Soldier, Ask Not

Soldier, ask not – now, or ever,
Where to war your banners go.
Blood and sorrow, pain unending,
Are the portion of us all.
Source: Gordon R. Dickson’s Hymn of the Friendlies

Isn’t that a great poem? It’s not the complete piece, but I cobbled together my two favorite parts. Rather than see it as depressing, which may be one’s first impression, it is really quite uplifting. I’m reminded of Dr. M. Scott Peck’s line, “Life is difficult.” Once you accept that it is difficult, it loses it’s power over you.

As a person whose brain is always “on,” a lifelong learner, I’m thrilled at the opportunities presented. There’s a bit of freedom in being a soldier, sent from place to place to facilitate learning, overcoming difficulties that are part and parcel of the work. And, fortunately, it’s soldiering but it doesn’t involve blood and dying.

The antidote for any tough job isn’t whining, complaining or anything like that. Rather, it is a simple quote that Jason Holt holds dear:

Creating something in the face of adversity, in spite of the troubles…I often think that’s what we were created for. To bloom in spite of what may come.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

The Power of YET! Meme – Google Educator Level 2

MEME INVITATION: Here’s an invitation. Use this template in Google Draw (or make your own, like these Growth Mindset Cats by Laura Gibbs) to make your own Power of…YET poster each day this week, reflecting on YOUR own fixed mindsets. Then share that on your blog or via twitter/Instagram (tag it #yetpower) and post it in the comments. Won’t that be fun?

I had a bit of fun reflecting on Google Educator Level 2 experience I had in December and came up with this Power of YET! to capture some of the topics I recall and pulled from the sample exam questions….It’s also fun to make one of these because you have to ask yourself, “What is that I don’t know about yet?” Yes, this is pretty low-level how-to, but it could be fun to also use this as a way to get folks thinking about what they don’t know how to do yet.

Dealing with how-to is pretty great because it’s low stress…for most folks. “I don’t know how to do something so how can I learn how?” The answer is easy for how-to questions; watch YouTube. For deeper issues (e.g. biases, mindsets that are based on emotions/feelings rather than facts and information), Power of YET becomes a lot more controversial. Making your own Power of YET that inventories those internal biases can be tough.

Of course, it’s tougher if someone else inventories your biases for you! Better to do your own.

Scenarios

1. YouTube Annotations:
   “Jennifer,” said Superintendent Charlie, “I’m so grateful that you recorded that staff development presentation at Central Office and put it on YouTube. I know that there are several key components in the video that folks may want to jump to rather than sit through the long introduction I gave.”
   “Would it help if we added a hyperlinked table of contents to the front of the video?” Jennifer asked with a smile.
   “Yes,” said Charlie. “Gotta run! Let me know when it’s there so I can mention it…maybe even at the district gathering!”
   “Yes, sir,” replied Jennifer. Then she sighed. “How am I going to add hyperlinks to a Youtube video? Where is a Google Educator Level 2 Certified person when you need one?”
2. Google Scholar:
   “Today, class,” said Ms. Rosen, “we’re going to be conducting research on immigration.”
   “Are we going to build a wall?” asked Nezio.
   “No, no,” she said without inflection. “Colonial immigration patterns played a key role in the short immigration video we’re watching later today. What is a tool that we’ve used recently to get information on immigration trends in colonial times?”
   “Google Scholar?” inquired Arminda.
   “Yes, exactly. Let’s take a moment and use Scholar to research laws during colonial times. Use your Big6 organizer.”
   
   
3. Google Tour Builder:
   Take a moment to read this blog entry on Google Research and Tour Builder. Explore Google Tour Builder and build a virtual tour of your own family’s migration patterns in the U.S. to the best of your knowledge. This can include cross-country moves and involve any scope of time (e.g. ancestors or just your life if you’ve moved a lot). Be sure to include a picture/video and text for each.
4. Achieve Inbox Zero:
   You are getting tons of email from work colleagues. That’s not so bad, but you’re losing track of the “important” emails from your supervisor and grade level team. Investigate how Google Labels, filters and/or Groups could be used to better manage your incoming email. Create a short how-to screencast demonstrating how you’ve sorted your inbox with labels for Dr. Jackson, Mr. Green, and a Google Group for your grade level.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

The Power of YET! Meme

Do an internet image search on “growth mindset,” and you’ll stumble across an astonishing array of pictures that capture Carol Dweck’s ideas about growth mindset. In case you’re not familiar with it (yikes, how have you missed the deluge of growth mindset pictures, articles, books?), growth mindset is defined in this way:

“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment,” writes Dweck.

When I reflect on growth mindset in my own life, I realize that I definiely have some legacy “fixed mindsets” in place that I need to remove. May I share one of them with you?

Fixed Mindset: What I Know Now Trumps What I Could Learn in Future

Like many Google Certified Innovators and Trainers (ok, I am well-certified in Google tools, ok?), I remember doing what I’ve seen some Microsoft folks saying wherever they hang out. What’s ironic is that these are the same things I’ve heard some in the “true to Google” camp say, too.

Why would anyone want to use that? I don’t know about it and don’t want to learn how to use that. I’m satisfied with what I do know.

I’d probably go even further. So, when I started down my path using Microsoft (as a result of my job), I had to set aside my fixed mindset. Instead, I had to agree to become a learner, resetting my odometer to zero, relinquish my expertise as a Google expert (sheesh, how do you define experts anyway?) and embrace my ignorance.

Wow, what a tremendous experience that was. Now, I often do embrace my ignorance (it’s easier to learn new things, I’ve found) but learning new stuff can be hard. And, my journey with Microsoft tools was just the beginning. And, what fun it was to learn new stuff!!

After awhile, it didn’t matter what I was learning, only that I was learning. Does that make sense?

That’s why “The Power of Yet!” is so powerful. And, it inspired the image at the top of this blog entry. Imagine making your own “The Power of…Yet!” for yourself about your particular challenges and obstacles. Wouldn’t that be cool?

MEME Invitation

Here’s an invitation. Use this template in Google Draw (or make your own) to make your own Power of…YET poster each day this week, reflecting on YOUR own fixed mindsets. Then share that on your blog or via twitter and post it in the comments. Won’t that be fun?

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Technological Relativity: Exploring My Journey

When I started working at my new position at a non-profit education organization on March 21, 2016, I had no idea how I would be handling a fresh challenge–providing professional learning about Microsoft products. The team had its Google advocates, but the position that I was filling as a Director of Professional Development, well, that was meant to fulfill the partnership that the organization had with Microsoft (not that Google or Apple were excluded).

In fact, some people came up to me in workshops just this month. “Miguel,” said one young educator, “I read your Around the Corner blog. I know you write about GNU/Linux a lot, so I was surprised to see your support of Microsoft products.” I laughed at this observation that I’ve often made over the last few months. Yet, I discovered a path forward that allowed me to reconcile differing perspectives. As someone who seeks balance (hey, I’ve been labeled a Libra and grew up seeing the “scales” as my personal symbol without embracing astrology). May I share it with you?

“The journey that I have undertaken, meeting people from all walks of life and learning from them, has been my biggest achievement.” -Aamir Khan

#1 – Give voice to the Community.
Early on, a participant at a Microsoft workshop said to me, “We have been waiting for so long for someone to support us.” I documented this story in a blog entry that was published here and described it in this way:

“We are longing for a community,” said a session participant. “Most of us have adopted Office 365 tools, but we don’t see ourselves in the numerous edcamps and workshops offered. Each of us is struggling to connect.” As instructional coach and author of The Art of Coaching Elena Aguilar says, “With a powerful community I can do so much more. I am happier. I learn and expand and, possibly, I can transform.” The 5 strategies below seek to answer the challenge of community building. Read Build a Community

I detailed this journey in a Skypechat that I gave to Microsoft Innovative Educators (MIE) Trainers. Wow, that’s a LOT of people to connect with and I’m grateful to RH for making it possible.

I realized that our (e.g. bloggers, instructional tech specialists, edtech pundits) fanatical focus on Google Suites, via edcamps/unconferences, being buried in tweets, blog entries, books, articles, how-to videos has left an entire community of educators in the dark. Sure, there are TONS of folks using Google Suites. But there are also lots of folks using Microsoft tools and they have no interest in switching to Google Suites.

No one had stepped up to connect all the wisdom and expertise that this Microsoft-focused community had. So, there was an opportunity to reach people and amplify their voices. And, doing that has been such a rewarding journey! I can’t tell you how much fun it has been to chat with educators who have chosen to embrace Microsoft tools (whether by choice or district mandate) to make a difference in their classrooms and offices. Passion excites, no matter how it expresses itself.

Did you know? I had the opportunity to work with 369+ educators during the 2016 calendar year, exploring Microsoft solutions face to face! Isn’t that incredible? Obviously, I also worked with about 50-60 folks earning Google certifications.

And, there’s been fun in tapping into the cognitive dissonance between these two perspectives. Use one idea to ask, “How would doing this in Microsoft look like?” You can read one example in my Classroom Smackdown blog entry. Often, reading how to do something in one system inspires me to discover how it may be done in another. What fun!

#2 – Connect with a global community of educators.
In addition to building a Texas-wide community of educators, I have been awed by the global community of genuine, authentic educators excited about enhancing teaching, learning and leading with Microsoft tools. I remember my amazement when joining the various Facebook groups in support of Microsoft Innovative Educators (MIE) and thinking, “Wow, these folks are very committed to ‘hacking education.’ That is, they were as passionate about bringing about change as those in the Google camp. And that’s really great!”

“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.”  – Izaak Walton. 

I can and do interact with people around the nation and the world every day. It has been incredible. And, the Microsoft Education Community–offering tons of professional learning in video format, badges and online certificates, empowering trainers to easily track professional development–has been fun to explore and grow into. At every turn, I have found Microsoft team members who extended their knowledge and expertise to provide assistance. Instead of an impersonal web site, there are many smiling faces willing to reach out and help.

“Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.” -Pythagoras

#3 – Warm Welcome.
What a warm welcome I’ve received since I began my journey in March. Sure, I had to learn a lot (earning Microsoft Certified Trainer, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and Minecraft Certified Trainer) in a short time but it’s been phenomenal to be able to provide support to folks who didn’t see themselves in the flurry of professional learning opportunities available in Texas. Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve enjoyed a warm welcome. And, in the meantime, I’ve also picked up my Google Educator Level 1 and Google Administrator certification. I’ve learned (again) that technology skills and ecosystems are additive, not subtractive.

For fellow bilingual educators, I need not explain that some detractors refer to learning a second language as a process that must diminish the first. Or to be inaccurate, I added Microsoft and my expertise in Google was diminished. Jim Cummins’ theory is described in this way:

Cummins draws the distinction between additive bilingualism in which the first language continues to be developed and the first culture to be valued while the second language is added; and subtractive bilingualism in which the second language is added at the expense of the first language and culture, which diminish…. (Read Source)

This isn’t true. I love the fact that adding a language, adding technology tools and ecosystems allows one to develop greater expertise and deepens the relationships one has with others.

What is Technological Relativity?
The possibility that access to different technological capabilities could result in differences in thought patterns. (Source)

#4 – On the Shoulders of Giants.
As a bilingual person, I often find myself switching between languages, looking for the right way to express an idea in my head. When I’m chatting with a fellow dual language learner, what’s incredible is that the right phrase in Spanish or English can capture a different nuance of meaning that appears non-existent in one language.

The language I use impacts my perceptions and thoughts about a particular situation or action. This is known as linguistic relativity, which I was introduced to many years ago as the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis:

The principle of linguistic relativity holds that the structure of a language affects its speakers’ world view or cognition. Popularly known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, or Whorfianism, the principle is often defined to include two versions. The strong version says that language determines thought, and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories, whereas the weak version says that linguistic categories and usage only influence thought and decisions. (Source)

By embracing Apple, Google and Microsoft, learning the way these seemingly opposing systems focus my learning and reflections from my experiences, not unlike the triangle magnifying glass shown above, is exciting. I’m really looking forward to sharing an unpublished blog entry with you, entitled, Dystopian Learning with Apple, Google and Microsoft.

Our brains get more efficient as we do things. Our brain function improves as we learn something, then move onto the next. If we dwell on the same activity then our cortical energy decreases as our brain gets more efficient (Source: 5 Ways to Maximize Your Cognitive Potential). 

It explores solving the same problem from different technology worldviews (e.g. Apple, Google, Microsoft). This kind of technological flexibility is fun to cultivate and keeps me learning new things.

“Every single journey that I’ve embarked on, I’ve learned something new.” -Shailene Woodley

As I reflect on my experiences with these technological companions, I wonder what’s in store next.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Good Enough

“Good is the enemy of great. Say goodbye to good so you can say hello to great.” You’ve run across this sentiment, haven’t you? While it is a truism people strive to embrace, doing so can be difficult. Achieving the great can be daunting, when failing again and again.

What I learned…is that I…need to make students more aware of the importance of iterations…[and]…how to learn from them. (Source: Iterationists at Engage Their Minds).

The struggle itself, how we learn from our experiences is what matters. Often, I find myself struggling with my own writing, trying to find a way to make it better. More recently, I look for that spot along the way where I can declare, “Good enough!” and then move on to the next project.

For blogging, for life, good enough means clearing away the unnecessary. Then, love what remains.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Reaching for Transcendence: Servant Leaders Journey (Updated 2x)

When I first wrote, 4 Questions for Servant Leaders, I remembered previous opportunities for taking on jobs others found undesirable. Having been in the manager’s seat, I have had the opportunity to experience the opportunity to assign and receive jobs others felt beneath them. In both situations, the difference maker involved having a fresh attitude, without the baggage of organizational drama of “I have one more thing on my plate.” The fresh attitude enables newcomers in a position to embrace work.

What a gift, right? How do you renew your attitude, renew your spirit so that you can take on undesirable tasks like a newcomer?

Image Source

The defining question, and one that I keep coming back to reflect on, is “What are the jobs that need doing that no one wants to do?” It’s a question that can define you. Think of actors who carefully say “No” to a million different roles, seeking the perfect one that will make their career. Then, think of the actors who say, “Yes, I’ll do that.” Not only do they bring an attitude of willingness to a job that others dislike, they find a way to excel.

As I’ve gotten older, I find I’m attracted to these actors–several come to mind even now–because viewers get a glimpse into who they are each time they play a part others thought were beneath them. While these bit parts, as some like to call them, are only a small part of the actors’ career, collectively, they represent much more. At the end of their journey, these actors may get a lifetime award, never having had a single role that distinguished them. Or, it is only late in their careers that they find themselves receiving the Oscar or Emmy for the role no one wanted, but that they played masterfully.

That idea of small parts adding up to a career of winning can be eye-opening. A video game my son introduced me to, Clash Royale, suggests the value of persistence in garnering small wins leading to great success.

In the game, you square off another person somewhere on the globe. You marshal your forces to fight and win chests of gold and silver. To win, you must win 2-3 crowns, that is, overcome 2-3 castles your opponent has.

Each day, you can win a gold chest, even though you may win only 1-2 crowns per battle. Eventually, you obtain the 10 crowns you must gather to obtain the gold chest, even if you lose every match but manage to win 1 crown. Persistence is key.

Life lessons abound in this effort to win the gold chest even though you may fail to win in decisive ways. We are all beset by challenges, and some times, we are fortunate enough to escape, having learned but one or two lessons from the experience. If we persist in forward movement, no matter how painstaking, we may yet achieve the prize–a life well-lived, fraught with peril yet victorious because no small measure of wisdom has been earned.

In this blog entry at ReadWriteRespond, the focus is on servant leadership. On doing the job, of giving one’s all for others. This focus on servant leadership plays out within the confines of team leadership. Yet, much of those involved in the bit parts may play the role of follower or supporting roles. They may not be the “servant leader.”

In the end, a solitary leader may be the one who reaches for transcendence, not distinguishing herself in team servitude. Transcendence in this case means gaining wisdom from completing jobs none wanted. For this leader, a person out taking a walk without followers, reaching for the joy of lessons learned, wreathed in failure, growing successfully as a result. I suppose that such a follower isn’t a servant leader, but something else.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Make Your Work Worthy of Sharing

Image Source: http://tinyurl.com/hu25jue

Change jobs recently? Your experience may yield some nuggets of insight that Harold Jarche found in his gold pan.

Harold Jarche just put his finger on one aspect of them:

Would you still be a leader if you lost your positional authority? How would you know? In networks, your authority is derived from your reputation and the value of your connections to others in the network. Value and authority come from engagement with a network, usually over a long period of time. It’s the sum of many small interactions. So what would happen if you suddenly lost your positional authority? (Read more) 

The answer to Harold’s question is, “Yes, you would still be a leader if you changed your positional authority IF your authority is derived from your reputation and the value of your connections to others.”

When I worked in large urban school district and leadership changes took place, everyone on staff had to “re-establish” their value, to “prove themselves” to the new boss. Not surprisingly, only some were able to accomplish this…worse, it seems to happen frequently in schools, shaking loose existing staff (some who need to be shaken loose, others who are just frustrated, and others who are indifferent).

Protecting my team and I, at least for awhile, was a lesson I learned many years ago in my late twenties. That lesson was that you had to get your story out there, to define your projects and programs before the Central Office did it. In fact, if you could do this, then you “took the stone out of the sling pouch.”

