A Joyful Journey...

Course Project

It's been quite a journey! I look forward to what is to come, and I have enjoyed reflecting on where I've been throughout this project. I hope you enjoy!

#KeepCalmAndBlogOn

The definition of a good citizen has evolved over the years. No longer does this only entail treating others with respect and making positive contributions to our society, it now involves being connected with the world around you. Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens discusses how the definition of a good citizen has changed over the years. It pushes the discussion past basic skills and challenges digital citizens to not only be prepared to enter the world and receive information, but to be able to actively go out and capture knowledge.  Teachers and schools play a vital role in preparing these digital citizens.

Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens is an article featured on Global Digital Citizen Foundation which is a non profit organization dedicated to cultivating responsible, ethical, global citizens for a digital world. In video clips featured in the article, Michael Wesch answers three very important questions: (1) What is a mediated world? (2) Describe the difference between being knowledgeable and knowledge-able. (3) How effectively is digital citizenship being taught in K-12 and higher education? 

Wesch mentions this quote in one of his videos, "Students enter school as a question mark, and they leave as a period." This was the most profound piece of information that I took away from all of my research and will be something that I want to have in the forefront of my mind as an administrator. Too often, we are allowing students to ask questions and we are providing them with all of the answers. But, like it states in Global Digital Citizen Foundation's article and Wesch's interview, we need to prepare students with the day-to-day skill sets of digital citizens and allow them to go out into the world with these questions.

Wesch critiques K-12 education by stating that we are not there yet. We have not fully immersed our students by aligning curriculum to prepare students to be digital natives, but he agrees there are certainly people that are doing it each day. My goal as a future administrator is to embrace the many opportunities that I will have to provide my teachers with the skill sets they need to prepare their students for the future, and part of a successful future for these students is the ability to be a digital citizen. Before my role as an administer begins, I want to continue my research on the best possible ways to have students connected with the world around them. True digital citizens are able to connect locally and with their geographic reality. I want to do my best to research the best possible ways to provide these opportunities for my future teachers and students.

‪Michael Wesch on Digital Citizenship Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQWBqbjEB-0&list=PLA3FB753E843A762D&index=3

‪GDC Team. 

‪Turning students into good digital citizens Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/turning-students-into-good-digital-citizens

Community Engagement Project

Avoiding "I'm Bored!" This Summer

1. Goals

-To provide parents with an outlet to connect with other parents and teachers in the district to discuss possible summer adventures. 

-To provide parents with a resource filled with useful books, websites, and tips on how to keep their middle-schooler busy during summer vacations. 

-To encourage the collaborative relationship between parents and teachers. 

-To increase parent involvement through tweets, blog comments, and photo sharing.

2. Audience: The targeted audience for this website would be district-wide families. 

3. Measurable Outcomes: 

-Data derived from WW Parent Survey: Assess the need by district parents and update resources based on parent feedback. 

-Tweets: Assess the number of tweets by parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Offer incentives for teachers to participate in the usage of hashtags and re-tweets in order to spread the word. #TeacherSummerBucketList #MomSummerBucketList #AvoidImBored #WhatIDidToday

-Comments on the blog and Photos/Videos shared by families: Evaluate participation by district families and asses the need for sharing outlets. 

-Website counter: To keep track of how many parents are utilizing the site. 

4. Logistics for implementing plan: 

-Teachers will be encouraged to share the website link "Avoiding 'I'm Bored!' This Summer" on their teacher-pages. 

-District Technology staff will have content prepared for roll-out by the beginning of May in order to build up interest and buy-in from district families. 

-Teachers will be surveyed in order to ask for volunteers to tweet and blog alongside celebrity blogger, Miss Malone in order to raise awareness.  

