Main Ideas: Chapters 13 and 14

Part IV: Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 13: Are We There Yet?

The author poses the following questions that foster the implementation of each strategy that he mentions in parts I through III of the book. You can use these questions to think about how you are or will begin to unleash talent in your schools and classrooms.

Unleashing Talent	Driving Question(s)?
Strengths-Based Leadership	Do I know and build upon the strengths of those I serve?
Powerful Learning First, Technology Second	Are we embracing new (and better) opportunities for learning, and making decisions based on supporting these new realities?
Less is More	What are the few purposeful areas that we are focused on? How might we align our resources to support ongoing learning and development in these areas?
Embracing an Open Culture	How do we share openly and regularly to further our own learning and development?
Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences for Educators	Do our professional learning opportunities mirror the learning we want to create for our students?

A Different Type of Assessment

The author stresses how it is important to create evidence of the learning that is happening in our schools. Many schools, tests are the main form of formal assessment to measure this evidence. The author brings up the topic of digital portfolios which he mentions throughout the book citing an example of this that was spearheaded by him in his school division.

There are two main purposes that student and teachers digital portfolios can serve:

          1.       Learning portfolio- shows the individuals growth over time

          2.       Showcase portfolio- highlights the person’s best work

      Besides what the author mentions throughout the book, he lists 4 additional examples of how online portfolios provide a better way to create evidence of and assess learning. 

          1.       A better opportunity to focus on “traditional” literacy.

          2.       The ability to use a wide array of “literacies”.

          3.       The ability to develop an audience.

          4.       Developing a voice.

The author stresses that he is not saying that digital portfolios should be used in place of quantitative data, but rather that numbers are only part of the story. Written and visual examples of learning delivered from the students’ point of view can improve our understanding of where we are and where we need to go.

How Will You Measure Success?

A school’s or a student’s success is not as quantifiable as in the business world. On the one hand we say they want students to be critical thinkers, productive citizens, and responsible decision makers, but then we only measure success by how they perform on a test. We do not celebrate how they have grown and developed the other desired skills and mindsets.

“Aside from academic achievements, the success of a school should not only be measured by what students do when they are in school but also by their impact on the world after they leave the school environment.” (p. 329)

Do you agree with that statement? Do you think this is the true way to measure success?

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Chapter 14: The Biggest Barrier and “Game Changer” to Innovation in Education

There seems to be a battle between the “basics” versus “innovation” in education. However, the author points out that innovation in any area requires a fundamental understanding of basic concepts. The basics are essential in our modern world.

* Technology, information, and people we have access to today must be reflected and capitalized on in the way we learn and the way we teach students the basics.

*Innovation may start with individuals, but we all need all educators to work together and embrace the innovator’s mindset if we are to create something better for our students.

The Biggest Barrier and Game Changer

         The author concludes the book with what he stated at the start of. He repeats that “change is the opportunity to do something amazing”. He reminds us that fear (of change) can make us reluctant, but it doesn’t have to defeat us.

The author acknowledges the challenges we face in school:

*budget restrictions

*policies that don’t make sense

*curricula that are way to static for a world that is constantly changing

However, the author reminds us that we shouldn’t give up or give in to the way things have always been done. We should create something better for our students because we know better. Some people see constraint as a barrier and others see it as an opportunity. As the author points out, it is an opportunity to think inside the box.

Main Ideas: Chapters 11 and 12

Chapter 11: Embracing an Open Culture

          A large part of what I do in my role at work is new teacher training. While ideally, new teacher training is a week-long intensive training program running from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, we don’t live in an ideal world. That is when flash trainings and the occasional “super” flash training occurs. No matter how long the training is that the new teachers go through, I always leave them with one very important tip. I adamantly encourage the teachers to be their own best asset by being assertive and talking with the other teachers to share information and ideas. I can never stress this enough. I tell them that they need to ask around and see who is teaching the same courses as they are or have taught those courses in the past so that those teachers can share ideas and resources with them. Colombo has a great resource room filled with many things. However, at the same time it can be very overwhelming and time-consuming to browse through to see what you can use to enhance your classes. When these new teachers ask the other teachers to share ideas and information, a lot of the time the teachers point the new teachers in the direction of the really great resources found in the resource room. These are things that it would have taken the teachers a few weeks or even months to find out for themselves. Basically, by emphatically encouraging these new teachers to share and discuss ideas, I am promoting a practice that is not only useful to them both academically and logistically speaking, but it also benefits the students tremendously. This is something the author has touched upon throughout the book, but he really elaborates on it in this chapter. As he puts it:

          “Our connectivity and learning opportunities have changed in recent years, and, thankfully, many teachers are taking advantage of those changes to benefit themselves and, more importantly, their students. We have access to information and, equally valuable, to each other. We need to tap into that.” (p. 262)

         “As educational leaders, we must promote and capitalize on open, connected learning.” (p. 266)

This short video expresses what the author emphasis in this chapter in regards to the importance of sharing and networking our ideas.

• The internet makes it possible to take a step further to being a global teacher.
• The ideas you share could have an impact on not only your students, but students around the world as well.
• What you are doing may seem commonplace to you, but it could be extremely helpful or insightful to somebody else.
•  It is important to share your learning every step of the way so others can benefit from your experience.

Competitive Collaboration

•   Competitive collaboration in an open environment can accelerate innovation.
•  Viewing sharing as something that both supports and pushes us to be better will always benefit our students.
•    Commitment to sharing with each other in an open environment allows everyone opportunitinities for deep and powerful learning that can grow exponentially.

    Chapter 12: Create Meaningful Learning Experiences for Educators

      The author emphasizes that to change what happens in our schools, the experiences we create in our professional learning must first change. As the author mentioned in chapter 5, to be innovative you have to disrupt your routine.

• ·         Professional learning needs to be a constant part of our development as learners.
• ·         It is important to engage in ongoing activities that foster learning as part of a teacher’s work day.
• ·         To truly integrate new learning, it is necessary to allow time for exploration, collaboration, and reflection so educators can apply what they are learning.
• 
  

Food for thought: “…educators focus far too much on discussing teaching, and not enough time is spent immersing ourselves in powerful learning and modeling it for others.” (p. 285) 

           Would you agree with this statement? What has been your experience?

      The author says that creating opportunities for educators to learn in the same spaces and environment that our students experience helps to build an empathetic viewpoint of the possibilities for learning today.

     8 Things to Look for in Today’s Professional Learning

      The author takes “8 Things to Look for in Today’s Classroom” and modifies it to consider how it can be applied to professional learning.

   

      1.   Voice

      2.      Choice

      3.      Time for reflection

      4.       Opportunities for innovation

      5.       Critical Thinking

      6.       Problem finders/solvers

      7.       Self-assessment

      8.       Connected Learning

                                                 #6

                         #8

Main Ideas: Chapters 9 and 10

Chapter 9: Powerful Learning First, Technology Second

       Children have the opportunity to both learn and teach others before they even go to school. How? They have this opportunity now thanks to technology. As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph in my blog about chapter 1 (see blog entry Main Ideas: Chapters 1 and 2) people often associate the word innovation with technology even though they don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

So, what does technology do for us in regards to innovation and an innovative mindset?

•          It invites us to move from engaged to empowered.
• ·       It provides opportunities to go deeper into our learning with the abilities to consume and create.
•          “To teach is to learn twice.” – Joseph Joubert (p.218) It gives us the ability to connect and share with an audience and therefore the opportunity to “learn twice”.

21^st Century School or 21^st Century Learning?

       The point the author makes with this subtitle is that a school can have all the latest technology and be very modern which makes it a 21^st century school. However, that doesn’t mean that the school is offering 21^st century learning. To paraphrase the example the author provides to illustrate this point further, he equates computers to $1000 pencils if the students are only using this technology to access the same information that existed in their textbooks and just handing in the assignments with it.

•  There needs to be a shift in mindset on teaching and learning also or the installation of high-tech devices into a classroom is only cosmetic.
•   We need to focus on the learner and not just the learning in order to embrace the opportunities to educate and empower the students in powerful ways.
• Technology gives us the power to accelerate, amplify, and recreate learning.

Is Technology “Just” a Tool?

