Why a Blog?

As I reflect on my continuous evolution as an educational leader I am constantly amazed at how things have changed over the course of a year and a half.  It was in March of 2009 that I decided to give this thing Twitter a try.  At the time I was skeptical about whether my time was going to be well spent posting updates in 140 characters and whether or not people would actually care or be interested in what I was doing.  Obviously my perception of Twitter early on was formed by the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Shaq.   Boy was I wrong!

Fast forward to February of 2010.  After nearly a year of using Twitter from an educational perspective I had begun to find and read blogs on a daily basis.  I often marveled at the creative thought and passion that so many educators put into their writing.  Envious would be a more appropriate word.  As I became active on Twitter members of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) began to suggest that I start a blog.  Well let me be the first one to tell you that I am NOT a writer and always struggled with expressing my thoughts in words.  My mind was set in concrete that I would NEVER under any circumstances begin to blog (wait, I said the same thing about joining Facebook up until 2010).

So what changed?  The most important factor that influenced me to begin a blog was my PLN.  Had it not been the modeling by and support of so many unbelievable educators I would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, started blogging.  The support I received gave me the courage to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with others who have a stake in the noblest profession.  My reflections led to a belief that I actually had useful information to share that might be utilized to help other educators grow, think, take-risks, and eventually share their success stories.

I absolutely relish the fact that I now utilize my blog as a vehicle to share the successes of my students and staff.  Sharing is the key word here.  The concept of a PLN and immersion in the educational world of Web 2.0 has shown me the unselfish nature of educators as they constantly strive to help each other day in day out.  Why do we do this? The answer is simple, we want to ensure that students succeed!  No one person or group has all of the answers.  Each and every educator has something to share.  Blogs now provide a valuable set of services to educators in a time when our profession desperately needs it.  These include mentoring, professional development, encouragement, and most importantly inspiration.  They also show students, parents, and community members how passionate we are about what we do!

Why do I blog? I do so to give back to those people that have helped me break free from a traditional mindset and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  I blog in the hopes of challenging my own thinking in order to continually grow into a transformational leader.  Finally, I blog to be transparent.  I want to brag about my students and staff while providing examples of innovation.  It was an absolute honor to have my blog selected as the Edblog of the Week (thank you Cory Plough for setting this up). If it wasn't for Twitter, my PLN, or the support of my family and NMHS community, this post along with all the others would never have been written. THANK YOU!

Good vs Great Teachers: My Ravitch Response

Earlier today I read an article published in the Washington Post by Diane Ravitch entitled "Ravitch on Teachers and Her Critics".  For the most part I agree with her views on No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and in many other areas.  However, I was very taken aback by this statement that she made referencing 21st Century Skills, "And, to the extent that it is about pushing more technology into the schools, it is pointless, as technology will never take the place of good teachers." 

As an educational leader I feel compelled to address this statement as I am tasked with hiring, observing, mentoring, evaluating, and supporting teachers on a daily basis.  I want all of my teachers to be good and I unequivocally agree that there is nothing more important and influential to the success of a student than a good teacher.  This leads me to list some defining characteristics of a good teacher:

1.  Sound classroom management skills.
2.  Ability to actively engage all learners.
3.  Firm understanding of best practices and effective
     pedagogical techniques.
4.  Addresses the needs of all learners by differentiating
     instruction.
5.  Designs lessons that foster critical thinking skills and
     cognitive growth through authentic-based practices.
6.  Are supportive, caring, and passionate about what they do.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  As Ravitch downplays the significance of educational technology and its evolving role in today's landscape I see it as an essential resource utilized by good teachers on a daily basis.  These good teachers combine the engaging and collaborative forces inherent in technology with sound pedagogical techniques in order to effectively integrate. The result is phenomenal lessons.  Through risk-taking and a determination to provide an enriched learning experience that is meaningful, these good teachers are reaching students in ways never imagined.  Students of these good teachers have now developed a love for learning and an excitement about coming to school.  They see technology as an essential tool, not a means to an end. 