And that story needed to be shared with as many people as possible. Not because it was false, untrue, inaccurate, but because it was worthy of being shared, warts and all. And, you had to do your best to encourage others to share their stories. Before social media, we relied on email, press releases, etc. Did I tell you about the time I won an argument with my boss because I took advantage of the Texas Education Network (TENET) to get emails out to a district-wide email list? It was inconsequential, I don’t remember what the argument was about, only that losing the argument would have hurt edtech in that District.

It’s not just about winning petty arguments with people who don’t get it. From email, we’ve moved to better tools with a broader reach. Now, social media makes sharing those stories much easier. That’s why Harold’s point is so important–we have moved beyond organizational hierarchies that control individual’s lives.

Image Source: http://tinyurl.com/gwrn8px

When you build a successful professional learning network (PLN), one that connects you to global learners committed to improving teaching, learning and leading, then what happens to you in a school district or organization is less likely to upset your apple-cart. I can look back over countless interactions with Texas educators and confess to being grateful, profoundly appreciative, for each.

Am I a leader? I’m less interested in being a leader, and more of helping others and sharing ideas and information. That’s why I really like Harold’s point here:

Do people refer to your work? How often do people quote, cite, or repeat your work? If not often, then perhaps it’s time to start working out loud and contributing to your knowledge networks.

The inclination for most folks in leadership position is to lock things down. Do you know district staff who aren’t allowed to share their district’s intellectual property, whatever they create during the day? I do. And have for years. In every case, keeping data locked down in a school district was the WRONG thing to do. Beautiful, wonderful work only benefited a few people, and because technology changes so quickly (heck, everything changes quickly), work that would have stood as a shining beacon for all to see, to recognize the organization that served things up rather than locked it in a safe, died a quiet, lonely death. What’s more, the people who made that work moved on.

The Internet now makes the shelf life of great thinking accessible and easy to share. Each of us, individuals and organizations, are building a reputation that says, “Yes, we are trustworthy and what we make is worth using to change the world.”

Harold says, “Start working out loud and contributing.” Whether you’re getting the word out via email and paper newsletters (wow, that was a long time ago) or social media, for goodness sake, get it out there. If you don’t, you may find yourself stuck with some new boss who doesn’t understand the value you bring. Harold shares more in a related blog entry, Leadership for the Networked Age:

Hierarchy is necessary for (and only for!) building compliance. It is not networked. As formal power, It is not a form of leadership – but of management. In the presence of formal power, leadership is actually quite impossible to happen. 

Influence is necessary for social density and connection. It is networked. It is a form of leadership.
Reputation is necessary for value creation. It is networked, as well. It is the second form of leadership.

The response to Harold’s question, How would you know? Your network would help you.

Thank you.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

4 Questions for Servant Leaders

While digging through an app on my phone, I ran across a paragraph that prompted a few questions worth pondering, no matter what role you are called to serve in an organization. And, drafting those questions immediately made me think of the term, servant leadership.

If you’re not familiar with servant leadership, here’s a quick review:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.
The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?” (Source)

When you walk into new position, you have to ask yourself, are you willing to serve? Here’s another way of looking at the servant-leader:

He is willing to do the unpopular jobs, the jobs he might think are beneath him, the jobs that no-one else sees, that are left when everyone else has gone home. That is leadership, whether you are labeled a leader or not. (Source: BibleGateway app)

Here’s an idea. Make an online form–Google Form or Excel Online–and have your team respond to the questions…then see how they differ from each other.

1. What are the unpopular jobs in your organization?
2. What are the jobs others think are beneath them?
3. What are the jobs that need doing that no one wants to do?
4. How do you seek out new jobs like the ones alluded to in the preceding questions?

What do you think? Worth doing?

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Why We CAN Get Along

“The attitude of “why can’t we all just get along?” has no place in the academic community: validity of arguments come from questioning and the constant, rigorous challenge of debate.”Source: Geoff Cain’s blog entry on Siemens and Downes

In exploring the academic disagreements between George Siemens and Stephen Downes (I regret I found the kerfluffle boring, a sure sign of my roots in practicality or at least, shallow thinking), Geoff makes the point shared at the top of this blog entry. 

There’s no reason why debates and disagreements can’t be civil, but I know that the more violent and flowery language that is used, the more interesting reading it is. Consider this excerpt from an engaging piece by Carol Morgan:

Elections have consequences and unfortunately those consequences are leading to the death knell for Texas’ public education system. Texans have thrown away their right to a public education system (which is guaranteed by the Texas Constitution) because they elected fools and charlatans like Dan Patrick, Donna Campbell, and Larry Taylor to the Texas Senate.
These three political prostitutes got where they are today through the love and determination of a teacher and free public schools. How dare they criticize the institution that bestowed the opportunities they enjoy today! They should be thanking teachers rather than criticizing and belittling with the words “godless” and “monstrosity”. Source: Carol Morgan, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Online

Aside from that dramatic open line, I loved the fun implied in the next paragraph about political prostitutes, daring criticisms asserting godlessness among Texas public school teachers. Now, that’s discontent you can sink your teeth into! 

Reasonable discourse isn’t necessarily a goal when it comes to politics, which is why it should be kept as far away from education as possible…but facts–like those Carol Morgan cites–can illuminate aspects of the conversation:

• Around 8.2 percent of public school campuses are classified as failing, but nearly 17 percent of charter schools are designated as failing. 
• In fact, within three years of being included on the low-performing list, only seven out of approximately 8,500 traditional public schools are still designated as failing. 
• If you are mathematically inclined, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all Texas public school campuses are rated IR or AU for more than three years.

 I find it a great jumping off spot for revisiting something the authors of Crucial Conversations describe as The Sucker’s Choice.

Either / or choices are Sucker’s Choices. The best at dialogue refuse Sucker’s Choices by setting up new choices. They present themselves with tougher questions that turn the either/or choice into a search for the all-important and ever elusive and. 

In Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler write about how to search for the elusive AND. (Source: Refuse the Sucker’s Choice)

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Leadership Moves: The Jobs No One Else Sees

Image Source

“Are you still here?” I asked a friend and colleague. It was an empty building, and the business day officially had already ended 30-40 minutes.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I have some work to catch-up on. What do you have for me?”

That conversation, like many others that followed it, came to mind as I reflected on the following passage from a “book app” I was reading. I’m reminded about the conversation because it highlights a willingness to get work done, but also a willingness to receive more work.

Here’s the passage that reminded me:

He is willing to do the unpopular jobs, the jobs he might think are beneath him, the jobs that no-one else sees, that are left when everyone else has gone home. That is leadership, whether you are labeled a leader or not. (Source: BibleGateway app)

I wonder what would happen if I asked these questions and did my best to answer them in my new job:

1. What are the unpopular jobs in your organization?
2. What are the jobs others think are beneath them?
3. What are the jobs that need doing that no one wants to do?
4. How do you seek out new jobs like the ones alluded to in the preceding questions?

Do you think these questions would help me do well? What would these jobs look like in your situation?

I’m reminded of the custodian at my post in a large urban school district…we had a chance encounter when I went to splash water on my face at the end of a long day. I was tired after a day of meetings. He was joyfully cleaning the restroom.

I remember the enthusiasm with which he approached cleaning a toilet, whipping out an ice-scrapper to be sure that he had cleaned the scum from inside the toilet bowl, leaving it sparkling-white. Some might have seen the extra effort needed for that job as beneath them, but the old man–who retired that year–approached that job with an enthusiasm all of us would do well to emulate.

Here is a quote I learned early on in my education career and need to remember again:

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Edge of Tomorrow

Source: David Truss, Solving Interesting Problems

Amazing, isn’t it, when you stand at the edge of tomorrow…last week, I was a Director of Technology. Next week, I’ll be a Director of Professional Development for the TCEA. This week, though, I’m enjoying Spring Break off, cleaning out old wardrobes and celebrating my 26th Wedding Anniversary with my wife, Monica, on St. Patrick’s Day (Thursday, March 17th). 

I’m grateful for so many things this week, including Alexis Cline’s efforts to share the image shown right on TCEA’s Facebook page by way of welcome, but also for the good times reflected in the photos featured in the collage.

Earlier today, the nephew of a colleague called and he asked me, “How did you get to where you are now?” What a fascinating question. As I took a moment to reflect back upon the path taken, I realize that while I thought it was purposeful and direct, in truth, it was quite circuitous. What seemed like the best decisions made objectively are actually course adjustments, as if you were climbing a mountain and taking the route that made sense in the moment.

I’m not saying I’ve reached the summit of that particular mountain, or that I may soon find myself plummeting to the bottom. Rather, that following one’s passion and enthusiasms will certainly lead you on an adventure of some sort…whether it’s the sort you want, well, that is a matter of attitude and “adjusting your sails.”

For the nephew, just graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Business Management, I have counseled him to build up his certifications and focus on opportunities that would give him experiences in the areas he was most apt to develop his passion and knowledge.

David Truss shares the image at the top of this blog post. It reflects a few truths I’ve committed to:

• A positive attitude
• Openness to unexpected discoveries
• Remembering that we are all invited to learn anew every day.

How did I get where I am now? By being committed to assisting others get better, as well as being committed to enjoying what I’m doing.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Open to Possibility!

A favorite song of mine comes from the O’Shea group, Here I Am. Have a listen…aren’t they great?

Moving from one job to another, there’s something wonderful about taking a moment to reflect on the past, your hopes and dreams, and then, to re-open yourself to possibilities, to dream new dreams, to simply be open to possibility, to accept that you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen…and be grateful.

For example, as I divest myself of all the equipment issued to me in my current position, it’s a wonderfully liberating feeling to turn it all in. My hands are empty, ready to pick up new ideas, new technologies, explore different avenues of accomplishing my life goals. That’s why I love the O’Shea song…every thing that you imagined might derail you from your course actually moves you towards something phenomenal and fantastic.

RETHINKING MY PRIMARY COMPUTER
A year or so ago, someone asked me, “Would you buy a high-powered Mac if you had to start over with a computer?” My response, which I detailed in a blog entry I can’t find right now, involved investing in an Acer C740 Chromebook, loading GNU/Linux on it, and using the “Chrome” side of it to tap into the GoogleApps ecosystem. And, surprisingly, the experiment has been working great. I’m sure as I embrace a new job with different responsibilities, I’ll be using different technologies. But because I’ve always “kept my hand in” with new tech, I feel comfortable that I’ll be able to transcend the tech to get things done.

Changing jobs has given me the opportunity to explore the Acer C740 Chromebook–loading Xubuntu on it as well so that I can do Chromebook stuff, but also, edit audio, move email from one IMAP account to another, remote into Linux-based servers via ssh and more–and the experience has been fun! Cost of the machine? $300. It’s an Acer C740 with 4 gigs of RAM, 16gigs of storage, and 9 hour battery life…it’s essentially, an awesome machine that I need as a writer and Linux nut. It actually plays well with everything and is easily my primary machine that I carry around.

REPLACING MY TABLET
As my 3rd generation iPad, which I essentially bought for my previous position since they were heavily invested in iPad, I’ve transitioned from an Android phone to an iPhone 6 Plus. I had invested quite heavily ($200 total, if I had to add it up) in apps that work on iOS, and feel quite comfortable working with iOS (I facilitated workshops on app-smashing and wrote an ebook, so…). But for my personal, carry around device, I am now carrying a $30 (bought it at a discount this past Xmas) Amazon Kindle Fire, and it’s great for reading and watching videos. While my 3rd gen iPad still works, I go to it less these days…the Fire is “good enough.”

REPLACING HARD DRIVES
One of the technologies I’ve relied on in the past has included external USB hard drives. This past month, I’ve spent time “cleaning out” the junk that accumulates in files, then moving it to cloud storage. Slimming down my data, my cloud storage options has made it easy to backup everything, eliminating unnecessary apps.

As I reflect on the other changes, I’m reminded of the old saying, “Drop the old stuff you are carrying so you can pick up the new.” Looking around my home office, I’ll probably have to do some more sorting through the old stuff, to make sure I keep what will support me as I open the door to possibilities. But, you may be happy to know, I won’t be dropping Around the Corner! It is where I’ll be tracking my journey into possibility.

How are you open to possibility in your life, work, and technology?

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

When You Don’t Fit, Go Naked

Upon arriving in the small, inner city school district, I knew I didn’t fit. The old saying, “No me hallo,” [S panish] or “I don’t find myself in these surroundings,” I’d learned from a childhood maid while growing up in the Republic of Panama (Canal Zone) was on target. But what to do? Six months later, it didn’t matter. I had migrated to a better place, committed to finding a place that appreciated me for who I was, realizing my present wasn’t preparing me for the future I wanted.

“When one discovers what is right and begins to pursue it, the necessary people and resources turn up.” Source: Gandhi

I’d experienced the feeling before, a form of culture shock when I arrived from Panama in a beautiful neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas where I was afraid of being kidnapped, murdered, chased by gang of wannabe thugs too rich to venture away from their Atari consoles but once a day. In time, I came to make my home in San Antonio, but there is always a sense of strangeness.

That sense of strangeness presses at you, stealing your breath, freezing your thoughts, and you realize, either you better make friends quick, islands of comfort in a place where you’ve been isolated, or leave. Worse, that sense of strangeness can permeate your interactions with others.

Once you have a critical mass of good people — if you bring someone who isn’t a fit, they self select to leave. We had to watch really carefully to see if people were a fit or not and then help them leave if they weren’t the right person. Source: Diane Greene as cited in this interview, Scaling VMware with Diane Greene

How do you survive in places where you don’t fit?

1. Focus on the work. While insufficient for more than a short time, focusing on the work enables you to do what you were hired to do, and increases the opportunity to build relationships with others.
2. Inventory your biases and expectations, then make sure you don’t take on work somewhere you don’t want to be. You know almost instantaneously whether you’re going to fit in or not. If you know what your expectations are, what your needs are, then you’ll be less likely to fall for that voice inside you that says, “Go ahead…stay, it will be OK. You’re not being fair.” By knowing who you are, where you stand, you can take control of your expectations and endure.
3. Listen to yourself. If there’s a voice telling you to ignore that nagging sense of strangeness, listen to the part of yourself that senses things are quite what they need to be for you to be at your optimum.
4. Avoid temptation. When we start a new job, it’s easy to fall for the temptation…the money will change everything, you say, for the better. Unfortunately, money can drown out the warning your senses are whispering.
5. Pray, reflect, ask for guidance. If you find yourself wondering, “Did I make the right choice?” or trying to decide if you should take the plunge, make the time to reflect. Avoid the frenzied lists of pros and cons. This is not a matter of the intellect alone, but of the heart and soul. Less talk, more listening, allowing yourself to dwell within the moments.

Finally, when the time comes to leave because you don’t fit in, embrace the separation. It may be a little frightening but…you avoid what Robert Quinn calls “slow death” in his book Deep Change:

When dealing with slow death, deep change requires us to go “naked into the land of uncertainty, knowing how to get lost with confidence.” This journey into uncertainty results in the creation of a new paradigm, “one in which we must separate from the status quo and courageously face and tackle uncertainty.”

When you don’t fit in the pants you’ve put on, it’s time to “go naked,” to go into the land of uncertainty…get lost with confidence. When we do this, we take control back from that which urges to practice “safety,” that says, “Fit in no matter what, no matter what the cost, the emotional toll.”

Note: This is NOT an exhortation to embrace a nudist colony life. 😉

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Simply Consistent

We often wonder how we can simplify our lives, and this reminds me of my favourite quote on simplicity: If you don’t spend time wondering how you can simplify your life, you are simply wasting your time!…simply get the work done with an extreme sense of purpose but without the stress of having to rush. It’s this consistency or routine that we need to install into our lives. We need to look for opportunities of how we can introduce ideas into our lives that will be simple, and that will consistently produce success.
Source: The Simplicity of Consistency

I’ve wrestled with consistency all my life. Surprisingly, I have school to blame for this. I grew up putting homework assignments off until the last minute, then working feverishly to get them done. This translated into “binge writing” episodes, a bad habit that continued when I tried to “keep a journal.” What stopped me? Writing consistently in the journal. Instead, I like to work quickly through a project, and then move on to something new.

It’s funny that blogging seems to have helped, but somewhere along the line, I’ve found one thing to be consistent at. It’s amazing that such a simple thing as being consistent about one thing can spread to others.

Start with one simple habit, then “grow your consistency.”

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

When Irony Strikes

Source: http://is.gd/cLrvtm

At Connected Principals, in Learning and Leadership, George Couros shared the following:

“There are people in this room, no matter how compelling of evidence or ideas that I have shared, or the experiences that I have tried to create, will do nothing different tomorrow.  Are you that person?”

The answer is, “Yes, that’s me!” Sitting through professional learning recently, my sense of irritation mounting, I find I am no longer inspired by challenging talks that outline “successful leadership practices” and then proceed to encourage me to connect the dots, the distance between my imperfections and the target, clearly articulated by a speaker.

Yes, I am the guy that says, “You know what? If you’re showing me a possible avenue of growth as an invitation, well, then yes, I’m POSSIBLY open to that…if my learning path takes me in that direction. But, if you’re shoving that down my throat, you know where it can go.”

As I let the anger of my reaction bleed into the hard concrete, I feel a sense of irony. As I probe the irony, wondering why I’m feeling that way, I remember the conversation I had with another colleague only a few months back. “If you want to hold a campus accountable for technology, then why not invite them to try it out?” 

