No Administrator Left Behind: Technologically Speaking

Administrators not engaging technology are not just in danger of becoming irrelevant, they are in danger of becoming living fossils. Engaging technology means exploring the potential of technology too, not just expecting it of teachers and students to do so. Recently, I stumbled across this video and it was a vivid reminder of just how fast our world is changing due to the Internet. Those who still hold on to the idea that the "Internet Is a Fad" are delusional. Both the Internet and its functions and uses are expanding phenomenally. My advice to fellow administrators: "Engage it, explore it, or you will be left behind." For those who are having a bit of a problem understanding how rapidly the Internet and its many uses are changing, here’s a visual reminder.



The statistics are truly overwhelming, and I honestly can't imagine that there are still school administrators who fail to see how the Internet is disrupting everything we do. I'm not concerned as much about students being left behind technologically. After watching this video, I'm more afraid of administrators being left behind.

How Would Carl Sagan Do in Your Classroom? Call for Authentic Learning for 21st Century

Recently, I began reading Carl Sagan’s book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.  At the beginning he writes of his school experiences. When I began reading that part of the book, I expected a tribute to some teacher who inspired him to the great heights he reached in science achievement. Instead he writes:

 “I wish I could tell you about inspirational teachers in science from my elementary or junior high or high school days. But as I think back on it, there were none. There was rote memorization about the Periodic Table of Elements, levers and inclined planes, green plant photosynthesis, and the difference between anthracite and bituminous coal. But there was no soaring sense of wonder, no hint of an evolutionary perspective, and nothing about mistaken ideas that everybody once believed. In high school laboratory courses, there was an answer we were supposed to get. We were marked off if we didn’t get it. There was no encouragement to pursue our own interests or hunches or conceptual mistakes.”

After reading Sagan’s comments about his experiences in school, I couldn’t help by ask a few questions:

• Have high schools changed in any way so that a student’s experience of science, or math, or social studies is much different from what Sagan describes?
• Are our high schools still stuck in time warps where memorization is the rule of the day, instead of students being actively engaged in the content?
• Do we engage student interests in the curriculum we teach? Or are we so hampered by the mania of test scores, there isn’t time for this?
• If they are fundamentally the same, how can we say we are preparing students for the 21st century?

Sagan goes on to say he didn’t have a teacher that inspired him to explore his passion for astronomy. Instead, he maintained his interest in science through all his school years by reading on his own, books and magazines on science fact and fiction. He pursued his insatiable  desire for learning science on his own. Sadly, he learned in spite of teachers more interested in having him memorize the Periodic Table of Elements and the physics of levers and mathematics of inclined planes.

This is not meant to be an indictment of science teachers. There’s enough blame for inauthentic teaching and reliance of rote memorization to cover all subject areas. It’s true. We are always going to have those students who learn in spite of what we do instructionally in the classroom. But I can’t help but wonder how many Carl Sagans have been turned off to science by the regimen of rote memorization and inauthentic learning experiences forced upon them over the years. Or, how many Shakepeares have turned away from writing because of having to write five paragraph essays. If we are truly sincere about education reform and moving teaching and learning into the 21st century, then no where should we find a budding scientist or writer suffering under the weight of inauthentic classroom experiences.

Technorati Tags: engagement,21st century learning,teaching

The Five Things I’ve Learned about Blogging as a School Administrator

Learning to blog is an uphill process in which I engaged for the first time in the spring of 2008.  I honestly do not remember the name of the blog, but I established it without a purpose and without a focus. It was just to experiment with blogging. The kinds of posts I wrote on that blog were varied; they ranged from comments on books I was reading to opinions about education policy. I basically blogged for blogging’s sake, without any concern about audience interest. Naturally, I don’t know whether any one ever read it, because I did not look at any statistics. It truly was a blog for me learn how to use the blogging software and simply be able to say to others, “I have a blog.”

In the summer of 2008, I became principal of a middle school, and I was looking for a way to provide my staff at that school with a weekly memo that provided them with ideas for the classroom, words of encouragement, and dates to remember. My first issue was a paper version. It seemed to be wasteful, so I decided to establish a blog for my staff. I started out posting once a week. I did well for the first three weeks, but the pressures of trying to be a school administrator and all the tasks that entails prevented me from being able to post each week, so I cut back to every other week, at least until that too became a hassle. Having the time to post and to gather ideas to post were problematic, so I eventually cut back to about twice a month.

