This course has required me to think (and feel) outside of my comfort zone… way outside of my comfort zone. I’m the guy who despises social media for the negative impact on education and the students we serve… I’m the guy who prints off articles and book chapters because I like hard-copy in my hands… and I highlight (in yellow). I’m the guy who avoids new advancements in technology because the further ahead we get, the further behind we seem to be. I value relationships and face-to-face professional interactions with colleagues. With all of that said, I need to change the way I look at things. Remember the old quote… “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

The experiences and reflections obtained throughout this course have changed my way of thinking… one can still cling to their convictions and moral compass… while at the same time adapting and changing to the world around them. There are obvious benefits to social media. Students today have an unlimited opportunity to access knowledge and information like never before in our history. They can connect across countries and culture, bringing true meaning and value to their experiences. I need to pull my head from the sand and embrace the change… teach responsible stewardship of these platforms and move forward recognizing there will be inherent issues… but progress is generally rooted in problems and solutions.

There are lots and lots of things to do… many of us have reached a professional cliff or breaking point. How many hats can one wear? How many hours can one work? How many times can you disappoint your own children while assisting others? Technology may be the only clear path forward… it provides the tools to make the necessary connections, quickly and succinctly. My name is Shawn… I am a Superintendent… I love the acquisition of new information through innovative and awe-inspiring opportunities… for that is light within us all.

Unfortunately, while I’ve often lived by the motto that “a lack of time is no excuse,” time is certainly in high demand. The Rolling Stones wrote a song called Time Is On My Side… they obviously didn’t work in public education. You’ve seen this theme appear in my prior posts… finding enough time to provide authentic professional development, professional networking and now time for reflection. This is the epitome of common sense… time for reflection… but we often fail to provide (or to take) the necessary time for reflection. I’d be interested to see how school districts are providing this time in their regular, daily schedules. Is it effective and of high quality? How do you determine the quality of reflection? Do you collect some form of evidence? I’m not convinced adding time for reflection can happen… without sacrificing something in exchange. In my case, I’m working with five (5) in-service/Act 80 days in a given school year. By contract, two of the five days are set aside as classroom preparation days. That leaves three seven (7) hour in-service days to fit in the entire breadth and scope of our work. During the seven (7) hour work day (not inclusive of the thirty minute duty-free lunch), teachers are engaged nearly every minute of every day. Time is definitely not on my side. I’ve said this in prior posts… while it’s wildly unpopular… for our profession to meet the current demands of today, we must ensure the extension of the school year. Imagine the planning and professional development that could evolve with another month or two on the professional work year.

Conceptually, I love the idea of open learning and the sharing of educational resources. I’ve spent much of my career–both as a teacher and school administrator–trying to encourage and support an open culture of innovation and growth. While we’ve had some bright spots, there is an overwhelming amount of support for collaborative learning when people are in need of Act 48 hours… Don’t get me wrong. There are a number of committed, high quality educators who embrace an open culture of collaboration. We have teachers that lead book studies, meet regularly over the summer to discuss pedagogical innovations, etc. The majority, however, do what they must to ensure a satisfactory rating… nothing more, nothing less. As the demands of the job continue to grow… and children (and their parents) become more complex… the establishment of an open culture of learning is our best chance for success. I once had a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that I referenced often with new teachers… “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

The prompt for Seminar 9: Critical Thinking asks that we reflect on what someone may learn about us if they reviewed our work in this seminar… That’s an interesting question. Ironically, I find lately that I’m “critically thinking” about most things related to my work, not often sure I’m finding the right path forward. It’s been a difficult road the last few weeks… My administrative team and I spent most of the summer trying to package new materials, resources, technologies, state mandates, and other “changes” into their simplest form possible… hoping not to overwhelm or underwhelm. We recognize the daunting work responsibilities that lie before good teachers (emphasis on good teachers added), but we’ve also reached a complex crossroads. Burnout, frustration, and a feeling of being underappreciated, seems to have permeated deep into many of our teachers today (and I’m not referring only to my staff). Education has certainly changed. We are asked to do more for students… in some cases, we are being asked to educate children… and raise them too. Societal problems lay at the base of this mountain. Innovation, growth mindset, and creativity are becoming harder and harder to find… Maybe I’m to blame. We try awfully hard to be the filter that traps the many things that affect a teacher’s ability to teach… but it’s becoming harder and harder to successfully manage that filtration. I’m trying to embrace the concept of less is more from Chapter 10, but becoming hyper-focused on what constitutes the less for all things is an overwhelming quandary. I am continually trying to shift the focus in order to remain in focus… I need to get better at most things associated with this seminar.