Source: Sylvia Duckworth via Dr. Z Reflects

I wonder, “How long must we ask and invite teachers to adopt instructional technology practices as part of their work?” The question stems from a profound sense of dis-satisfaction for school districts to embrace teaching and learning with technology.

I like this quote that George shared in another blog entry…it’s less in your face:

“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” Albert Einstein

Connect the dots.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Seeking Grace in Schools: Beneath the Judge’s Gaze

One of my favorite expressions, “He was taken up to heaven right away; he was in a state of grace.” If we thought of school systems as people on their death beds, how many would be “taken up to heaven in a state of grace?” Sometimes, I wonder if we haven’t taken a conservative, law-enforcer approach to getting school systems ready to achieve perfection. You know, one that is always on the look-out to spy what’s gone wrong rather than what’s working.

When a technology director requires strict adherence to district procedures, to the rules, he causes problems because he isn’t in the moment, able to listen and change to meet the needs of those he serves. It was only a few years ago that many bemoaned the issues of blocking social media and Youtube, but now, many, have transcended that debate…and access has been granted. It is less an issue of technology lock-downs and more of nurturing global citizens.

As a long-time educator focused on transforming teaching, learning and leading with technology, I find myself struggling with those that do little than “exist” or “survive” in “broken” systems. Instead of simply adhering to the rules, I have to push myself to do more than exist or survive.

Meredith Allen (@msmeredithallen) refers to this brokeness, expressing her frustration with a SAMR cheer, in her blog entry, Broke:

Our educational leadership system is broken. I used to think that the majority of schools have supportive, thoughtful administrators that communicate with staff in a humane, decent way.  If you were a school without that support, you were rare. Right?
Wrong.  It’s a systemic problem that needs to be addressed and fixed.  Like, now.

For Meredith, it appears that educational leadership requires, at minimum, the following to NOT be broken…to be honest, that’s pretty much all leadership, isn’t it?

• Support
• Thoughtfulness
• Communication
• Humane interactions

The SAMR cheer–I suspect it could have been a cheer about anything–was problematic because it suggests that “cheerleader” type behavior is sufficient to transforming education, not only of fixing brokenness or complying with the status quo, but leaving things better than you found them. In fact, for a leader to transform a broken system, that is exactly what is needed–to move education in a particular situation forward from where it was before. The SAMR cheer simply fits into how we have tried to change schools before. The cheer is disconnected from the reason for real change and is ineffective.

Think about what this means for schools today. We are often fighting to fix “broken” systems. These systems are broken, not because we don’t want something wonderful to happen as individuals, but rather, that we are compelled, carried downstream towards the turbulent falls that symbolize defeat and destruction, because in spite of our best efforts, we are forced to engage in actions that perpetuate broken-ness. 

Is it as simple as changing what we do every day to see the kinds of change? I don’t think so, but that could be a starting point. Each of us, as we try to fix our respective “broken” systems, have to seek grace rather than allow ourselves to dwell in brokenness. 

Some ideas for achieving “grace” in the midst of a broken educational system:

1. Let go of the negative influences in your work environment, allowing yourself to focus on the aspects that re-affirm your life and efforts on behalf of others. It’s so easy to get on a merry-go-round of sadness and despair in schools.
2. Nurture others around you, transparently sharing your positive intentions for yourself and them.
3. Serve others with no expectation of remuneration or payback. A source of anger is that we often do things with the intent “I scratch your back, you’ll scratch mine…or else!” You can achieve peace when you are willing to do what you can. When you can’t, simply explain why you are unable to at this time or what circumstances prevent you. Avoid anticipating negativity.
4. Be grateful for what others do, what they say, even when it isn’t affirming…rather, it is a learning opportunity.
5. Expect the best from everyone, and decline to be disappointed when others aren’t what you hoped or desired…allow them to be themselves.

While this is not an exhaustive list, it is a list that would address 90% of the aggravation I hear folks share who are working in systems that fail to nurture. In the end, we can only be the change we wish to see in the world.

Will the obstacles we encounter fall short of the grace we allow to inhabit us?

By the way, you might find this worth reading, too: 5 Leadership Lessons Fig Trees Can Teach Us

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Reflecting on Grace

Image: http://goo.gl/RvzOS4

“Come on in,” I encouraged the sixth grade teacher, doubling as the resident technology whiz. “Earlier today, someone shared that you took these actions. As we’ve discussed previously, individually and as a team, we’ve agreed that we will approach these kinds of situations following this process. What happened?”

At the end of the conversation, after listening to what the person had to say, I offered, “You know, when you came in, I had every intention to provide you with a written warning for the actions you took. And, next time, I will do so. But this time only, I will not.” And saying that, I ripped the written warning into pieces and dropped it in the trash.

This encounter came back to me as I read Amber Teamann’s Expecting vs Extending Grace. As the person on the receiving end of that chat above early in my career, I have felt the same sense of gratefulness, that feeling that a bad moment, potentially life-altering, had passed me by:

I was respectful of the officer’s power of a punitive action, but that he chose to give me the benefit of a learning experience. Source: Connected Principals

The benefit of a learning experience…it is a tool that I’ve used often with my own children, and occasionally, those who are entrusted to my care in my work. I’m not sure what indefinable quality–mercy?–slips into these interactions…perhaps, it is hope that a person will do better.

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy
Source: Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

I have lived to see that hope realized, but also cast away, or worse, helplessly lost because some cannot overcome life habits that draw them towards destruction, moths to the flame.

To laugh often and much
to win the respect of intelligent people
and affection of children; to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best
in others; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child
a garden patch or redeemed
social condition; to know even
one life has breathed easier because
you have lived. This is to have
succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I grow older, I hope that I’ll find the best in others, and that they may also find it in their hearts to render deeds of mercy for my own wrong-doing, dancing shadows that draw the eye on a bright day. In the end, perhaps, I can learn from grace. And, if not, then may I learn to seek grace when justice is too hard.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Stop the Pretending to #makeschooldifferent

In the meme, 5 Things We Have to Stop Pretending, Jeanne Reed points out the following:

What should we stop pretending is good in education? What are 5 things that I can help change to improve learning outcomes for students?

1. Coaching each student or staff member at their level not to a fictious middle level, #PBL, #differentiation, #noStaffLeftBehind
2. Reaching each student to become better digital citizens, #digitalCitizenship #global 
3. Encouraging kids to find their passion and don’t give up, #joyOfLearning
4. Making time for collaboration, #teamwork
5. Embracing the chaos where students find a new gear that they never even knew they had, #makerEd, #kidsCanCode

Here is my list of 5 Things We Have to Stop Pretending in education to #makeschooldifferent:

We have to stop pretending that…

1. Teachers can actually teach in ways described by the Classroom Learning Activity Rubric while preparing children for high stakes assessments. They can’t, and their failure makes technology embedding all the more difficult. A quick review of what is expected:
1. Active Learning: All students are authentically, and actively engaged in the learning process nearly all of the time, including the use of technology. 
2. Authentic Assessment: Task is effectively matched to learning outcomes, audience has been defined and selected to match learning outcomes, and reflects real-world application of learning.
3. Classroom Management: Teacher(s) is/are actively aware of what all students are doing, and interacting with students as they work (pushing their thinking). 
4. Cooperative Learning: All students work inter-dependently, clearly focused on achieving joint expectations, taking the initiative to innovate on assignment.
5. Differentiation: This takes place in the areas of content, process, and product.
6. Technology: Learning activities are “remix”ed and designed in ways that would not be possible to accomplish without technology.     
2. The Oasis of Teachers Twittering Transformatively is changing schools; it’s not and we are wasting our efforts on proselytizing the power of social media to transform schools structures and systems. Instead, we need to focus on “old time” integration efforts that can, and let loose of Web 2.0 fads and useless app acquisition frenzies.
3. Schools today are setup for collaboration, both for teachers and students. Although technology facilitates collaboration, collaboration remains an irrelevant add-on to high stakes testing. What hypocrisy that we preach collaboration but then require our children to solve problems alone on a test. We need to embrace collaboration as a way of learning together, working together for productivity and information problem-solving.
4. The latest book on leadership, transformation, Web 2.0, grading practices will reform an education system. In truth, those timid, half-hearted reforms grasped at like straws in the midst of a barn whose doors are locked, with legislators setting it on a gas-powered fire so they can rebuild it in their own profit-driven false image will yield nothing.
5. Curriculum leaders and technologists will magically collaborate to transform classrooms when item #1 on this list hasn’t happened yet. 

Throw these 5 pretences at change away. Instead, embrace the power that lies within you to set yourself on fire…

• Share your passion.
• Keep moving forward.
• Be joyful.
• Be grateful.
• Be satisfied with intrinsic rewards.

Reflecting on this blog entry: This entry didn’t come out as well as i’d hoped. The first part sounds quite bitter, and the second part is…uninspiring. Oh well.

Update: You are encouraged to listen to Today in Digital Education (TIDE), a creation of Doug Belshaw and Dai Barnes, that make certain remarks about this blog entry.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

MyNotes: How Incoming CIOs Can Hit the Ground Running

One of my favorite songs as a young man was Harry Chapin’s Cats in a Cradle. When I first heard this song, before my children were born, I couldn’t help but scoff at the song. “What? Are you serious? Hanging out with a baby and young children is easy!”

As I grew older, sank my teeth into my career, I found it easy to keep working in the evenings, as my children danced around for attention. Now, when I listen to Cats in a Cradle, I can’t help but feel a bit of fool for the young man I was, who scoffed at the father in the song who couldn’t make time for his children.

There are many things we have to make time for in life, and if you’re in a leadership position, you have to make time for the items in this list on How Incoming CIOs Can hit the Ground Running. Ironically, you can start over every day fresh and build relationships.

MyNotes: How Incoming CIOs Can Hit the Ground Running

1. Get out of your office, meet your department heads and build strong relationships. Make sure the team sees IT as a key part of the administration.
2. Support a culture of innovation and strategic thinking, balanced with maintaining IT operations.

   You will not survive if your customer’s IT systems are frequently disrupted or ineffective.

3. Consolidate to control costs.
1. Identify standards, reduce the number of software technologies and you lower cost
2. Set standard procurement processes in place.
4. Build a strong staff and be bold.
1. Find the best staff you can afford.
2. Make decisions.
3. Lead by example.
5. Learn boss’ priorities and find out how you will be evaluated.
6. Community engagement: Connect with the Chamber of Commerce, as well as other community leaders.

Just like in one’s own life, it’s one thing to say you’ll spend time with your children…another to actually do it consistently. The same goes for this list.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Exploring My Leadership Style from an Introvert’s Perspective (Updated)

When I read Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, I felt validated in being an introvert surrounded by extroverts. All my life, I’ve felt the push to conform, to be more extrovert…and, Susan’s book helped me accept who I am, who I’ve always been, and who I can be in the future. Other introverts with whom I’ve shared the ideas in Cain’s book also are gifted with flashes of insight into their lives.

It also helped me appreciate “the talkers” I work with, the extroverts who can’t seem to “shut up” about whatever they are trying to say. Of course, I came to realize that they perceive me in the same way–they talk too much, while I write too much.

We…see talkers as leaders. The more a person talks, the more other group members direct their attention to him, which means that he becomes increasingly powerful as a meeting goes on. It also helps to speak fast; we rate quick talkers as more capable and appealing than slow talkers.
All of this would be fine if more talking were correlated with greater insight, but research suggests that there’s no such link.

But what does this mean in terms of who I am as a leader? I’ve been told that I’m too quiet in meetings. There are so many people who want to talk, while I look for pauses in the conversation, for a silence that will allow me to share that one insight others have expressed. I often identified with the Quakers, who waited for an idea to set them quaking until they broke the silence of their meeting.

In this research study, what a joy to read the following, Introverts, Extroverts, and the Complexities of Team Dynamics:

Extroverts gravitate toward groups and constant action, and they tend to think out loud. They are energized and recharged by external stimuli, such as personal interactions, social gatherings, and shared ideas. Being around other people gives them energy. In contrast, introverts typically dislike noise, interruptions, and big group settings. They instead tend to prefer quiet solitude, time to think before speaking (or acting), and building relationships and trust one-on-one. Introverts recharge with reflection, deep dives into their inner landscape to research ideas, and focus deeply on work.

In my own observations of people who’ve completed Myers-Brigg personality tests, yes, this is so true. Consider these additional findings about leaders:

The intuition here is that extroverted leadership may drive higher performance when employees are passive but lower performance when employees are proactive. 

Take-Away #1: If you are an extrovert in a leadership position, it’s best if you have “followers” who will do what you say.

Team leaders who are extroverted can be highly effective leaders when the members of their team are dutiful followers looking for guidance from above. Extroverts bring the vision, assertiveness, energy, and networks necessary to give them direction.

Take-Away #2: If you are an introvert in a leadership position, it’s best to have “extroverts” who you can empower to speak up.

By contrast, when team members are proactive — and take the initiative to introduce changes, champion new visions, and promote better strategies — it is introverted leaders who have the advantage. Extroverted leaders are more likely to feel threatened, I’ve found. When employees champion new visions, strategies, and work processes, they often steal the spotlight, challenging leaders’ dominance, authority, and status. As a result, extroverted leaders tend to be less receptive: They shoot down suggestions and discourage employees from contributing. By comparison, an introverted leader might be comfortable listening and carefully considering suggestions from below. 

What I like about this information is that there is a need for balance in a team. As an introvert leader, it’s important to not be defensive when team members bring up great ideas. As an introvert follower, I would love to participate in a meeting that worked something like this:

How can you get the best from deep, quiet team members during meetings? A look at practices used in some organizations points to an answer. At Amazon, every meeting begins in total silence. Before any conversation can occur, everyone must quietly read a six-page memo about the meeting’s agenda for 20 to 30 minutes. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos instituted this process after recognizing that employees rarely read meeting materials sent in advance. Reading together focuses everyone’s attention on the issues at hand.

The type of clear thinking that these structured memos require also serves the purpose of leveling the playing field for team members who differ in their level of introversion and extroversion. The imposition of writing as a medium turns self-discipline and personal reflection into effective meetings and participative decision making. After devoting time to reading, the group can then focus on engaging in a valuable discourse: reaching shared understandings, digging deeper into data and insights, and perhaps most importantly, having a meaningful debate. 

The process gives introverted team members the time they need to formulate their thoughts and, for some, build up the courage to share them with the rest of the team. It also encourages the extroverted to listen, reflect, and become more open to the perspectives of their more silent peers.

According to this site, the “six-page memo” is structured in the following way:

1) the context or question.2) approaches to answer the question – by whom, by which method, and their conclusions3) how is your attempt at answering the question different or the same from previous approaches4) now what? – that is, what’s in it for the customer, the company, and how does the answer to the question enable innovation on behalf of the customer?

When I reflect on my own approach to meetings, I can’t help but notice that I DO write a narrative in the form of an email, plan out the agenda methodically and try to get it out to people ahead of time, but only a few will read it. It may be worthwhile to try this approach to meetings.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

CTO Wannabee Questions – 5 Unexpected Additions @blueskunkblog @ndmielke

Image Source: http://goo.gl/QfAegK

A few days ago, I sent out an email to my friends, all brilliant CTOs, hoping for their distilled wisdom to a question that I thought amazingly valuable:

What are THE top 5 or 10 questions you would ask a candidate and/or know answer to in a CTO job interview?

My hope was that I could update my CTOWannabe Interview Questions. Here are 10 of my favorites from that list:

1. What is it that you monitor or assess to determine your effectiveness in the organization?
2. What are your top 3 priorities for what you must do well in the first 100 days of this position to be an effective leader?
3. Please describe an issue in the past 12 months that has tested your ethical being?
4. Describe yourself in the context of being a reflective leader.
5. Describe how you see “technology” in the broader context of the school’s core mission of teaching and learning
6. What accomplishments are you most proud of and why?
7. How do you stay current with technology issues, apps, innovations? How do you stay current with educational research, reforms, etc.?
8. How would you direct/handle/deploy a new district wide initiative?
9. Discuss how frequently and how comfortable you would be asking, “How can I help? What can I do?”
10. How do you balance providing the electronic resources needed for the classroom environment while securing the network and related technology that you are responsible for?

Unfortunately, in response to my query, my friends and colleagues, jokingly gave me more wisdom than I was prepared to handle.  Given those questions, I’ve decided to try to respond to them seriously, even though they may have intended them as a joke.  While I did get some serious questions, like the ones below, I decided to take a shot at the zany ones featured in this blog entry. For now, here are the sane questions contributed by Nathan Mielke (@ndmielke):

• Have you built a career pitching a product/platform or have you worked to build systems that support learning? If you pitch a product/platform, why?
• Have you been to Mountain View or Cupertino? If so, how many times and what did you learn/share with others?
• Were you a business ed teacher? If so, are you over “kids need to know how to use Word to work in a business?”
• Can you spell TCP/IP?

What would your responses be to these zany questions–contributors include Doug “Blue Skunk” Johnson (MN) and Mark Gabehart (TX)–below?

1) Are you a masochist?
“Did you know that he installed video cameras in the ceiling above the women’s restroom stalls?” gossiped a secretary. I had just arrived in the school district to facilitate a workshop and this was her way of introducing me to the school district. Of course, she was referring to the technology director, for who else had the knowledge to setup video cameras?

