My "view" on what it takes to be an effective ed tech leader

As my Digital Age Learning and School Technology Leadership graduate class comes to an end, I am reflective on what I learned in the class and what it takes to be an effective technology leader in education.  The first word that comes to mind is ....ACTION.  Being an effective leader takes action and lots of it.  If I learned one thing during this class is was that leaders can not just be passive consumers but rather active participants in the world around them.  This blog, that I created, helped me to see the importance of my actions and the importance of communication and collaboration in leadership.  It helped me to see I must BE ACTIVE to see positive results.

To help me remember to be active I created a poster (the graphic designer/visual learner in me coming out) that overviews the ACTIONS that will help me be the effective technology leader I know I can be.  These action verbs come from the NETS-A standards for educational administrators.

I plan to post this poster in my office as a daily reminder of my responsibilities to my administrators, fellow teachers and my students.  I need to TAKE ACTION daily to be an effective leader.  I also plan to share this poster with the faculty at my school as a simple reminder to them of the positive actions everyone can take to make technology integration successful and sustainable for the benefit of all learners.

These actions were covered in many different ways during my graduate class.  Here are some examples  of what was learned about these vital actions:

Create, promote and sustain: The importance of 21st century skills needed to prepare students for global economy, reading and discussing the Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner to understand why this gap is there and then propose methods and ideas of how to make needed changes to correct the problem

Stimulate, nurture and support: different frameworks like the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) that identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology, reviewed the development of American schooling and the potential components of a new system of educations such as homeschooling, distance education, and lifelong learning

Promote and model: The use of mentoring and communities of practice in technology integration, creating and maintaining personal blog about the ideas, experiences and resources of being a tech leader

Stay up-to-date: investigation of different educational technology leaders like Scott McLeod to see his thoughts on the latest innovations and tech interruptions, researched virtual schooling/e-learning and the potential this kind of schooling has for the future, reviewed the Horizon report for innovations that are taking place in schools now and predictions of innovations for the next 5 years.

Continuously improve: advocating for positive change-these changes need to take place in funding, training, support, access, regulations and content.  Understanding where we are coming from, what is not working and create ideals for the future.  Be champions for the cause of the vitalness of effective technology integration.

Lead: research and discussion on educational tech policy making, policy making analyzed for important elements such as funding, professional development, effective use and acceptable use.

Collaborate, collect and analyze:  importance of informative and accurate data when trying to promote positive change

Promote, model and facilitate:  importance of leading by example, demonstrating effective use of technology in own classroom

Ensure:  discussed the importance of finding technology that is more than just innovative and new but rather technology that will be beneficial to the needs of the students.

This masters class has helped me to see that to make my vision of being an effective educational technology leader a reality it is going to ACTION.  This action can bring positive changes that will improve the learning of all of my students through the use of effective technology integration.

"view" into the future of technology in education

Have you ever thought about what the future holds for technology in education?  Technology is changing at an exponential rate and how will these changes effect education?
One resource to see about the possibilities of the future is a report created by the New Media Consortium and it is called the Horizon Report.  It is an annual report that goes over key trends, challenges, and predictions for the future of technology in education.  I was made aware of this report in one of my summer graduate classes this year.  Here is the link to the 2013 k-12 report.
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-k12.pdf
I found the report very interesting for it really made me analyze where my school is at in the technology spectrum and let me see what the possibilities are for the future.  Some of the key points that stood out to me were:
Key trends:

• online learning and hybrid learning
• social media and the effects it is having on the way people communicate and interact
• open content/open resources/sharing/collaborating
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
• Role of the teacher changing with the increase of online resources and internet accessibility 

With these trends come the challenges of implementing new technologies:

• lack of ingoing professional development for educators to keep them trained on the latest technology
• the resistance of administrators and educators to make changes and step out of comfort zone
• the increase in MOOC's and online learning is competition to the traditional model of schooling
• lack of personalized learning in the traditional model

The report finishes out by detailing trends that are on the horizon for the next year to potential trends for the next five years.  I would recommend ever teacher check the report out-it will open your eyes to what the future might hold and help you embrace the great potential that technology has with education.

Homework: what is your "view"

Yesterday I received an email from my principal asking my fellow teachers and I to watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMJ-vEl4WB8 by Rick Wormeli on the topic of: How much should homework count?  After watching the video he wanted us to ask ourselves whether the grades for our classes reflect compliance or what a student learned/mastered.

The video took me a little by surprise to be honest. I had never really thought about homework in the way Mr. Wormeli discusses.  His thoughts that homework should count little to nothing in the scheme of actual grades due to the fact that grades are supposed to detail what students know against the standards and outcomes for the class goes against how most of us have been raised in school.  Most teachers would say if you do not give them a grade for the homework the students will just not do it.  Those that struggle with the material and do not do the homework will then not do well on tests and their grade will accurately reflect what they know/don't know against the standards for the class.  Mr. Wormeli's thoughts actually started making sense to me but some concerns popped into my head-

*What about the student whose does all the homework and understand all the material but doesn't test well?

