Thing 23: Administrators - Reflecting on Leadership

21st Century Skills: How do we get there?

In education, a plan for success is rooted in the kind of person we want to see when they graduate from our school, our district, our post-secondary institution. Keeping the End in mind, what do our students need to be successful in the next stage of their educational and life journey? Once those qualities are identified, we need to analyze the structures, resources, and people expertise available to ensure that our students achieve those end goals. It takes ongoing reflection on practice by all school stakeholders to identify and provide support so that students become successful.

23 Things for Administrators offers, not necessarily tools--though those are in plenty, rather a look into the culture that is the lifestyle of our students, including the tools they take for granted like those of us who think nothing of a VHS machine, cassette player, refrigerator, or the pre-personal computer era. While there is a diversity, often disparity, of experience and access to resources that are continually expanding and growing--to some--more complex, there is one constant...

Development of a learner's mind is crucial to the individual and society. Growth in critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, communication, and collaboration are the coin for success and survival. While these skills do not require use of technology, it is the social networks, multimedia, and participation in the knowledge explosion that is the world we live in. Classrooms or schools that "close" the door to these realities, are frozen in time, walled out and left behind the common practices and usage in the real "real world."

Leadership, in part then, is about guiding staff to communicate, collaborate, critically reflect, problem solve, create, and innovate ways to let in the world as the students understand so as they might more effectively learn curriculum. The adage applies here: practice makes better skilled. Teachers model to students what they do themselves. As leaders, then how do we model to our administrators and teachers?

Here are some ideas, some in addition, to the tools offered in 23 Things:

• Back Channel
  Example: Todays Meet
  During instructional talk or video viewing, participants post comments and resource links on a website as a way to allow learning and conversation to be non-linear. It's a back channel to the main conversation. Have you ever been to a session where the speaker sparks an idea or mentions an article or resource? You look for it and then post it along with your thoughts for the benefit of the other participants.
  
• Slideshare
  This was addressed in Thing 18. Maintain an electronic portfolio of documents and presentations that tracks progress, thinking, and support for staff. Include resources for conversations. Here's one from a Dell presentation about Connecting students to learning:
  
  Connected Presentation

  View more presentations from Adam Garry.
  
  
• Pageflakes
  Create your own portal for where information comes to you. Include sites and information you'd like to have your staff get resources. If staffs have their own Pageflake, they could RSS your Blog or Wiki or news sites or school resources. iGoogle is another one that does the same. Here's an example.
  
• Google Wave
  This will be a great innovative tool for collaboration and development of resources with all tools at your finger tips. Great for building and district committees. Let's not forget collaborative teams on a state, national, and international level.

Keeping the End in Mind is crucial. Communicating and collaborating in a reflective process around problem solving, creative synergy, and innovation is how we use Web 2.0 to meet the needs to supporting staff who in turn help students develop themselves.

Thing 23: Teachers - Reflecting on Practice

I've been thinking a lot about this Web 2.0 journey, and the resources that are available to teachers and students. There is so much to access, which can feel overwhelming with the choices--but using the lens of 21st Century Skills, it's less about knowing what all or most of the tools are out there. The students can help in that area. I'm thinking it's all about how as educators we use and teach 21st Century skills to our students.

Communication and Collaboration come to mind as a vehicle to getting rolling. Learning new ideas and creativity can grow from exchanging ideas and working together to discover new perspectives. I attended a Dell Computers sponsored event where the topic was on how do we support student learning. Consider that this is a Dell event without a sales presentation. Instead, the presenter Adam Garry, who has lengthy experience as an educator and user of instructional technology, facilitated a conversation about what best supports student learning based on the kid culture in the cyberverse: Connected. Participants were encouraged, sometimes prompted, to share their opinions, stories, and resources. By the end of the session, no Dell products were sold, yet Dell as a business that gets the important message that teachers need to focus on academic achievement, and Dell is committed to involve themselves in understanding this focus, and thereby intelligently share how their tools will help academic learning. Engagement is no longer acceptable as "the" reason to have technology. Here's Adam Garry's presentation slides from Connected:

Connected Presentation

View more presentations from Adam Garry.

