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Leaders Inspire Action

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How Great Leaders Inspire Action | Simon Sinek | TED

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Leadership Lessons from a Dancing Guy

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First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy

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https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=10082491956202867#allposts I think this is the link.

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by Jennifer Casa-Todd

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A few days ago, my 15 year old had an interview over Skype for a camp counsellor position. She was extremely nervous, as could be expected, as it was her first interview ever. So we thought of some possible questions together and she practiced how she would answer. During the interview itself, I sat within earshot, for moral support and out of curiosity.

I'm not sure why I was surprised when the interviewer asked the question, "What social media are you on and what would I know about you if I looked there?" It wasn't a question we practiced (a completely ironic lapse if you know anything about me) and I held my breath as she answered.

She's a really smart kid. She only paused for a nano-second before she responded. Here is a paraphrase of what she said:
I use social media mostly to connect with my friends. I'm on Instagram and Snapchat. There you will see pictures of me and my friends and know that I value friendship. I also like to take interesting pictures of my work sometimes. I also have a Twitter account. There I mostly retweet pictures of cute animals so you'd know that I'm an animal lover.
As I listened to her, I thought to myself, way to go; she was eloquent and put a very positive spin on a question that I know really surprised her. But I also thought about the fact that at 15, she hasn't really had any opportunities to develop a digital footprint beyond socially connecting with her friends. Nor have any of her friends.

As a parent and a teacher, I can't help but put my teacher hat on. What a great opportunity for us to explore ways in which she could build a positive online image. But our ensuing conversation revealed a great deal. She strongly believes that as long as she isn't posting anything inappropriate, she is doing just fine. She doesn't really think that creating a more positive digital footprint at this point is really necessary. One of her arguments was that if a future employer Googled her and came up with no results, that means she hasn't done anything stupid online, and then her interview and qualifications will speak for themselves. She's not wrong...

And yet, she's not exactly right either, but she doesn't know anything different. There really is so much potential for her to capitalize on the use of social media to set herself apart from others. We had a great conversation about what that looks like, but I don't think she's entirely convinced because she hasn't heard this from anyone else and I'm her mom (and thus simultaneously uncool and unwise).

I think about how much my thinking has changed over the past two years. Then, I was extremely protective of her name and image and didn't want it to be anywhere on the internet (out of fear of predators). In fact, last year, when she created a travel vlog, I wasn't comfortable with her posting it because her face was on it. When she was 9 and passionate about creating videos, I let her create a Youtube channel, but the conditions of her getting it was that she couldn't use her own name for the account. I don't regret these decisions because they helped establish norms around privacy and protection. And yet, I wonder if I could have still instilled that same knowledge, without squashing that passion, tempering the fear narrative.

Today, I deeply consider the idea Will Richardson planted:

"I want my child to be found on the internet by strangers."

Because developing a positive online presence is so important.

Much of my thinking on the topic has also been formed by the work of George Couros, who spent some time at our District in April, and who is very passionate about the topic of Digital Leadership. While Digital Citizenship is about being a good citizen online, Couros defines Digital Leadership as:

"Using the vast reach of technology (especially the use of social media) to improve the lives, well-being, and circumstances of others."

(From, Digital Leadership Defined)

Here is what this looks like (based on my interpretation of Couros's various posts on the topic)

Students use technology and social media to...

1. empower others who have no voice

2. address societal inequality

3. promote important causes

4. learn and share their learning

5. be a more positive influence in the lives of others

And here are some great examples of kids doing this right now:

@ThatHannahAlper (Hannah Alper) uses social media to enpower and inspire-just check out her website, Call Me Hannah to see how she does this. She is also a champion of environmental causes and just recently became a Youth Ambassador for Bystander Revolution, which is an organization taking a stand on bullying.

@Aidan_Aird, a 15 year old student in our District. created a website, Developing Innovations, "To inspire, celebrate and promote #STEM." Aird's website states, "I realized there were lots of amazing kids out there working hard, creating and discovering amazing things. With them in mind, I created Developing Innovations...[which] has featured and celebrated over 65 young scientists from around the world on the website. There are so many hardworking young scientists out there that are trying to make a difference. By being featured on my website, they get the exposure they deserve and are encouraged to keep working hard. It is a place to celebrate their accomplishments and inspire other kids to follow in their footsteps."

Jeremiah is a high school junior and creator of @westhighbros, a Twitter account that tweets compliments to friends and classmates. Check out the video here. (shared by George Couros @gcouros)

Though Kid President (@Iamkidpresident) gets a little help from Brad Montague, 10 yr-old Robby Novak definitely empowers others through his inspirational videos as well as his own story. He is also a champion for important causes. Currently, you can see him fighting child hunger by following the hashtag #hungerfreesummer or by checking out the video here.

Joshua ( @Joshua's Heart) is a young man passionate about inspiring kindness in youth and stopping world hunger. Here is his keynote during the EduMatch Passion Pitch event hosted by @ShellTerrell and @SarahThomas found here. More information about the great work he is doing can be found at http://joshuasheart.org/

Yes, these students are perhaps the exception, rather than the norm right now, but how do we help kids see the potential of social media as a way to develop more positive digital identities and do good in the world? If students are using social media in their classes to share their learning on blogs, Twitter and Instragram, will they realize the immense power it has to connect them to the world beyond the social?