Aristotle is often credited with the quote “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” I’ve used that quote and subsequent logic in many instances throughout my career, especially when trying to build collegiality and collaborative bridges within a faculty or department. I left an in-service yesterday inspired by the knowledge, passion and individual/collective strengths of my staff. It was awesome! Oftentimes, people want to bring presenters in from the the outside to inspire and guide a collective group… the strength, however, comes from within. We were tasked with developing lesson ideas and strategies to build climate and promote a culture of respect and rapport as part of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program faculty & staff training. When we met in July for the face-to-face Digital Leadership and Innovation Institute, one of our classmates talked about “letting the race horses run”. That is precisely what happened yesterday… the individuals who were comfortable with different technology platforms made magic happen with their respective skill sets. It was like watching an orchestra, with many different instruments, harmonizing as one collective power!

I believe that most educators and school administrators would agree that we have more to do and less time to do it… Frankly, I believe that is true for most things in life nowadays. When it comes to providing adequate time for professional development and mandated training, there is always a shortage of hours built into the confines of beginning-of-the-year in-service. Utilization of multiple training platforms and pathways (i.e. how-to videos, screen casting, PowerPoints/Google Slides, step-by-step email instructions) allows all end-users to access the information (and to maintain access after the initial launch) in a manner and time convenient to their respective schedules/assignments. In truth, while I’m not yet fully on board with online learning platforms, I’m starting to better understand and appreciate the differentiated opportunities this type of communication affords/provides. We are able to organize an initial launch of new information and provide individualized support to the staff members who require follow-up. Establishing a collective vision and mindset for this type of training/communication has had varied results, often associated with one’s view of professional responsibilities “outside of the work day”. And the beat goes on…

We’ve reached the end of our face-to-face journey in Digital Leadership and Innovation! Onward we move into the next stage of our journey. I feel really good about the amount of information and collaboration that I’ve been part of throughout our time together. The digital literacy activities have helped provide me with a springboard into productive struggle… and personal satisfaction. I’ve been able to complete more tasks than what I would have assumed possible (screen casts, etc.) and enriched my understanding of SAMR, the 4C’s and other digital leadership skills. I have lots of ideas I’m taking with me back into the field… now it’s time for development and implementation!

In truth, my only issue with the content presented in this seminar is the generalizing of the word “school”. Much of what was associated within the “school vs. learning” blog has more to do with the quality of the teacher (and the attitude of the learner). I recognize we often work in generalizations, although I don’t accept statements that start by painting large groups of people (teachers, students, school administrators, etc.) with a broad brush stroke. I’ve been part of schools that embody learning because there were staff who ensured the facilitation of learning… and students who learned in spite of poor teachers. It doesn’t have to be school versus learning, rather it can be school as another pathway to learning.

Well, I just completed my first-ever screen cast… Ironically, the screen cast largely focused on Couros’ Innovator’s Mindset. What does this reveal about me as a learner? Great question. Hearkening back to my prior post, I’ve taken the road less traveled (at least for me)… the road that caused productive struggle. While I don’t have a high propensity for digital learning or leadership, I’ll now admit I’m a work in progress. After having completed a screen cast–a real life demonstration of growth/innovator’s mindset–I recognize the usefulness of this innovative technology and its application in my professional life. Screen casting can be useful to replace unnecessary (or unlikely) face-to-face meetings, while still protecting the integrity of the information.