From the presentation, I left with some great instructional tools and a deeper understanding of how kids through their online world connect with learning, collaborate, communicate, create, work independently, problem solve, --oh, and are engaged.

• Back Channel
  Example: Todays Meet
  During instructional talk or video viewing, participants post comments and resource links on a website as a way to allow learning and conversation to be non-linear. It's a back channel to the main conversation. Have you ever been to a session where the speaker sparks an idea or mentions an article or resource? You look for it and then post it along with your thoughts for the benefit of the other participants.
  
• Trailer Mashups
  Create a trailer using snippets of a movie to present it as a different genre. How does this lend itself to study the power of media, changing voice, or organization and details? Many possibilities...
  --Shinning (Classic Horror) presented as a Romantic Comedy
  
  --Lord of the Rings (Fantasy) using Transformers (Science Fiction)
  
  --Avatar (Science Fiction) using Pocahontas (History+Disney)
  
  
• Google Features
  Google has a number of tools and features that are best explored than for me to go into a lot of detail. Suffice to say that these tools can lead to assignments that allow students to spend more time with critical thinking and collaboration, because the fact organization is done. Think of the possibilities. Explore at your pleasure:
  Squared
  Wonderwheel
  Timeline - Dipity - General - News
  
• Wolfram Alpha
  Ever have a student who struggles with understanding a concept. Abstract explanations just do not work. This site takes such ideas as Math concepts and breaks down answers in a way to show the steps and mechanics. Opens possibilities on how to help students understand what their learning, and not just "do it" without lasting comprehension.
  
• Pageflakes
  Create your own portal for where information comes to you. Include sites and information you'd like to have your students get resources. If students have their own Pageflake, they could RSS your Blog or Wiki or news sites or school resources. iGoogle is another one that does the same. Here's an example.
  
• Google Wave
  This will be a great innovative tool for collaboration and development of resources with all tools at your finger tips. Great for student teams in a classroom, multiple classrooms in the building, across district, across the state, country, or internationally.

These ideas for the classroom were sparked by the opening of doors of RESA 23 Things. 21st Century Skills are necessary for everyone to navigate the constantly expanding realm of information, knowledge creation, and collaboration. Kids and adults are already using the networking tools out there for personal use. How we help students harness the experience and navigate the information flow and creativity is critical to their success...and ours.

Thing 22: Admin & Teacher - My Wiki sites

I use PB Works for 2 professional development areas.

• Leading Project-Based Learning
  This is for a Michigan initiative to develop PBL skills by classroom teachers. I co-developed this site for the facilitation work that a colleague and I do.
• Differentiated Instruction
  I developed this site based on the extensive work in Wayne County, Michigan, and for use by anyone who is looking for online support in Differentiated Instruction.

Wikis allow for non-linear navigation more easily then Blogs. Although there are blogs like Wordpress that allows you to make pages similar to a website with navigation links. Nings are another way to combine Blogs with non-linear functionality. Blogs are good for sharing ideas and having conversations through the comments option. As 23 Things for Teachers and Administrators are examples of a tutorial build on a blog platform, Wikis are easier to develop for such a purpose. Wikis are not as intuitive for conversations as a Blog or Ning.

So many great choices!

Thing 21: Admin & Teacher - Wiki Exploration

When I first explored wikis, I saw value in having it available, but I did not see purpose in the work I do. What a year a difference makes. Now I have two wikis used for supporting Instructional Practices:

• Leading Project-Based Learning
• Differentiated Instruction

Wiki is a great tool for learning and reflection, or even as a message place, e.g. traditional website. One site that I am constantly referencing as a student site is: Comparing Hemispheres
A school in NY (Northern Hemisphere) and one in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere) collaborate on science experiments. Students upload their findings so that both groups can compare and analyze the data. Students are active in their learning as scientists. Important note: These are not high school students. Elementary students are doing great complex work.

Another great example of how to develop a learning classroom is:
7th Grade Science
This Michigan classroom offers many opportunities for students to be deeply engaged in complex learning.