How can we inspire kids to become so passionate about a cause or a topic that they are moved to digital leadership?

We can't unless we engage in opportunities to talk about it at home, teach it at school, and model this as adults.

I'm sure there are tons of other kids making a positive impact. Who are they and what are they doing? It's easier to have these conversations if we have lots of examples of kids doing great things. I've created a collaborative Google Doc. Contributions welcome!

Here's a resource called, Your Digital Footprint, that Couros recently shared that provides a wonderful starting point whether you are a parent, teacher, or District leader.

*Please note, my daughter read and agreed to my sharing this information in this blog post. She is going to create an About Me page and is seeking to discover a passion that might move her to social action. Conversations are ongoing. 🙂

Check out this amazing sketchnote visual created by Sylvia Duckworth. It was great to collaborate on this with her!

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Moving from Digital Citizenship to Leadership

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A few days ago, my 15 year old had an interview over Skype for a camp counsellor position. She was extremely nervous, as could be expected, as it was her first interview ever. So we thought of some possible questions together and she practiced how she would answer.

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#Presentation #workshop - Your Digital Footprint

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Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership

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Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership

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Blogging on platforms like WordPress has become very popular over the past 10 years. This video is an introduction to blogging in plain english and was designed to give viewers a brief overview of what blogging is and how to participate. For more information on Edublogs visit: http://edublogs.org/

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To learn. Like many others, I read books and articles, attend conferences, workshops and trainings, and visit other schools in order to learn more about best practices and innovative new approaches. But I know about myself that I will retain much more, and be much better able to draw upon and use that information in the future, if I write while I am learning, if I record the main ideas I am learning in writing, and if I reflect upon them. So I write to learn, and if I am writing about these ideas anyway, I figure, why not share these writings.

To model learning. I think that educational leaders should publicly demonstrate that we too are learning and we too love learning: chiefs of learnings need to be chief learners. Blogging is a great way to display the ways in which I too, like our students, am trying regularly to learn.

To share. Like all principals and school heads, I often speak) to students, teachers, and parents, and sometimes it seems that what I say might be of interest to other constituencies or those who could not attend. My blog is a great way of making these remarks available for everyone.

To showcase my school. There are so many things about my school I am proud of and which I want others to know more about so they will more strongly appreciate and admire my school (and perhaps choose to attend it). My blog is a way to share great things happening here at school. I can re-post the syllabus for a cool new class, write up what is said by teachers about their courses at Curriculum Night, or publish fine student work. Videos made about our school can also be reposted. Prospective parents considering attending St. Gregory should be able to, and do, find my blog a valuable showcase of the school's qualities.

To articulate a vision. School-leaders are often asked to have a "vision," and at times, earlier in my career, the "v-word" seemed daunting. I neither knew how I was supposed to have a meaningful and broad "vision," nor how I was supposed to effectively articulate it. I demurred; I don't have a vision, I am just here to serve the school and its mission.

I still believe that to serve a school and its mission is important, but I have come to recognize and appreciate that leadership is more effective when a leader does have and share a clear vision and conviction of his or her educational aims, aspirations, and ideals. My blog is one of the essential ways I articulate my vision of where our school is headed in its never-ending journey of educational improvement.

To develop a vision. That said, blogs are not final, static documents; blogging is a new narrative form which is vital, vibrant, and dynamic, and my blog is intended to reveal the journey I am on in continuing to shape my educational vision. Andrew Sullivan, who blogs so brilliantly for the Atlantic, is a terrific thinker about blogging as a unique writing practice. In an excellent video he posted recently (entitled How Blogging is Changing Writing), he explained "Blogging is 'truer' than the 'conceit' of a finished piece of work.... Blogging is thinking & writing in real time, in a constant present-ness."

To connect and converse. There is an interesting conversation happening in the blogosphere about whether blogging is a "social media." The term derives from the words web-log, and a log is largely synonym for journal, and we don't think of journaling as social. Blogging can be lonely and isolated; a blogger is sometimes perceived to be a hermit in a basement writing only for himself. But when I blog, I am so delighted when people reply and comment, or discuss with me the ideas expressed, or reach out to me and want to communicate further; I feel far more connected with a large and widespread set of colleagues than I ever did before as a result of my blogging.

To lead. Recently I heard my national association President, Pat Bassett, tell a group of school-leaders that he believes we are mistakenly spending too much time managing, and too little time leading. I agree. Over 12 years of heading two schools in California, I found myself much too much a manager: responding and reacting rather than initiating and guiding, attending to organizational details rather than to educational program development.

In preparing for my new, now current position, however, I became determined to not repeat that mistake, and to use the blog as a platform from upon which I can lead. By virtue of my blog and its public recognition, I view myself as an educational thinker and leader who is applying himself to the particular school I have been called to serve, rather then seeing my identity as an educational leader derived from, tied to, and dependent upon my (perhaps temporary) job.

This seems funny, and maybe it is bizarre, but I am a blogger first and a school-head second. I was a blogger before I became head of St. Gregory, and I will be a blogger afterwards. My blog is not a "head-of-school-blog," it is the Head of School's...blog. (It is linked to from and embedded in the school's website, but it is not hosted on the school's website and I "own" it.)

