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62 things you can do with Dropbox | Macworld
From the simple to the complicated.
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Embedding Flash Audio on WordPress.com with an iPad
Step by step directions to embed code in a WordPress.com blog.
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Think with Google – Your resource for industry trends & insights
“A place where innovators, experts and Google’s homegrown visionaries lend their insights and outlook on the digital future.”
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Technology for Learning: Add-on or Disruptor
Too often schools buy into “technology” with the expectation that teachers, students and leaders won’t have to change a thing – life can go on – business as usual. Not so fast. Technology is disruptive – not in a negative sense that it causes chaos with everyone and everything out of control; but in a positive sense that compels everyone – leader, student and teacher – to rethink what they do. Technology disrupts our thinking and our mindset of teaching, learning and leading. That’s not a bad thing.
Several recent blog posts reminded me how we in education need to embrace, not ignore, the disruptive quality of technology.
Seth Godin – Form and Function
The question that gets asked about technology, the one that is almost always precisely the wrong question is, “How does this advance help our business?”
The correct question is, “How does this advance undermine our business model and require us/enable us to build a new one?”
Tim Stahmer at Assorted Stuff – Asking the Wrong Question
So, what happens if we substitute “school” for “business”?
Doug Johnson at The Blue Skunk Blog – Are We Asking the Wrong Question About E-Books?
So, what happens if we substitute “school” “library” for “business”? Why should I go to the library when the library will come to me?
Trent Batson at Batson Blog – “Technology Integration” is an Oxymoron
A simple analogy: automobiles became popular in the 1910s — 1910 to 1920. But, for many enthusiasts who were among the first in their town to purchase an automobile, their enthusiasm waned quickly when they discovered their automobiles did not work very well on the dirt roads of the time. The brand new automobiles sat in garages or made short trips to the general store, consigned to the role of oddity instead of the “automobility” role they were supposed to fill.
A highway system had to be built along with establishing laws, enforcement, street lights, commonly recognized road signs and the entire infrastructure for cars that took us decades to build. The nation had to integrate itself to the needs of the car.
I particularly like the automobile analogy. The automobile was disruptive – it compelled the consumer to think differently about “business as usual.” Technology in schools is the same way. Did we fight the automobile as much as schools are fighting to keep the status quo with only a thin surface-coating of technology?
Change, Innovation and Leadership
It’s not often that I find resources that push the limits of our paradigm of school leadership, but Jonathan Martin shares some takeaways from a new book, The Innovator’s DNA, that offer an opportunity to reflect on our own leadership and that of the organizations we call schools. I haven’t read the book yet, but Jonathan’s takeaways allowed me to reconnect with some of the work I did for my dissertation only a few years ago. I studied my school leadership team, working to uncover how they conceptualized education in the 21st century and how they acted upon that conceptualization. From the recommendation section:
The recommendations focus on the development of second-order change responsibilities as outlined by Marzano, et al. (2005). By applying theories of change (Marzano, et al., 2005; Argyris and Schon, 1974; Heifetz, 1994), the findings propose the changes in teaching and learning described in the literature and espoused by the study participants are of the second-order. This conclusion is important because without leadership responsibilities that match the specific kind of change required, innovation will likely fail (Marzano, et al. 2005). Therefore, the development of second-order change responsibilities is essential for the participants to succeed with their efforts to bring about the change they envision. Because of the nature of change, the recommendations do not detail specific steps for implementation. It is suggested the recommendations be discussed and applied within the context of each leader’s story. While some may seek detailed action steps, it is important to reiterate there is no blueprint for addressing the challenges of reinventing education. (p 133)
While I arrived at some recommendations specific to my context, I really connected with the “innovation” ideas Jonathan shared from The Innovator’s DNA. As I reflect on Jonathan’s takeaways, I see how much more work school leaders need to do if we desire to reinvent the way we lead, teach and learn. And we must change!
Please go read Jonathan’s post for his detailed thinking, but here is his list of takeaways.
- Own as Principal the role of Innovator-in-Chief: You can’t delegate innovation.
- Make your practice of “active innovation” visible.
- Create complementary teams.
- Observe closely what other schools are doing.
- Arrange for employee swaps.
- Ask Why?
- Seek out people who “had invented something, held deep expertise in a particular knowledge area, and demonstrated a passion to change the world.”
- Remember that ”innovators want to work with and for other innovators.”
- Embed innovation as an “explicit, consistent element of performance reviews.”
- ”Develop formal and informal processes to facilitate knowledge exchanges.”
- Network externally.
- Practice Beta testing and prototyping.
- Build many small, diverse teams for projects.
- Communicate and reinforce that Innovation is everyone’s job.
- Make innovation an explicit core value of your school.
- “Give more time for innovation.”
- Create “a safe space for others to innovate.”
- Model your risk taking and your learning from failure.
As with the Framework for 21st Century School Leadership shared yesterday, this list of takeaways can be a powerful self-reflection tool. What are our strengths? Weaknesses? As individuals. As organizations. I’m glad I was able to read Jonathan’s post, and I’m looking forward to reading The Innovator’s DNA.
WorkingAtTheEdge.org Daily Links 11/27/2011
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Storify · All the stories happening on social media.
Storify helps its users tell stories by curating social media.
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Ten Search Tools and Tactics Teachers and Students Need to Know
Tips on using Google more effectively and efficiently.
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Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011
An excellent resource of learning tools – many collaborative.
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iLibrarian » 5 Amazing Free Data Visualization Tools
“Want to create your own maps, graphs, charts, and diagrams but don’t have the software to do it? Here are five top-notch applications which will let you create professional quality data visualizations for free.”
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Looking for a free drawing tool. Here are links to 11.
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How Pop Chart Lab Made That Amazing Apple Infographic | Co. Design
Patrick Mulligan takes us step-by-step through the process of transforming a slew of data into a stunning chart. Useful for those interested in developing infographics.
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Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.
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The Design Studio / Effective Assessment in a Digital Age Workshops
A series of five workshops run from January to October 2011 exploring how the use of technology in HE and HE in FE, linked to principles of good practice in assessment and feedback, can help promote more effective learning.
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Instructables – Make, How To, and DIY
Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others.
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These free tools offer opportunities for struggling learners to achieve academic success.
WorkingAtTheEdge.org Daily Links 11/26/2011
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A regularly updated guide to Google +. I used it to understand the social network better. My only question: When will it come to Google Apps for Education. This could be a game changer.
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12 Ways to Provoke Supportive Learning Conversations at Home : 2¢ Worth
Suggestions on how teachers can promote supportive learning conversations at home.
