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I like the 1 min. 10 sec length of the video. Then the message, perfect! Be a PURPOSEFUL RISK TAKER!

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Spread the loveThere are four major styles of leadership which apply well in the educational setting. While each of these styles has its good points, there is a wide berth of variation, and in fact, transformational leadership is truly an amalgamation of the best attributes of the other three.

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Content-hosting websites, videoconferencing apps, grade- or subject-focused social media accounts: with such a dizzying array of mechanical and virtual help at our disposal, it can be a challenge for educators to know where to even start.

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5 Ways to Become a Technology Risk Taker in Your Classroom

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5 Ways to Become a Technology Risk Taker in Your Classroom

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By Lisa Berghoff
Are you an adventurous person? Would you love to jump out of a plane, go bungee jumping, or swim with sharks? Or, do you like things to be more safe and predictable? Does your answer hold true in your classroom? Are you the type of teacher who loves to try new things, or are you happy with the tried and true strategies that you know well?
I am definitely not interested in doing anything that involves being upside down in the air; however, I am a risk-taker in my classroom, especially when it comes to technology. I have been teaching teenagers with special needs for 19 years and I've seen some crazy programs, pieces of equipment, and assistive technology.

I've also seen many of those crazy things actually work, increasing student engagement, comprehension, and performance. The bottom line is that I'm not fearful of using new technology with my students. I love trying new web2.0 tools and don't worry about failing in front of my students.

I often wonder how this all-in attitude affects my students' learning-I believe they're better off for it.

More: Encourage your students to read more with Whooo's Reading

Many teachers are aware of Growth Mindset from Carol Dweck's research. Simply put, it's the idea that our basic qualities are not fixed or set in stone, but that through hard work and dedication, one can develop their abilities.

I know of educators who are implementing and teaching this concept to teach their students that if they can push through and persevere in the face of frustration, and even failure, that they can grow, change, succeed, and meet their goals.

"I know of many teachers who are implementing and teaching the concept of growth mindset to help their students understand that they can push through and persevere...I'm asking teachers to do the same thing with technology."

I'm asking teachers to do the same thing with technology.

The teacher who says, Oh, I'm just not that good with technology, is saying that his or her skills are what they are, and could not possibly improve. This is problematic for two reasons.

First, students of teachers who fear using technology (or believe that they will never have the proper skills), will not be given as many opportunities to access technology for learning. That in and of itself is an issue, because our students need exposure and guidance for learning in a digital world. Many of our students are proficient at using technology for gaming or social media, but they need instruction on how to utilize technological resources for learning purposes.

Second, when it comes to long-term technology use, attitude is as important as aptitude. Teachers need to be role models for students, showing them how to problem solve and troubleshoot when things go wrong, or when they want to learn how to do something.

If you're a teacher who could use a technology-mindset reboot, you're in the right place. Here are some tips to help you feel more confident with technology, which can help you feel comfortable with being a technology risk-taker in the classroom.

1. Find a Face-to-Face Buddy

I never miss a day at the gym when I am meeting a friend, but left to my own devices I find every excuse to skip out. Using technology in the classroom is the same way. Having a trusted, friendly colleague along for the ride can help keep you accountable and make sure that you're actually using the new website that you just created, for example.

It's also helpful to have someone to reflect with on what's going well and what needs tweaking. Find someone who is slightly more skilled than you, but not someone who intimidates you.

2. Find an Online Buddy

Just like a colleague who can pop into your classroom to lend a hand, a friend who you connect with online will be able to assist you during those times when you're planning, but not at school.

I have found Twitter to be the best source of online support and professional development for educators.

Teachers on Twitter are willing to share ideas and resources and you don't have to feel embarrassed about asking questions because you won't run into them in the teachers' lounge.

If you're new to twitter, there are many guides out there to get you started.

There's a Twitter chat for new teachers to twitter called #Nt2T that meets on Saturdays at 8 AM CST. You can follow me, @LisaBerghoff, and I'd be happy to walk you through all that is out there in the Twitterverse.

3. Become Friends With YouTube

If you're embarrassed because you've been taught how to make a Google form so many times, but can't seem to remember the steps, head to YouTube. YouTube has an endless supply of video tutorials that you can use-I've had a YouTube video open in one window and the application that I'm learning in another, so I can pause the video as I follow the directions.
3-Minute YouTube Videos to Make You a Tech-Savvy Teacher
4. Talk to Your Students

When I'm trying something new in my classes, I make sure to tell my students up front. I don't tell them that I'm worried that it won't work or that I know I will look foolish showing them this new thing.

However, I do tell them that I'm learning something new and I can't wait for them to learn it too because it's awesome. I tell them that their class was chosen (by me) to be the first ones to try it out, learn it, and even become experts who can show others.

When I explain to them that I only know the basics, they jump at the chance to be the ones to explore and then teach me what they've learned.