To contribute to and influence the broader educational conversation. It is an enormous honor and privilege for me to have been called to serve St. Gregory as its head, and I would hate to ever allow the inference that I think it anything other than that. I am very appreciative for and humbled by this opportunity.

But that said, it isn't enough for me to seek to improve learning at my school only. From my more than 20 years of practice, observation, and reflection, I have ideas I wish to share about how we can improve learning for all students. I am so very glad blogging exists: it is a such a wonderful way to have a voice and to participate in and contribute to the broader conversation around the nation and the world about where schooling should be headed, and it is so meaningful and rewarding to me that by blogging I can do so.

To get perspective. Many days on campus I spend entire days drawn away from what is most important and interesting to me. It is incredibly important to my successful leadership that I raise funds, organize marketing, plan events, hire, fire, budget, etc. I do enjoy all these aspects of my job (well, not all of them, but most), but it can be disappointing and even disillusioning when there are days when they are all I get to do.

In blogging, though, which I do almost exclusively at home outside of normal work hours, I get to return to my professional passion: learning about, reflecting upon, and sharing ideas about k-12 education in the 21st century. In blogging, I gain the perspective that those work-day actions are in service of my opportunity to advance the kind of educational excellence to which my blog is devoted.

To make mistakes. Blogging is like live TV; it is less polished, unfinished, a work-in-progress. I make mistakes when blogging; I experiment with ideas; I try things on for size. This project is anything but perfectionist in quality or in style. I make too many mistakes on my blog; I know I ought to do more and better copy-editing and proof-reading, (and I will!).

But as one twitter friend/colleague, Matt Montagne, tweeted recently, "blogging goes a long way in crushing a culture of perfectionism." Let's all allow ourselves to reflect, observe, comment, observe, and share without allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

To show off. Time to name the elephant in the room. I know all too well that some observers of my blogging, and the blogging and tweeting of others, think it is nothing but attention-seeking and showing off. Why don't you just keep your thoughts to yourself? Why do you need to foist every idea, every observation, every thought that comes into your head onto others?

It is hard to know how to respond to this. I do do some small things to call attention to my blog; I try not to push it upon others; it is really always only voluntary reading. I don't email it to people, like a chain letter, except to those who have signed up for its delivery; I don't "assign it" as required reading (in contrast, say, to the way we insist parents read school newsletters); I don't announce new posts on list-serves or on other web-sites (except twitter).

I am aware, I believe, that many or most of my fellow school-leaders could do just as good a job as I do (or better) writing a blog like this if they took the initiative to do so. Most don't. I do, but in doing so I only earn and deserve credit for my initiative, not my intellect.

The other thing to say about this criticism is that it is not entirely unfounded. Yes, I do like the attention. It makes me happy to know that people are visiting my blog, mentioning me in tweets, recommending me to others, and learning from what I am sharing. It is nice to be valued and praised as an educational writer; it is among my many goals to continue to build my prominence and enlarge my visibility, and if that means calling a bit of attention to my blog, so be it.

To write. I love to write. I find myself constantly composing sentences in my head, and wanting to try to put them on paper. (Metaphorically speaking; it doesn't sound the same to say "wanting to rearrange electrons on a screen"). I don't think I am an especially good writer, but I enjoy it, and it makes me happy.

[cross-posted from my blog, www.21k12blog.net]

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To learn. Like many others, I read books and articles, attend conferences, workshops and trainings, and visit other schools in order to learn more about best practices and innovative new approaches.

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I sent out the following tweet regarding some "simplified" steps for blog that are crucial to the process:

4 easy steps for #blogging that we tell our students. 1. Write 2. Categorize 3. Tag 4. Publish

- George Couros (@gcouros) August 1, 2014

Although blogging comes easy, putting your thoughts out there and writing isn't so easy for others. I often get writer's block and have trouble sharing my thoughts but I push through as a personal challenge to myself. I try to average one post every three to four days. For others, it is tough to start:

Hi @gcouros - agreed. Writing 'should' be easy but most (me included) sometimes find it hard. Any tips on making writing less of challenge? - Andrew Lloyd Gordon (@AndyLloydGordon) August 2, 2014

The nice thing about someone asking about tips on how to get started blogging is that it gave me a topic to blog about. In reality, Twitter has been great for pushing me to blog more because sometimes (most times) 140 characters is not enough to go deep into anything, but it can definitely be a spark for going deeper into our learning.

So based on Andrew's tweet (thanks!), here are some suggestions that have worked for me to help me to blog.

1. Read other blogs. Seems like a common sense idea but it took me to really start reading other blogs before I felt comfortable to share my own voice. It helped me to some examples of what was being shared and either build upon or challenge ideas. A lot of people use things like Feedly to help aggregate blogs, but my two favourite "apps" for reading the work of others is Zite on my iPhone or iPad, any InoReader on my computer. I have also really enjoyed reading books on my Kindle app, not only because of the ability to carry a ton of books on one device, but more importantly, the opportunity to highlight and write notes and have them shared in one place. Those passages that I have highlighted often give me ideas to write about and build upon. When organizing reading became easier for me, so did the writing.