5. Assessment Criteria

-Parent feedback from survey results

-Parent comments, photo sharing, and tweets

-Teacher blog posts to reflect need of resources (based on surveys, tweets, and comments) 

Digital Tools:

1. Teacher Blog: The "Celebrity Teacher Blog" will be used to keep parents up-to-date and engaged over the summer months. Ideally, a teacher will volunteer to blog about summer adventures to share with the district families. Teacher involvement will inspire students to participate in order to be featured on the district website, Celebrity teacher blog, and twitter. A weekly teacher blog will provide parents with fresh and new ideas to try out with their kids. For students who have had this teacher in the past, it is a great way to stay in touch. It will also target a group of students entering the building as they get to know this blogging teacher before the school year begins. It is my hope that the district and teacher will collaborate in order to feature administrators, board members, and other teachers on the blog and Twitter in order to gain more interest and attention. 

2. Twitter: Social media is a magical thing and Twitter provides the district with the opportunity to be 'shared' with people everywhere! With everyone's busy schedules, Twitter is very appealing. In 140 characters or less, parents, students, and teachers are able to tweet #WhatIDidToday and share their summer adventures! #TeacherSummerBucketList #MomSummerBucketList #AvoidingImBored 

3. YouTube Videos: Convincing middle-school students can be tough work! Reading, tweeting, and engaging in conversations may not always work, that's where videos come in! Parents can view 'Places to Visit' and sample GoNoodle videos that they are able to easily share with their child. Tweet it to them, text it, or even shoot them an email. In the technology-age, a quick video-clip will help spark interest and provide visual depictions of what can be expected of an outdoor location or website resource. 

4. Google Forms- Parent Survey: By utilizing a brief parent-survey, district administrators, teachers, and the technology department will be able to assess the needs of district families. Rather than continuing to find resources that the district finds appealing, surveying the target audience will provide the best direction for website administrators to consider when updating. This will also be useful for the 'Celebrity Teacher Blogger' in order to highlight areas of need. For example, if the survey produces a large request of 'Places to Travel,' Miss Malone can conduct research on affordable places to visit throughout her summer adventures. 

5. Paired Website- GoNoodle: The best made plans always need a back-up, especially for those rainy days! Pairing GoNoodle will help parents find an interactive website that they can show to their students, rather than having them lay on the couch and playing apps on their iPhone. 

6. Paired Website- Middle-School Must-Reads: The hardest part of getting a child to read is finding something that they enjoy. By providing the top 10 books a middle-schooler should read, and a list of suggestions by their beloved teachers, it is my hope that users will be inspired to pick up a book and read over the summer! I would pair the summer reading list with the Blog and Twitter by having the celebrity teacher highlight one of the books that she is currently reading, and also happens to be on the Must-Reads for Middle-Schoolers! 

Excellence in Professional Practice

I have to admit, before diving into the readings and exploring other blogs, e-ventures, and e-sources, I wasn't entirely sure of the value, or premise, of backchannel communication in the classroom. However, through exploration, I discovered several awesome resources that could be used by administrators and teachers to increase parent-teacher relationships, teacher-student relationships, and overall family and school communication. 

In a previous reading of chapter five in Sheninger, he stated, "If schools are serious about having an effective family-school communication, we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to social media." I agree with this statement. Schools are oftentimes afraid of social media because of the negative affects that it can have, however, I think that if social media is navigated and explored effectively, it can create an invaluable source for parents and teachers to connect. According to the text, traditional schools are more closed than they are open. Those who are connected to a greater social network are more informed about best practice, educational beliefs, and current perceptions in the media (Sheninger, 2014). Therefore, the opportunity to explore needs to be available and encouraged in schools by both administrators to their teachers, and teachers to their students. 

Currently, my district uses our district website which links to each individual school. When you click on your child's school, you are able to visit their teacher's Fusion page. Fusion pages, if kept up to date, highlight upcoming quizzes, tests, homework assignments, school events, and reminders for parents. However, after reading Born's e-ventures and e-sources, there are many opportunities to revamp Fusion pages and make them much more engaging to families at home. Something that I am very impressed by in my district is the utilization of our district's App. I think that we are embracing technology and trying our best to keep up with trends. This was an e-venture in Born's chapter 10.  