The word “masochist” is one I’ve carefully avoided researching for the simple reason that it appeared to have sexual overtones, and as such, not worth investigating since I am an educator. Since my esteemed colleague suggested this question, I am, with some trepidation, looking up the word:

enjoyment of pain : pleasure that someone gets from being abused or hurt; especially : sexual enjoyment from being hurt or punished

But it is an important bit of wisdom to consider. Obviously, human beings shouldn’t–and an educator cannot, and it’s against the law!–derive any pleasure from others being abused or hurt, or how “sex” might play out in school setting. Consider the cautionary tale of the CTO who would gently caress the back of a female staff member while meeting with her. Sexual harassment NEVER is acceptable. These situations play out in the news every few months, unfortunately.

Of course, this question would never be asked during a CTO job interview. But there are valuable lessons here that any CTO would be wise to heed.

• Are you willing to endure the pain of leadership to get things done? There can be emotional pain and turmoil resulting from being a leader or being in a management position. I do not believe that leadership is possible without the kind of self-reflection that leads to growth…as one colleague put it, “Remember, you signed up for this!” Still, that can be cold comfort in the midst. That’s why it’s important to reach out to others, build a PLN of leaders. 

• “No pain, no gain” is a reminder I take to heart when exercising. Pain signals that growth is occurring (or that you’re doing things wrong). Figuring out which is a reflective process that must involve those pesky 360 degree surveys, or at least, the ability to ask others, “Am I nuts or what?”

Masochism for the CTO is learning to step into painful situations, have tough conversations and confrontations, even when you know it will be painful. It means working hard to NOT be pain-averse because, as anyone in a leadership position knows, our first instinct is to back away from pain.

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Image Source: http://goo.gl/kj15Bc

) Can you turn water into wine and sows’ ears into silk purses?
“We just need you to setup the district’s network, run our phone system, and show everyone how to use technology in the classroom?” There is no doubt that CTOs are expected to be miracle-workers.  But what happens when you can’t afford to pay for miracle-workers, and instead have to make do?

“Home-grown” techs often make great additions to a tech team. I still remember the fondness that two fellow technology directors had for high school students that had grown up “techie” and decided to stay in the school district, either with a degree or not.

“Sow’s ears” clearly doesn’t refer to these folks, but rather, individuals that can be found in any organization who must be helped to work together. I take a particular delight in recent events with the Security Service, the new director being excoriated because he needed to change the culture now…his approach was to build trust and strong relationships with people that now Congress wants to terminate:

“Dude, you don’t have to earn their trust. You’re their boss. They’re supposed to earn your trust,” Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told Director Joseph Clancy.
Stewart was responding to Clancy — trying to explain why the Secret Service has been caught up in a series of controversies and security incidents — saying it will “take time” to change the culture and he, as director, needs to “build trust” with the workforce. 

Source: FoxNews 3/17/2015 

The phrase, “Turn sows’ ears into silk purses” is particularly relevant for CTOs in small districts where they must depend on staff that lack the professional certifications and/or degrees required in larger organizations. This means finding ways to setup learning situations for staff who may not typically rely on “conventional” learning opportunities, such as university studies. It may mean finding self-paced, just-in-time training opportunities…as well as expensive training that is wholly relevant–which is key for these adult learners who provide service–to to their work.

Sow’s ears into silk purses goes to the heart of being a transformational leader. And, unlike what we might imagine from watching fairy tale movies, it doesn’t happen in an hour or with a thunderclap. Rather, it is a slow, plodding process that empower people to move ahead one deliberate step at a time. That takes time. Unless you’re Miracle Max, you have to nurture those around you.

3) Can you provide tech support to your spouse without losing your patience?
“Honey,” my wife woke me up at 5:00am, 30 minutes ahead of my alarm clock. “Can you help me print this out? I can’t get it to work!” Boy, was I hot about that awakening. I had stayed up a little later past my bedtime, while my wife dropped off to sleep a little earlier. Why couldn’t she have asked me for help the night before? I would have pointed this out to her, but it wouldn’t necessarily have done any good–we’ve had the same situation happen throughout our marriage. She’s a morning person, while I’m a night owl. If I had lost my temper, what would it have gained at that moment? I resolved to have a crucial conversation at a time that we were both awake and on equal footing.

Crucial conversations are important, but trying to have them when offering just-in-time, much needed support is a waste of time. The person whom you are trying to have a conversation with doesn’t want to listen to why now isn’t a good time, and you have to ask yourself what you really want–to be perceived as the person who gets the job done in a time of need, or the person who is going to complain about it while doing it and get people mad at you?

Not surprisingly, I had a situation like this come up recently and I had to deal with it. One set of expectations had been communicated and agreed upon, but somehow, the project was now dependent on me getting things done quickly. I could dig in my heels and complain, or just get the work done, then have the crucial confrontation–since I was disappointed that the expectations had changed or not been met by the other party. Fortunately, the confrontation went well.

It’s too easy to lose one’s patience. Instead, I ask myself, What do I really want? and when it comes to technology work, it is the good of the organization that trumps all.

4) Mac or PC?
Mac or PC, the age-old debate of which device is the one-size-fits-all. Some of the reasons why folks often pick the PC include:

• Easy to maintain, reimage and support
• Easy to update and manage remotely using solutions like SCCM, PDQ Deploy, “FOG,” Clonezilla and others.
• Compatibility with Windows world, especially MS Office Suite, Visio, etc.

The Mac is often selected because it’s “ease-of-use” reputation, integrated video/audio and operating system. “Apple does it’s own thing,” I’ve heard it said (and said it myself), while PC can be managed easily and cost is lower.

Of course, you can make similar arguments between iPads and Chromebooks and Android devices. And, for fun, I have. The truth is we are no longer stuck with one-size-fits-all tools. Let’s enjoy the argument, but focus on the needs we are trying to serve.

Another important point is standardization. Should you standardize technology across a school district? I’ve often pointed out that you standardize some things (e.g. computer labs, library computers, laptop carts) to ensure equity and ease of support across the District in support of learning goals. However, you must also find a way to allow diversity and individuality. This point of view has been argued against quite frequently by my colleagues.

They argue for standardized technology in every classroom, from ceiling-mounted digital projectors or wall-mounted television screens, the type of operating system on computers/laptops/tablets. The ultimate in this was one district’s effort to run Windows OS on iPads they issued to every student and staff member, including custodians. Wow.

The problem with standardization is that a lot of people aren’t going to like what you pick. That’s why there has to be a committee of stakeholders, a group of people who are going to come together to make that decision…and, own it. Each community, each school district, will have a different take on it and the decision should reflect that. The importance of this can’t be under-stated–you can’t make that call as a technology director and expect things not to explode in your face.

5) What is your most embarrassing Facebook photo?
“I recommend you block everyone you work with so they can’t read or see what you’re doing,” shared a colleague a few years ago. I found myself disagreeing. In truth, you don’t want to put anything out ANYWHERE that couldn’t be shown on the evening news.

So, if by embarrassing Facebook photo, we’re referring to a picture that shows one in a situation where you’re drinking a margarita with a sombrero, you better not be doing so wearing the school district t-shirt featuring the District’s logo or mascot.

and, a bonus question,

6) Do eat Thai food?
“Let’s go out to lunch,” said one boss I worked with. He had a craving for Thai food and I learned that from him. I was a bit reluctant to go out to eat with my boss at the time; he was a workaholic and I knew lunch would be about work. And, I had this new book I wanted to read during lunch.

Believe it or not, I had never had Thai food until that day and I can’t imagine what would have happened if I wasn’t “open to new experiences.” As a CTO, you have to be open to new experiences that will change your perspective…and, perhaps more importantly, you have to find ways to create–or facilitate the joint creation–of experiences for those you work with.

Conclusion
There are many real questions that could be asked when interviewing for a CTO position. I’ve run into some pretty inventive ones, but I will have to share those at a future date. For now, I’m happy to say that I’m surprised at how insightful my friend’s questions were, even though I doubt I would ever encounter them in an interview panel’s list!

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Towards a #EdTechCoaching Model

Earlier this weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with a Texas school district–which I’ll call “Ardent ISD” for fun–that’s already put a “digital coaching model” into place. Approximately 3 years ago, Ardent ISD decided that Curriculum and Instructional Technology were working in separate silos. Their efforts at bridging the silos had not proven as successful as hoped. What to do?

At that time, Ardent ISD leadership decided to re-organize their department, streamlining the 16 Instructional Technology positions it had into 6 digital coaches. In some ways, this makes sense. There’s not enough funding to keep all curriculum and instructional tech specialists employed, but also, the truth may be that some staff may not want to embark on a digital coaching journey. This also involved the District’s Curriculum Department creating positions for 14 coaches that would work throughout the District.

The planners relied on ISTE’s Digital Coaching approach which highlights the following 6 standards:

1. Visionary leadership – “Technology coaches inspire and participate in the development and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformational change throughout the instructional environment.”
2. Teaching, learning and assessments – “Technology coaches assist teachers in using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant and engaging learning experiences for all students.” This is big section in the ISTE standards and covers quite a few things that coaches are expected to do.
3. Digital age learning environments – “Technology coaches create and support effective digital age learning environments to maximize the learning of all students.”
4. Professional development and program evaluation – “Technology coaches conduct needs assessments, develop technology-related professional learning programs, and evaluate the impact on instructional practice and student learning.”
5. Digital citizenship – “Technology coaches model and promote digital citizenship.”
6. Content knowledge and professional growth – “Technology coaches demonstrate professional knowledge, skills and dispositions in content, pedagogical, and technological areas as well as adult learning and leadership and are continuously deepening their knowledge and expertise.

Based on feedback from Ardent ISD’s technology executive director, there was still a need to have someone at each campus who could provide support for devices…essentially, how-to rather than pedagogy. For many instructional technologists who started out as “how-to” folks, this is a sobering realization. Funding was set aside for campus technicians, essentially paraprofessional staff, to do this work with device support. That’s important given the total number of mobile devices pouring into schools.

If one key concept was switching to digital coaches, another was a joint commitment between Curriculum (boasting technology-enhanced coaches for curriculum and technology) and Technology (purely technical now without instructional technology) to embrace the “digital classroom” concept. This means that every classroom embraces culture change represented by every student having a device. Students are not allowed to take devices home, but they always have one available to them in the classroom. “Teachers,” reported the tech director, “said that this was a game-changer…it fundamentally changed the culture of the classroom.”

In regards to infrastructure, putting a wireless access point–perhaps, even more than 1–has shown itself to be necessary prior to deploying devices. A final component – the Technology Department maintained a Software Specialist position, essentially 6 staff who focus on “how to use apps” like Google, digital video distribution systems, district electronic gradebook, and develop video type trainings.

“If no mistake have you made, yet losing you are … a different game you should play.”

–Yoda, Star Wars

EdTechCoaching Model
So, in studying Ardent ISD’s approaches, the EdTechCoaching Model for a school district includes:

1. Adoption of a district-wide technology focus or strategy that says something like this: “We will blend technology, including student mobile wireless computing devices, into every aspect of the student academic experience to accomplish the Ardent ISD mission and strategic goals and objectives.”
1. ¿Qué significa? Nuestros estudiantes tienen Chromebooks o iPads para usar todos los días para aprender. Tenemos los recursos de un salón tipico pero los niños pueden usar otras tecnologias también. Los estudiantes van a investigar, resolver problemas y crear usando sus útiles nuevos.
2. What does this mean? Our students will each have Chromebooks and iPads available to them as a learning tool in the classroom everyday. They will still have access to all resources previously used in the classroom with the extra bonus of technology. Students will research, problem solve, and create using their new learning tools.
2. Transitioning from Instructional Technology Specialists to Digital Coaches housed in Curriculum
3. A commitment to a vision of a “digital classroom.” In these classrooms, the following is true:
1. students utilize digital tools necessary to approach learning in a whole new way.
2. every student is issued a Chromebook to use in class (the devices stay at school) to use while in class.
3. students will each have their own Google email address and Drive storage space to facilitate collaboration.
4. teachers employ Google Classroom (e.g. GoogleApps) to manage learning activities
5. teachers employ project-based learning and flipped learning approaches
6. collaboration, critical thinking and communication are key expectations for teachers and students
7. teachers and students practice digital citizenship while using social media tools (e.g. Twitter) to communicate about academic topics
4. Campus technicians who provide device support
5. Software Specialists who provide how-to support on core district systems but not “technology integration into curriculum.”

Digital Coaches adopt the following model:

(

Source: Alaniz, K. & Wilson, D. new book, Naturalizing Digital Immigrants)

1. Coaching Model for Technology Integration
2. 1. Establish the need.
   2. 1. Is this a goal shared by only certain members of the administration and faculty or is this something that every school leader earnestly desires? Is the school community seemingly open to change and innovation, or are there those among the administration and faculty that unreservedly (and even loudly) oppose such transformation?
      2. When involved in collegial coaching for technology integration, once the teachers to be coached were identified, the coaches planned to individually meet with these teachers for an initial diagnostic interview. During the interviews, the coaches guided the teachers in exploring their fears, hesitations, insecurities, and overarching goals.
      3. One requirement for coaches was supporting each of their 3 coached teachers through the process of implementing at least 3 new tools.
   3. Create Partnerships.
   4. 1. “We started with what they did in the past, and then talked about how we could tweak their already great lesson or unit to include technology to either deliver content or allow students to demonstrate their learning.”
      2. “Frame conversations with ‘We are learning together!’”
   5. Differentiated Technology Projects
   6. 1. Coaches and coached teachers should consider questions such as:
      2. 1. Can this project be completed within a reasonable amount of time?
         2. If not, can this project be divided into smaller, more manageable components?
         3. Once completed, can this project realistically be incorporated into the coached teacher’s professional activities?
      3. When beginning the coaching process with a teacher inexperienced in technology integration, coaches should first focus on goals related to personal productivity.
      4. As an initial integration piece, coaches should seek to focus upon a project that can be accomplished somewhat easily and within a relatively short amount of time. This will assist coached teachers in quickly realizing the benefits of technology integration, and it will most likely provide them with a boost of confidence and increased motivation to take on more challenging projects.
      5. Once coached teachers have achieved small successes, coaches can play an integral role in helping them transition from teacher-centered to student-centered technology use:
      6. 1. “Content is king!”
         2. Focusing on content provides greater purpose and meaning behind the integration process.
         3. Utilize modeling whenever possible.
   7. Assess the Progress
   8. 1. Coaches need to ask these essential questions:
      2. 1. Am I teaching what I intended to teach?
         2. Is my coach achieving the goals and completing the projects upon which we agreed to focus?
         3. Is there a better way to teach this concept, thereby promoting higher achievement by students or more effective integration of technology?
   9. Reflect on the Integration
   10. 1. Reflection “converts action that is merely appetitive, blind and impulsive into intelligent action” (Dewey, 1933).
       2. Questions to ponder:
       3. 1. What parts of this experience went well?
          2. What did not happen as intended?
          3. What should be tried next?
          4. What changes need to be made to the situation?
       4. Questions regarding student learning:
       5. 1. What did the students learn from this activity?
          2. Did they learn any more or less than they have in the past without technology integration?
          3. Was the best tool applied in this particular circumstance and setting?
          4. What should be adapted for next time?
          5. What was the best part about this integration piece?
          6. What was the most challenging element of this integration piece?
          7. How might this same tool/application be applied to another unit/lesson?
          8. Did the students demonstrate higher levels of thinking?
          9. Did the students achieve the levels of knowledge and comprehension required?
          10. Were there any changes in student motivation?

More Information appears below:

Letter to Parents from a Teacher who has embraced the Digital Classroom
(modified to protect District’s and teacher’s identity)

Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s), 

While all of the teachers in our community’s schools utilize technology in their instruction, there is a privileged group of educators in the Ardent ISD who have been selected to participate in a groundbreaking “digital classroom” program.  

I am pleased to share that I am entering my first year as a member of this pioneering initiative. This is an exciting opportunity that will provide my students with the digital tools necessary to experience learning in a more engaging and innovative way. My participation in Ardent ISD’s digital classroom program will not change the content and learning objectives of my courses. However, it will change the manner in which students access information and construct meaning in my classes. Each of my learners will now have a Google Chromebook to use daily in class.  

My learners will be using this digital tool to access various websites and Google applications that will aid their achievement of our learning goals. We will rely less on print resources, such as textbooks and worksheets, and the work your student produces will often be in an electronic format. In an effort to provide you with as much information as possible, I included a list of websites and applications that we will be using throughout the school year on my Technology User Agreement portion of my course syllabus.  

I have also posted a more detailed and comprehensive list of our potential learning sources on my website. I encourage you to look over this information with your child to gain a more complete understanding of the ways in which learners will be engaged in my classroom this year. 

My commitment to you and your student is that I will utilize all of these digital tools to enhance the effectiveness of my instruction. As it has been in the past, my ultimate goal is equip all of my learners with the skills necessary for success in the 21st Century. I truly appreciate your patience, flexibility, and support as I continue to work with our district leaders in this transition from a traditional classroom to a digital one.  

If you have any questions or concerns about this or any other issue related to your child’s progress and/or participation in my digital classroom, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with you and your student as we travel on the exciting path towards digital citizenship. 

Another Letter to Parents about Digital Classroom

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year. For the past three years, I have been one of the many digital classrooms throughout our district.  This year, our campus will move to a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) campus which mean your student is encouraged to bring their own electronic device for class (Please see acceptable devices in the Student Handbook).  Additionally, my classroom utilizes the Flipped Classroom and Problem/Project Based Learning methods.   