2. Always have some place to write down your thoughts. A lot of great writers suggest that you always have a notepad and so I tried to learn from them to do the same. The problem is that I never have a pen or notebook, but my phone has notes on it from years ago. Observation is also important and although I will write ideas down from professional development to write about, I often get my inspiration from situations that are outside of the realm of education. I also love running with my iPhone because my best ideas often come from a clear head, yet by the time I got home, I would lose those ideas. Those little ideas that you write down, can often turn into something bigger, but you have to write those initial thoughts down somewhere.

3. Write for you and for what you need. When I first started blogging, I tried to write the university essay style. Then I was reminded that I hated writing that in university, so why would I do it on my free time? Sometimes I write numbered lists, sometimes I write down reflections, and sometimes I share videos and have two sentence reflections. My biggest thing is that if you met me and I talked to you, I would sound a lot like my blog. I write how I talk (I end a lot of sentences in prepositional phrases in real life as well). People often suggest that you should "think about your audience", but I really think that if we are trying to do this to learn, we have to think about what we need to write at that time. The idea that anyone can read this post makes me think a lot more about what I share, but it also doesn't determine my writing styles at any time. This blog is mostly to clarify my own thinking which makes me want to write, as opposed to some external motivation. When writing becomes an internal need, you are more likely to do it more often.

4. Start with questions instead of answers. When I start to blog, many times I do not have an endpoint. It is sometimes to work my way through ideas. I love this quote:

" I write to understand as much as to be understood ." - Elie Wiesel

Going back to how Twitter facilitates blogging, I often will tweet a statement or question that I am thinking about, and read the responses. That does a great deal for my thinking, but I don't really learn until I make the connections for myself. It is great to have ideas and answers for others, but it is also great to work your way through something you don't know. It shows a definite vulnerable side, but it is also a humbling experience. Both good things. If we are going to ask our students to "start with questions", blogging is a great way to model and go through that same process.

5. Decide how many times you are going to write in a period of time, and stick with it. Forcing yourself to write is tough but it also helps facilitate the process. I try for twice a week as a minimum, although I used to try once a day, which was pretty impossible. I do know that the longer I go without writing, the harder it is to come back. It could be once a week, once a month, or something else. Whatever it is, try to stick with it (if you miss here and there though, I promise you will be fine). I have found that having this "schedule" in my head, helps me to look around the world more, and I try to find inspiration for blogging. Like anything you want to get better at, practice is important. You want to become a better writer? Write more 🙂

As teachers, we often have DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read), but do we promote the same amount of time for kids to just write about what they want? That is what I love about blogging. I can write about sports, family, my dogs, or anything that I find relevant. I love trying to make the connection between the "real world" and education when I write, and I think that is a great practice to promote with our students as well. Perfection is not the goal; learning is. Paraphrasing Dean Shareski, "if we want to become better teachers, we need to blog". I took that advice to heart, and ultimately, if it makes us better learners, we will definitely become better teachers.

I shared an article that I wrote about things that we should do in professional development, and many educators either loved or hated the idea of having reflection built into the day. My belief is that if you believe it is important as an administrator, you make time for it.

One comment was one that I found interesting in the discussion:

@gcouros I agree, reflection is imperative to learning; but does forced reflection in a restricted time frame lose effectiveness? Thoughts?

- paula collins (@paulacollins76) January 30, 2014

So if we ask kids to reflect in class, does it not fit into the "restricted time frame" category? Many would suggest that kids should "reflect" at home, but we make some very strong assumptions about their lives when we leave things for them to do after or before school.

I thought about these questions:

Do we "force" kids to learn like this all of the time? If it isn't effective for us, why is it effective for them?

So do all teachers take the time to reflect about their learning? I had one educator outright say in a workshop, "I know that reflection is valuable for learning but who has time for it?" If we are to model the idea of being "lifelong learners", should reflection (and I am not simply talking about writing, but any type of open reflection) be a part of the work that we do? This does not have to be about what we learn in a PD day, but it could also be about any learning that an educator has done.

If the teachers feel "forced" to reflect and learn things that they might now want to do in restricted time frames, I wonder how the kids feel. Are we hoping they just don't know any better? I hope not.

Just some thinking out loud... Spending a lot of times at conferences, I have been thinking a lot about my own learning style. When people ask me to work in groups, get up and move around, I automatically feel uncomfortable. Always have. Yet I am extremely comfortable speaking to a large group. I feel one is forced and the other is just something I would do. As I have started to look at my own learning style, I have started to think about the idea of being an "ambivert" and how I am more comfortable with this. Right now, I am writing this post with my headphones on while a lot of people walk around. I appreciate the audio and visual stimulation of the environment, but feel I focus best when I am in my own head. The need to reflect is imperative. I need my alone time. Yet, the opportunity to share and connect with others is also crucial. I know we need both skills, but sometimes when I seem the most "checked out" I am actually the most "dialed in". I love these thoughts from a recent Forbes article on the benefit of being an ambivert in business:

...extroverts pour it on a bit too thick for their own good, and this tendency negates any charismatic advantages they might otherwise enjoy. For example, their overflowing enthusiasm for the sale can cause them to not listen closely enough to the needs of the customer, and this in turn hurts their chances of closing the sale. Because ambiverts embody traits from both sides of the personality spectrum-in a sense, they have a built in 'governor' that regulates their exuberance-they don't trip over the obstacles that handicap their more extroverted counterparts. "The ambivert advantage stems from the tendency to be assertive and enthusiastic enough to persuade and close, but at the same time, listening carefully to customers and avoiding the appearance of being overly confident or excited," Grant said.