*What can be said to parents when their son/daughter bombs one test horribly but does great on the other tests.  Doing well on homework and receiving grades for homework might help even out their grade to the grade the parents feel they "deserve"?

*How do you get students to see the importance of doing practice/homework if they are not receiving a grade for it? 

The "view" of Nelson Mandela

Talk about leaving a legacy...through trials/tribulation/triumphs Nelson Mandela has always shown his true character and the need to be free.  All the news lately has been about how close to death he is but I hope we never forget the legacy he will leave behind.

Education can change the world-and there is never a time when people stop learning.  Lifelong learning  is a powerful weapon for growth and improving ones life and the lives of those around you.

My "view" on being a part of professional organizations

I am writing this post because this past week I was going through ISTE envy:)  The annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference took place in San Antonio, Texas and I was not able to be a part of it.  I have been fortunate to go to the conference once before and it was thrilling to say the least.  The amount of resources you get and the people you are able to meet and make connections with are staggering.  This year, more than in years past (due to the fact that I am working on my Masters in tech education) I would have been able to meet and maybe even talk to people who are leaders in the field and who I follow on twitter and blogs.  These leaders did share some of the resources they got out of the conference on twitter and blogs but it is not the same as being there.  I am already planning on planting a bug in my principals ear about attending the conference next year and the benefits it would be for me and my school.
Here are some of the resources I was able to come up with for those that were not able to attend the conference:
Twitter-check out #iste2013 for info and links

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/LikeISTE

Conference website- program pages have email links and some website links for presentations- http://www.isteconference.org/2013/

Pinterest page-http://pinterest.com/istepinterest/iste-2013/

Missing the conference got me to thinking about professional organizations in general.  Why do people join?  Some do it because it looks good on resume...some do it because of the resources...some do it for the leadership possibilities in the organization....why do you belong to professional organizations?

The four main reason I belong to professional organizations like KySTE/ISTE are:

1: Great way to build my professional network/learning community

2. Great place to get career advice-from fellow professionals in the same field

3. Great way to get new resources/techniques to use in my own classroom

4. Provides the potential for leadership positions in the organization

Not all professional organizations have the same benefits but I can tell you that if you are in the tech ed field ISTE is a great organization that can and does offer the benefits I listed above.  Are there any other organizations that you might recommend?

Over"view"ing the potential of virtual schooling

This past week for one of my class assignments I read a chapter from the book Digital Technologies and Social Media by Scott McLeod and Chris Lehmann.  The chapter was on virtual schooling and it was very eye opening for me.  The statistic that stood out the most was that some predict that virtual schooling will make up half of all k-12 education by 2020 (Christensen, Horn & Johnson, 2008).  It is hard for me to wrap my head around that idea.  2020 is only 7 years away-both of my children will be in high school by then.  What will high school even look like then if this prediction does run true.  Will they even come to a brick and mortar classroom for any of their schooling?  To be honest the thought scares me a little even being a technology teacher.  I know technology is constantly changing education for the better but I guess some of my old school upbringing shows through in that I worry what will happen to all the teachers.  The students will still need teachers but to what capacity/roles will the teachers play in these virtual schools?  What kind of training will the virtual school teachers have?  The chapter from the book does address some of these thoughts but it still has me thinking.....the roles of teachers will definitely be changing-those that do not embrace technology will not be able to stay in the game.

Adding my re"view"-why has it taken so long?

I am one of those people that before I buy anything I always like to check the reviews-whether it be a hotel, electronic device, kids toy I always check out multiple sites to see other peoples "views" of the product.  I use websites like amazon.com, travelocity.com, and even the company websites to see what other people are saying about the product/place to see if it is worth the price/dependable/reliable/built to last.  The funny thing is I have never taken the time to complete the reviews myself for the products I have bought.  What is holding me back-if I put so much stake in what others say (they took the time to review the items) why have I not taken the time to do the same for others?  I can blame it on lack of time but to be honest I think it was just not really a priority for me.  This new blog I am writing is helping me see the things I do and don't do in a new light.  In a society where sharing info and resources is common place I should not keep taking without giving back.  With that being said I wrote my first review for trip advisor.com today on the things we did and where we stayed at Mammoth Cave this past weekend.  It felt good to let others know how the campground and cave tours were and let them make their own educated decisions if that is where they want to stay and if the tours we went on would be good for their trip.
Do you read reviews before you buy?   Do you write reviews yourself?  If not what is holding you back?