Something that I found interesting from my exploration of Born's The Technology-Ready School Administrator was Today's Meet. Wow! What a fantastic way to connect with a variety of kids in the classroom. The thing that I love most about this is the ability to reach every student at their 'lightbulb moment.' I have a co-taught classroom, and although I think this is the case in many classrooms, I have really seen it in my classroom within the last year. Students take a variety of different approaches in order to grasp material, and unfortunately, with the pace of a general education classroom, those moments are not always highlighted. With something like Today's Meet, kids can discuss information in a private chat room where they feel comfortable. Check out this awesome story which advocates for backchanneling in the classroom, and mentions the usage of Today's Meet. 

I was also very interested in exploring Poll Everywhere and Kidblog.org. I've loved the blogging experience and I have not always loved Blackboard sites, or commenting on other people's posts. However, just utilizing a different venue made this much more enjoyable for me. I think that exploring Kidblog would be a great use of a teacher's time. 

I would be remised not to mention Twitter. With 140 characters or less, Twitter is an excellent way to connect, share insightful quotes, and link to educational blogs. Sheninger focused on Lyn Hilt's journey as she discovered the usefulness of blogging and twitter to enhance relationships and gain a useful following. I think that her journey highlights the struggle of navigating social media very well. Starting a blog is one thing, but creating a forum where people can have insightful conversations, tackle problems in education, and provide useful feedback is an entirely different task. It's critical to analyze resources, make connections, and embrace social media overall. By utilizing something as simple as Twitter, and reading conversations with the hashtag #EdChat, connections are immediately made. 

For someone knew to exploring bachkchanneling in the classroom, like myself, I think that this short article is a great start, check it out!

Connected Leadership

As I scrolled through the list of connected educators, I decided I wanted to try to find an elementary principal. My dream principal position would be in a K-5 building, which is what lead me to this decision. I also feel very strongly about technology use in the classroom, and love the idea of Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT). However, when thinking about this policy and usage in an elementary school, I have always figured that it would be more difficult because people would be apprehensive about the usage of student's own devices in an elementary classroom.

I scrolled through the long list of resources and then decided to minimize my search by selecting key words: elementary. Boom! I clicked on the first blog that I found and it could not have been more perfect if I wrote the blog myself. Jason Bednar's school was piloting the district's 'Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program. The most recent post discussed his plan behind selecting six teachers to be a part of his pilot team. The most refreshing piece of information in this entry was that he did not want to pick all of his most tech-savvy teachers. I completely agree with this decision, and think that it will lead him to find the most authentic data. Unfortunately, Jason's blog is not very up-to-date and there haven't been any updates on his district's project since 2013. However, I decided to further my research of his district and see how this pilot faired. I was very pleased to find that the school board did approve a district-wide BYOT policy. Although I was unable to continuing reading first-hand accounts of the usage in an elementary school, I felt very positive about the use of a BYOT policy in an elementary school after reading about his positive experience in the beginning of his pilot.

I decided to continue my blog exploration and found another elementary blog written by Curt Rees. Rather than exploring the most recent blogs, I decided I wanted to look for something particular. I remembered our conversation in class last week about how a principal's job involves management and that the term manager is coming back to life. Therefore, I searched "manager" and discovered a great entry from 2013 titled Leadership vs. Management. I really liked his response to a fellow blogger, and especially liked that he explained that leadership and management do not need to be put up against one another. In Rees' words, "Without good management, leadership can't happen." This post is definitely worth a read!

I think that it is so useful for educators to participate in blogging and to read others blogs as well. It is so easy to find first-hand accounts from other professionals that are trying things in their schools that you could be currently discussing as options for your district. Rather than reinventing the wheel, hop online and see how other district's faired in this situation. I think it is comparable to picking up the phone and calling or texting a friend for advice. Reflective blogging provides authentic experiences of events that are occurring in schools across the country.

I can definitely say that I am destined to be a connected leader. I have really enjoyed the use of this blog, and I enjoy participating in many other social media sites as well. I am pleasantly surprised by the number of educational blogs that I have found. I look forward to following these threads and reading about current practices in schools across the country.

Visionary Leadership

Visionary leaders can be found all around us. They are individuals who have an inner desire to take a task and tackle it in a new way. They are the people, like the video stated, who will be able to produce the newest thinkers, dreamers, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs because they themselves, are just that. Using the instant technology that is available today to connect with innovative people across the globe, visionary leaders will empower people to network with other creators and make great things happen.

