EDUC 638 - Collaborative Technology Plan Prezi

Hey all,

Here is the Prezi that my team put together with me narrating the script.  Enjoy!

Cycle of Learning and EdTech

This week, I wanted to focus on option 3.  I do so because I think that the content of this course and my own conception of the learning cycle meet in this option. 

I am of the class of thought that a lot of schools are missing the chance at true learning.  I think that so many schools focus on rote memorization and regurgitation, which Sheninger points out, comes from a bygone age of industrialization and don’t spend very much time at all on things that are important today like how to collaborate, use of technology, research, and critical thinking.

I am really grateful to this course for opening my eyes to see how tech can really open up learning and make it portable (as in handheld devices).  I have been thoroughly impressed with the new understandings I have about Google apps; which I have used in the past; but never considered their fuller applications in education. 

EdTech leaders should use the Google App Suite for the learning cycle.  We must empower kids learn to be resourceful by having them to research projects.  We also can teach them that the first attempt is not always the best, and you can always go back to the drawing board and rethink what you’ve created. 

By allowing for guided research, kids construct their knowledge.  They can use a Google Docs to do this, just as we are in this class.  In that same vein, students then collaborate on work and share the Doc with peers and with their teacher who gives feedback in the form of stories, experiences, critique, and more resources to check into.

Teachers can have kids review the feedback then share their takeaways to make sure that A) there are no gaps in knowledge, B) there are no misconceptions, and C) that the enduring understanding is grasped solidly.  Doing this also allows for a culture that normalizes error and one that gets better too (just like in the real world!).

Lastly, the final project can be posted for peer review.  Teachers can create rubrics for students to do an observation and critique. This builds even more critical thinking skills and stimulates learning. After all – everyone loves to give an opinion and sound smart!

That’s all for now – buenas noches!

References

Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sheninger, E. C. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.

EDUC 638 - DB 3 - Sheninger's Six Elements

My experience with Sheninger’s six elements that drive change is a continuous linear event that I have experienced past, present, and future. 

Sheninger says that connectedness matters (Sheninger, 2014) as his first point.  This is the point that I most readily identify with as something recently learned and that I am still learning. I had used Twitter and Facebook for personal gain in years previous, but I had never realized their full potential.  I still don’t. 

In this course, I have really come to appreciate Twitter more than any other social media site because of the worlds it has helped me connect to.  I went from completely ignorant of EdTech resources, methods, and applications to someone who has already written a real proposal to my school to enhance and support learning next year in my classroom!  The connectedness matters greatly.

I think this is in contention for the most important element that Sheninger mentions.  The Bible says “where there is no vision, the people will perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The same can be said about any program or organization.  As leaders, we have to cast vision and do so constantly so that our peers remain aligned as we work towards a common vision.

I see the elements of value and embracement as being very closely linked.  The frontiersman had to understand the value of the wagon for moving his family across such a vast country in order to embrace its use.  I’m sure there was some degree of selling; but there is a point, like Sheninger says, where it becomes less about the selling points and more about the true value of the idea. That’s when embracement happens.  School leaders strive to invite staff into a place of embracement with EdTech.

Once EdTech has been embraced, there has to be a significant amount of user support and professional development.  We can’t expect to hand someone Adobe Photoshop and expect them to turn out professional flyers the same day!  We have to take the time and money to invest in making sure those who are going to use the technology know how to do so well.

My District is very small.  As I said, I have already written a proposal at least for my Spanish class for next year.  I am meeting with my principal and instructional coach soon to discuss it. I am hoping to inform them in a way that begins to move them towards embracing EdTech.  I don’t think they even have it on their RADARS yet!  This is step one in the six elements for me.

I think data would support my claim that EdTech will improve student learning.  My plan is to keep data on the same quizzes and tests and compare those score to my kids this year that didn’t have EdTech.  Doing so would be a very basic form of data collection that would support the continued use of EdTech in class.

Reference

God, F.; God, S.; and God, H.S. (Before the Foundations of the Earth) The Holy Bible .

Sheninger, Eric. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Six Secrets to Change

The video's file size is too big for Blogger.  Check it out on youtube!

 

https://youtu.be/q-r4axorQi0

Here's the Script:

Greeting

Hey everyone, good evening. I hope you are doing well.