I've spent a lot of hours looking at sites that offer free Wikis. Here are four, in order of preference:

1. PB Works
   This has the second most user friendly advanced functions. Plenty of space and security options, plus for educational classrooms up to 100 accounts that do not require an email address--good for using in elementary classes.
2. Google Site
   The best set of tools that are user friendly and effective for designing a site. Connection to other Google Apps tools. Has limited storage.
3. Wikispaces
   Very educational friendly. Lots of storage space. Tools are simple, which is part of the company's mission. It is a great option for anyone looking for a simple and quick way to put up a site. Advanced formating is difficult and limited.
4. Wet Paint
   This is a social network environment. Easy to create pages. Has a large education community. Two challenges is that each site has a limit of file attachments, making it difficult to have students post assignments and other files. The other challenge for some schools is that it is a social network, with access to other networks through accounts made.

Thing 20: Admin & Teacher - Subscribe to Podcast

Through iTunes there's a podcast called, Writing Excuses. A panel of authors answer questions about craft and publishing. Part time humorous, yet thoughtful on craft. Makes for a great tool to provide students to listen in class or outside of school as a resource or assigned homework. Teachers could benefit from podcasts like this one for building expertise or staying sharp on the craft of writing. If we grow in our skills, we see the nuances for instructing students. I could see linking to a podcast on the blog and facilitating a conversation. Another location is iTunes U. Several college level podcasts on multiple subjects. I, no surprise, have subscribed to several writing topics.

Thing 19: Teacher & Admin - Podcasts

Podcasts are another way to get information, which can be played on computers, mp3 players, and in the car. I use iTunes for podcasts for NPR and education sites. There are other places to get podcasts. For example, publishers record interviews by authors to talk about their book and/or issues around them.
Rick Wormeli on Differentiation | Borders Media
I picked these two sites because they illustrate the use for staff development (former) and students' author study (latter). There are many to choose from. That can be a challenge.

Thing 18: Teacher & Admin - Slideshare -- Grade Fog

I'm getting a better handle of Slideshare. It is a useful tool to get resources. Now with Social Networks growing, Slideshare could be a means to network as well as use as a portfolio for current and best work for adults and students.

One area of my work is facilitating educators (administrators and teachers) in reflecting and redefining grading practices. Focus assessments on academic focus and scoring without including non-academic practices into the grade. For example, not taking points off a test or assignment because a student did not write their name on the paper. It's an important organization skill to teach, but taking points off skews what we should know about the student's academic understanding of checks and balances in the U.S. federal government, or demonstrate proficiency in solving long division. Here's something from Slideshare:

Reflecting On Assessment A Tale Of Hope And Ideals   2010

View more presentations from John McCarthy.

Thing 17: Admin & Teachers - Online Productivity

Trailfire is an online tool to create a list of related sites such as for Shakespeare, Algebraic Equations, Writer's Craft, Weather, or other. The list can be annotated for directions or explanation of the site's usefulness. Two views are given, one is a slide show-like display where you view each site with a message box of annotated comments, or in a summary view where you see at a glance the site links.

This could be as useful as Delicious in that students and staff can view each site with directions for a task (in case of the students) or explanation of resource (in case of the staff). The slide view enables web site viewing as you read the annotated comments.

Here are two examples:
Students studying Weather
Trail link: http://trailfire.com/cydenning/trails/39383
Summary: http://trailfire.com/cydenning/trailview/39383


Teachers studying Project-Based Instruction
Trail link: http://trailfire.com/librarytigger/trails/37472
Summary: http://trailfire.com/librarytigger/trailview/37472


When setting up such lists, it's important to check for broken links so as to keep the list up to date.

Thing 16: Teacher & Admin - Google Docs

Google Docs is a great tool for completing work from any Internet ready tool, and for collaborating on work with others remotely. My kids use Google Docs for their work, which they can access from home and school as needed. It allows for Word docs, Powerpoints, and Spreadsheets. Students work on collaborative projects, while school staff develop and revising work for units and school improvement remotely.

