantly looking out for us even when we aren't looking out for ourselves.  Oh sure, we think we are the kings of the road passing and weaving at will as we go about our business, but that's just because they let us. Truckers are like the mom or dad watching over their children, letting them flirt with danger, but keeping everyone at a manageable pace and always going in the right direction. They will flash their lights when it is safe to merge back in after a pass, and give you a thumbs up when you do it politely.  If you are signaling to turn at the last minute and they are behind you, they will move over a little so the truck driver behind them can see your blinker and your intention of turning. That way, he is covertly heading off a potential surprise slow down and a possible accident for his fellow trucker. They just can't stop like you and I can in our little cars. Sometimes they warn us about the police cruiser with radar around the next corner, and sometimes they don't. It depends on whether they think you have been following the road rules, or whether you need a reality check. All of these things are happening around us and mostly go unnoticed by the vast majority of travelers. For the most part, they probably don't get much credit. They are usually not recognized for what they do just out of sight of our rear view mirrors, but they are one of the first to be blamed during the dreaded traffic jam.
 
      I think a school administrator is sometimes like that truck driver. They are always watching over their staff and students, teaching them to weave and pass safely, reminding them to play fair, encouraging them to explore new "roads", keeping them out of harm's way whether they realize it or not, and stressing over the speed or direction everyone is traveling. They remind them to do this and that, and sometimes have to use their bumpers to get things done.  Smiling to themselves and bragging to other administrators when they all learn to merge new initiatives with old, or show how they have grown.  And the whole time, proud that they do it all everyday without causing a full blown traffic jam.
 
      Who knows? If this job doesn't pan out, maybe I'll buy a truck.
 
 
   
   

Kids Are Like Honeybadger, They Just Don't Care

 It's true. Kids don't care. They don't care about Common Core. They don't care about PARCC. They don't care about OTES, or FIP, or MOAs, or Value-Added. They don't care about AYP, IEPs, or RTI.

And they shouldn't care about those things. Those things should be "invisible" to our students. Our stress should not be their stress. They are too busy to care or understand about those things anyway.

They are more concerned if their bff is waiting for them when they get off of the bus so they can hold hands as they go through the door to start the day. Too busy looking forward to Wednesday because that's Pop-Tart day in the breakfast line. Too busy literally skipping down the hallway on the way to the tech lab because "it's like the coolest place ever." Too busy giving a hug to the teacher waiting for them at the door every morning. Too busy drawing a picture for the "best principal in the whole wide world." Just too busy living and learning everyday.

We as educators get so focused on what we think we need to teach our students, that we sometimes forget we can learn a lesson from them. Before school is out this year, and when I am sure no one is looking and the hallway is empty,  maybe I will skip from one end to the other just to see what it feels like again to be a "kid that doesn't care."

Don't be a Schultz...

  I don't think Schultz was a reader. Maybe his mother didn't read to him very often when he was a little boy, or maybe his teachers didn't use best practice. I say that because he didn't seem to know much about the The War, or England, or Hitler, or the Jews, or even the covert operations of his own Stalag 13. And he worked and lived there everyday! He just existed.

    My mom was an avid reader. We always had a ton of books in the house. We lived in the country, but could order books from the local library and they would mail them to us for free. I couldn't wait to open those bulky brown envelopes every couple of weeks. Other than in first grade with "See Sally? See Sally run? Run, Sally, run" repetition, I don't really remember being taught HOW to read, I just did. I know that method probably didn't work for everyone, but fortunately, it worked for me. In second grade, I remember winning a reading contest that my teacher, Ms. Hill, announced right before Easter break. She must have been integrating science at the same time because the goal was to read books and move from one planet in the solar system to the next, starting from the Sun and ending at Pluto. I learned about the nine planets at the same time I was devouring books. I read everything I could get my hands on, at anytime of the day or night. My motivation and treasured prize for landing on Pluto first? One of those awesome blow up balloons shaped like a rabbit with cardboard feet! (insert your own dorky comment here)
     Now,  I still occasionally read for enjoyment, usually later in the evenings. I tend to stash picture rich history books near my couch that have been salvaged from my mother's cluttered attic, or a good science fiction book that I read years ago.  Lately though, it seems that my reading time has taken a drastic turn.
    To keep from becoming a Schultz in the world of education, I now zealously read twitter feeds and blog subscriptions whenever I can, literally hundreds of them. Collected and tag sorted into my Diigo library and fed into Google Reader, I find myself consorting with people I will most likely never meet in person. People from a variety of backgrounds and expertise, located practically everywhere on the planet, are helping me to think and grow every time I log on.
     I have slowly become a single thread on a giant internet spider web of connected educators who share similar experiences, problems, questions, and issues. ("Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly" comes to mind)