When I left that middle school to take my current job as a high school principal of a 21st century school, I decided to create a blog that  focused entirely on advocating for technology in the schools, teaching, and public education. Hence, The 21st Century Principal blog was born. During the course of a year, I can say I have grown as a blogger and increasingly have become fascinated with this technological tool. What are some lessons I have encountered during these three years? I’m sure there are much better bloggers out there with maybe different advice, but here’s my five big blogging lessons I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way.

• You have to have a purpose for your blog. Well, actually you don’t. If you’re satisfied with just posting your thoughts on the web, and you don’t care who reads it, then blog away. But, to attract readers, you have to have a purpose and a focus. Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett in their book Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income call this having a focus, niche blogging. You have to find a niche. While I’m certainly not into blogging for a six-figure income, it makes sense. A blog needs to focus. Yet, that focus can’t be too narrow because then you limit the number readers who would be interested in your posts. That tension between focus and topic span is key.
• You have to post when you have something to say. I’ve read others who say you have to post at least every day, twice a day, or even several times a day. Honestly, if I was a professional writer and not a school administrator and educator, I might be able to post multiple times a day. I think I’ve found a much simpler rule. I post when I have something to say. I don’t post when I have nothing to say. I don’t harass myself all day with statements, “I’ve got to do a blog post today.” If something comes along in my reading or during my experiences of the day that I think is a blog topic, I post.
• Just like emails, when you create a post under the heat of passion, it’s sometimes better to save it as a draft before posting. There have been times I have read an article about education that gets my temper flaring. I write a scathing post, post on the blog, then I have second thoughts and pull it down because it sounds like I’m belittling others and not focusing on the issues. Now, if the post is one that I feel emotionally charged about while writing it, I save it as a draft before posting it. Some of those posts are still there and most likely will not be posted live in their current form because I honestly do not like their tone. The beauty of blogging is that I can write a post and save it as a draft and think about whether it is really something I want the world to see.
• You have to be wary of blistering and emotional political posts. I have posts that that often err into politics and controversy, so this one is pretty hard for me follow at times. Still, the purpose of my blog is not entirely political, so there are times when I have to steer myself away from purely political. As you can tell from some of my posts, I do not do that well sometimes. Still, the purpose of my blog is not just to rain down sarcasm and nastiness on those to whom I disagree. There are bloggers who do that much better than me. I try to control the impulse to be sarcastic and scathing with, as you can see, varying degrees of success.
• You look for topics by reading RSS feeds, visiting news sites, watching the Twitter stream, and doing your job. I subscribe to over a hundred RSS feeds from a countless number of blogs and news sites. While I do not read everything, I do scan through these each day, reading those that are of interest. These often sow the seeds for my topics. I also visit favorite news and opinion web sites. Often, an idea for a blog post sprang from a news story I found on CNN’s web site or our local newspaper web site. Watching the Twitter stream is in some ways like a thermometer. It takes the temperature of those I follow by allowing me to see what they’re responding to and commenting on. There are times when a simple Tweet turns into a blog post. Finally, I often share ideas and gems from my own reading. As a voracious reader, I keep a notes file on each book I read. Sometimes these turn into ideas for blog posts. While I’m no expert on blogging, I have found blog posts in the most likeliest and unlikeliest of places.

For me, at least, learning to blog, has been a process and it still continues. I make if very clear, I’m no professional. I honestly don’t ever know whether my last post is even going to get a reaction. Sometimes the ones I put the most energy into, are the ones that seem to get ignored. That, of course, has been true of writing before the web even existed.

Technorati Tags: school administration,blogging,Web 2.0

Why Should School Administrators Blog?

In reflecting on my one year anniversary with this blog, I was just wondering if there’s anything I can add to the argument that administrators should be blogging. Because of my sixteen years in the classroom as an English teacher I love blogging. I have always been a journal-keeper and closet writer, and I reluctantly admit I’ve always wanted to publish. Blogging has given me that outlet. Still, if I were going to convince other administrators to blog, what would be my selling points? Based on my personal experiences I can only currently offer the following:

• Blogging is another node in the Professional Learning Network. Posting on a blog has allowed me to connect with other administrators and educators. For example, after a recent post on providing students wireless access, I connected with a principal in British Columbia, a director of technology in New York, a media specialist in Australia, and an assistant superintendent in Wisconsin. Blogging provides still another way to connect with educators globally.
• Blogging is a way to share ideas with other educators and get ideas in return. As a formal teacher, I have always treasured those professional development activities where teachers sit across the table and share what they do in their classrooms. Some of the best teaching ideas I stumbled upon came from those sessions. Now, as an administrator, I can share my ideas blogging, and often I will receive a comment or an email from a fellow administrator leading me to their ideas.
• Blogging is a way engaging others in discussions about topics that matter to you.  By posting on topics of interest, a user can engage a potential global audience in a discussion on that topic. The ability of readers to leave comments makes it possible for others to engage in that world-wide education conversation. For example, I once posted my thoughts about Secretary Duncan’s Race to the Top initiative. That post invited others to post their thoughts, resulting in a conversation about the merits and drawbacks of the initiative. Blogging is an excellent way to engage others in global conversations about education.