Introduction

Tonight, I want to discuss Fuller’s 6 secrets of change. I found them to be encouraging, inspiring, and very practical mindsets or approaches to school leadership.

Overview

Fuller’s 6 secrets of change are a cyclical set of approaches to staff dynamics and staff culture that set the tone for a safe and positive environment.  The different secrets all seem to draw on a common source of love, mutual respect, and trust.  The outputs of these secrets are positive staff culture, a culture of learning and modeling, and a sustainable model of leadership; in that, systems are devised that overwork employees or present a hierarchical dictatorship in the leadership strata.

Change 1: Love your employees

Fuller says that the first change is to love your employees.  For me, this was the most revolutionary and inspiring of all the secrets.  Revolutionary because so few companies and non-profits do it well and inspiring because it looks forward to the promise of something so much better within organization and leadership.  So this is where I want to spend most of time.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13: out of faith, hope, and love – love is the greatest”. In education, we tend to put faith in so many best practices and educational fads that even tend not to have any research supporting them; we hope that our kids will do well on their tests based off of the endless hours we’ve put in.  But do we the greatest and most foundational of these things in education? Love?

This doesn’t necessarily look like giving hugs and flowers to staff and kids.  Rather, love that is “patient with employees, kind when things are going well or poorly, humble in conversation and approach – not dictatorship; that tells the truth and gives constructive and sometimes difficult feedback, love that hopes, yes – but that trusts.  What an empowering concept!

The biggest obstacles to overcome at my school come in the form of leadership.  I was told on day one that we were equals and we were a collaborative school.  That’s well-wishing. Our school is very hierarchical, you collaborate if you’re in and you better do what you’re told.  This would be a difficult, near impossible change at our school as the current leadership team stands.  I don’t believe they can see the benefits of such a change.

In the mean time, I’m doing my part to show them love and support and all those things I just mentioned.  Maybe I can get the ball rolling! Thanks for listening.

An Introduction

This is my introductory video for the course.  It is/will be a pleasure to meet all of you and work/learn alongside of you!

Script:

Hey everybody! My name is Andrew Ferris I am reporting from my office in Youngsville, NC which is right above Raleigh, NC.  I am getting my master in Educational Leadership, I'm at the very end of this - so I am actually in my last course and I actually walked across the stage last weekend at Liberty for that commencement ceremony that they had.  So, I'm at the very end of my degree.  But, I'm actually at the very beginning of my educational professional career. 

This is my first year that I'm ending - teaching.  I teach at a public charter school in Henderson, NC where we have students that are about 90-95% on free or reduced lunch. And the school is just doing some really amazing things with those kids as far as test goes; as far as scores.  It's a college prep school based off of KIPP and Uncommon School models.  It's a very rigorous environment, pushing those kids to do some amazing things.  We're 100% growth every year [on EOGs/EOCs] and we got a B on our last State report card; hoping to get an A this year.  So, pretty cool things going on there.

With my degree, I'm hoping to transition slowly into maybe grade level chair or instructional coaching.  Then moving on to administration or even opening my own school, or even later on down the line, teaching at a university. That's something I'd really enjoy.

The verse that I really think, that has been my verse for many years as far as teaching goes, because I used to pastor as well, is 1 Timothy 1:5 which says: "Now the goal of our instruction is to love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith." I think that really just captures everything that I think education ought to be; whether inside the Church or outside.  Teaching people and leading people towards Christ Jesus, and that pure faith and love that He has for us, with a sound mind, and a faith that doesn't fail because we have the knowledge to support your beliefs and that element of risk; that faith that just believes because it needs to believe.

My interests, I am interested in my wife, I love my wife. We've been married for four years.  We just celebrated that in late January.  Her name is Liz. We've got two dogs - chugs - Chihuahua-Pugs.  We both like to sing and play music at church together. I play guitar, drums, bass and sing background. She leads or sings background. Lots of stuff like that. I like to translate. I like to do all sorts of nerdy, geeky, study things.

Out of this course, I would like to expand my knowledge about technology in the classroom and really learn some meaningful things that I can bring that will push kids to learn Spanish better.  Which - I don't remember if I said - that is what I teach.

So, it was nice to meet you and I look forward to working with all of you.  

Goodnight.