How Can School Leaders Keep Up With Innovations in Technology and Learning?

The digital technology and social media landscape changes every day, and many of these changes have a profound effect on students, families and schools.  It's nearly impossible for technology specialists to keep up with all of the new developments in the field, and for school leaders who have a lot of other things on their mind, it looks hopeless.

Fortunately, there are some resources that  present information about innovations and new technologies in plain, non-technical language.  One of the most useful is eSchoolNews, a daily electronic newspaper about technology innovation in schools (http://www.eschoolnews.com/).  eSchoolNews showcases both new technologies and innovative uses of more familiar devices, such as smart phones, e-readers, or laptop computers.  A recent edition contained great articles on the growing use of iPads to replace textbooks, digital archives for teaching students about the 9-11 anniversary, using technology as part of your incident response and school safety plans, and tackling reading comprehension.  eSchoolNews is published daily and is free to educators. It is delivered to your email, so you can either save the edition, forward it to someone who might benefit from seeing it, or simply delete it.  

Another site, not devoted exclusively to technology but focused more broadly on innovation, is Edutopia (www.edutopia.org), a free, online resource for educators committed to improving teaching and learning in their schools. The site is subtitled, "What Works in Education," and they are careful to present ideas that come from real practitioners and real schools.  On the site today is a section devoted to digital citizenship -- a compendium of resources on cyberbullying, netiquette, and internet safety.  Regular features also include videos, group discussions, blogs, classroom resources -- all focused on innovative practices in real world settings. 

Both eSchoolNews and Edutopia provide rich resources for educators in a user-friendly manner.  A great way to use these excellent tools is to share a feature story with the faculty to start a conversation in your own school about innovations that strengthen teaching and learning.  Pretty soon, you'll sound like an expert!

Working with Generation Y Teachers

As Baby Boomer teachers retire and are replaced by members of Generation Y (born between 1977 and 1995) we have come to appreciate that Gen Y employees have a very different set of characteristics shaped by a far different set of life experiences. They are . . .

• Highly educated, value education and attribute their success to education;
• Very comfortable using technology and expect it to be available in the workplace;
• Tend to be creative, innovative and self-confident;
• Committed to making a difference and contributing to positive social change;
• Want to be connected, updated and included and involved in their work;
• Desire relationships with co-workers and supervisors;
• Looking for opportunities for growth, challenging work and assignments and flexibility in work schedules;
• Possess collaborative skills, are committed to team-building and expect to be held accountable.

So, what are some strategies for working with Gen Y teachers? A report from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (www.tqsource.org) identified ten strategies. They are described in this article about working with Gen Y teachers and a changing workforce (www.principalspartnership.com/feature510.html).

I hope you find the ideas thought-provoking. While the tools are not new, the application to Gen Y teachers is different than it would be for Baby Boomers. Just as Baby Boomers changed American society, so will Gen Y. They hold tremendous potential for making a difference in the lives of American students. I'd enjoy hearing from you about your experience with Generation Y teachers.

A "Wiki" as a Planning & Meeting Tool

I must admit that I am a relative novice with social media but I'm an energetic learner and am always looking for tools that can help with some of the management tasks required of principals. Recently I've begun to use a "Wiki" for some of my classes and when I work with groups. Wiki is most often associated with Wikipedia but that is just one form of a wiki. A wiki is a website where any member can edit contributes, like projects that several people share, or for suggesting agenda items for a meeting. Some teachers use wikis in classrooms. While there are many uses, some use a wiki as a tool to have students share their work and gather feedback from others.

I created my classroom wikis at www.wikispaces.com, a site that allows you to create free wikis. They are easy to create and a useful place for a committee or other group to maintain their agendas, minutes and any documents related to the work. You can limit access to the site so that only members can contribute.

I've found wikis to be useful and would enjoy hearing from you about your experience with wikis or other social media tools used by principals.

Supporting Teachers and Staff During Change

As expectations rise for schools, the resources to support them are stable or declining. This combination of forces means that most schools are dealing with significant reorganization and change. Successful leaders understand that the success of any change is directly related to developing the capacity of the people in the organization.

The School Administrators of Iowa identified several strategies that principals can use to support people during these changes. I found them to be a helpful reminder and would be interested in hearing from you about their value.

• Allow people to discuss feelings of loss and the difficulty of "letting go" of familiar programs and practices;
• Identify the needs of individual people and tailor the support based upon need;
• Develop support groups that are problem solving, action-oriented and non-judgmental;
• Be candid about unmet needs and work with people to plan specific ways to meet the need;
• Focus on strengths, skills, and interests of each person;
• Provide opportunity for everyone involved to share their ideas and talents;
• Plan ways for individuals to expand their skills to support the change;
• Identify ways that individuals can work to support one another throughout the change;
• Focus on successes and achievements;
• Give extra support to those who need it;
• Keep communication open and encouraging.

College Preparation Timeline

Principals play a key role in helping students prepare for admission and success in college. The best schools start early to prepare kids for a post-secondary experience and they make sure teachers and other staff, students and their families, and community members all have the information and tools they need to support students take the right courses, gain admission, find financial support and head off to college with the confidence and skills they need to succeed.

At the recent GEAR UP Success Conference at Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend, Howard Johnston and Ron Williamson shared a comprehensive timeline they developed for principals. The timeline is linked to the five core concepts of the Oregon GEAR UP model---relationships, reality of affordability, rigor, relevance, and right classes. The timeline includes links to incredible resources and identifies activities that should take place from 6th grade through high school. College Prep: A Timeline for Leaders is a valuable resource. We'd enjoy hearing from you about the timeline and about how you support your students' preparation for college.

Developing Professional Norms

I'm an absolute believer in the importance of working together when planning and making decisions. One of the things I've found most helpful is to have an agreed upon set of norms that will guide group operations, discussion and decision-making. A good starting point is to look at the seven norms of collaboration suggested by Garmston and Wellman (www.adaptiveschools.com). But some of the most effective norms are those identified by the faculty in a school. At Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn, IL they developed their own list of "Professional Behavior Norms" they used for professional development and when meeting with one another.

1. The learning that occurs today belongs to you, and it rests largely with you.
2. Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
3. Give freely of your experience, but don't dominate the discussion.
4. Confine your discussion to the task assigned.
5. Say what you think . . . be honest.
6. Only one person should talk at a time. Avoid private conversations while someone else is talking.
7. Listen attentively to the presentation and discussion.
8. Be patient with other participants. Appreciate their point-of-view.

The experience in Glen Ellyn was positive. Because they were mutually agreed to, the norms reflected their collective commitment to one another.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about other ways that you've worked to develop norms to guide your work.

Build a Key Communicator Network

I'm constantly reminded about the importance of both sharing and gathering information about your school. One model is the Key Communicator Network developed by the National School Public Relations Association (www.nspra.org). It reminds us that communication is a two-way street and it is important to maintain a network that can help you advocate for your school.

Here are some steps that you can use to build your own network.

1. Bring together a small group of trusted people who know your community and ask them to suggest others who are opinion leaders in your community. Many of them may not work in schools but all interact with other community members.
2. Invite these people to meet with you to discuss your successes, your challenges and your vision for your school.
3. At the meeting describe the objectives of the group. For example, to provide members with honest, object information about your school; for members to share this information with others in the community; to identify questions or concerns that emerge in the community.
4. Establish a way to maintain communication using e-mail, telephone or scheduled meetings.

I hope you enjoy these ideas about building and maintain a network of contacts. Such a group can help share the good news about your school's successes and also help alert you to any issues or concerns in the community. I'd enjoy hearing from you about other ways you've used to both share and gather information from your community.