I am not saying that we should try to develop student skills as both extroverts or introverts. What I do believe is that it is sometimes important to recognize where you are at on that spectrum.

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by Doug Kerr

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by radical_vamsi

Before I started blogging, I now look back and realize how all over the place I was with some of the initiatives that I was hoping to implement within our schools early on in my school administration career. I felt that with all of the great things that I read through on Twitter or other social sites, that I wanted to implement all of these in my own school. I have learned and understood that this is something that is (and can be) extremely frustrating to a staff. Although I am sure my staff knew I meant well, if we were to jump on every "great" initiative, I know we would never become a "great" school. Too much energy is expended on implementing too many things, as opposed to narrowing our focus and getting to that transformative stage in our learning.

Then I started blogging and it actually helped me to slow down and FOCUS. I started to be more thoughtful, critical, and reflective of what I was learning and was not so quick to jump on things like flipped classrooms and BYOD. As I continue to read the book " Humanize ", one of the quotes that stuck out to me regards what great leaders do:

"There are, actually, plenty of books that can inspire self-reflection, buy nothing beats taking the time to write in a journal. The best leaders we've ever met all keep journals, so we think it is a good habit to develop." Notter and Grant (2011)

So I look back at my own "journal"(my blog) and see some continuous themes that seem to come up in my writing ("What is best for kids? Narrow our focus. Start with your why. Transformative learning) and how they have led me to actually be more proactive in the work that we do, as opposed to being more reactive to everything we see. Before I started blogging, I would tend to be much more reactive than proactive. By looking back, it was much easier to look forward.

But here is the thing when your "blog" is your journal. I can google what I have learned. This may not seem like a big deal (and didn't) when I first started but over 500 posts into blogging, it makes a huge difference. I have no idea how I would have done this if I would have wrote all of my learning in a book. Often when moving forward, I literally google search my own work and by effectively using "tags" and "categories", it has been much easier to find what I have learned before. (It would also be easy to talk about how I have also developed my digital footprint as a learner but that is for another blog post.)

As I continue to work with groups, I focus on the importance of reflection and how it is crucial to moving forward. The challenge I have received (as with many initiatives) is that there is no time. My response has been that reflection is part of your work. It is important that you make it part of your day, as it should be a part of your student's day. We cannot just continue to dump information into our (and our student's) brains without giving or making time to reflect. It is essential that there is creation and connection along with consumption.

If we do not take time to look back, how will we ever be able to move forward?

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Klearchos Kapoutsis

Reflecting on the ISTE Leadership Forum opener on Monday morning with Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn, they ended their workshop on system transformation with a curious slide and quote (paraphrased beft from memory):

"There are two types of people in the world; thinkers and doers. Which one are you?"

Now I get what they were saying, that we should be taking action to make a difference in our system, but this little tag line threw me off. If we are really moving ahead with system reform, we need to be both "think" and "do"; there is and should be no separation. Think too much with no action is as useless as doing without contemplating before and after.

I don't want to break it down into the simplicity of thinking and doing but to actually push the thoughts that we need to be "visible thinkers" and "reflective doers". Many leaders are extremely thoughtful, yet they tend to keep these ideas in their head. Yet in the context of any organization, with schools specifically in my mind, it is beneficial to open up learning to others to improve practice in our schools and classrooms:

"When we make the thinking that happens in classrooms visible, it becomes more concrete and real. It becomes something we can talk about and explore, push around, challenge, and learn from." Ron Ritchart, Make Thinking Visible

As a leader, if my thought process is left to my own mind, how does that push our learning ahead as an organization? With the technology that is predominant in our society, the opportunities to open your learning to others is easier now than ever.

Once we start moving on our thinking and become active "doers", we need to step back and look at the work that we have done and grow from the experience. In this powerful article by Col. Eric Kail, he states, "...experience is only as valuable as what we do with it." To move forward, we definitely need to learn from looking back. Kail goes onto push how reflection is imperative for leadership:

Gaining wisdom from an experience requires reflection. In thinking back on the significant events of my life, experiences good and bad, it was the act of assigning meaning that has made all the difference for me. Reflection requires a type of introspection that goes beyond merely thinking, talking or complaining about our experiences. It is an effort to understand how the events of our life shape the way in which we see the world, ourselves and others. And it is essential for any leader.

Reflection is what links our performance to our potential.

The fantastic thing now is that making our thinking visible and actively reflective are elements of our practice that are easily meshed with one another and can often be done in the same space.

Dean Shareski talks about how the art of reflection through blogging will improve the quality of education, as well as the growth of each individual teacher:

I've yet to hear anyone who has stuck with blogging suggest it's been anything less than essential to their growth and improvement...There's a natural transparency that emerges. The teachers who blog as professionals in this reflective manner in my district invite anyone to look into their classrooms and you can get a picture of what happens on a daily basis. This goes a long way in addressing accountability concerns.

School administrators that ask this of their teachers need to model it first.

Stating that there are "two types" of people often is going to receive some pushback, so I think about what I am trying to embody to others I work with. But if there is a "type" of person that I want to learn with, it will be that "visible thinker" and "reflective doer". Imagine if we embodied that as educators and it trickled down to our students? Our future would definitely be in good hands.