Through my research of Visionary Leadership in Education, I stumbled across a few blogs. Two of which sparked my attention when I saw Pokemon Go! in the titles. I thought to myself, "What in the world does this silly game have to do with education?" After reading on, I understood, and I found that a lot of the topics were relatable to the topics being discussed this week. George Couros' Blog lead me to an interesting blog post published by David Theriault on IDEAFM's blog. Now, I'm sure you may be thinking, "What does this have to do with leadership?" Let's discover that part together...

Dr. Hilt shared a quote describing a visionary leader. A very specific part of this quote stuck out to me after I read through Couros' and Theriault's blogs; "A visionary leader would support positive transformation throughout his or her district in order to ensure that teachers integrate information literacy into classroom lessons and activities in ways that promote critical thinking and excellence." As I read through the 14 Reasons Why Pokemon Go! is the Future of Learning, I discovered many opportunities that exemplify a visionary leader, therefore aligning with Common Core Standards that require students to access digital resources. Scavenger hunts could be created using GooseChase.com, which recently started using EDU accounts. Students could blog using their personal devices, they could listen to Podcasts created by their teacher, or vetted by their teacher that would enrich the learning already taking place inside the classroom, and they can create short video clips or emoji stories that summarize the plot of a recently read novel. Now that we are able to "access all human knowledge through a device that fits in the palm of our hand," we need to make changes in education because there are very few things that we are currently doing that are preparing our youth for their competitive futures. It's time we create a "new normal" and enrich our students' minds.

Scheninger makes reference to Spike who models for teachers in their classroom, he does not believe that teachers need to be pushed out of their comfort zone. As I thought about myself as a visionary leader, and how I would instill my vision into others, I found that I really connected with parts of this mindset. Scheninger explains that Spike rewards teachers for taking risks and supports teachers in all of their decisions, understanding that each teacher makes connections in his or her own way. My favorite part about his mindset is that he has patience for those educators who may never get beyond Web 1.0 tools. Although technology is very important and prevalent in today's world, I do not believe that technology makes a teacher a good teacher or a bad teacher. Technology enhances one's experience and provides opportunities beyond the classroom.

I have had the opportunity to work with many house principals throughout my tenure at SF. I can think of many things that I loved about their leadership styles, and things that I may have changed. However, when reflecting on my experience, I find that I am able to easily pull out positive experiences that all begin with one thing: modeling. One of my favorite leaders would bring an activity, tech tool, or resource to our monthly faculty meetings. She would model the usage, have the staff participate in a quick application of the resource, and provide time for teachers to ask questions. After, she would ask if we would invite her to our classrooms if we wanted to use this resource, and many times, she would just swing by. I found that this was the most effective way to communicate her desire for technology to be used in our classrooms and a frequent reminder at monthly meetings pushed teachers to try new things without the fear of failing.

To tie everything together, I believe that I am capable of being a powerful visionary leader. I think that in order to be a powerful leader, you must have the support of all stakeholders. In order to do so, I must be supportive, involved, and present. I think that it is easy to get the buy-in from people who are interested in using technology in their classrooms in order to enhance the learning of their students, but it is difficult to get the same support from those who do not feel comfortable. Supports, coaching, and collaboration with colleagues are a few of the ways to gain the support of struggling tech-users. It is my vision that I will be able to foster an environment where 21st century learners have access to the tools that will connect them with networks across the globe. They will leave our district with the knowledge and resources that will enable them to compete with the world around them.

I believe that my school will be filled with teachers who exemplify this image:

Educational Leadership Philosophy

Instructional leadership encompasses four important criteria; communication, academic rigor, student engagement, and a student-first attitude. Instructional leaders should be able to balance the responsibilities of building manager and building leader seamlessly while making students, staff, and parents feel valued, and respected upon entering the building each day. An exemplary instructional leader communicates regularly, focuses on academic rigor, encourages active student engagement, and keeps students at the forefront of all decisions. This type of leadership will create collegial relationships, promote academic excellence, and create a district that all parents will want to send their students to. This in the type of leader I strive to be.