1)   What is a Digital Classroom?
A Digital Classroom is one in which students have access to, and are expected to utilize, iPads, tablets, or laptops (cell phones are not considered a digital device for the classroom) as a means of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creating course work. Almost every aspect of our course will utilize and require technology usage. The Digital Classroom is part of Ardent ISD’s strategic plan.

2)   What are Problem/Project Based Learning (PBL) and 21st Century Skills?
In our digital classroom, we will be utilizing PBL, as well as other strategies, in order to teach content and reinforce the 21st Century Skills every students needs. “In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Rigorous projects help students learn key academic content and practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration, communication & critical thinking)” (http://www.bie.org/). I encourage you to visit the Buck Institute at the previously noted website for more information.

3) What is a Flipped Classroom?
A Flipped Classroom is a reversed teaching model that delivers instruction at home through interactive, teacher-created videos and moves “homework” to the classroom. Moving lectures outside of the classroom allows teachers to spend more 1:1 time with each student. Students have the opportunity to ask questions and work through problems with the guidance of their teachers and the support of their peers – creating a collaborative learning environment.  To learn more about the Flipped Classroom, please visit http://flippedlearning.org/FLN

4)   Will my child need access to technology at home?
While your child may have access to technology at school (I will have 8 iPads and 8 Macbooks in class for use),  all Ardent ISD technology will remain in the classroom for classroom use. We also have three computer labs available for student use. While there will be homework assigned, students who do not have access to technology at home can utilize one of the three computer labs to complete assignments during stretch or after school. Students are also welcome to come to my room before school to work on course assignments.  For students without Internet access, a flashdrive or DVD with flipped classroom assignments may be provided.

5)   How will my child be graded?
All students will be graded based on content specific criteria in addition to 21st Century Skills, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, digital literacy, etc. Please refer to the class procedures for more details.

6) What I need from you, the parent: (This is very important, please read it thoroughly)

As a member of a digital classroom, your child will be utilizing many applications, as well as free Internet based programs. I will not be responsible for maintaining passwords or usernames for any of your child’s accounts.  We do not want students using their full name on any Internet account and it is impossible for me to determine student names from “nicknames” on accounts.  Therefore, please use your child’s first name and the first two letters of their last name when establishing accounts.

7) Digital Responsible Use Policy

In addition to the Digital Acceptable Use Policy provided in the Student Handbook, as a campus, this Digital Responsible Use Policy was issued during registration:

As our campus moves toward fulfilling Ardent ISD’s Strategic Plan, GoogleClassroom will serve as the campus communication network between administration, teachers, students and parents.   GoogleClassroom is a free and secure social learning network for teachers, students and schools.  It provides a safe and easy way for us to connect, share content and access homework, grades and school notices. Along with this opportunity comes responsibility.

School Responsibility
 As per Ardent ISD policies, Internet safety education is included as part of introducing new technologies and Digital Citizenship.  Teacher supervision, school filters, and spot-checking student accounts will be used to ensure the student’s use of digital tools follows school/district policies and good on-line etiquette.

Student and Parent Responsibility
Students agree to use digital tools for school related purposes and agree to follow Ardent ISD responsible use policies as outline in the Student Handbook and/or digital responsible use policies issued by digital classroom teachers.  Students also agree to follow parent/guardian guidelines for use of digital tools in and out of school.  Parents agree to monitor Internet use outside of school and ensure their student follows the Ardent ISD responsible use policies outlined in the Student Handbook.  Students and parents must maintain their own usernames and passwords.  The school and/or teacher will not maintain a list of usernames and passwords.
Please visit the Classroom Policies and Procedures page and utilize the two Google Doc links at the end to indicate you and your student have read and understand the Digital Classroom Policies.

Disclaimer: Ardent ISD is a fake school district I made up when discussing BYOT/BYOD Case Study. I like to imbue it with all the possible best practices (and worst ones) for the purposes of ideation and reflection. Have fun with it.

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Across the Gulf – Remembering Technology Integration

What is the core, fundamental experience of instructional technology? As I reflect on my years of experience, I’m trying to take a trip down memory lane, back to what helping another educator was like. I’m reaching for that root experience because I feel that something has been lost over the years. And, with my focus having been more on communication and infrastructure, I have achieved some professional distance.

Image Source: http://goo.gl/riL2O4

As a campus technology coordinator in the Mt. Pleasant ISD, but also a teacher, I always remember working side-by-side with other teachers in my grade level. Just as they shared their lesson plans with me, ideas for new learning activities in the classroom, I slowly started sharing what I was already doing in my classroom–helping students use technology to reach a deeper understanding of content.

For example, I remember my first projects with third grade to sixth grade students:

• Students used The Graph Club to create graphs based on a “paper” spreadsheet they had made, measuring the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates. 
• Students used HyperStudio to create multimedia, hyperlinked slideshows about the solar system. They introduced graphics, pictures of themselves, audio narration in English and Spanish.
• PBL (project-based learning activity) to explore complex subject like apartheid in South Africa.

I often ask myself, What was the level of technology integration of these activities? If I had to evaluate the LOTI level of the graphing activity, I’d label it as a Level 3-Infusion. Or, if we’re using SAMR, probably augmentation. 

These days, I often find that we focus on the tech, the tool, the app, and what you can do. It’s easier to focus on that. But I continue to long for the kinds of activities that require more of me as a learner and learning facilitator, that hearken back across the gulf of years to that time when it was about the learning objectives, and how to use tech to dig deeper.

But it’s not just about that…it’s also about encouraging others to use technology as a natural, routine, regular part of their teaching…and for students to embrace it as a part of their learning. In chatting with a colleague in Texas, he said something profound–until students had regular, daily access to technology, the culture of the classroom didn’t change. When they did have the access, that’s when the culture changed.

Of course, classroom culture has to connect to a district culture that’s equally committed to shifting instruction. To that end, my colleague described a district that did the following a few years ago:

1. moved its instructional technology specialists into the role of digital coaches
2. focused on digital classroom initiative that built on instructional leaders in schools and
3. embedded technology in the curriculum goals and approaches communicated to everyone.

Culture change, side-by-side coaching, and access to technology. It’s clear some districts have found the formula, not because of star player in leadership, but because of a team committed together to achieve and empower others.

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Be Open to New Possibilities: Focus on Your Strengths

Image Source: Tweet via @tinacpa

Heading for greener pastures seems the cowardly way out. After all, if you aren’t happy with where you are, improve it! Bloom where you are planted, as my teenage spiritual mentor said to me.

Aside: Unfortunately, her life story took a tragic turn so truism about making sure you are following your own best advice rather than advice designed for another should be kept in mind!

That “Bloom where planted” attitude defined me in the past, but as my wife has often said to me, “Life is too short!” It’s career advice well-worth listening to, especially when it’s supported by folks like Dr. Scott McLeod.

Sometimes, metaphorically speaking, “grass” doesn’t get greener, no matter how much you water it because the environment isn’t ready for change. As another friend put it to me, “You have 3 to 5 years to make a difference before petty conflicts, inaccurate perceptions, the system push back.” His wisdom, invoking Law #2 of Peter Senge’s 11 laws of The Fifth Discipline, certainly flowed from his life experiences, which have carried him close to retirement.

I’d like to suggest that there is another way to frame this situation. This paraphrase of a popular quote comes via @JustinTarte:

Are you willing to do something you’ve never done before to accomplish something you’ve never before accomplished? Make the commitment… via JustinTarte 

One of the easiest ways to accomplish what you haven’t done before is to do NEW things. Technologists have the best opportunity to accomplish this, don’t they?

As I look at my list of accomplishments in the context of the organizations I’ve worked with–which I had the opportunity to do recently as I updated my ePortfolio and “polished my resume”–I ask myself, “Have I done this before?” I ask other people, too.
“Have you done this or seen this done here?” The response tells me what the probability of success is.

For example, if your educational organization has already passed out a laptop to every teacher, and many teachers destroyed the laptop or damaged it, then the organization probably won’t want to do that again without serious reflection on what went right and wrong…and probably a significant change in personnel (a la “wiping institutional memory”).

Having moved from one district to another over several years, I’ve definitely seen that the grass isn’t always greener in the new spot. But each opportunity does allow one to learn new things, practice new ways of acting that might not be possible in the last location you were at. After all, every human being is unique…the “PLNs” or “networks” we build are as unique as the people in them. If you don’t fit in one network, then move on to another. Fear, uncertainty and doubt are barriers to growth…they can also serve as fuel to be better, as a source of reflection that moves you forward.

For reflection purposes, I ask myself a few simple questions:

1. What did I do right?
2. What could I have done better or not done at all?
3. What could I do in the future to improve achieving the organization’s goals and mission?

And, I also have to forgive myself. We all do our best “in the moment.” No matter how well-prepared I am, I know that I will certainly fail at something. It’s a perspective that keeps me grounded at appraisal time, but also helps me cultivate a learner’s attitude…no matter how old or wise or savvy, I can learn from new experiences.

I still remember the advice Dr. Scott McLeod gave me (paraphrased because I can’t remember it verbatim) so many years ago–when you’re in a spot where nothing you do is making a difference, it’s time to move on.

Over the years, I have found that “polishing my resume” liberates my mind, helps me re-connect with the person I want to be rather than the person I have failed to be. It’s an energizing process, and one I recommend to others–when you find yourself focusing on failure, make a list of what you’re good at.

“Talking about your positive goals activates brain centers that open you up to new possibilities. But if you change the conversation to what you should do to fix yourself, it closes you down,” says Richard Boyatzis, a psychologist at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve.Boyatzis argues that focusing on our strengths positions us to be open to new opportunities.Source: Daniel Goleman, Why Self-Improvement Begins with Self-Reflection

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Evolved to Cooperate: EdTech in Schools (Updated)

Note: Did you know I am running for Vice-President/President-Elect for the TCEA TEC-SIG? I hope you’ll vote for me if you are a TEC-SIG member! If you are not, I hope you’ll join TCEA and TEC-SIG!

Special Thanks to TexasISD.com for sharing this article with Texas educators and leaders!

Introduction
As I’ve shared over the last few years, the challenges Instructional Technology specialists face are legion. In this article, I explore the past and present, as well as suggest a way ahead. Before we explore how these positions can be re-tailored for the ever-changing present and future as curriculum coaches, let’s take a moment to look back and see how the position has evolved. 

Image Source: http://goo.gl/j3oe7X

A PEEK AT THE PAST

As a campus technology coordinator, as well as a full-time teacher, I always found myself in the envious role of being on the “cutting edge” of technology use. In my classroom, students employed technology–a routine act of engagement that stimulated their inner motivation to tinker–to construct, to create, to make. We continue to see this fundamental desire to create with technology in schools and in the world around us. It is, I believe, a primal need we have as tool-makers and tool-users to work alone or in collaboration with others in our social networks.

Technology connects us in simple, powerful ways that make cooperation/collaboration a learning imperative. We resist those technologies in schools, that cooperation that humans are wired for at our peril. 

…animals, and humans for that matter, benefit from being social. And if that’s true…there should be evolutionary evidence to back it up. And there is.

“There are two areas of the primate and human brain that are stimulated when we cooperate. We’ve evolved to get pleasure from cooperation,” he [Dr. Robert Sussman] said.

The hormones serotonin and oxytocin also play a role in social recognition and trust. (Read more of Primates Evolved to be Social, Not Aggressive)

Putting curriculum specialists in one silo, instructional technology in another, making it difficult for them to cooperate to achieve shared goals of improved, effective teaching, learning and leading is a recipe for failure. We do that each time we say, “John will work with you on the curriculum, while Jeanne will help you with the technology.” 

EVOLVED TO BE SOCIAL

Our human desire to connect is critically important, a point well-made by the originator/creator of SAMR,  Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura (Twitter: @rubenrp ). You can get some insights–quite profound–online in this presentation on Technology in Education: The First 200,000 Years (http://goo.gl/8oXPY). I found 6 minutes and 20 seconds forward to be engaging about the value of gossip, social networking, and what happens when organizations try to control our use of social media/networking tools. 

Mobile learning, tool-making and being social are part of who we are as human beings. The idea that these things can only be accomplished by only some people is nonsense:

…people are dumbfounded by big metal birds in the sky, so some are perplexed by devices. Only once such nonsense is over will we understand that this new fangled stuff is an enabler of education, not a killer of teachers. 

Source: Is Education Technology frivolous? via Daily Genius

Yet, school systems have embraced the nonsense as a way of working. In the past–3 of the most dangerous words anyone committed to school improvement can use–Instructional Technology Specialist positions were setup to facilitate teaching, learning and leading with technology. They were to do that by serving as “guides on the side.” Side-by-side, peer tutoring could make teaching with technology a reality.

Unfortunately, this approach required a few things that school systems could seldom put into place without any degree of certainty:

• A desire in all teachers to learn and teach differently than the way they had been taught.
• A commitment to adopt an attitude–which some perceive as uncomfortable, akin to relying on others to help when you can’t help yourself–that says, “It’s OK to rely on someone else to help me better transform teaching and learning.” This is a problem with the culture of schools, and, as such, can be improved.
• A systemic culture that allowed for experimentation with teaching & technology and fostered reflection and change.
• Easy access to technology tools and resources in sufficient quantity, and the….
• Professional learning needed to make it routine, rather than an instructional event that takes place every Friday.

MAGIC FAIRY DUST

“How can using technology in class,” asked one area superintendent in a large school district, “raise scores on math and science assessments by 10 points?”  (Yes this was an actual conversation that included the phrase, “magic fairy dust,” no kidding!) .

The implication was obvious–we shouldn’t waste time on technology integration efforts unless we could guarantee student performance in math and science. This attitude endures, especially in high stakes environments. 

This perspective serves as “soft” proof that technology use is an after-thought, something curriculum departments exclude rather than include in their planning, professional learning efforts.

No doubt, there are studies that explore the various factors as to why technology integration has failed in schools..about “the myth of no significant difference:”

Students learn from using the tools of the profession…Students learn from applying what they know to solve a new problem, such as might occur in a simulation. Students learn through self-expression­—whether text, audio, video, or images. Technology can make these learning opportunities more readily accessible and more flexible to accommodate the schedules of busy students—and faculty….

The truth is, in some classrooms (except perhaps, STEM/STEAM, CATE for tool-centric, not technology integration use) technology is seldom used in solving real problems or simulations. Technology remains an instructional event, something that happens when time allows. In those situations, technology can be used for self-expression.

Whether you blame it on high stakes testing and the pressures of accountability that strip away all but what is needed to succeed, educators in public schools usually fail to take full advantage of instructional technology specialists.

Instead, technology in schools becomes a race for people to try out new technologies or new apps, or whatever the latest fad is. This happens in spite of developing competencies in differentiation of process and product, project-based learning, as well as problem-based learning. 

In short, we enjoy trying new things but seldom do we fully see those new things making a change in how we approach teaching, learning and leading. We need to fundamentally change how Instructional Technology works in schools. We throw the best of ourselves away when we concentrate our strength in people that we lock ourselves away from as Curriculum & Instruction teams.

SHED FAILURE, REACH FOR THE FUTURE

If Instructional Technology as we’ve done it in the past has failed, how can we do it better? If we haven’t arrived yet, what will it take to get to the target destination?

The answer may raise your blood pressure (it does mine): Probably by discarding the positions of instructional technology and curriculum specialist altogether, and instead re-conceptualizing these roles. 

Whenever I mention this, I shock my colleagues in Instructional Technology, and perhaps get incredulous looks from curriculum folks.

OUR JOB IS TO MAKE OURSELVES
PROGRESSIVELY UNNECESSARY

“Wait,” said one colleague and friend, “are you saying we don’t need instructional technologists anymore?”

“No,” I reply, “it’s not that we don’t need instructional technologists, but rather, that we need curriculum specialists to adopt instructional technology approaches as part of what they do. And, Instructional Technologists need to revisit their curriculum roots. . .if they can.”

A friend asked me an insightful question–“Do you think Instructional Technologists have the necessary skill-sets to be curriculum and data-driven support for teachers? And, conversely, do you think that curriculum specialists can learn the technology skills and strategies they will need?” 

Those are tough questions. These conversations imply that no one person can be both a curriculum AND technologist. That is not true. What IS true is that we have allowed our curriculum specialists to divorce technology from everything they do, and enabled technologists to play with tech to the point of irrelevance.

DIVORCE IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

My response isn’t all that great. It’s essentially, “We can’t afford to separate these people anymore from each other. It’s up to us, no matter how inadequate we may think we are, to close the gap.” 

Technology has so pervaded, infiltrated every aspect of our lives, that we no longer have the option of silos. Or, to put another face on it, segregation. Promoted to irrelevance, our best instructional staff who demonstrated an aptitude for technology have been weeded out, thrown into inconsequential positions with little influence or authority. 

I have witnessed this myself, as campus technology coordinator who has shifted through all the different phases of instructional technologist, listed below for your recollection:

1. Classroom teacher who uses technology with students – “Wouldn’t s/he make a great person to facilitate a workshop for other staff?”
2. Classroom teacher and staff developer –  who shows staff at campus/district level how s/he is using technology with students and expects others to emulate him/her.
3. Campus Instructional Technologist/Campus Technology Coordinator – This is the same person but who now has the responsibility of managing technology purchases, is sent to conferences/workshops to learn new things. A variant of this position is the ever-favorite teacher-librarian, a position that seldom rises higher than campus.
4. District Instructional Technology Specialist – This role involves someone steeped in the lore of Instructional Technology, adoption of instruments that can be used to assess technology in the classroom, such as STaR Chart, TIMS, LOTI, SAMR, and/or TPACK.
5. District Instructional Technology Director or Regional Education Specialist focused on Educational Technology – This is the pinnacle of achievement for this career path. 