Posted in: Tagged: Developing and Facilitating Leadership, Blogging, continuous learning, Dean Shareski, george couros, learning, make thinking visible, michael fullan, reflection, thinkers and doers Embodying Visionary Leadership, Leading a Learning Community

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Maria Reyes-McDavis

Recently, I wrote a short post on " Why I Blog ", which was followed up with the question, "Why did you start to blog?". The interesting thing is, I never really had the intention of maintaining a blog in the first place, but in the process, I have found it to be an extremely valuable tool to my own professional and personal development.

In April of last year, I did a short presentation at the University of Regina. While spending some time with these students, I started to look at their own blog/portfolios, and thought that this would be a great project for our own students at Forest Green School. I thought that if we were to implement this type of digital portfolio practice in our own school, I would have to immerse myself in it to fully understand any technical issues that would arise.

I was also inspired through the opportunity that Vicky Loras gave me to guest post on her blog. I was surprised that anyone would even care what a principal in Stony Plain, Alberta wrote about.

Through these two events, I decided to start blogging and was amazed by my enthusiasm for it.

What I did not expect though, was how much my own learning would grow. Writing a blog for me is now something that I feel is necessary for an educator, as it gives me the opportunity to not only reflect on my practice, but also collaborate with others in a more in depth way then sites like Twitter can provide. I also have had a major shift in my own thinking as I am less focused on the technical aspects of a blog, but the learning implications this type of writing can have on educators and students.

Sometimes when we are willing to take risks, the unintended consequences are more beneficial than we could have ever imagined. I love having the opportunity to write and reflect on my practice. It not only lets those that I serve get to know me better, but I also learn more about myself. The opportunity for transparency with my school community has not only helped to build relationships, but it has also opened up many conversations with staff and stakeholders (isn't that the point?). It is exciting that we are now providing the same platform for our students. I can't wait to see where they go with it!

As I have been blogging since April, it has been a wonderful experience for me. I have had the opportunity to really reflect on my learning, while having conversations with people around the world. As my school year just ended yesterday, I want to share some of my favourite posts that will help to build on next year. With a full head of steam next year working with my PLN, I am excited to see where the year will take me!

What Makes a Master Teacher - My thoughts on the new qualities of a master teacher. Connecting with kids is mine, and should be everyone's number one.

The Perfect Moment - It is important to connect the real world with the classroom. This is something I tried to do with this story about a Detroit Tigers pitcher, an umpire, and how their actions in a bad moment should be modeled in our classrooms. I loved writing this!

The Power of Twitter - This was a little experiment I did with my staff that turned out way better than I would have imagined. If you have an administrator that has not bought into using this valuable tool, this story may help!

Their First 15 Minutes; Identity Day - An amazing day that was started by my Assistant Principal. This inspired some great stories and hopefully will take off all over in schools!

Courage - A story about an amazing girl with Tourette Syndrome who inspired my school, and eventually people all over the world.

The Why - A post discussing the importance of defining why we do things in our school. It is not enough to just make change, but we really need to think WHY are we doing it in the first place.

A Technology Plan Based on Differentiated Learning - We work to meet the needs of each individual student so why are a lot of our plans for professional development not do the same? This plan is based on meeting the needs of each teacher in my school.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading these stories as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Thanks for all of your support in my sharing of these stories.

Sitting in on a session today regarding professional development and growth plans, I am glad to see that many of the practices that we have taken part in this year as a school, are on the right track. Growth plans need to have staff engagement while also leading directly to improved student learning. As I reflect as the school year comes to a close, I wanted to focus on some keys to supporting individuals in their own professional growth. Here are some ideas that I have summarized from my own learning:

1. Educator professional growth plans should lead directly to improved student learning. - As an educator, this is an obvious point. It is important that the goals you are working on are to help improve the learning needs of students as that is the main reason we are there. Some key questions are:

How will your goals support the learning needs of students in your classroom?

When do I expect to see improvement in student learning?

How will my goals give students the opportunity to grow in their own learning?

What does improved student learning look like and how will it be measured?

2. A collaborative school culture helps to promote the best professional growth. - It is essential that as a school, we give staff the opportunity to learn from each other and build upon the expertise that is within our own building. It is essential that as administrators we encourage our staff and open the door for them to work on growth plans together. We always learn more in a collaborative setting yet we tend to go away from this in growth plans. Take the opportunity to work with other educators and learn in the process together Some key questions that may help:

Who are the supports in the building that can help me achieve my growth plan goals?

Who would also benefit from these shared learning goals?

What opportunities are available for shared learning time with our colleagues?

Are there opportunities to collaborate with educators outside of our own school?

3. Growth plans are educator specific and meets the needs of the individual. - Learning needs are not only unique for kids but also adults. Although you may find some great opportunities within your school that will support student growth, they may not help you in your subject area. For example, if you happen to be the only "specialist" teacher in your school, it may be helpful for you to connect with other specialists outside of your school. A physical education teacher that I worked with benefited greatly connecting with others in his area and would have "checked out" of the sessions that we provided at our school. It is important that educators are engaged in their learning. Guiding questions may include:

Will the opportunities provided within school give me the opportunity to grow as an individual?

How much time will be needed to successfully implement this plan?