Collectively, we move forward. Alone, we are just another Schultz.

For a glimpse at the top 100 educational blogs that can help you from being a Schultz>>

https://www.google.com/reader/bundle/user%2F03613507553759664083%2Fbundle%2FTop%20100%20EduBlogs

When you get there, hit the blue +subscribe if you wish to add all of them to your reader. Otherwise, pick and choose from the bundle.

Yeh, we can do that.....

 Picture this, a typical day:

Principal slash science fair judge walks into a 6th grade classroom at 11:00 to investigate a bus report. But instead, Teacher asks principal/judge to take a student next door to do a mock practice interview for a soon to come science fair day. Principal is so excited to do science that he temporarily forgets why he was there.  Said principal/judge takes student next door to do so. Student receives good experience and advice. Student and judge return to class. Principal/judge realizes there are now 25 more students gazing at him with a questioning look because they could all benefit from the same experience. Hmmmm, principal/judge opens mouth before thinking. "Hey, I have an idea. We could use a teacher's iPad to record an interview and then show it to all of the remaining students!"  Teacher is excited. Kids are excited. 12:30 principal takes same student and grabs student's friend at the same time. Borrows iPad from a different teacher and heads to another room to re-create the experience, this time with the iPad recording. Hmmm, how DO you get the video from the iPad to be able to present it???  Principal begins to realize this may be a bigger project than intended and kicks himself because he has lots of things waiting on his desk. But remembers, "people are more important than papers."

1:00 Finish bus report investigating and return to office. Crosses fingers and hits the "Publish" button on the borrowed iPad to send it to the principal/judge's YouTube account (which is blocked at school), but it somehow still uploads to the site because Apple is sometimes magic and no one will understand how that really works. Use a "secret" browser on said principal's iPad to navigate to the YouTube site to check and see if it published. It is.  Making progress.  Copy the link and email it to myself so I can open it up on a desktop pc. Try to convert it to mp4 file using keepvid.com , but can't because site is blocked. Go do a couple of walk throughs and realize it is getting late and you need to return the teacher's iPad, but your project isn't complete.

2:00 Desperately track down the district tech coach via a Google hangout (which can find people practically anywhere in the world if they answer).  Beg her to receive the email with copied link and have her use keepvid. com to convert it to an .mp4 file. Watch her open it up, and try. It works! Then, have her put it in a google doc and share it back to me. Navigate to google docs, take the new mp4 file and link it on the school wiki to be readily available for the teacher's science classes tomorrow. Whew...that should work!

Then, get new idea...

2:30 Call tech coach back on another hangout and ask her if in her "spare time" in the evening after she gets home, to re-download the file back onto the one iPad in the district that probably has iMovie installed, add effects and movie trailer stuff to it to impress everyone and make the student actors feel good about themselves. Then upload it back up to me.

Then, get another idea!  Have tech coach also link it to the teacher's school website so students can also view it at home later.  She agrees! (remember to buy a thank-you bribe from Tim Horton's)

4:30 principal/judge finishes up bus report investigations, conferences with a teacher who is stressing the OAA, writes this blog (because it meets his IPDP goals), and heads for home.

Yeh, we can do that!

http://goo.gl/RhlCW science fair video

http://goo.gl/bYW3o  movie trailer

Will the "real world" please stand up?

  Have you ever heard phrases like these thrown around?: 

"When these kids get to the real world, they're going to need to work on projects, with real deadlines, and no one is going to give them a second chance like we do." 
Really? Their employer will give them meaningless projects to complete? with unrealistic deadlines? and limited resources to work with? not schedule common hours for them to work with other employees? give them multiple projects to do at the same time? and then fire them because they weren't successful or late? Really? Employers can afford to hire and re-hire numerous employees? Really?