5. Know Your Threshold

Stop comparing yourself to your tech-savvy colleagues, and instead, pat yourself on the back for the new things you've tried recently.

As you progress, it's important to set small, reasonable goals for yourself, like trying one new tool per unit or expanding your understanding of an app you already use. If you set your sights too high, you may put yourself on overload and stop trying altogether. Remind yourself that any forward movement is a good thing.

Whatever you do, don't give up. If you try something and it fails miserably, reflect, and reach out to those who can help you figure out what went wrong. It might have been that you used the wrong tool for the task or it may be that the task itself was flawed. Just know that as you progress in learning, your students will too, and that makes stepping out of your comfort zone, becoming a risk taker in the classroom, worth it.

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5 Ways to Become a Technology Risk-Taker in Your Classroom

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By Lisa Berghoff Are you an adventurous person? Would you love to jump out of a plane, go bungee jumping, or swim with sharks? Or, do you like things to be more safe and predictable? Does your answer hold true in your classroom?

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3 Ways to Build Your Professional Learning Network

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3 Ways to Build Your Professional Learning Network

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What's a PLN? And 3 Ways Teachers Can Get Connected

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The Three Steps To Make Google's Vision For Education A Reality

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The Three Steps To Make Google's Vision For Education A Reality

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Few people would argue that education is on the cusp of transformational change - unless it is to say it is already happening - but the actual shape of that change is hotly contested.

But at one of Europe's largest ed tech gatherings, a senior Google for Education executive set out the three steps that would make his vision for the future of schools a reality.

And in a call that is bound to cause controversy, he argued that the wrong people are assessing students, and it should be companies that are responsible for evaluating how much students have learned.

EdTechXEurope is billed as Europe's largest summit on the future of learning and work, bringing together educators, developers and researchers from around the globe, with representatives from some 60 countries in attendance.

From the tension between personalized learning and privacy to the opportunities for taking global names into the developing world, the one-day conference aimed to address some of the major challenges and opportunities for education over the next five years and beyond.

And at yesterday's gathering in London, Google for Education executive Marc Sanz Lopez set out his thoughts on how schools will look - and whether they will exist at all - in 50 years time.

Among the "bugs" that Sanz Lopez, head of Google for Education, South of Europe, identified that needed to be "squashed" are a one-size-fits-all system that is often politicized.

Instead, he said teachers should stop teaching hyper-specific skills, and be released to teach beyond the prescribed curriculum.

For him, personalized education represents a return to the practices of the 18th century, when young people would receive a highly individualized education, whether it was the tutors employed by wealthy families to the master craftsmen initiating young apprentices into their trade.

The intervening 200 years have seen quality sacrificed for quantity, while reversing that means moving to a flexible, personalized approach allowing young people the opportunity to study the subjects they are most passionate about, recreating the 18th century model but with the added element of choice.

But this should not be technology-led, he argued. Rather that starting from the technology, educators should start from their learning principles, and then ask how technology can serve those aims.

Schools are also too focused on committing knowledge to students' memories, he added, rather than on skills such as creative problem-solving.

Embracing the potential of technology to reshape education involves rebalancing the curriculum, and Sanz Lopez put forward a three-step approach to fashioning schools fit for the future:

Steps 1 and 3 are fairly uncontroversial. Rapid changes in technology and how it affects jobs increasingly requires employees to carry on learning throughout their working lives, and basing educational techniques on solid evidence has got to be a good thing (albeit a principle which is applied only too rarely).

It is the second of his steps which is most likely to ruffle features. He argued that the classroom is too often treated as a silo, with the teacher the sole author of what goes on inside its walls.
Watch On Forbes: 30 Under 30 2018 Arjun Singh Is Fixing Education's Innovation Problem In America
But as technology evolves, students will increasingly have access to different types of learning, including teachers from around the world, perhaps through a mix of live and recorded lessons, he said.

And these networks will go beyond how students learn to how they are assessed. Instead of schools and teachers evaluating students against knowledge-based criteria - the approach of traditional exams - partner organizations could be responsible for measuring progress in skills-based competencies.

This raises the prospect of Nike, for example, assessing students on what they know about how to build a brand.

While this may horrify some teachers, for Sanz Lopez it is the obvious conclusion of ensuring schools meet the needs of young people. "The wrong people are trying to evaluate," he said. "Eventually this will go down even to primary [level] because, why not?" he added.

Along with a greater role for companies in education, we will stop teaching children according to age, he said.

"I think there will still be the communities that we call schools, but what happens inside them will change dramatically," he added.

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The Three Steps To Make Google's Vision For Education A Reality

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Few people would argue that education is on the cusp of transformational change - unless it is to say it is already happening - but the actual shape of that change is hotly contested. But at one of Europe's largest ed tech gatherings, a senior Google for Education executive set out the three steps that would make his vision for the future of schools a reality.