Teachers can have view access of the work of all of their students. Administrators and teacher leaders can have view access of the various committee work, and, yes, throw up a lesson template, and plans can be completed remotely, allowing for "readers" to monitor progress for support. Consider, two or more classes in different buildings (potentially in different countries or continents) could team together and used Google Docs to compile research or finding, and develop learning products.

There are many possibilities...

Thing 15: Admin & Teachers - RSS revisited

RSS is a very helpful tool. Bring the information to me means that I'm more likely to read it. Some places will send email when there is an update, so I'm a click away from reviewing. I think my challenge is that there are several programs to capture the information. I have Google Reader and Bloglines. And doesn't Yahoo have one? Facebook allows you to embed feeds from certain places. As a result I have them in different areas. One key is to consolidate to one place all RSS, and stick with it.

Thing 14: Admin & Teaching - My Bookmarks

 Delicious can be a useful tool for teaching and leading. Making available useful sites for projects, lessons, and professional growth and work resources via a link is a great way to give access anywhere on any Internet browsing device. I've currently used Storywind as a screen name. I can privatize the bookmarks that are not relevant to the professional support I am providing. The tagging is how to be efficient in communicating the kinds of links that my students, peers, or staff should navigate.

Some examples might include:

• Shakespeare: Links about the bard, or support sites to do literary analysis and critique
• Multiplication: Links include different tools and strategies to mentor understanding
• SI (School Improvement): Links provide the tools to complete research and/or planning goals
• Instruction: Links to various ways to support learning in the classroom.

Thing 13: Admin & Teaching - Tagging

Online bookmarking is a useful way to maintain bookmarks in a productive fashion through such sites as Delicious. What makes this useful for my personal use and as an instructional tool is Tagging. The concept of tagging is to assign keywords to bookmarks to categorize them. Traditionally in bookmarking on a computer browser, you set up folders and drop the bookmarks in. I tend to put the same bookmark into different folders based on usage. For example, Amazon is a site I might keep in a Shopping folder and the Education folder. With tagging, I assign the keywords: Shopping and Education. Selecting either keyword gives me a list of sites I have in that category. Students can learn the value of identifying keywords through this meaningful approach, and then use the same thinking when doing online research.

Social Bookmarking in Plain English

Thing 12 - Admin: Tweeting

I've had a Twitter account for awhile: wb4all. It seems most beneficial to me in terms of some of the organizations and people I follow who focus on posting work-related information. Usually, they give links to articles and resources. An administrator might do the same, to find and share resources with colleagues in their building or district. Or, a resource person might post based on the latest state or federal update that people want to know, such as conferences, licensing, or when the state test results will go public.

Some of the ones I follow are:

David BIE: David Ross is one of the leading thinkers on Project-based Learning. He is part of an organization, Buck Institute, comprised of, not surprising, great people who have an incredible impact on PBL. David's Tweets revolve around sharing quality information in the arena of PBL.

New Tech Network: NTN is a group of schools, nation-wide, who's culture includes following a standards-based Project-Based Learning curriculum. It's one of the quality approaches to school-wide pbl.

New ones that I'm exploring...

• Practical Principals
• Grant Wiggins
• Dr. Armstrong
• Diane Ravitch

Thing 11 - Admin & Thing 12 - Teachers: Widgets

Widgets are useful tools. I like the poll tool. It's a way to get feedback from students, parents, or staff about an issue or idea. Keep a poll open for a couple of days and than review the results. There are some interesting counters. The globe on mine is nice for showing 3D flags of the locations of people currently viewing the site. There are so many interactive tools. The key of course is to use the ones that support your purpose for the blog, or entry.

Thing 10 - Admin & 11 - Teachers

Posting on blogs is an important way to think, reflect, and have potential conversations. I find worthwhile the dialogs that are respectful in the midst of disagreement. It is an opportunity to understand another's perspective and, perhaps, grow our own. It's what Stephen Covey describes as Seek to Understand before being Understood and Think Win-Win. In the first, I strive to see the other perspective, which helps me communicate more effectively and show that I am "hearing" the other. The latter is about not one upmanship or "attack" another's view to beat them. Rather it's about finding a place of understanding. From there grows mutual respect.