        The author points out that using the word “just” when referring to technology as a tool makes it seem optional. However, technology can be transformational and it provides opportunities that didn’t exist before. Think about the following:

“Technology should personalize, not standardize.” (p. 223)

The author says the possibilities are endless to do so. What do you think? What are some ideas you have as an educator to make technology transformational for your students?

Learner-Centered Decisions

Food for thought: Ask yourself how many times you have done what is easy, known, or comfortable even though you have the best intentions and desire to teach the way your students learn? Be honest with yourself here and don’t be hard on yourself if the answer is more times than you would like to admit.

Ideas and reasoning behind learner-centered decisions:

1. There is a necessary shift in thinking needed regarding the learning opportunities technology provides for students.
2.  Educators need to start experimenting with technological devices, programs, applications, and/or tools to see firsthand how learning experiences change and how they can then create new, different, and better opportunities for the students.
3.  Not understanding the potential of a device just leaves educators continuing with traditional learning but at a higher cost.

*The author makes a strong case for “learning leaders”. When educators learn about new technology, the idea is that these individuals help lead others while at the same time they have the opportunity to change their own mindsets about what learning could look like in today’s classroom (meaning putting themselves in the students’ shoes as learners). Educators should internalize their learning and share it with their colleagues.

Changing Course: How to help guide the work of IT departments when making decisions about students

1. What is best for kids?

This should be a question that guides everyone’s work not just the IT department. For example, locking or blocking students’ access to many social media sites on school computers does not teach the students how to navigate a confusing and fast-paced world.

2. How does this improve learning?

For whatever technology or software being used, either educators or the IT department needs to be able to explain or show how it is essential for learning.

3. If we were to do ________, what is the balance of risk vs. reward?

Often times the leaders or IT departments look at risk assessment and try to keep the risk low or non-existent. However, the possible reward associated with doing something is very rarely assessed.

4. Is this serving the few or the majority?

Anytime a new policy or procedure is implemented for the entire school, we must make sure it does not punish everyone for the mistakes of a few. (Think cyberbullying as one example of the mistakes of a few.)

Chapter 10: Less is More

"In a world where we suffer from information overload, less is definitely more.” (p. 238)

Food for thought: How do you feel when you receive a very long email? Do you feel excited to have to read through it? Do you end up just skimming it? How do you feel when observing a very long presentation with many slides? Are you able to pay attention throughout? Do you even want to?

*Quality should always trump quantity. However, in many cases, schools inundate teachers with new initiatives and a bunch of organizational objectives. The result of educators feeling overwhelmed by the number of requirements they have to meet is that the focus of the classroom usually becomes making sure to cover curriculum rather than focusing on the learning and exploring concepts in depth.

*Less is more is a good rule for leaders to follow so that you inspire innovation and deep learning rather than promoting confusion and burnout with your teachers.

*Leaders should avoid giving your educators too many options without a clear focus. Sometimes the more choices you provide (referring to technology here), the less teacher will do with each one. The teachers that do try to use all the options usually just skim the surface and the tools and ideas then make little impact on the learning experiences for the students.

The author references the TED Talk by Barry Schwart titled “Paradox of Choice” in which the speaker explains how living in a world with so much choice can make us miserable and the perils it leads us towards. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM)

*We need to change the mindset that every new idea, including good ideas, must be immediately implemented.

*Instead of trying to do everything, we need to focus on what we want learners to know and do.

A scale of educational technology: (To note: this is similar information to that of SAMR that we talked about on the first day of class.)

Literate	Adaptive	Transformative
If I am literate… I am able to manipulate a device. I know how to turn it on for example.	If I am using a device in an adaptive way… I am doing something with new technology that I used to do in a low-tech way. I am taking notes on the iPad for example.	If I am using a device in a transformative way… I am doing something with the device that I could not do before. I am connecting with people around the world through a blog for example.

*Present fewer choices…provide enough time for exploration and collaboration to allow new and better ideas…move to the point where technology becomes transformative.

A Focus on Creation

“Creativity is where we start to think differently, and innovation is where creativity comes to life.” (p.245)

•        The first goal is getting students to see themselves as creators because the real learning begins when students create.
•       What we learn is not as important as what we create from what we learn.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPbjSnZnWP0)

•         We are less innovative when our learning is thinly spread over a bunch of initiatives.