I’m sure there are many other reasons to blog. For me, blogging is another way to be a part of something for which I am passionate, public education. Perhaps some of you can offer some more reasons why administrators should blog.

Technorati Tags: blogging,school administrators,Web 2.0

4 Ways to Get An Administrator Engaged in a Twitter PLN

Earlier, I posted 4 of my own reasons why school administrators need to get connected to Twitter. Once they are connected, the next question is how to help them engage in its use? Sometimes, this is not an easy task because so many believe that once you have a Twitter account established, then the job is finished. This is simply not true. To foster the development of a Twitter PLN and connections to others, there is more work to do. Technologists, teachers, and administrators trying to get other administrators to truly engage in the use of Twitter might consider doing the following things to get them truly engaged in its use.

• Help them find and connect to fellow administrators and educators who are prolifically engaged in the Twitter conversation. This can be difficult because just connecting to massive administrative or educator lists found on sites like Twibes may not yield solid connections. You can use these sites as a starting place, but administrators just dipping into Twitter  need quality connections not quantity. For their Twitter PLN to become dynamic and truly profesionally useful, teaching them how to be selective about followers will go a long way. Help them find administrators and educators who share solid ideas and resources and who use Twitter to engage in the global education conversation.
• Help them find their “Twitter Voice.” One of the important ways to grow a vibrant Twitter PLN is to post updates. If you are going to use Twitter to engage education colleagues globally, you’ve got to post. This means you have to have a Twitter voice; those in your PLN have to hear you. Teachers and technologists who want to get their administrators engaged in using Twitter need to help them find that voice by guiding them in posting. Encourage them to post ideas they’ve gleaned from professional learning and personal tidbits of wisdom rather than what they had for lunch. Teach them to compose and post a variety of Tweets such as:
• Resource Sharing Tweets: These can be links to online resources, titles of books they value, or conferences they’ve found effective. Sharing is what Twitter is about.
• Quote Tweets: I read a great deal and keep a list of quotes from all my reading. Occasionally, one of those quotes just seems to be an excellent item to share, especially in the middle of an educational issue conversation I’m following.
• Opinion Tweets: These can be your own opinions on educational issues or other issues being discussed in the media. Or, you can post other opinions. Most often these Tweets invite discussion or comments from the Twitter PLN.
• Responses to Other Tweets (Mentions): These are personal reactions to what others have posted. This is as important as posting original Tweets if Twitter is actually to be used to engage in the global conversation about education.
• Question Tweets: These are questions about issues and problems that invite responses from those on the Twitter PLN. There is nothing wrong with posting an thought provoking question and inviting responses.
• Help them set up and use a Twitter client. The web version of Twitter is perhaps not the best way for administrators to engage in using Twitter. I am partial those clients like Tweetdeck that allow users to set up multiple columns. For example, I can follow my regular timeline, my mentions, my #edchat stream, and administrators list all at once. Teach administrators how to use these kinds of clients so that they can use them to effectively follow their PLN. Otherwise, following the Tweet stream may be more problematic.
• Help them to understand that quantity of followers and those who they are following is not the most important. Instead, show them quality Twitter users to follow. Make recommendations to them, but not too many. A quality Twitter PLN is dynamic and almost a living thing. There’s no need focus on statistics such as followers. Focus instead on getting connected with the best contributors to the global conversation about education.

Getting Administrators to set up a Twitter account is only a first step, and just doing that is not going to get them engaged in using it. Instead, Twitter-savy technologists, teachers and administrators need to help them begin the process of getting engaged in a Twitter PLN. This means providing them with a level of guided practice until they become engaged in their own Twitter PLN.

Two Administrative Take-Aways from Daniel Pink’s Book Drive

In an age when there’s so much debate about merit pay, test scores, and accountability, I ask myself the question: What can I learn from Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us that I can take directly back to my school and put into practice? I have reread Pink’s book with this lens, and here’s some of my thoughts.

