Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

Essentialism in a World of Nonessentialism

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After reading Creativity, Inc. earlier this summer (blog thoughts here), I took a dive into Greg McKeown’s new book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. This is a terrific read, particularly if you feel inundated with work you don’t want to be the highest priority. While I learned quite a few new strategies I will […]

Should you be remarkable?

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This idea from a post (How to be remarkable) on “being remarkable” has been swirling around in my mind for the past few days. Can you ‘leave your mark’ in this life, can you be remarkable, if no one is remarking about you? While it’s important to be remarkable in your own eyes, making a […]

Creativity, Inc.

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I’ve just finished reading Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, President of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. This book is chock full of thought-provoking ideas for educational leaders at all levels interested in leading their organization toward increased creativity and innovation. This book was so good that I plan to give it a closer read over […]

8 Qualities of Successful School Leaders

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Keeping with my theme of school leadership, I’m sharing a wonderful article I ran across by Nick Morrison on the Forbes website: The Eight Characteristics of School Leaders. At the core of the article Nick shares a list of eight qualities of successful school leaders developed by a group of UK educational researchers. In Pennsylvania, […]

Kinds of school leaders

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Which one describes your leadership? Which one do you want to describe your leadership? What’s holding you back? Catching up Keeping up Leading the way Ideas from Paul Facteau. Important questions for all school leaders to ponder!

Engaged Leadership

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I enjoy reading the monthly PDFs published by ChangeThis. Each month the site publishes several PDFs focused on key ideas around leadership, innovation and the like. This month, one title in particular caught my eye: Leading from Above the Line. Based on the book, Above the Line: How the Golden Rule Rules the Bottom Line, […]

AFT video on PISA – What does it say?

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While those wishing to put stock in the rankings of the latest PISA results may claim some bias in this video from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the arguments reinforce the idea that our public schools are a reflection of our society. Until we (policy makers specifically) more effectively address issues such as poverty […]

Deeper Learning MOOC – January – March 2014

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This morning while scanning my RSS feeds I discovered the Deeper Learning MOOC coming this January. I like the way deeper learning is defined: Master core academic content Think critically and solve complex problems Work collaboratively Communicate effectively Learn how to learn (e.g., self-directed learning) Academic mindsets The Deeper Learning MOOC is going to feature […]

Yes or No to “after-hours” work/email?

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As we enjoy an extended holiday break away from the daily routine of work (and the fact its the time of year for resolutions), I wanted to reflect on how I balance my time between work and leisure. There are different perspectives out there! For example, here is an article that was recently shared by […]

As a leader, are you mapping, making AND meshing?

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I recall reading, several months ago, a few different articles online about a sizable number of “unhappy” workers in the workplace. (Nearly half of global employees unhappy in jobs and Most Americans hate work so much they’re sabotaging their employers are just two examples. You could search and find more.) Upon reading the gloomy statistics, […]