*Offering less choices doesn’t mean that educators should hold back students by only allowing them to explore designated tools or resources. You still have to encourage and model constant exploration to encourage powerful learning.

Hellow again. It is time for talking about chapters thirteen and fourteen. Firts, I noticed that chapter thirteen is about the importance of creating suitable evidence of the learning that happens in schools. The author presents "digital portfolios" as an impressive tool to collect evidence of students' progress (Learning portfolios), as well as their best work (showcase portfolios) and he explains how this  has worked in his school. he recomends portfolios in form of blogs because they allow interaction among community members and also interchange with others outsiders. He adds that if we use these blogs not just for academic purposes but for knowing each other by sharing likes and interests, we provoke empowerment because relationships are essential in learning. The author describes what his school experience has been and the great success it has had in assessment and self-assessment by using these blogs. I share a video I uploaded from youtube.com about  George Courous and digital portfolios. Please enjoy it.

In chapter fourteen, The author develops the idea that innovation requires knowledge, but to be innovators we need more than just knowledge. Innovation is about creating and doing. While traditional learning just gives specific notions about topics, innovative learning fosters students' creativity which makes people see their work as part of their beings. the author categorically affirms that he is an example of it. Personally, I wish I saw my job like that, even though, I am kilometers away of becoming the teacher breathing, I certainly look forward to being myself in such a threshold.

The author tells about the unbelievable mindset her mother has and how she, as well as his father carved out such a great footprint on his heart. At the end of the book George Courous forcefully says that the biggest barrier to innovation is our own way of thinking and the biggest game changer in education are educators who embrace the innovator's mindset. Now there are two more videos I woud like to show about this book.

Hello again, it's time to comment chapters eleven and twelve. This time, I would do a visual post because the topic is repetitive. I mean, it has to do with lots of things the author has already argued about in previous chapters. In chapter eleven the main idea is that teachers, as well as administrators must use technolgy to share ideas, concepts and other kind of information. The thesis is lifted on the basis that if we talk about a topic, we need to model it. The author says to strengthen this idea that technology has the power of accelerating people's skills, especially creativity and innovation because it gives the chance to be in contact with lots of producctions. He also gives what he calls the three key elements to crowd accelerate innovation, which are: People who share a common interest, visibility to see what others are doing and desire to change, grow, and improve. The most important we must do is to share what we do because being in touch with colleagues is crucial to realize proposals, methodologies, ideas and so on that are carried out wherever. besides, this kind of mindset lets us publishing what we do, which can be also useful not only to students, but also to teachers. Could you imagine a teacher who is ashamed about his/her practice in the classroom? I do not certainly think this kind of teacher exists, but I do really think that selfish teachers could seem like this.

In chapter twelve, the main idea is about creating meaningful learning experiences for educators, as well as for students. Which is closely related to the amount of learning experiences we are eager to share with our students. the author says that most of teachers do not share about their learning experiences because they prefer to be seen as experts, instead of learners as well. And this fact impedes that students feel passionate for learning.  How is this possible, if the reality of our world is closely related to the ability to learn at any time, at any place and at any pace? The author suggests what he calls the eight things to look for in today's professional learning. I just want to share two pictures I took form the book with the hope everybody understands the very complicated world of twenty first century teaching and learning. The author promotes the term "Inquiry-based learning" represented by:

The second concept that the author emphasizes is "The networked teacher"represented by:

I absolutely disagree with the statement the author considers as a true: "People never learn anything by being told; they have to find out for themselves". This sentence is from Paulo Coelho, who is not a teacher and it is against Piaget's research about cognitive development. If the sentence were true, the capabilty of doing abstractions human beings have would be a myth. Moreover, I consider Bible's authority more than Cohelo's one and Bible says: " The wise sees the evil and runs away, but the fool crosses and receives damage" Proverbs 22:3; 27:12

Main Ideas: Chapters 7 and 8

Chapter 7: Creating a Shared Vision

Who should the vision of what education can look like today appeal to or be compelling for?

•  Not just students, but also teachers, leaders, and the overall community

What needs to be included in order to establish this vision?

• The articulation of the desired characteristics of the learners and the optimal learning environment

Who is going to be most likely to embrace the vision?