"If teachers worked in the real world, they would appreciate things more."
Really? You think I drive slower to work than I do going home? You think I don't work more hours every week than what I am contracted and paid for? You believe I am not thankful to be surrounded by small miracles every day? You think I don't make a difference? Really?

Where IS this "real world" we all proclaim to be so concerned with? Where is this "real world "we are preparing our students to be successful in?  What DOES the "real world" look like?

I'll let you in on a secret. The "real world?" It's on the corner of 199 State Street.

May we all strive to ensure the learning experiences at our school, and in our district, will always be the "real world" for our students.

"Tech My School" in 3 easy steps

  Some fellow educators have inquired of me and want to know about how our school uses iPads and other mobile devices and how we have "arrived". In brief, I would describe it this way:
     Step 1, Cross your fingers and sign a purchase order: 2 1/2 years ago I unwittingly made an administrative decision  to purchase two iPads for my school. I didn't know of any other local schools using them but I was intrigued by the possibilities my building tech leader was beginning to rant about more and more often. It turned out to be a lot bigger decision than I could have imagined at the time. I eventually signed myself and my begging, pleading tech leader up for an iPad training class, which included the iPad in the registration fee. At the time, I shuddered at the cost of such expensive training, but the budget allowed for it and in the second half of our school year, we traveled to Columbus. Not knowing what we were really in for, we began with one iPad for my tech leader to explore their potential in a 4th grade language arts inclusion classroom, and one for myself to see if it had any value to improving productivity of a building principal who valued the use of technology.
      Honestly, I was lukewarm with the classroom potential and I was doubting if it was going to be of any benefit at all for me as a school principal. (Especially, since a desktop PC and Windows software grounded me in my office most of the time.) But, by chance or perhaps fate, the iPad purchase decision happened to coincide at a time when I had begun using my android smartphone more effectively for school work, and I had begun to learn and use something new to me, known as cloud computing via Google docs. Long story short, it didn't take us long to realize what the power of tablets, apps, and cloud computing had on students, staff, and yes, even my administrative tasks. I had drunk the Kool-Aid and there was no going back.
   Step 2, Have Christmas in July: Now that we were convinced and excited about the use of these new devices, we wanted to expand it by putting more of these devices in the hands of our staff and students. With a combination of local AEP vision grants and federal Title funds, I purchased enough iPads for all of my grade level teachers and intervention specialists. This time, I was not lacking in confidence of the decision and was excited for my staff to be "early adopters" and to experience some of the productivity curve I was experiencing. With a crazy plan, I invited all of my staff to a training in the middle of the summer. "Come to the training, receive an iPad."  Everyone attended the week after the 4th of July. I realize everyone has a different learning curve, but I rarely see a staff member in the building today without their iPad close by. (It is not my purpose to expound in this blog on all of the ways staff and students are currently using them as that would fill too many pages. I would encourage you to follow their own blog posts or google+ pages for that.)
   Step 3,  write a grant, receive $10,000 from eTech: We added several more iPads to the 4th grade inclusion classroom and I am exploring the potential of a chromebook at the same time thanks to winning a grant. The projects and learning scenarios have been more than satisfactory this year because of it. Combined with a proliferation of students bringing their own iPads and tablets, our school is experiencing a mini explosion of devices. Our tech director has scrambled to keep the wi-fi infrastructure up to par and we have survived the "bumps in the road." The challenge now is to continue to increase number of devices throughout all grade levels and provide professional development to staff so they can continue to exploit student learning styles and to stay one step ahead of the next wave of tech.
What's next? First, I need to help and support our sister schools as they begin traveling the same paths that we have traveled these past couple of years. Second, I see step 4 for us involving several iPads in a classroom, connected with AppleTV devices to whiteboards or large screen televisions, and probably more chromebooks in classrooms.
    It's an exciting time, but with our school district in deficit spending now, it looks like I had better start looking for the next big grant....   Keep calm, carry on!