Mr Bass Online

One year ago I was selected to be a Google Certified Teacher and off I went to Chicago to spend a day at Google’s offices.  Aside from all the terrific people I met and the network that I acquired through that process, I was in awe of the Google Goodness.  Let me be clear, I use Google tools but I wouldn’t say that I’m a Google fanboy.  There are concerns there that don’t belong in this post.  However, throughout the day, we had the opportunity to interact with some of the folks who work at Google and got a little peek into their philosophy. After a year, the one phrase that sticks out most in my mind is, “Great isn’t good enough”.  I don’t remember who said it or really even the context in which I heard it but I remember distinctly the fire that it stirred in me.  The want to do things big.  To not be satisfied with “good enough” or even “great” but to push past that to another level yet undefined.

Great isn’t good enough.  How would that philosophy play out in education?  Is it about students making the “perfect” project?  Is it about making AYP year after year?  Is it high scores on standardized tests?  It could be, but I look at it not in terms of measuring oneself against a set bar or in comparison to another district/state/program etc., but rather, I think it has to do more with internal motivation.  Everyday when I go to work, my hope is that I’ve made my building, my district and education as a whole a little better than it was the day before.  It could be the culmination of a 6 month project, or it could be as simple as showing a teacher how to use a tool, but whatever it is, I want every interaction that I have with teachers and students to be meaningful and “great”.  As my own kids have started school, I want every day to be beyond great for them.  I want them to discover and grow.  I want them to have that internal drive to strive for their best and to know that there’s always room for improvement.  Yes, in some case, “great” will have to do and it others “good” or “good enough” will work.  But, when it comes to my work and the importance that education plays in the lives of students everywhere I don’t know that “great” will ever be “good enough” for me.

Education, Google Certified Teacher, PLN, kids good enough, Google

I’ve already written about how Abraham Lincoln approached people and character when it came to his leadership style.  In the next section of Donald Phillips book, he takes a look at Lincoln’s endeavors.  The first chapter in this section is entitled “Exercise a Strong Hand – Be Decisive”.  One thing that I really liked about this chapter is Lincoln’s focus on the overall picture.  As a classroom teacher I had a very narrow view of my professional world.  Yes, I was connected in a number of ways to a number of people, but basically, I was in my room, with my students, teaching my curriculum and observing the inner workings of the district as an outsider.  Because of this, I didn’t have a view of the bigger picture.  I thought I did.  I thought that I knew the goals of the district.  I thought that I had an understanding of how the entire organization worked.  I was wrong.  In my current role I have a completely different view of education as a whole.  I’m not attached to a particular school.  I’m attached to a district.  I have a different perspective and lens through which I view my work.  Lincoln’s view was that “an organization is never wisely sacrificed to avoid losing one or two small parts”.  Schools are part of a system of education and classrooms play an integral role in that system but what happens in the classroom is influenced by the greater system.  The system will break down at times but sacrificing a program or a specific unit in a course of study (I’m learning) is not (usually) a reaction but rather part of the system.  If I go back to the classroom, I hope that this lesson is not lost as I get caught up in the mound of papers and narrow focus of my classroom.

Phillip’s next chapter, “Lead by Being Led”, describes Lincoln’s attitude towards his subordinates.  His was focused on goals and let his people make decision to that end.  When all was said and done, he wanted then to say, “We did this ourselves.”  I remember a number of years ago a Modern Media class that I had just taken over from another teacher.  I had equipment and a very outdated curriculum (the text book was published in 1992 and the year was 2000). So we ditched the textbook and I attempted a more authentic learning environment.  As the projects went on, students wanted to do more and more complex projects that pushed the boundaries of my knowledge and the abilities of our equipment.  I learned a lot, but more importantly, I gave them the ability to try different things and worked with them to find solutions rather than giving them solutions that may or may not have worked.  In many cases, the solutions that they came up with were beyond what I would have come up with.  They were innovative and driven.  The project very quickly became their’s.  I was simply along for the ride.  Every now and then there were ideas that were outside the realm of reality and had to be altered to fit our needs.  What it comes down to is that my student’s led me through this project.  They were the creators of their own knowledge.  It was all very exciting and when they were done, they could absolutely say… “We did this ourselves.”