• The people that helped to set up the vision and mission

Why?

• To go beyond engagement and into empowerment, where people have both ownership and autonomy, everyone needs to be involved and they will more likely embrace it if they were a part of setting it up

A New Vision

What does creating a new vision entail?

•  Involve (engage and empower) the entire community: staff and students, leaders, parents, and business leaders
• Consider the benefactors of the new vision; it is not just for the students, but rather for learners which means the leaders and teachers as learners too
•  It should be unique to the community it serves and lack “generic-ness”

What actions are required to execute this new vision?

• The vision statement should be clear and direct enough to memorize
• The vision statement needs to be able to connect with each and every person in the organization (school system)
• The larger vision needs to be understood and explainable so that it works in the classroom and in the learning process
• The mission needs to be broken down into small, achievable steps for individuals within the school system; this builds confidence and competence along the process which leads to success in individuals and benefits the whole organization

8 Elements for executing and encouraging a successful vision:

ELEMENT	EFFECT
1. Voice	-Empower students to speak up and use their voices effectively because learning is social and co-constructing knowledge empowers them
2. Choice	-Concerns both how and what they learn and allows students to build on strengths and interests to make learning relevant and fulfilling
3. Time for Reflection	-Taking to time rally think about and understand what they have learned allows for deeper learning
4. Opporunities for Innovation	-Important to create ongoing opportuniites in all areas where students are encouraged and provided time to develop and pursue innovative ideas rather than just during special events
5. Critical Thinking	-To teach learners not to be compliant -Teach students to respectfully ask questions and empower them to challenge the ideas of others to move forward -To teach them to be able to discern truth from fiction with the abundance of information out there and the importance of considering the source
6. Problem Solvers/Finders	-Important to develop problem solvers and finder (previously discussed in chapter 3)
7. Self-Assessment	-Teaching students how to assess themselves instead of doing it for them gives them more opportunities for reflection and they take ownership of their learning - Helps them to understand their strengths and areas of growth (ex. use of portfolios)
8. Connected Learning	-Teachers can design and activate powerful learning experiences for students to engage with content experts and apply their learning to create new knowledge and ideas -Technology provides access to people we could not ever imagine being part of the classroom before; utilize this capability

Part III: Unleashing Talent

Chapter 8: Strengths-Based Leadership

The author propses the following question at the beginning of this chapter:

What if schools stopped operating on a deficit model that focuses on a learner’s weaknesses and started working on a strengths-based model that builds on the learner’s strengths?

In order to empower our students:

1.      We must help them find what they love
2.      We must create learning experiences that encourage them to develop their strengths

      Examples:

• If students do well in writing, create more opportunities for them to write.
• If students are excited about science, provide more opportunities for them to explore that passion.

FOCUSING ON STRENGTHS does not mean IGNORING AREAS OF WEAKNESS

·         Strength-based models:

o   Can encourage students to improve in their weaker areas

o   Lead to success which builds competence and confidence

o   Can lead to harnessing the power of a student’s newly developed growth mindset

Leading for Better Teaching- And Better Learning

“We cannot forgo a focus on our strengths for the sake of only emphasizing the areas where we struggle.” (p. 199)

• ·          The deficit model forces administrators and educators to overcompensate in the areas that need to be “fixed”.
• ·         An environment where the message is always that they aren’t good enough can be demoralizing and counterproductive
• ·         People are more engaged in their work when managers focus on their employees’ strengths

“Great leaders practice balancing trust and autonomy while providing strong mentorship.” (p. 201)

• ·         To lead doesn’t mean just telling people what to do or how to do it
• ·         It often requires pushing others’ thinking and abilities by asking questions and challenging perceptions
• ·         It requires you do to the above without micro-managing
• ·         Unleash your people’s talents by bringing their strengths to life, not ignoring them
• ·         Give people the freedom to take risks by delving into their abilities to help create a space where innovative ideas and learning flourish
• ·         Model taking risks so that educators are more likely to try their ideas and stretch themselves and through them, their students also
• ·         Don’t limit your leadership skills to just apply to this year, but also help to create opportunities for a team member’s future as well
• ·         Empower your staff and give them ownership in leading the direction of your school or organization