As a school leader if I rely on carrot-and-stick motivational schemes, I will not get the organizational results I seek. If school leaders are waiting for states to implement bonus pay schemes to solve their problems, they will be disappointed. Pink outlines in his book seven deadly flaws to using carrots and sticks: 1) they extinguish intrinsic motivation, 2) they diminish performance, 3) they crush creativity, 4) they crowd out good behavior, 5) they encourage cheating, shortcuts, and unethical behavior, 6) they become addictive, and 7) they foster short-term thinking. As a school principal, everyone of these side effects is the opposite from that which I would like foster our school culture. I want teachers and students to be intrinsically motivated: that’s called high engagement. I certainly do not want diminished performance, creativity crushed, and good behavior crowded out by a fixation on “what’s-in-it-for me thinking.” A school where cheating, shortcut taking, and a focus on short-term thinking will hardly take our students into the 21st century. Administrators would do well not to turn to carrot-and stick motivational schemes to foster higher performance.

Instead of relying on carrot-and-stick motivational schemes, as a school leader, I need to foster a high performance culture that values and emphasizes autonomy, mastery, and purpose. What this means in practical terms, as a school leader, I can’t view my staff as pawns in a scheme to get the best test scores. Students aren’t raw materials that to which we as educators add value to by pouring knowledge into their heads. For my school, I would much rather have staff focused on the work rather than “what’s-in-it-for-me.” In addition, my job as principal is create a culture where teachers and students pursue “mastery as an asymptote” as Pink calls it. This means the joy of working comes from pursuing mastery because it is elusive. Finally, as school leader I need to keep our purpose out front. This means keeping purpose maximization, the educational needs of our kids, at the center of what we’re doing.

In the past year, there has been a great deal of debate about what reform should look like, and we who are passionate about kids and education need to be involved in that debate. But even in the midst of that debate I feel these two principles from Daniel Pink can transcend all those reforms. While all those who call themselves education reformers fight over the scraps from the Kings table, as school leaders we can focus on making our schools places where everyone is engaged in education, not worrying about “what’s in it for me.” Schools can be places where autonomy is prized and is the rule, where the push for mastery is the goal, and the purpose is educating our students.

Technorati Tags: motivation,educational engagement,Daniel Pink,carrots and sticks

4 Reasons Administrators Need to Get Connected with Twitter

I have repeatedly tried to sell Twitter to my fellow administrators, but it is an uphill battle. Mention the words “social media, blogging, or Twitter” and it seems they either want to race on to the next topic, or their eyes glaze over and I’m fairly sure they’re not hearing what I’m saying. I’ve been tweeting for almost three years now, and I am continually amazed by what it allows me to do. For those of you who might be trying to convince your principal or other administrators about the usefulness of Twitter, here’s some things that I’ve found useful with the micro-blogging tool during the past year.

1. I’ve connected with other educators across the world. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to so easily connect with an administrator in New Zealand or Germany. I have been able to exchange ideas with teachers and administrators in British Columbia, Korea, and India. I have been able to discuss merit pay, school vouchers, and other policy issues with state leaders. Twitter gives users, and especially administrators, the ability to connect world-wide and to engage in the global conversation about education.

2. I’ve been able to engage in education discussions and conversations with individuals well beyond my own community. For example, through Twitter, I have had post exchanges with Diane Ravitch, author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System. I have had the pleasure to discuss education reform with leaders of state education organizations. Twitter gives administrators the ability to connect with leading experts and scholars in education.

3. I’ve collected an enormous list of bookmarks and links on all facets of education. Part of the effectiveness of Twitter is getting connected to the right people. As my own PLN has grown, so has the storehouse of resources I’ve been able to gather. Twitter gives me as an administrator an endless stream of resources to help me do my job, and to share with my teachers.

4. My connections to those in education continues to expand. As I get more and more connected through Twitter, the potential for learning more from other educators grows. When a teacher from Australia recently messaged me with an idea on how she deals with student engagement in her classroom, I was able to help one of my own teachers with that same struggle. Twitter transforms users into global learners, and makes school administrators globally connected administrators.

For those technologists out there trying to convince administrators to get connected, you might sum up my four advantages to using Twitter this way: 1) Global connections, 2) Expert Connections, 3) Resource Connections, and 4) Organic Connections. Keep trying to get those administrators connected. Once they see the above advantages, they’ll be sold.

Technorati Tags: social media,administrators,Twitter clients,microblogging