How do I learn best and how can this be fostered in my own professional growth?

How can I benefit from the professional development that is currently offered in my own school?

4. Professional development opportunities will thrive if they are given school support. - As administrators, it is important that we are always honest and forthright with our staff. With budget constraints always looming, money can only be placed in so many areas within a school so it is important that when we are unsure of the direction of the goals of a growth plan, we ask why these goals will be beneficial to the school and individual. If as an administrator you do not believe these goals will be beneficial to student success, discuss this with the individual. Holding that information back will stunt the growth of the educator. It is also important that when we do know that the goal is beneficial, we do our best to give staff all the opportunities we are able to, so we can support this. Time (especially) and money will be helpful to any educator in their development so do your best as an administrator to find ways to support your staff. Key questions may include:

What time can be afforded to support this growth plan?

Are there other educators I can connect to that have the same goals?

What are my opportunities to connect with other educators outside of school?

What money allocation is available to me to support my growth?

My thoughts on professional growth and PD opportunities have changed greatly since I have seen the great resources that are offered on Twitter and other social media. I know that my engagement level has increased as I have had opportunities to connect with educators all over the world that are passionate about education. Engagement in learning is something that we KNOW is essential to growth for our students so it is important that we do our best as administrators to support the engagement of our staff. Opportunities for staff ownership on individual growth plans will increase staff learning and will directly benefit our students. Is this not always the goal?
As always, I am VERY open to feedback and the sharing of ideas. Do you have any key factors to strong professional growth that you would like to share? I would love to hear them so that I can support my own learning.

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I sent out the following tweet regarding some "simplified" steps for blog that are crucial to the process: 4 easy steps for #blogging that we tell our students. 1. Write 2. Categorize 3. Tag 4. Publish - George Couros (@gcouros) August 1, 2014 Although blogging comes easy, putting your thoughts out there and writing isn't so easy for others.

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Why educators should blog

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I've been pretty happy with my writing lately. I have a list of ideas for potential blogs on a Google Doc, and usually one rises to the top. Some weeks, it's so clear what I want to say, and even when it's not, my notes or teaching usually spark something worth writing about. Sometimes, though--like today, I'm just stuck. I hit the wall of writer's block and just couldn't figure out what I had that was worth sharing today. A half a dozen ideas, two different series of posts, and a question or two are all circling through my digital to-write pile, but nothing seemed just right, yet.

Like usual, I turned to my #PLN for support. Chris Nesi suggested I write about what I do when I have writer's block. One thing led to another, and my notes for a rambling post about how to handle writer's block brought back to one focus: purpose. Why do I write? Why should educators write? And what should we write about? And like most things in education, it all goes back to goals and purpose.

Calvin & Hobbes comic strip from 1995

If you're already blogging or sharing your classroom in a different way, you probably have more to add to my list. If not, think about what you might have to share. While there are many reasons I like to write about my teaching and work, my 3 best reasons are explored below. When I'm stuck without a topic or focus, rather than just writing for writing's sake, here are the reasons I try to come back to.

1. For Reflection and Growth

Writing about my teaching, student's learning, personal growth, and professional life makes me a better teacher and a better writer. It forces me to organize my ideas, reflect on my practice and experiences, and think in new ways. While I hope that my readers find value in my writing, more and more posts are about my own reflection. For me, it's cathartic and powerful to see growth unfold on the page.

In past years, I would intend to take notes on a lesson, revise a unit, or keep better track of model student work. Sometimes this worked, but more often something else got in the way. Between grading, planning, student meetings, and other professional responsibilities, it was hard to make the time. It's still hard to make the time, but having a platform to share these reflections--even if only for myself--makes it so much more real and meaningful. These are the notes and messages that I can come back to again and again to always grow and do better.

2. To Recommend and Inspire

No teacher has a perfect lesson every day. But we all have those great days, inspirational ideas, and transformative practices. Whether it's the activity you revised, new implementation of technology, or a really successful class discussion, the best learning rarely happens by accident. We have to plan for success with intent and critical thought. So when the lesson works (and even when it doesn't), share it so that others can learn from the experience.

When I start a new unit or approach an unfamiliar text, the first thing I do is search Google for inspiration. I look at web sites and blogs, ask questions on Twitter, and e-mail my colleagues. Instead of inventing brand new content and units, I want to make better use of my time and technology and #GoOpen by adapting from the great stuff that already exists. I hope that by sharing my challenges and successes, lessons, student work, and edtech recommendations, I can inspire others to do the same.

3. Share Your Awesome

I've used this phrase before and stand by it. Educators need to share their awesome. It's not just about sharing with other teachers, but about telling the stories of our students, schools, and classrooms. Technology--whether it's blogging, social media, or something else--allows us to make connections and open our classroom doors like never before, and to share what we do with the world. When we do something awesome (and we all do), it deserves to be shared with an authentic audience.

Too much of the story of education is told from skewed, displaced, and inexperienced perspectives. The more educators take control over the narrative of education, the more power the story has. Information today is transmitted around the world with a click and virtually anyone can create everything; the power of communication and branding has never been more powerful. I want to tell my story with transparency, honesty, and clarity to share our awesome.

As educators, we need to always remember our purpose and consider our impact. Whether it's in a conversation with a student, a lesson plan, or a piece of feedback, purpose matters. In blogging, too, I think it's important to step back once in a while and reflect about the why.