No, technology will never replace good teachers.  Good teachers will be replaced by great teachers that embrace this opportunity and understand that change is the only way to prepare our students for success in the 21st Century.  Great teachers find ways to use technology when needed to challenge, support, and enhance the learning needs of all students.  It might not be on a daily basis, but the great teacher acknowledges its potential impact on and power for learning.  Technology and the need for change are not going away, and the great teacher understands this.  Thank you to all the great teachers, administrators, parents, and educational stakeholders that are actively accepting this challenge.  Do not settle for being good.  Continue to strive towards greatness as the student will greatly benefit.

More iPad Apps

In my last post I wrote about some iPad apps that I thought were must adds for administrators and educators alike.  Since then I have received some great suggestions from my PLN and had the chance to check out other apps that I have found a use for as a High School Principal.  The key for me is that I want this device to be a valuable tool in collecting data, staying in touch with my administrative team, unrestricted real-time access to my PLN, and as a form of motivation for my teachers to take more risks with technology to engage students in the learning process.  Here are my additions:

15.  Skype: Make FREE calls to everyone in your contact list.
16.  textPlus: FREE, unlimited SMS via regular text, app-to-app,
       1-to-1, or in groups.
17.  Documents to Go: Edit/create/view MS Word and Excel
       files as well as view PDF, PowerPoint and iWork files. 
       Syncs with Dropbox!
18.  GoodReader: Read PDF and TXT files; syncs w/ DropBox and
       Google Docs.
19.  Free Translator:  Translates over 18 languages.
20.  Simplepedia: A simple Wikipedia reader.
21.  Groupboard: Turns your iPad into a collaborative
       whiteboard.
22.  Pcalc Lite: Fully functional scientific calculator.

I am currently looking into Classroom Walkthrough apps by Teachscape and Austin Sky.  If you have used any of these or other apps from another company please let me know.  In the meantime I plan on using the forms feature in Google Docs to collect and analyze walkthrough data with my administrative team.  After sharing my excitment about the iPad with a social studies teacher today we decided to purchase two of these for the department in lieu of a laptop. There are so many cool educational history apps out there!

One other quick suggestion.  Many iPad apps allow users to draw and write freehand notes.  This is a really cool feature, but if you are cumbersome like me and have sloppy handwriting this could become quite frustrating.  Thus I have purchased and highly recommend an iPad compatible stylus such as the Particle Case and Pogo Sketch. As always, I can ony learn and grow with your feedback!
                                                               

My Quick List of iPad Apps

Yesterday after receiving my iPad I quickly reached out to my PLN for some suggestions on which apps to download.  The key for me is that I will be using this device at work in concert with my administrative team during administrative walk-throughs, observations, and to take notes during meetings (I am sure some other uses will come up as I get more acclimated with the iPad).  So after roughly 12 hours here is my quick list of some applications that I feel educational administrators and other educators should have on their device.  I will provide a brief description of each if warranted.  Also, all the apps listed below are FREE!!!

1.    Evernote: Fantastic tool for notes, ideas, recordings,
       pictures, etc.
2.    Cloud Browse: Easily access Flash, JAVA, and Google Docs.
3.    iBooks: Download and read books.
4.    LinkedIn: Professional networking and contacts at your
       fingertips.
5.    Dragon Diction: Easy to use voice recognition program.
6.    FeeddlerRSS: RSS reader that easily syncs with Google
       Reader.
7.    Facebook: What better way to update the
       NMHS Facebook page!
8.    Dictionary & Thesaurus: Even includes word of the day!
9.    The Weather Channel: Every educator should know what
       the weather is going to be like each day.
10.  Delicious: Access all your bookmarks quickly and easily.
11.  World Book: Today in History: History information when you
       want it.
12.  Google Earth: Having the world in the palm of your hands
       isn't a bad thing.
13.  Dropbox: MUST HAVE! Easily sync/share files across computers and online
14.  Infinote: Post-It-Note creation tool.

*** 13 and 14 were added thanks to Beth Swantz!

As far as Twitter apps go I have been playing around with both TweetDeck and Twitterrific.  For all the Google nuts out there like me, I highly recommend going into your internet browser and adding Gpanion to your home screen (it will then show up as an icon on your apps page).  Once logged in you will then have easy access to all of your Google Apps! Feel free to add to this list in the comments section.