Top Rated "views" of others

As the "newbie" feeling of being a blog writer is beginning to wear off, I continually contemplate why would anyone want to follow my blog.  My daily reflections and thoughts have helped me to dive deeper into why I do what I do and what being a leader is all about but what does my blog offer to there.  I look at the top 10 blogs I follow and I think-the things these people discuss are so thought provoking and helpful.  They share resources freely with the only intent to be helping students be successful.  Since I do not have any thought provoking topics to currently discuss I will share some of my favorite resources with you.
Here are the top ten blogs I follow-hopefully these can be new resources for you if you are not already following them.

1. dangerously irrelevant
2. Connected principals
3. Lisa Nielsen:Innovative Educator
4. Free technology for teachers
5. edrethink
6. Edutopia
7. Innovations in Education
8. The edublogger
9. Edudemic
10. Kathy Schrock

Do you have any recommendations for the list?  What "views" are you keeping up with?

the "view" from a child with down syndrome

As I begin this trek into writing my own blog it is amazing to me how far blogging has come in my life and the life of those around me.  The first time I was really introduced to blogging was quite a few years back when my brother was stationed overseas with the Army.  His blog was like a daily diary of what was going on with him and the events that he was allowed to share about his work. Blogging has become so much more mainstream now that even young people are doing it.  They are not just using it as a diary either-they are using it to pass on knowledge they are learning in hopes of helping others learn new things and see their point of view.
An example of this kind of blog is http://caitlynrichardson.weebly.com.  Caitlyn is the daughter of one of my close friends, Tina.  Caitlyn is going into the 6th grade and just started her own blog this past week.  One of Caitlyn's teachers suggested that she write a blog, over the summer, as a way to improve her writing and critical thinking skills.  Caitlyn came up with the idea of writing a blog about what she thought the world looks like through the eyes of her sister Bella who has Down Syndrome.  Being the sister to someone who has down syndrome can be a challenge at times, but as Caitlyn writes, it is also very rewarding.  Bella also has apraxia which means that her speech and communication skills are very delayed.  Caitlyn wants to tell her story to help others see Bella's point of view and what makes her so special.  We can learn a great deal from Caitlyn about learning and appreciating others differences.  Technology is enabling her to have a "voice" and a "view" that others can see and learn from.

Seeing others "views"
This morning as I was reading through some my regular ed tech blogs I follow and I saw a name mentioned that was very familiar.  The name was mentioned in what I would consider a very main stream blog by Scott McLeod titled "dangerously irrelevant".  The name was of an old teacher friend of mine from my early days at Beechwood High School-Chris Crouch.  The write up was about his experience with 1 to 1 implementation at his school and its lack of effectiveness in implementation.  Chris put up on facebook a few months back that he was starting a blog about his educational endeavors but I had not gotten a chance to check it out yet-now his "views" and thoughts are being noticed by others, even those that are leaders in the field of technology education.
Though I wonder at times whether my blog will serve a purpose besides just recording my thoughts and "views", seeing Chris's name out there shows me that everyone has a voice if they are just willing to share and let their voice be heard.

Seeing a new view.......
The past two days I have been part of training sessions to become an MIE (Microsoft Innovative Educator).  I will go into more detail in future posts about the training,but my thoughts today deal with my new "VIEW" of Microsoft products.  Being an artist and designer, my first choice has always been Mac products.  Mac just seems to "get it" when it come to ease of use and flow of workspace.  I have always felt like Microsoft had the bigger market on technology but they never had the cult following that Mac has.  This MIE training has helped me to see that Microsoft is really trying to get buy-in from the education sector.  They are not just talking the talk but they are beginning to walk the walk.  From the school tech leaders that I know, many have said that Apple does not have back end tech support needed to run 1 to 1 technology effectively in school without having to jump through multiple hoops.  So why do so many schools paying for tablets like that Ipad that can run almost double the cost of windows tablet? What makes the iPad worth it?  Is Apple putting as much funding into its educational resources as Microsoft is?  What will it take for educators to "view" Microsoft in a new light?

If you are wondering what in the world does technology have to do with kaleidoscopes...here are my thoughts.  As you look through the eye hole of a kaleidoscope there is so much to look at and take in. In a moment it can all change with the turn of pieces at the end-the view is totally different but just as spectacular, with the potential to be even better than the view before.  Technology is the same way.  So many things to catch your eye and in just a moment of time it continues to change and evolve.  Even though it is different it is still spectacular to take in. 

I come from an Art background and I have always had a love for kaleidoscopes.  The picture is just a few of the kaleidoscopes in my collection.  I also have a passion and love for technology.  This passion allowed me to transform my Art education background into teaching Art though the use of technology and computers.  I now teach digital graphic design and multimedia applications at the high school level.

My love for technology has also given me an avenue to help other teachers through the technology leadership roles I have at my school.  I hope this blog will show the many "views" of technology, technology integration in schools, Art education, and maybe even a little information about kaleidoscopes in the process.