Category Archives: Uncategorized

Nov
21
2012

My 2012 Edublogs Nominations

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After much thought and consideration I have filled out my Edublogs Nominiations for this year. It goes without saying that I learn so much from these people, and I want to do my part to have them gain recognition.

 

 

And the nominations go to….

Good luck everybody. You Matter!

Oct
21
2012

What if our schools were like 5 Star Hotels?

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What if our schools were like 5 Star Hotels?

source hotel images – google

Picture this- you walk into your child’s school and are greeted by a concierge, not a security guard. This person knows everything about the who, what, where, and why of the school. As you gaze around the walls and the floors everything is in tip top condition. Mirrors are clean, the floor is immaculate, and the artwork on the wall symbolically represents the culture and climate of the school. Not to mention there is  fresh water and you can see the mint leaves, and orange slices at the top of the jug. Ahhh, and its fresh!

Your concierge takes you to your destination, and for this day you need to pick up your child. By the time you get to the office, your child is patiently waiting, chatting with the receptionist about her day (Somehow it was communicated that you were there and to get your child from class – no waiting). You swipe your license and you are able to take your child. But, we are talking about kids, so she tells you that she forgot something, and you both venture to her class to get it.

As you walk to her classroom there is a staff member in the hallway who greets you with a smile and asks if there is anything they can help you with. While your daughter is getting her work, the  staff member talks to you about the school, and seems very informed on the educational goals and objectives of the school. She even can share an anecdote with you about how your daughter helped her clean up spilled milk the other day in the restaurant (cafeteria).

Then, as luck would have it you need to use the restroom, so the staff member personally takes you to the restroom and makes sure the students aren’t in there. You look around at this “student” bathroom and the fixtures are all polished, there is artwork on the walls, everything is clean, and smelling fresh. As you wash your hands with the automatic sink, the smell of cucumber soap waifs through the air. This is a student bathroom, you think.

In the hallway, there is another person waiting for you with your daughter and the three of you walk to the exit. On your way out of the door, the staff member reminds you to scan the QR code. You remember hearing something about this at back to school night, but you haven’t tried it yet. The  staff member scans the QR code for you and on her phone she shows you how to access the days events, the teachers blogs and a 15 second tout from the assembly earlier that day. She then helps you scan it and laughs, “Just don’t drive and watch the tout because we don’t want you driving off the road. Off you go to the doctor’s appointment, knowing that your daughter is getting the 5 Star treatment at school!e

Oct
15
2012

You can do what you want, the result will be the same. However…

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…You can influence the result by grabbing the opportunity when it knocks at your door. Kersi Porbunderwalla

Kersi and I after the interview

This morning, while at breakfast, I met Kersi Porbunderwalla. He is the Client Service Director for Resources Global Professionals. He was in Dallas, TX at a conference for his company. Originally from Mumbai, Kersi recently gave a lecture on Corporate Governance at the Govt. Law College in Thrissur, Kerala. He was intrigued by what he saw.

As we enjoyed the amazing food at the hotel, Kersi and I talked about everything. When we talked about education, he beamed with excitement. He told me of his daughter and how well she was doing at the University in Copenhagen. He is so proud of her! We talked about Sugata Mitra and child-driven education. Have you watched Sugata’s Ted Talk? You won’t be disappointed!

I asked Kersi why so many people of Indian descent do so well with education, especially math and science… and he replied, “Well, this isn’t a scientific or research-based thought, but I think it has to do with our language. All Indian languages require the learners to anticipate and calculate sentences as they read. In a country with over  75% literacy rate,  Kerala maintains a literacy rate of 99%. I feel this is because of the time they spend on reading and studying their language. This seems like a daunting task, but they do it, and I think that is why we are so math/science focused.” I was amazed. How can we get our kids to do this I thought? 99% sounds great.

 

He went on to discuss the amount of time Indian students spend on their studies. He felt that most Indian kids (even those who are in the United States) are studying 2 to 3 hours per night, not to mention the amount of time spent in the summer. Education is so valued in the Indian household that it trumps interest in sports, video games, or any of the other leisure activities of a typical American child. Could you imagine your students spending 10 to 15 EXTRA hours a week on learning more about what you are teaching?