In chapter 10, “Set Goals and Be Results-Oriented”, Phillips writes of Lincoln’s drive for success.  His goal was to always keep a fire lit under his people.  Being a results-oriented person myself, I understand his desire.  However, what I find amazing for many of the great leaders out there is the stamina it takes to keep that up.  Maybe my focus is in too many places.  Maybe I’m not as driven.  Bottom line, I get tired.  Now, I feel as though I come through on my commitments, but I also have to think about (and get better about) recognizing where my attention goes.  Whenever my attention gets pulled away from a task, I need to ask myself, “Is this the best use of my time?”

Another point from this chapter has to do with a “corporate mission” for a group.  At the beginning of last year the team to which I belong created a mission statement and business plan.  We’re trying to develop a brand of which we can be proud.  I think we’re on the way.  So many organizations (schools) have a mission statement that may or may not have buy-in by all of its members.  I think that many times that’s because the mission is not revisited on a regular basis.  Lincoln continually reminded his people of the overall goal and what it took to get there.  I wonder if a simple regular reminder would increase buy-in of school mission statements.

Chapter 11 is a little more specific to industries outside of education.  Entitled, “Keep Searching Until You Find Your “Grant”,” the chapter outlines the long line of generals that Lincoln gave charge of the Army before finally getting to Grant who eventually won the war for him.  Lincoln didn’t have any predisposition to removing someone who he felt was not working out and not realizing results.  It seems that his decisions were based on results rather than emotion.  In my experience, keeping emotion out of decisions is tremendously difficult to do.  There are always biases and experiences that can cloud judgment.  Lincoln was no different, but he had the courage to take action when he felt he needed to.  This is not to say that he didn’t provide ample opportunities for improvement and support, but time needs to be given to make improvements.  Unfortunately, in the world of education and testing, time is not something that we often have.  Teachers who are new to the profession are put in classrooms and expected to perform immediately because their students must be able to have the same opportunities that students in other classes do.  I haven’t completely focused my thoughts on this (as is probably very evident) so this is a little rambling, but I think there’s a tie in there with the support that teachers in classrooms need to teach their students.

The final chapter in this section is “Encourage Innovation.”  Innovation is abundant in education.  Every day I see classes that are working on new things and solving problems with a completely different outlook.  It’s an exciting time for education with all the possibilities that are out there.  At his METC keynote, Will Richardson said that “We are doing a great job preparing our children for their current reality.”  His point was that we’re not doing a great job preparing them for their future.  He asked whether we teach our kids to write using hypertext and linking to sources around the web.  The answer from the audience was basically, “no, we are not.” But, for the most part, everyone agreed that they will probably write using hypertext at some point in their future.   How will they know how to use hypertext in their writing?  If we’re not teaching them these skills, do they just figure them out for themselves?  Lincoln looked for leaders he could learn from and who would find innovative solutions to problems.  Can we teach innovation to our students?  Maybe, can we give them opportunities to be innovative and to solve problems? Absolutely, but only if we allow them to move beyond the five-paragraph essay and give them some control over the criteria of assignments.

Education, PLN, Professional Development, Reflections, leadership

Today was the first day of the Midwest Education Technology Conference in St. Louis, MO.  I’m actually on the board for this conference and really enjoy being a part of the planning process.  The day started with Will Richardson’s keynote.  I’ve always enjoyed Will’s writings and presentations.  Imagine my surprise when he referenced NCTE’s Framework for 21st Century Literacies, a document that I helped to author as a part of NCTE’s Executive Board. After the session I went and introduced myself and had a nice chat before another session.  One thing that he said that I really liked was that his kids were his lens to his involvement in education.  Since my kids will be attending the school district in which I work, I have a similar feeling and a vested interest in the district as a whole. I also presented two sessions today.  The first, “Cool Tool Duel,” was a collaborative effort of 6 technology integrators in which we all presented 2 tools to the audience.  Unfortunately, Animoto chose the time I was presenting and showing their site off to do a little server maintenance.  After I logged in, the site actually said, “Went to get a beer, brb.”  This got lots of laughs and completely lightened up the mood.