The path for a curriculum specialist may be a bit more direct, and can thrive without technology. In fact, it is astonishing that curriculum specialists are able to advance without more technology involvement.  

“Research consistently shows that technology adoption requires the presence of pioneers to field-test technologies, contextualize their use for specific purposes, and then help their peers implement them.” Source: ISTE, 2013, p.6 as cited in Dr. Kristi Shaw and Kaye Henrickson’s presentation

This results in curriculum experts who may not know how to hook up their mobile device to a digital projector, create a wiki, or create a form to capture data or analyze it in a spreadsheet, perpetuating paper-n-pencil approaches that have been replaced in other areas.  I can think of at least one instance where this has had disastrous impact on school district public relations (e.g. a curriculum specialist published confidential data online). 

That this dichotomy exists, well, that’s pretty astonishing given the amount of technology available, right?

TOWARDS A  NEW VISION FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGISTS

In Naturalizing Digital Immigrants, a book that will appear in April, 2015 but can be pre-ordered now, a different approach is suggested. Their “collegial coaching Model for Technology Integration” includes these points, which they elaborate on in their book:

1. Establish the Need: Explore fears, hesitations, insecurities, and overarching goals, helping focus them on 3 tools.
2. Create partnerships: This suggests adapting past projects and blending technology into those, focusing on content.
3. Differentiate technology projects, supporting teachers in short-term, easy to attain projects, building confidence over time, moving on a continuum from personal to professional.
4. Assess Progress: This involves aligning technology-enhanced activities to what was originally intended to be taught, constantly refining how you teach to match what students need to learn.
5. Ask reflective questions. One nifty quote they share includes one from John Dewey, such as reflection allows one to convert “action that is merely appetitive, blind and impulsive into intelligent action” (Dewey, 1933). I can think of no better description for the avid app consumption that occurs when teachers are given iPads (“Go get this free app now! You can tutor kids with it!” rinse, repeat).

“Coaches encourage reflective practices and guide clients to self-directed learning” (Aguilar, 2013 as cited  in Dr. Kristi Shaw and Kaye Henrickson’s presentation).

View more digital coaching resources

Based on these ideas, here is what that might look like, including 4 aspects of coaching that will apply to ALL instructional coaches, including those who are currently Instructional Technology Specialists and/or Curriculum Specialists:

1. Instruction & Technology Coach: This aspect of the coach focuses on the how of instruction, as well as a strong focus on helping staff better use technology-enhanced processes to redefine current teaching, learning and leading tasks, replacing paper-n-pencil pedagogical approaches that no longer make sense in a highly-connected, high-tech teaching and learning environment.
2. Data Coach: These strategies focus on staff examine student achievement data and to use this to design instruction and to make curricular decisions. This involves analysis of data and its presentation through the District’s Data Warehouse.
3. Resource Coach: This aspect focuses on upgrading where coaches maintain resources for each other and staff. This includes management of a variety of digital tools and resources for teachers and students to use in technology-rich learning environments.
4. Classroom Supporter: This aspect includes working alongside a teacher to model effective teaching and/or observing and giving feedback.  This role requires co-planning, co-teaching, observing, giving feedback and engaging in reflective conversations about teaching and learning.

This means that District Curriculum Coaches would also articulate a shared vision and framework for supporting the various campus groups that may currently work independently of one another at worst, or at best, in close proximity and incidentally support one another. 

Coaching is appropriate model to frame the changing role of Instructional Technology Specialists and their “Curriculum sans technology Specialist” counterparts, widening their influence to speed transformation of praxis for district curriculum specialists, as well as campus teachers and instructional staff:

• Coaches are master teachers who participate in explicit professional development about coaching to become skillful.  
• In professional development, they examine their fundamental beliefs about student learning, teaching and coaching; acquire deep knowledge about adult development and change; and acquire skillfulness with a broad range of strategies to use in their new role.
• Instructional Coaches are district-based, school-focused professional development specialists who work with individuals and teams to design and facilitate appropriate technology-enhanced learning experiences, provide feedback and support, and assist with implementation challenges.  Their work centers on refining and honing teaching, and their indicator of success is student academic success.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
To achieve the status of District Curriculum Coaches, all staff members would need to develop a professional learning plan based on a district assessment and reflection. For example, curriculum specialists may enjoy strong data-analysis techniques that allow them to quickly make sense of data and its implications for staff. On the other hand, instructional technology specialists may offer curriculum-embedded technology strategies that lack the benefit of data-analysis. Both positions would benefit from peer coaching over time differentiated for their specific needs and growth goals.

The proposed needs assessment could include the use of instrument like the Levels of Teaching Innovation (LOTI) assessment, which provides individualized feedback to participants, as well as recommendations that encompass instruction and technology. Participants would also apply the work of traditional instructional coaches, as well as Wilson and Alaniz’ technology coaching efforts, to their efforts.

CONCLUSION
While it is tempting to continue as we are, with curriculum in one silo and instructional technology in the other, it is critical to realize we can’t continue as we have been. The stakes are too high, the technology investment too costly to consider any other approach that engages in parallel programs that dilute the impact of committed staff.

REFERENCES

• McGrane, M. (2014). What is the role a technology integration coach? Available online at http://www.maggiehosmcgrane.com/2014/11/what-is-role-of-technology-integration.html
• Wilson, D. & Alaniz, K. (2014). Naturalizing Digital Immigrants. Unpublished manuscript. Available in April, 2015 as published book.

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5 Tips for Grassroots Organizing in a Social Media Age

The ease of social media makes “Do-it-yourself,” grassroot organizing a reality. How many of us, rather than turn to an “official” organization–like TCEA TEC-SIG and/or Texas CTO Council in Texas–setup would prefer to do things ourselves? After all, the tools are all available online and free! It just takes time, a little money for a domain name (if that), and you’re set to go!

Special thanks to Amy @friedtechnology Mayer for this image!

I recently had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the K12 Instructional Technology Consortium, which sports a fancy name for a group of people who face common challenges and are in search of answers.

Participating in the meeting at TCEA 2015 State Conference made me want to give them some advice, tips to facilitate their grassroots organizing.

What additional advice would you give them?

Here are my tips:

Tip #1 – Create a web presence, including a logo.
When the Texas CTO Council started organizing years ago, nothing was so irritating as not having a consistent place to go to find out when/where meetings were happening. And, after the meetings, where agendas, slide-decks, handouts and such were being shared. It’s not difficult to start a Google Site these days and setup an easy to maintain web site. In fact, I have done this many a time just for 1-time workshops, keynotes, etc.

SAACTE.org

Example: SAACTE.org – This is a Google Site I setup entirely to help two educators, Gretchen Bernabei and Amy Stengel, to further the goals of the San Antonio Area Council of Teachers of English (SAACTE). The site was a cinch and was helpful in promoting ideas and content. Using the Announcement gadget or whatchamacallit in Google Sites, you can approximate a blog with its own RSS feed that people can subscribe to. That’s important because according to recent research, approximately 75% of what people learn about education comes through blogs!

Tip #2 – Create a Twitter account and connect your RSS feed.
The complaint I hear most often from people is, “I don’t have time!” Sure, we all start the day out with the same amount of time. Rather, they should say, “I don’t have the will!” As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate those oldsters who would complain and whine, “Oh, my energy is tapped out!” after a long day of work. I KNOW what you mean. That’s why there shouldn’t be any wasted motions.

When I post content online, it is immediately disseminated to all my social media networks. This means that when you post something in the Announcements blog on your Google Site, it should be setup to immediately post to your Twitter account, which in turn posts to your LinkedIn.com and Facebook accounts. While I often recommend using an “organizational” account–such as @saacte or @texas4tee–you are often better off just auto-posting to your personal account. And, you can ask other people to do the same thing. The reason why is that 1) It’s hard to build a relationship with an organizational account; and 2) You won’t be able to keep posting to multiple Twitter accounts over time so you might as well just post to your own. Of course, if you want to give it a try, use Hootsuite.com, which enables you to manage several social media accounts:

Notice I have 3 accounts I manage…two twitters, and one facebook using Hootsuite.

To set that up, just grab the RSS feed off an Announcements blog in Google Sites and drop it into an IFTTT.com recipe:

Tip #3 – Empower Passionate Sharing!
Where would Texas4TEE Google+ Community be without people like +Rusty Meyners , +Amy Mayer , +Lisa Johnson as moderators, among others? I encourage you to create a social community that enables others to share the load of participating, as well as kicking off learning conversations!

In the screenshot above, you can feel the excitement Rusty brings to the Community in his every post! He’s a passionate sharing machine! If your grassroots organization can’t handle this kind of passionate sharing, then it probably isn’t going to last long. But if it can, and does everything in its power to support this, then it may have a chance at becoming a phenomenon that will endure!

Tip #4 – Podcast, Vidcast, Hangout, Connect!
Although I’m partial to the written word, what a thrill it is to see people connect via F2F conversations that are recorded and shared as podcasts/vidcasts, or Google Hangouts or Skype sessions! One of my long-time dreams was realized when colleague Diana Benner (@diben) and I facilitated a series of podcasts with Moodle course management system wizards, featuring education experts as part of the Moodle Mayhem community. We enjoyed awesome people like Jen Hegna,  +Mary Cooch (@moodlefairy), among others! How exciting it was to connect with authors and fun people.

Then, we also planned and organized a weekly webinar series, or digital get-togethers that supported the idea of digital writing.

Welcome to the Weekly Webinar Series onDigitizing the Writing Workshop. The co-hosts for Weekly Webinar Series onDigitizing the Writing Workshop include Diana Benner and Miguel Guhlin. Find out more–such as the schedule for webinars, recordings and future guests–about the series online at http://tinyurl.com/etchweb  or Twitter Hashtag: #etchweb

Note: You can earn credit for participating–along with a certificate–for this series if you are a Del Valle ISD or East Central ISD teacher. Watch the vidcast linked below for more information.

That’s right, participants could actually earn credit for participating and get a certificate! Cool beans or what? What fun it was to listen to fellow practitioners, as well as people walking the walk, share their adventures in the classroom or facilitating professional learning. We also made every effort to celebrate them, turning them into digital heroes:

When the San Antonio Area Technology Directors–a group formed by Steve Young (Judson ISD)–meet every other month, they aren’t afraid to record their content and share it others. While conversations are generally focused on tough topics, everyone knows that there is real value in the power of sharing that conversation–including multi-lingual connections with folks in other countries,

like Monica Martinez of TCEA fame has done–with other participants.

Make every effort to connect with others rather than lock up learning conversations…that includes hijacking (when appropriate) or creating your own hashtags to reach broader audiences of folks you can learn from (and vice versa)!

Consider this approach that Amber Teamann (@8amber8) has taken with SAVMP–School Administrator Virtual Mentor Program! In planning for the long run, the SAVMP organizers are creating a movement that is built one activity at a time!

Tip #5 – Get Your Own Social Media Thing Going!
You can’t wave a stick without swatting a Twitterchat out of the chatosphere, but you may still be able to coin a unique chat term that will capture people’s attention. Some folks, like Joe Mazza, are actually turning to different social media tools than Twitter:

I recently started “voxing” with 9 other educators around the country. If you’re unfamiliar, voxing is when you use the free mobile app “Voxer” to participate in a “walkie-talkie-like” conversation with your friends and colleagues, only it’s more like a group text on your phone. The conversation is chronological, archived inside the app, allows you not only to use your voice, but to send pics and text where you choose… 

…just in the last month, our Voxer group of edus have discussed 1:1, blended learning, school assemblies, homework, science fairs, cursive, discipline issues, graduation requirements, common core, teacher/leader burnout, social media to engage families and the community and probably 50 other areas of our daily work with students, staff & families. The truth is, voxing with those in your PLN is like creating, in real-time, your own personal podcast that you can decide who is involved, when you listen/respond and what topics you cover.

Whether you are voxing, tweeting, plusing, facebookin’, I encourage to jump in with both feet!

Tip #6 – Setup a Group Digital Commons
I always loved the idea of a digital commons. What? You’re unhappy I’m giving a 6th tip? Tough! A digital commons is a space where the group can gather to share resources. You need one of those! Why not setup a Google Drive folder where folks can drop content and share it? Some people also…

• choose to setup an email group to facilitate information sharing! Google Groups is ideal for this approach. 
• You could also enable your Google Sites to have a few trusted wiki-maintainers to manage content on different pages, then approve postings/sharing of content. 
• Or, setup a GoogleForm with links to content that group members share then embed the Google Responses on a GoogleSites page.

Bonus Tips that Didn’t Make the Cut:
Some more, quick tips to avoid the mistakes I made:

• Don’t go it alone! One of the mistakes I’ve made time and again is having a big idea for something then finding myself in over my head. I now start initiatives with other people. And, isn’t that what collaboration is about? Jumping into trouble together?
• Don’t lock up conversations! If you can’t say it in a crowded room, then you’re better not saying it all. My favorite remark came from a state education agency tech director who realized, there’s no such thing as a secret when you’re speaking to a room of people, each equipped with the same tools journalists carry around–a mobile phone with audio recorders, hi-def camera, and video recording capabilities, not to mention social media for instant sharing!
• Don’t plan week to week, but year to year! One of my biggest mistakes was not planning for the long-term. When you plan for the long-term, you are in the groove and lining up guests and conversations, rather than trying to fit this in amidst your work.

Thanks for reading! I hope you’ll share what your efforts at grassroots organizing are as an educator!

Image Source: http://goo.gl/4o9NBh

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

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Have a Boost!

Doug “Blue Skunk” Johnson has the right of it when he asks:

Can technology allow teachers to “save face” in the change process? I am not terribly sure technology actually allows a teacher to do anything that could not have been done in a non-tech environment. Couldn’t we have always differentiated instruction despite not having LMSs and iPads and such? Of course. 

The answer is, “Yes, sure we could have.” The truth is that very few of us are differentiating instruction or engaging in teaching that is research-based and effective, speeds student learning rather than inhibits it. Only today I had the chance to see a Spelling Bee, valuable not so much because of spelling vocabulary words but more as an academic social activity. At the front-end of that, the traditional appeal was made–“Let’s all be quiet. The only person who we should hear is the speller.”

The appeal for quiet. In a world constantly filled with sound, a little quiet isn’t such a bad thing. With technology, we no longer need ask how we can transform teaching and learning. That task is already done by a global army of innovators who works with children daily. Rather, we must find ways to stand on the shoulders of connected learners that span the world.

Save face? How petty we are to worry about our looks when we could do so much more. And, we all fall short of what we could be. Fortunately, since we’re all down here, we can all help each other.

Image Source:
Uphill. Available at http://goo.gl/HzJF7r

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Give That You May Live

In The Exposure Economy, Harold Jarche shares a few points that have him sounding “grumbly” about making money from his intellectual property. As a blogger who has essentially given away tons of content for free with little financial benefit–wait,wait, don’t say that about my content! Be nice!–I have enjoyed the benefits of exposure.

Last week I was twice asked to work for free. In each case the person asking me to work for ‘exposure’ was a salaried employee. My bank has yet to accept exposure as a form of payment.
Like they say, entrepreneurs have to work on their business and not in their business. Peter Drucker said that, “The purpose of any business is to create and keep a customer.” Customers are not people who ask you to work for free. I call these charities, and I support several.

These days, my exposure just gets me name-recognition. My consulting business has dwindled, but to be honest, I’m enjoying working full-time as a technology director. Still, it’s been curious to watch colleagues monetize their work and effort, becoming entrepreneurs. For me, the choice always seemed to be one or the other. Can you really sell what you are passionate about? I found the choice too stark, black or white. Perhaps I never asked the right question…how can I make money and do what I love? The truth is, I do that every day in my “day job.”

When pondering work, I’m always drawn back across time to my teenage years, when I stumbled to a copy of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. At seventeen, I remember receiving the print copy that still sits on my shelf from the first girl I was infatuated with while on a travel tour in Europe. How funny to peer back with middle-aged eyes to that time so long past.

I love Kahlil Gibran’s words On Work:

On Work
 Kahlil Gibran

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, 
and to step out of life’s procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?

Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfil a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,
And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.

But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.

You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.

And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, 
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection, 
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, 
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,
And to know that all the blessed dead 
are standing about you and watching.

Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep, “He who works in marble, and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone, is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet.”
But I say, not in sleep but in the overwakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;
And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.

Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

But it is Gibran’s words On Giving that most resonate regarding work…”For to withhold is to perish.” Powerful words…the tree gives until it can’t.

The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.

I pray my giving endures until the final twig lies broken on the ground. If pay comes for that, won’t that be nice?

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Tech Incorporated: 5 Transformations for Classrooms

As many of us know, technology has always involved a close relationship between educators and vendor partners. That relationship has evolved over time, from simple software apps and programs to complex learning management systems “connected” to our school’s student information systems. This blog entry explores 5 Transformations for Classrooms. I’m grateful to Misti Smith for the inspiration.