There are several people who try to model after in terms of how they respond to others in such conversations. Rick Wormeli and Carol Tomlinson. Both do a remarkable job of communicating effectively.

We can help students develop this craft for respectful dialog in discussion and blogging. In their learning, they can impact their families. In modeling, the teachers develop a similar practice when addressing difficult and often passionate issues in school improvement. Administrators can do this by maintaining a positive and constructive attitude in what they blog. Transparent communication is good, and it also can be draining when some responders use hard or harsh language, and speak in absolutes. But it's worth it...

FranklinCovey's The Leader In Me Video Preview: Thoughts on The 7 Habits

Thing 9 for Administrators & 10 for Teachers - video download

Zamzar is a great tool for collecting a video library to use during class instruction and staff meetings without risking that the internet streaming is sticky or stuttery. Zamzar is free. Another tool is Real Audio Player and, my personal favorite, Replay Media Catcher (RMC). RMC is not free, but well worth the purchase price, particularly if you get the Suite version. What's great about RMC is that you can download potential PD and instructional videos immediately and convert into the format of your choice.

Thing 8 for Administrators & 9 for Teachers - Videos

I find videos are an excellent learning tool for students and as PD for staff. Videos can make a point through visuals that text may not always do alone. Student videos now have a forum through Youtube. Adults can develop videos for staff development. Here are some that I find useful...

21st Century Pedagogy

Five-Year-Olds Pilot Their Own Project Learning

YAWP

Body Part Math

Thing 8: Teachers - Flickr Montager

Flickr has many tools to use for picture collection. Montager makes for an interesting tool with shaping a picture out of pictures. There's also the Spell With Flickr that I used for the title of this blog.

Thing 7: A&T - Photo Sharing: Project Pallooza

Project Pallooza @ MACUL = Huge Success

At MACUL 2010, 24 of the teachers from Leading PBL displayed and talked about the great learning experiences had by their students through Project-Based Learning. The participating teachers showed passion and expertise about their students' learning experiences, and their personal journey to embrace and embed PBL into their practice. Here is a photo gallery of the session through Flickr.


Beginning last June, a cohort of about 80 Michigan teachers learned about standards-focused project-based learning, developed and implemented at least one PBL during the year. The phenomenal results led to MACUL sponsor 2 more years of funding to facilitate another 300 teachers through the program. See results at www.leadingpbl.org.

Registration for the next Co-hort of 150 Michigan teachers opens now, until April 12, 2010. Check here for details, and registration directions.

On another note...
Flickr is a great tool to display work of students by teachers, and accomplishments of colleagues (as is the case above) by educational leaders. The results serves as an electronic portfolio of accomplishments that can be returned to for review. There are also opportunities to do writing prompts around topics based on the posted picture. Or how might this stream of pictures be used in mathematics?

Thing 6: Teachers & Administrators - Grade Fog

The Edge
Originally uploaded by ~jjjohn~

Working with teachers and administrators about grading and assessment, images help to illustrate that unclear assessments lead to foggy results. This picture reminds me of my drive home from MACUL conference. It was night time and vision was limited on the ill-lit highway. Just for the record, I dealt with rain, not fog, but lack of visibility was the same.

Poorly constructed assessments offers limited views, which can obscure what we really need to know. Just as at times last night, it was difficult to see the road markers on the turns through a mist of rainfall.

Pictures such as this make for a great metaphor that an audience, such as a classroom of students, or a staff in-service, can relate to the image and make personal connections that lead back to the concept. In this case, driving on a foggy road, which many of us have done, is as dangerous as gleaning results from an assessment that doesn't quite assess what it's intended. For example, if a Science test on definitions has points taken off for spelling, it's possible (and likely) that a student could show 100% accuracy on terms but get a B or C because of lost points for misspellings. Or, an administrator evaluates a teacher's performance during Halloween celebrations.

Would you want to navigate that result when explaining to a parent or lawyer?