 

Kerala, India

He went on to discuss how motivation is in the culture of the people of India, specifically the state of Kerala, where he is from. This state in India has always been important because of the spices, and trade. It required the residents to be aware of  other languages and globalization. Kersi felt that all of these factors contributed to high literacy rate not only with the the various Indian dialects, but the rest of the world languages too. Sure enough I went on You Tube and looked this up, and I found this clip:

As my interview came to a close, I asked him what the key to success in education was… he said, “Do your best. It’s a competitive world. Things can change in a second. Grab the moment, and seize the opportunity. You can do what you want, the result will be the same…however…You can influence the result by grabbing the opportunity when it knocks at your door.”

 

The rest is up to you!
Jul
31
2012

Skypeing with my social media mentor @PrincipalJ

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This is the tenth in the series about educators making a difference.

Jessica Johnson

When I first turned to social media to create my PLN, it was Jessica Johnson who was my guide. Without even knowing it, I spent the first month on twitter learning from her, and Curt Rees. I studied their blogs, read their tweets, and anything else I could get my mouse on. I can remember sitting in my office at work, talking with a teacher who was helping me understand all of this technology stuff, and he said, “I checked out PrincipalJ’s website, and if you want to do what she is doing, it is going to take a lot of time and commitment.” He was so correct.Jessica began her journey in social media in 2007. She tuned into the Principal Podcast that was being broadcast by Melinda Miller, and Scott Elias. She was following them, similar to how I was following her in 2012. She listened to the podcasts, read their blogs, and got her hands on anything they recommended. She wanted to learn. They kept talking about twitter, and how powerful the medium was in education. It took her about a year, and finally in 2008, Jessica Johnson became @PrincipalJ.

Jessica strives for “zero” inbox

As a brand new principal, Jessica was determined to be the best that she could be. Here she was in rural Wisconsin, with the new ability to completely open her world up to all that twitter, and social media had to offer. Yet, at first, she told no one, not even her teachers. When I asked her about this, she said, “It was my thing. I didn’t seek to have a lot of followers, or make a huge impact. I just wanted to learn, and connect.” Slowly but surely, Jessica found that she had to pay it forward. She finally decided to take off the “private” setting on twitter so she could at least re-tweet these wonderful ideas she was gathering. She ripped the Band-Aid off.

Jessica tries to get technology into the hands of her kids (this is her husband’s office)

Since she began to pay it forward, Jessica has grown her blog and twitter network, and has become one of the most respected administrators in social media. When I asked Jessica about her blogging process she said, “I would have to say I am more like George Couros. I like to write it down, post, and walk away. I think getting the right images sometimes takes me longer than the actual post.” She went on to say that she mainly blogs as a reflective tool for herself, and her teachers. Blogging forces her to be reflective.

Currently, Jessica is working on a book project with @shiraleibowitz and @KathyPerret as a result of her participation in the #educoach on twitter. Together they moderate the #educoach chat which happens on selected Wednesdays at 9:00 PM CST. Jessica, along with @shiraleibowitz and @KathyPerret said that the book is being collectively written from the coaching perspective of a principal. She feels connected with the coaching realm because that is the type of leader she is at her school. Jessica feels that her role is to make her teachers better by encouraging, and motivating them to get to the next level.

Reflections from an Elementary School Principal

Jessica’s passion, as exemplified in her tweets, blogs, and facebook likes, is reading. Her background on her blog is, you guessed it, books. In viewing her last 10 posts on her blog, she referenced her reading/student reading, or the importance of reading 80% of the time. Her most discussed concept of late is the Daily 5. She had completely integrated the Daily 5 into her school, but as you would guessed it, she did not mandate it at first, she allowed the teachers, and students to see the importance in their own way. As they moved forward, and she saw the positive impact, the Daily 5 is now the new normal.  She says that the Daily 5 has encouraged more reading at her school by teachers, parents, and students.

Jessica Johnson has been very influential in mentoring me (and countless others) in navigating the power of the PLN. She is always available to assist with technology, twitter, pintrest, and providing feedback on blogs.

The summer is winding down, and I will soon be on vacation. Look for the final posts in the series on other educators making a difference through my conversations with Curt Rees, Shelly Terrell, Lisa Dabbs, and Cool Cat Teacher.

Previous posts dedicated to educators making a difference:  George Couros, Justin Tarte, The Nerdy Teacher, Dwight Carter, Chris Wejr, Todd Whitaker, Erin Klein, Patrick Larkin, Kelly Tenkely

Resources:

#educoach

All things Jessica Johnson

Daily 5