Image Source: http://goo.gl/dse7Ca

As Misti Smith points out in her blog entry, blending technology into classroom instruction today often involves:

Them: I want to try and incorporate more technology into my classroom
Me: What ideas do you have?
Them: Well I saw someone use a tool called [insert any “new” web 2.0 tool here] and I think I want them to have to use that for an assignment.
Me: What is the assignment?
Them: [Insert any regular boring activity] 

This is not in any way shape or form an example of incorporating technology into the classroom, but in my old position, faculty were the end all be all of what happens in the classroom and I was just there to teach them how to use whatever tool it is that they wanted to use.

How do we get past this superficial use? Misti goes onto make some specific recommendations worth reflecting on:

1. Note-Taking: Use Evernote on iPad and other devices.
2. Group Work: Take advantage of flipped classroom to maximize classroom collaboration and sharing using iPads, AppleTV and HDMI-enabled television.
3. Learning Management System: Use a commercial LMS to facilitate assignment sharing and collection as well as virtual discussions.
4. Engagement: Use technology to engage students through polling, class hashtag in social media (e.g. Twitter)

Misti has a great start on a few simple, straightforward approaches to using technology in the classrooms she is collaborating with. Do you think her efforts will yield the kinds of changes to pedagogy that she is seeking? How do we move from adapting existing learning activities to replacing learning activities?

When I envision changing what is happening in the classroom, I confess that some of the transformations I’d like to see include the following:

1. Problem-based Learning, or at worst, Project-based Learning: For me, choosing one of these approaches involves rethinking how you approach teaching and learning in the classroom. As a result, far better than any other instructional approach I’ve seen, PBL engages students not with technology but powerful ideas and learning possibilities that technology usage can only accelerate. Read More about PBL | Visit Professional Learning Site
2. Collaboration: The hallmark of today’s technology-embedded classrooms must be increased communication opportunities, as well as collaboration. In my article on 3 Steps to Leverage Technology for Dual Language, any reader can perceive that these uses transcend technology and enable powerful, interactive activities that can be done at a distance. You’re no longer collecting digital stories for classroom consumption, but creating a multimedia anthology of digital stories to be read, viewed, listened to across the wide global spectrum.
3. Lifelong Electronic Portfolios: As consumers, most of our lives are captured through what we buy and sell. As learners, most of our work disappears at the closing of a grading period, if not sooner. Creating lifelong ePortfolios will enable students, parents, and teachers greater insight into what we learn, how we learn and what impact that has on us as human beings.
   Find out more: ePortfolios | Picture Portfolios | Holly Clark’s Post on Digital Portfolios
4. Empower the Previously Impossible or Hopelessly Difficult: Technology should allow us to learn in ways previously impossible. If it doesn’t, then we have to overcome the “So what?” factor. For me, this means that Substitution/Augmentation activities benefits are so terrific that it’s a “Wow!” moment that leads to Modification, or that the fundamental learning activity has been redefined. Consider technologies like an iPad and Moticonnect, which fellow blogger Richard Byrne highlights through a guest post by Maggie Keeler and EdTechTeacher…I don’t know about you, but MotiConnect is pretty incredible augmentation of what may have been done in the past. Communication and Collaboration fall into this, too. Gathering and analyzing data via GoogleSheets with students groups across the Nation is pretty incredible.
5. Amplify Student Voices: Powerful learning can come when we hear our own voice in the world. Students are, to be obvious, human beings, too. Affirming their ability to impact social justice issues in their community–which goes well with PBL–as well as connect via social media to highlight their burgeoning efforts can help them develop their Voice. “Voice” because crafting a digital presence means recognizing that when we possess and use digital devices, we are on a world stage which can transform our lives in an instant for good or ill.

If we commit to these 5 transformations in our classrooms, we will have achieved the often-unrealized promise of technology in our children’s lives. . .and, they will have learned much of what we hoped they would.

What transformations would you include in this list to achieve the future you would want for your own child(ren)?

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TLT Continuum

This past week, highly-esteemed colleague Jonathan “DataMan” Hulbert dropped by the office for a chat. It was a wide-ranging conversation focused on Jonathan’s interests for bringing about transformative change in schools. The main problem that held our attention was how to scaffold educators’ learning–both in classrooms and offices–from teaching practices of yesteryear (which endure today, unfortunately) to more learner-centered empowered efforts.

First draft of Continuum of Teaching, Learning and Technology

As you can imagine, this conversation could have best been held on a front porch after breakfast by two oldsters who just knew they had the solution. One of the connections I found interesting is how Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition Theory–which I know has nothing to do with technology except that it’s fun to use as a way of examining how little teachers change–might be adapted. You may recall, I did this in an earlier blog post.  I attempted to help Jonathan understand what were the best ways technology could be used in classrooms. 

Target Level: Technology is perceived as a process, product (e.g. invention, patent, new software designed), and tool for students to use in solving authentic problems related to an identified real-world problem or issue. In this context, technology provides a seamless medium for information queries, problem-solving, and product development. Students have read access to and a complete understanding of a vast array of technology-based tools. (Adapted from Dr. Chris Moersch’s Levels of Teaching Innovation (LOTI))

As a result of our conversations and fueling my desire for a visual, I developed one using my memo pad (which I carry with me most of the time). You can see it above. 

Below is the revised version (View GoogleDoc version): 

You can see the mention of SAMR, which I’m not sure fits, but I would put it in. It dominates the bottom half of the diagram with little explanation. I suspect that this acronym could be fleshed out even more with more words, but I would like to see a representative image for each one of these letters (SAMR). For example, substitution might be the logo of an integrated learning system. Augmentation might be a word processor, modification a web site, a video or audio, and redefinition, well, an image that represents digital collaboration.

Jonathan was particularly interested in the role of PLCs to bring about desired changes and I’ll be reflecting on his remarks in a future blog entry.

I suspect that these conversations and visual aids help me more than anyone else out there. What are your thoughts?

Some related materials to this conversation:

1. Low Hanging Fruit – 3 Simple Ideas
2. Learning Evolves
3. Remembering PBL, Problem-based Learning Academy, PBL Flow
4. TAKS, Technology and PBL

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Stop Doing – Drill-n-Practice, Tutorial Software and Web Services

Every other day, I get an email from someone with a great app, computer program or web-based service that will improve student achievement. 

Image Source: http://goo.gl/oKMGCB

The method is simple:

1. Spend countless thousands on the program
2. Provide minimal training for teachers because the program is just that awesome!
3. Place children in front of a technology and let it do all the hard work.
4. Wait for the student achievement points to go up.
5. Watch the equipment, software gather real and/or virtual dust when the next tech-based instructional intervention catches the eye of top-down administrators seeking a quick boost.

Really? As a veteran instructional technologist, I’ve had the opportunity to see this pattern to vendor presentations, emails repeat itself time and again. In fact, I still remember the first time I stopped a vendor trying to sell my principal a bill of goods. I lost my temper, allowed contempt to leak into my voice, and sent the guy packing. What a jerk I was. I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since that 20-something year old know-it-all.

Maybe not…

May I share my professional bias without reservation regarding drill-n-practice and/or tutorial software and web services? These vendors keep up an unending barrage of unwanted emails (a.k.a. spam) to anyone who will listen to them. In sharing my perspective, I do not seek to offend or judge current/past uses. Rather, I want to share my thoughts developed over years of experience dealing with ineffective, costly programs (as high as $80K per campus) that in the final evaluation had no effect on student achievement.

True Story: $80K per campus spent on an integrated learning system that manufacture success (hint). At the end of it, nothing to show. I was simply delighted, tickled pink to hear the people who launched this money-eating monstrosity on an urban school district’s unsuspecting campuses–and that resulted in the death of their technology applications programs, their campus instructional technologist program, BTW–admit at the end, “It didn’t work.” If they’d bothered to listen, read the research, they would have known that these programs only have short-term gains and leave long-term bad taste in students’ mouths.

Approaches like writing/reading workshop (technology-enhanced, of course), Problem-based Learning (and to a lesser degree, Project-based Learning) represent the best hope for preparing our children to develop higher-order thinking skills and working in a hyper-connected world. This requires hard work, sincere effort and won’t come in a convenient software package or web-based service.

As you might imagine, I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that canned curriculum–whether it’s worksheets or electronic tutorials a la integrated learning systems–is ineffective as a way to facilitate higher order thinking skills (HOTS), cooperative/collaborative learning (pick your poison), and  achieving the higher levels of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (e.g. Create, evaluate, analyze).

CLAIM IT, OWN IT

My perspective on the use of drill-n-practice, tutorial software that is computer-based is simple and summed up in this quote, based on a book of research studies:

Those who cannot claim computers as their own tool for exploring the world never grasp the power of technology… They are controlled by technology as adults–just [they were]…controlled [by] them as students.

Source: Toward Digital Equity: Bridging the Divide in Education;  Editors: Gwen Solomon, Nancy J. Allen, and Paul Resta

And, teachers who can be replaced by any technology that presumes to “teach” children should be (Source: Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach). For those teachers who cannot use technology or adhere to yesterday’s methods, Sheryl points out, “You can’t give away what you don’t own.”Profound thoughts that bear examination.

RESEARCH HISTORY

For too long, I’ve read studies from as far back as the 1980s and to today that show how poorly technology-based instructional interventions focusing on isolated skills actually work. Most of the “good results” come, not from independent critical research, but vendor-paid studies and starry-eyed teacher anecdotes who practice a hands-off approach to modeling learning for students.

• Independent studies of integrated learning system technologies have subsequently confirmed that learning discrete skills in isolation does little to support students in transferring knowledge to other domains of experience. This lack of transferability of skills from integrated learning system performance to other tasks is well-documented in the research literature.
• Although teachers generally like tutorial programs as a system for enhancing basic skills, in most cases this was due to a general feeling about its positive or potential benefits rather than direct evidence.
• Costs of these systems are too great given its record of effectiveness.
• Most teachers never get the level of training necessary to use key features.
• Teachers who had far and away the most successful effect size [substantial increase in test scores] knew the most about the system, knew the most about what the kids were doing in the lab, and went back to the classroom and made
  decisions about what to do based on that information.
• When pairs of students work cooperatively to complete exercises in an ILS, they OUTPERFORM their counterparts who use the system on an individual basis.
• Effort must be made to facilitate students’ transfer of knowledge to other domains of experience. “Students may learn isolated skills and tools but they will still lack an understanding of how those various skills fit together to solve problems and complete tasks.”

We also need to consider what kind of education we want for our students. Consider the wisdom found in Patrick J. Finn’s book, Literacy with an Attitude. The author makes a few points that there are different kinds of literacy. Yet, literacy is not seen as dangerous in the U.S. because we have two kinds.

First, there is empowering education, which leads to powerful literacy, the kind of literacy that leads to positions of power and authority. Second, there is domesticating education, which leads to functional literacy, literacy that makes a person productive and dependable, not troublesome.

When you plop a kid in front of a computer and you don’t ask them to make something, and you want the computer to drill them, you are advocating for a domesticating education. Powerful literacy involves creativity and reason—the ability to evaluate, analyze and synthesize what is read…it is also the ability to write one’s ideas so that another person can understand them.

Two quotes that I’ve kept close include:

Ask not what computers can do with students, but rather, what students can do with computers.

and

Hardware without software is just junk, but software without teaching is just noise.

The irony is that these quotes date from 1980s and remain as true today as then.

RECOMMENDATION

Make a stop-doing list of web-based services, and software, that purports to teach children what we hired teachers to do. Instead, focus on engaging problems that focus on analyzing, evaluating, and creating in collaboration with others, in classrooms and across the globe.

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The Uh Uh Approach to Risk

“Why aren’t we integrating technology into teaching, learning and leadership more? Nothing we do seems to get through to teachers. It’s like they just don’t care and no one is willing to make them do it.”

Image Source: http://goo.gl/fq3NAR

I occasionally find myself in these conversations and confess to being baffled myself. Why aren’t we, why aren’t I, able to get more traction on these? I suspect the answer lies in the lack of relationships. I’ve noticed you have to build a deep relationship to see changes, and that only comes about after sufficient time, delivering on promises in spite of oppositional thinking. But again, building relationships can’t just be the only obstacle, right?

Of course, it might be that people are just too afraid to change or do something new. It may be that they are too tired, their lives too full of old stuff. In the case of the latter, I find myself wanting everyone to come up with a Stop Doing list and add to that list every approach that doesn’t get us to where our children need to be.

Taking risks is important, too. I know a veteran administrator who decided to start a blog to document her trip abroad. Kudos to the effort, a way to step out there. Perhaps, the idea that we don’t have anything to say (we all do, we just put it aside inexplicably) plays a part. Consider Culture and Innovation‘s blog entry by Tim Kastelle:

I often hear from people that their organisation has a “risk-averse culture.” When I do, I remind them that we create culture – through our own interactions every day.  So if we want to change our culture, the first place to start is with what we do ourselves.

This assertion appeals to me. It means that change begins with the person in the mirror. I’ve never taken a class on taking risks…but I have often been told to NOT take risks. I’m the kinda guy who when asked to go skydiving, skiing, spelunking, my first reaction is, “Uh uh.”

The wikihow.com web site makes some suggestions:

1. Think first! Is your risk a dangerous one?
2. Plan it out. Sometimes risks need more than just you.
3. Build up self confidence. Make yourself believe that you can do it.
4. Execute. Do it!
5. Evaluate. Think back on your risk and ask “Was it worth it?”
6. Think and repeat. After just one risk, ask yourself if you could do another one. 

I’ve found that ignorance usually makes all risks dangerous. But often, the risk is minimized when you know more, when you talk to others in the community. An approach for taking risks in educational change could follow this pattern:

1. Connect with others first via Twitter. Find out how they’re doing stuff.
2. Plan your strategy and then try it out in front of others (not your class).
3. Get feedback, blog about the experience and ask yourself, “How can I improve?”
4. Try it out with your class, and be up front with them that this won’t be perfect. Reflect on the experience and try again.

Avoid the uh uh approach to risk that says, “Uh uh, I can’t do that!” then walks away from all possibility of action.

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Do What Works

No matter what your level of expertise, you can always do better. The question is, “When is the status quo good enough?” It’s a trade-off between investing time and effort to improve vs learning to live with the problems of how you do (or don’t do) things.

When on a Search-n-Rescue camping trip in my teens, I remember setting up my tent, dropping my comfortable looking sleeping bag on the tarp. The scene was idyllic, beautifully setup and at the end of a long day and night of playing Capture the Flag, I laid down only to find I’d set my tent and sleeping bag on top of a rock. The choice was simple–dig around in the dark with my flashlight and move the rock or just “lump it.” You know, live with it because making the change was too much of a pain.

via Glen R

In classrooms today, as well as central offices, many of us are simply going to choose to live with the status quo. But why do we choose this? It’s human nature, I suppose, to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Making a change, though, can mean the world.

When I switched jobs a couple of years ago, I was thrilled at the differences. In one position, I was doing a lot without going anywhere. “You were stuck behind a turtle on the road.” I forget the exact characterization but you get the idea…a hare behind a slow-moving tortoise.

Now, the situation is radically different. When people complain about their problems, I look at them in much the same way dear friends (you know who you are) did when I would answer their “How are you doing?” with a sad commentary.

Life is short. Move on. The issue isn’t are you too busy to improve, it’s why do you think so little of yourself and others around you to keep doing what doesn’t work?

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The Disinterested Leader – Harmonizing Action

“When you go home today,” she said to me, “you’re going to blog this, aren’t you?” Before answering, my brain paused for a micro of a nano-second. After all, she is my direct supervisor. Would I be like Seinfeld’s George Costanza, worried that two worlds would collide? But in this case, it would be professional george vs blogger george?
“Oh, not for a few years,” I replied as casually as I could. “These kinds of meetings require years of reflection to process.”

The disinterested leader isn’t uninterested in what goes around him or her. Rather, s/he seeks impartiality with all the passion of a man reluctantly leaving the  stillness of the ocean deep while craving with his entire being the life-giving air of the surface. . .the deeper the experience, the longer one must take to unwrap the lesson to be learned.

Some might say that those lessons from the past echo in our present actions. When we have failed to learn them, they are discordant and mar our present. When we have embraced them, they enable us to harmonize our lives, allowing for peace amidst what appears to be chaos to others.

The ease at which some disregard life-altering lessons can be disappointing, right? Think back on one experience that taught you something, that fundamentally changed how you perceive and interact with the world. Did you stay quiet about it, or did you persist in sharing it with others?

Our experiences teach us one thing, but there is  a disconnect with the people around us. Their reality is grounded in the immediacy of the moment, the culture of the school. Our reality relies on interconnected learning and a new culture we have selectively chosen to join.

One of my greatest learning tools has been Twitter.  It has been a little over four years since I started on Twitter, and have grown to rely on it for many things, especially personal professional development.  There are so many people to learn from, resources shared, and discovery of professional learning opportunities on Twitter.  Just the number of weekly edchat topics is astounding, where educators from around the globe share, discuss and collaborate on various topics…. 

People don’t see the need, or understand the road technology has taken in education, not just for students but for staff as well, at least from what I have learned on Twitter. Ideas and thoughts for personal professional development get the strange stares and wondering on who would participate in a Twitter chat, let alone grasp the understanding of the power of Twitter.

Source: Who Is More Out of Touch? 

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Check out Miguel’s Workshop Materials online at http://mglearns.wikispaces.com

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

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Make Love through Blogging – From Experience to Learning Opportunity

At TEFL Matters (Marisa Constantinides), the old question arises…

If we are convinced about the value of blogging, why is it that it is so hard to get so many teachers, especially trainee teachers, get into the habit of blogging?