For more on the whys and hows of blogging in education, a quick Google search reveals hundreds of articles. They range from lists of blogs to follow to how to guides, and so much more. For more inspiration, I've incorporated Sylvia Duckworth's awesome sketchnotes on blogging. Take a look at her Sketchnote Flickr and website--they're great.

If you blog already, why do you? What do you like to write about? If not, what's holding you back? What would you want to share with the world? Please share your ideas in the comments or on Twitter.
cross posted at www.aschoenbart.com Adam Schoenbart is a high school English teacher, Google Education Trainer, and EdD candidate in Educational Leadership. He teaches grades 10-12 in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom at Ossining High School in Westchester County, NY and received the 2014 LHRIC Teacher Pioneer Award for innovative uses of technology that change teaching and learning. Read more at The SchoenBlog and connect on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

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I've been pretty happy with my writing lately. I have a list of ideas for potential blogs on a Google Doc, and usually one rises to the top. Some weeks, it's so clear what I want to say, and even when it's not, my notes or teaching usually spark something worth writing about.

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Easy as 1-2-3

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Google Forms, Easy as 1, 2, 3 - EdTech Hub

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This TeachTech series provides a good introduction to Google Forms

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The New Google Forms - Detailed Tutorial

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by Andrew Marcinek

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Since I started in education, I have been trying to find ways to connect students' learning beyond the classroom walls. Initially, the task presented many hurdles. Infrastructure was limited, devices were bulky and slow, and the access was not quite available. In order to connect students with the outside world, a permission slip and a school bus were needed. Today, many of those hurdles have been overcome, and connecting students beyond the classroom is a viable option. To make those connections, I use Google Hangouts.

Hangouts, the social media feature of the Google+ platform, are online spaces offering teachers and students a great forum to connect with one or many participants and engage in a real-time dialogue. If you are a school that uses Google apps for education, then all of your teachers have the ability to set up their own Google+ page and use the Hangout feature. I have seen examples of department meetings taking place via Google Hangouts and noticed a growing number of online presentations happening via this forum.

Reasons to Hang Out

One of many reasons I like Google Hangouts is for the ability to broadcast a talk live and then archive that broadcast. My students and I have been asked to present our help desk course at several conferences, as well as participate in interviews through this feature. Most recently my students connected with the ACTEM conference in Maine. While we would have enjoyed attending this conference in person, there were too many scheduling conflicts. So I connected with Alice Barr and we set up a Google Hangout. When I presented with my students, we broadcast the Hangout so that everyone sitting at the conference could see and hear us, and we also connected with those who were simply browsing their G+ page or Twitter. Additionally, we were able to archive the presentation to share with others.

Besides having the option to incorporate a pirate hat and a monocle while video conferencing via a Google Hangout, participants have the ability to quickly share screens for demonstrations, incorporate the Google Drive suite of apps for collaborative work, and collaboratively watch and discuss a YouTube video through the Google Hangout box. Again, all of these talks can be archived and saved directly to your YouTube account for future reference.

Possibilities and Opportunities

I see many opportunities for students and teachers using Google Hangouts in the classroom. Recently, my help desk students presented their TED Talk research projects via a Google Hangout. This gave us the ability to broadcast and archive student presentations while sharing them with a wide audience. Students were not only receiving feedback from one person, but also had the ability to reach many. This spring, my help desk students will be presenting bi-monthly Google Hangout talks on education technology and how it affects student learning. Students will be creating scripts, configuring a small set, and working with camera angles to bring their shows to life. Each student will pitch a show to his or her team, write a script for that ten-minute show, and then film it live via a Google Hangout. They hope to reach many viewers and connect with students and teachers globally to share their ideas and make meaningful connections through this medium.

With Google Hangouts, the possibilities for classroom integration are infinite. Once teachers discover the simplicity of this application, they will begin to see the opportunity and value it has for classroom engagement. Professionally, I see it as a great opportunity to connect and share my ideas with a vast audience. This summer, Burlington Public Schools will begin offering weekly Google Hangouts for our Tuesday Free professional development sessions. Over the past two years we have opened our doors to anyone who wanted to visit and learn about anything related to education and edtech integration. Initially, we had many of our own staff members show up from 9:00 to 12:00 every Tuesday. Last summer we connected with Abbie Waldron and her EdCamp Summer crew at Wamogo Regional High School via Skype. And this summer we will open our own doors a little wider to expand our reach and to create more meaningful conversations and connections.

When it comes to technology and education, I feel the message is quite simple: technology gives us the ability to connect, share and learn like never before. Google Hangouts bring all of these verbs together and provide teachers and students a simple, free learning space. If you are using Google Hangouts in the classroom, please share your examples or ideas in the comments section below.

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Google Hangouts as Edtech: Connecting, Sharing and Learning | Edutopia

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Since I started in education, I have been trying to find ways to connect students' learning beyond the classroom walls. Initially, the task presented many hurdles. Infrastructure was limited, devices were bulky and slow, and the access was not quite available. In order to connect students with the outside world, a permission slip and a school bus were needed.

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by Anson Alexander

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by Richard Byrne

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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YouTube video on creating a Twitter Moment

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Great YouTube video on creating Padlets