Although I was unsuccessful in accessing Marisa’s presentation, I’d like to take a stab at answering this question:

1. The Value of Blogging – It’s so easy to think that the value of blogging is so overwhelming that other activities pale by comparison. The truth is, blogging’s value fades for those who are non-writers (gasp, yes, they exist in education), who have other life priorities and find themselves affirmed through different mediums (e.g. an outing with friends, quiet tea/coffee stimulated chats scattered at different times during the week). As such, the value of blogging isn’t readily apparent. But for definite groups of folks, blogging does provide value. It’s a conversation with oneself, a process of developing a voice in the absence of others that is thoughtful and focuses on transforming experiences into learning opportunities. . .of a willingness to discover learning while pursuing another aim altogether.
2. Getting teachers into a habit – We already have so many habits. Trainee teachers, also known as preservice teachers, often lack many experiences and are keen on obtaining them. However, they don’t know what is worthwhile. When everyone is an expert, how do you sort…uh, curate…the advice and information coming at you from everywhere?

The idea that blogging can help us transform an unending series of experiences that are new to us into learning opportunities, well, that holds the most appeal. Sometimes, people avoid blogging not because they don’t see the value, but because they fear that they must be perfect. They fear reflection because they don’t trust the process of sharing ideas–sunshine being the best disinfectant–and finding out if what they think in the darkness of their souls is worthy of being shared.

When I blog, I honestly ask, “Does this idea make sense? Or is it foolish?” The goal isn’t to avoid being foolish in a blog entry, but to take the raw experiences of life and allow them to change you, enabling you to learn from them. The reflection can have a profound experience on you, moving you to accept radical ideas that flow from the amalgamation of your own ideas with those of others.

We often bemoan that creativity and innovation are non-existent. Yet, what is amalgamation to one is creativity and innovation to another. The juxtaposition of ideas, information found in blog entries, when allowed to bear fruit, can foster your own creativity and innovation. Some of the best ideas that have come out of my mouth or pen, haven’t shown up because I woke up wanting to be creative. They arose through experimentation, pure chance juxtaposition of ideas and information.

If you’re a control freak, you’ll find that blogging is a different kind of writing. Your writing isn’t to make a point, but rather, to “extend yourself for the purpose of nurturing your own, or another’s, spiritual, intellectual, growth.” And, that is the definition of love per M. Scott Peck’s work, The Road Less Travelled. 

Blogging=act of love.

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Recalling Satisfaction

Note: I wrote this blog entry and it’s been sitting in my DRAFT pile. I thought I’d share it.

A few brief moments ago, I reached saturation point. I found myself “dragging,” uninterested in writing blog entries and more fascinated by reading books. Now, you may not know it, but I read voraciously. How voracious? Thousands of pages per week. Now, I’m not sharing that to brag, but I realized that as enjoyable as it was to read, it was cutting into my productivity. Instead of reading RSS feeds, I was skimming content via Twitter, sorting and organizing it without really reflecting on it.

Without reflection, nothing changes. It’s like you’re eating a meal of junk food, after which, you are left hungering for something with more substance–like meat (sorry vegetarians!). This realization helps me appreciate the problem I was experiencing–reading without reflection is unsatisfying.

In the past few years the amount of information in our various inboxes has exploded, and we all feel overwhelmed as a result. And when I say “inboxes”, I’m not just talking about email. At this point you probably have several “inboxes” that consistently require your attention.  Source: MakeUseOf.com’s Use Your Computer

The suggestion in this article quoted above is that too much information is stressful. You can’t process it all–reflect on what you get–and you feel disconnected from the conversation. I’ve trimmed down on my own intake, more clearly separating work-professional and personal-professional accounts social media accounts, sharing without a commitment to curate content forever (long-term storage in Evernote or Pocket), and trying to enjoy just the experience of ideas and information that enriches my thinking.

Harold Jarche recently spent some time reflecting on this (What is Your PKM Routine?), and I can certainly see how his approach–which ends up in his blogging–works. Unfortunately, I find myself less inclined to write a blog entry these days…it’s easier to acknowledge the learning and then move on. That lassitude and indifference bothers me. Everything seems to require a bit more effort, and I’m reminded that it may be middle age lassitude settling in.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered that when I don’t allow that lassitude to drive me to sleep on the couch or bed, I can be quite productive. My sleep patterns are changing, and I go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier…I feel like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis, about to emerge and spread my wings. Not that my reflection in the blog needs to change, but that I’m less bound by the conventions and able to try new things.

Ah well, only time will tell.

Source:
http://activatechurch.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/metamorphosis-of-butterflies7.jpg

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5 Learning with #iPad Sutras

Source: Wikimedia – Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra

Aren’t you tired as I of lists of what NOT to do with iPads in schools? The lists are endless…the most recent I’d seen when I started this blog entry (writing sutras wasn’t as easy as I thought) is 8 Frequent Mistakes Made with iPads in Schools.  In that list, you’ll see admonitions like the following:

1. Don’t Underestimate the power of the iPad
2. Neglect to make real world connections
3. The iPad alone will not help kids think deeply
4. Treating the iPad like a computer
5. Not taking advantage of the mobility of the device.
6. Sharing iPads between classes
7. Resistance to change
8. Over use of ebooks

These articles–like Top 10 Things NOT to do in a 1:1 iPad initiative–are brilliant because they offer ways to avoid issues encountered by their authors. But I’d like to rethink them in terms of what one can do.

IDEA BEHIND SUTRAS

“Keep your class rules positive and to the point.” The advice then was solid. Rather than a list of what NOT to do, it was a list of what to do. Reading Dave Duncan‘s The Reluctant Swordsman, I had a laugh because I imagined what our “sutras” or teachings would be for the proper implementation of iPads in schools. 

A sutra is an aphorism or formula that expresses some fundamental truth about consciousness. (Source)

The framework for a sutra appears to include 3 components: 1) A code; 2) An anecdote and 3) a Moral.

“All the crafts have their sutras,” he said, “and in most cases the first one contains a code. When a boy becomes a swordsman he swears to follow the code of the swordsmen. Listen!” 

“I expect that your swordsmen sutras are much like ours—most contain a little story to help fix them in the memory.

Those sutras or teachings came with an anecdote to better fix the lesson in the mind of the learner. Would it be possible to revise these lists of what NOT to do with lessons and teachings of what to do with iPads in teaching and learning situations?

Sutra #1 – Connect

1. Code – Make real-world connections.
2. Anecdote – Pablo found himself bored with the games and apps on his device. He stopped playing with the device and found himself a bit disappointed with the hype. “Hey, Pablo,” Lisa, a classmate in Calculus, called to him. “Wanna Kik me?” Once Pablo and Lisa had connected on Kik, an instant messaging app, they started helping each other on homework. It wasn’t long before Pablo found himself Kiking others and helping them, learning far more than he imagined.
3. Moral – The connected learner is seldom bored.

Sutra #2 – Go Mobile

1. Code – Learn on the go.
2. Anecdote – Jennifer found it difficult to learn at school. Too many friends, too many distractions. It’s only when she got home that she had time to herself. In fact, she had time to herself on the bus ride home, where none of her friends could be found. But she couldn’t remember what the teacher had said hours before…until she started watching flipped lessons on her mobile device.
3. Moral – The wise learn anytime, anywhere; fools require the “right” conditions.

Sutra #3 – Multimedia is Multi-Modal

1. Code – Life is more than words.
2. Anecdote –
   “I don’t get it,” Rick cried, frustrated. “I’ve read this paragraph several times and I just don’t get it.”
   “Why don’t you watch the video or listen to the audio?” suggested Dana, a team-mate.
   “Thanks, Dana! Listening to the audio helped me make sense of it.”
3. Moral – When frustrated, try the multimedia option.

Sutra #4 – Be Flexible.

1. Code – Suppleness lies at the heart of teaching and learning.
2. Anecdote –
   Barney found himself staring glumly at the project rubric. “I have to make all those different things?”
   “No, no,” his teacher reassured him. “Pick one project that you like best or mix elements of multiple projects. Don’t be afraid to remix the rubric.”
3. Moral – Sway with the storm’s wind or be broken.

Sutra #5 – Avoid Perfection.

1. Code – Perfection is the enemy of growth.
2. Anecdote – 
   Jenny and Linda stared hopelessly at the image on their device. Lonny had made it and it was…perfect. “Uh, Lonny,” Linda said, “this is too perfect. You’re a genius!”
   “You’d think so looking at it, right?” Lonny replied with a grin. “Look closer and watch.” As they looked on, he tapped the UNDO button multiple times, rendering the imperfections with absolute completeness. “See? Not so perfect, now, huh? See how I did this?”
3. Moral – Learn from the imperfect to create perfect.

What sutras would you add?

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In the Past – 3 Words to Avoid

“In the past,” began my veteran secretary at my new job, “we would….” Of course, I listened attentively. After all, I’ve been told that is one thing I do well. But if you imagine that “In the past” is what we continued doing, well, that would be less than accurate. 

Image Source: http://goo.gl/qvoY3H

When I started a new position in a large urban school district, one of the phrases that people were fond of using was, “In the past.” Almost every utterance that meant to forestall change began that way. As if “In the past” would actually have the power to stop impending change. 

My new boss, an assistant superintendent put in the position he was in so that he could be forgotten by the District (a mistake since he was/is a brilliant individual who made the best of a great situation), loathed the phrase, In the past. It was a personal affront to him. If you started a conversation with those words, you had to be prepared for a drawn-out discussion exploring why the past was the past, and why change was necessary. Of course, I picked up on this perspective quickly (I was new to the District) and helpfully coached my veteran secretary (she later left the team) along with my team to NOT use that phrase, even when they meant to say it.

Dan Rockwell (Leadership Freak) says that people cling to the past for one of 4 reasons:

1. Don’t feel heard. People who consistently bring up past situations are saying, “Please listen to me.”
2. Need validation. People who don’t feel heard feel put down. Validated people courageously move forward. Everyone else waits for validation.
3. Fear the future. Even if it’s painful, the certain past is more comfortable than an uncertain future.
4. They aren’t convinced your plan for the future is actually better.

Dan then offers some excellent suggestions well-worth meditating on and applying.

Since that time (over a decade now) my secretary started every other utterance with In the past, I have read Crucial Conversations/Confrontations, and my perspective on change is significantly different. Now, if it takes 6 months to bring about a change, I ask myself, “What conversation am I not having that is impeding change?” I have to reflect on what conversations that I’m not having that prevent forward movement because, sad to say, it’s easy for me to put my head down and forge ahead without really being aware of those un-said conversations. It’s so easy to make unilateral “flash in the pan” decisions.

In Dr. Cook’s blog entry, he shares this perspective from Todd Whitaker (Shifting the Monkey author):

Change does not take a long time! People love to say that it takes a long time because they don’t want to work hard. For example, have you ever had an out of control class with a marginal teacher (could be a substitute, maternity leave replacement, or even a tenured teacher)? You take another, stronger teacher and put them in that class, and next thing you know it’s a different class? Change doesn’t take a long time, unless you are averageGreat people do not see the “before.” Continuing that example from above. The great teacher that comes in, and turns things around does not need to know what happened before. They take ownership of the class, and move forward 

I suppose I might change that highlighted section. Our notion of teaching is still centered around the one person who controls everything from the front of the room. Maybe, we could revise that to read:

The great leader that comes in, turns things around, does need to know what happened before. Only, that leader finds a way to share ownership of a future that others can support, then moves forward, enabling others to see what they couldn’t before–a future that captures the best of who we and the organization can be when we “synergize.”

Ok, that’s probably a terrible revision, especially with the fake word “synergize.” But this is a blog entry not a peer-reviewed journal and I’ll leave it for today.

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The Crucial Difference #savmp @skfuller @8amber8

Note: Slideshow appears at the bottom of this blog entry.

“Do you ‘pick’ your battles with staff?” Ah, what a delightful way of avoiding the issues that can move your team forward or not. In my own work, I’ve found that the crucial conversations/confrontations that you have successfully move your team forward, while those you fail to have or are unaware of, stop growth. As a leader, I have “mine for conflict,” a term that Patrick Lencioni introduced me to in his books. One of my favorite quotes about conversations comes from the VitalSmarts folks:

Whenever you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, it’s likely that a crucial conversation is keeping you stuck. Whether it’s a problem with poor quality, slow time-to-market, declining customer satisfaction, or a strained relationship, if you can’t talk honestly, you can expect poor results.

Don’t get me wrong, mining for conflict is a good way to lose a limb, get burned, unless you have a plan that works. Having been a poor conversationalist in the past, I’m grateful to the Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations books for providing a framework that works for me. What’s more important is that your team members are looking to you to handle these issues. When you do, there’s a collective sigh of relief. When you do not, people won’t meet your eyes, avoid uncomfortable topics, and/or find subversive ways to get things done.

Dan Rockwell (Leadership Freak blog) points out the problem with administrators who “pick their battles” with staff:
Weak leaders choose manipulation over honest exchange. Wise leaders choose tough conversation over mediocrity.
Excellence is a function of confrontation.

The more uncomfortable the conversation the more important it is. The more it matters, the tougher it is.

Successful leaders address issues others avoid. 

Mediocrity is the result of avoidance.

What a delightful evening I have planned for tonight! As I write this in the wee hours of the morning, I am looking forward to this evening’s podcast with friends like Amber Teamann (@8amber8),  Shannon Fuller (@skfuller), and colleagues I haven’t met yet, Ben Gilpin and Gerald Hudson.

This is the second time this year I’ve been asked to share my insights into “Critical Conversations,” so called because they are necessary, perceived as tough to have (best measured by your blood pressure and the gobs of time they consume, so it’s a bit of an endurance challenge), and critical because without them, you simply can’t move forward at work and/or life.

Here are the directions Amber shared with me last night, long after I’d already passed out for the evening:

Thank you again for agreeing to be a part of the #SAVMP process. Last week’s message was on Crucial Conversations. We wanted to do a hangout where we gave several scenarios and have you respond with how you, as a lead learner, would respond. In the course of answering about the scenarios, you can also share any words or wisdom that you have with our audience. The hangout will be live, and then also accessible for those who miss it on the SAVMP blog,
The three scenarios I’ll ask you about are:
1. The perpetually late employee
2. The staff member who isn’t pulling their fair share of the work load

Update: You can view/listen to the conversation we had as a part of SAVMP via YouTube:

Show Links:

• “Presume positive intent” – lots of references to this, but check out this chapter excerpt from What Successful Principals Do!
• Achieving Transformational Leadership with Wikis – http://tinyurl.com/nur2xp9 
• Happy Feet2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw7R_RGAd9I
• “Who will do what by when?”
• Our Iceberg is Melting

Although I’ve been interested in the SAVMP conversations, I admit I haven’t really kept up with them due to a busy schedule and herculean tasks I’ve been involved at work and for personal. Still, as I reflect on this evening, I am reminded of previous blog entries on this subject that I’ve written, including my own set of scenarios:

1. Old Friends, Fresh Reflections
2. The Way of Disinterest
3. Grow Towards the Light
4. Scenarios:
1. Crucial Confrontations – End of Year Slideshows
2. Scenario #1 – Confrontations that Lead to Excellence
3. Scenario #2 – Hungover Teacher Wearing Sunglasses in Class
4. Scenario #3 – Peer Accountability
5. Confrontation Protocol for Principals
5. Resolving Tough Conversations
6. Good Enough
7. Sucker’s Choices – How Tech Can Succeed in Schools
8. PBL Your Way to Crucial Conversations
9. My Notes on Crucial Conversations
10. Just Jump In – Exploring Options for Netbooks, iPads and More
11. The Undiscussables of Tech Leadership
12. 7 Tips for Surviving Leadership in Transition (or, two tips for new leaders)

and, finally, here’s my Haiku Deck slide show on the essentials of being crucial:

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

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The Power of With

Image Source: http://www.theenergybudget.com/wp-content/uploads/powerof3.jpg

“Why isn’t this initiative working out?” That’s a question that I’ve encountered many a time in my career. I can remember so many times that I began a project or initiative with a simple hope–that people would see what was being done, what the goal was, and support the initiative. In many cases, that was true. After all, I have the good fortune to work with many dedicated educators, people who are committed to success of initiatives that benefit their work and, perhaps more importantly, students.

I still remember when I saw the Factors for Sustained Institutionalization of Schoolwide Initiatives. It was a shock. I felt like a failure, which isn’t a good feeling to have when you’ve stepped into middle-age. The feeling soon faded because I now had a way of planning new initiatives. 

Then, as other projects arose, I promptly set the chart aside. Fortunately, I had left a copy in my iPad and while cleaning out my 64gig iPad 3rd gen, I found it nestled between pictures of my family. I trimmed my photo collection, leaving the chart in place. I’ve resolved to review it again and again until no initiative I do will happen without considering how to institutionalize change.

The Power of With. If you have a vision WITH school improvement plan WITH Skills WITH…well, you get the idea. Leave out any critical component, then you are destined for the consequence.

With vision, you achieve clarity.

With School Improvement Plan, you move forward and make progress.

With skill development, you achieve confidence.

With ample resources, you achieve satisfaction.

With motivation for yourself and others…etc.

When you launch a new initiative, do you consider all these factors? 

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