My second presentation, “Instructional Strategies for a Digital World,” was one that I’ve presented in the past about my time in the classroom and my efforts to create a “paperless classroom.”  I changed the presentation considerably this time because I wanted to tell a story about my experience rather than just explain the concept and how “I” did it.  I wanted my audience to understand “why” I did it that way.  I think it went well and I enjoyed the session. I ended my day in another of Will Richardson’s sessions and then a brief sharing session with Meg Ormiston.  After dinner and drinks with DEN and some new Twitter friends, I finally braved the snowy roads and made my way home.  School is canceled for tomorrow so after dropping off the kids at childcare, it’s back to another day of METC with one final presentation.

21st Century Education, NCTE, Online Apps, PLN, Professional Development, metc09, presentations

As I continue working through my PGP and reading Lincoln on Leadership, I continue to reflect on ways that I can use some of his techniques in my work.

Part 2 – Character

In my first post I wrote about Phillips description of Lincoln’s dealings with people. The second part of the book addresses Lincoln’s character. Since I first heard about Lincoln in elementary school his nickname, “Honest Abe”, has been one of the first things that I think about when I hear his name. This part of the book is broken up into three chapters:

• Honesty and Integrity Are the Best Policies
• Never Act Out of Vengeance or Spite
• Have the Courage to Handle Unjust Criticism
• Be a Master of Paradox

The first section, Honesty and Integrity Are the Best Policies, was an interesting and one that could be used to help students as they struggle to find themselves and determine what they actually believe. One of the principles that I continue to struggle with has to do with who you stand by and when you stand by them. According to Phillips, Lincoln believed that you should “stand with anybody who stands right. Stand with him with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.” For so many of the kids that I have taught in the past, loyalty is everything. It’s not a matter of whether one’s actions are right, it’s a matter of standing up for someone rather than for a cause. Truly, I find this one to be tough. Loyalty is important, but shouldn’t what’s right still come first as we leave the realm of adolescence.

The other principle from this section that I really liked was, “When you make it to the top, turn and reach down for the person behind you.” In education the top is different for everyone, but the principle remains the same. When a “level” is reached, it’s your responsibility to help the person behind you to reach that same level. As teachers, we strive to help our students. However, could we teach this principle to our students? What if, when they reached a level, they helped those around them until everyone came up to that level? What a community you would have. My Personal Learning Network (PLN) works that way for me. When someone learns something, typically they will share their learning. If it’s something that I need or want to know or be familiar with, there has not been a single time that I’ve asked that I wasn’t pleasantly rewarded with assistance. Usually, they go above and beyond. I, in turn, try to do the same thing. If students took on this attitude, education might look completely different.

The next chapter of the book, “Never Act Out of Vengeance or Spite” is one that should really hit home with educators. I remember a day in my classroom in which there all students were taking a quiz when suddenly a fight broke out between two boys without, to my knowledge, any provocation from either one. I was shocked, amazed and in awe that this was actually happening in my room. With the help of some other students we broke up the fight (which ended up being over a girl) and I marched them down to the principal’s office. I didn’t ask what caused it. I didn’t care at that point. I was angry, disappointed and embarrassed.

How many times have I graded a paper and been tempted to grade that essay just a little bit harder based on the behavior of a student. Yes, it’s wrong. Yes, it’s vengeful. Yes, I’m a professional and am pleased to say that I worked very hard to not let those feelings affect the grades my students earned. The key here is that students are earning these grades and I have no right to impose my will on those grades based on their behaviors. Educators are human and it’s hard to leave that frustration behind, but if we don’t, there are two problems – our actions are wrong and we’re modeling behaviors the same behaviors that we’re trying to keep our student’s from displaying.

“Have the Courage to Handle Unjust Criticism” is the title of chapter three. Not surprisingly, this should ring true for the entire education community. It seems that as teachers we are being criticized from nearly all sides these days. Obviously this is an extreme generalization, but we all have days that we feel that way. When Lincoln felt that he was unjustly criticized and he felt that he must respond, he would write a letter to the person or persons being critical and express his side of the story. However, rarely, if ever, were these letters sent. It was therapeutic for him. In his mind, his actions and reputation spoke for themselves and by responding to criticism that was unjust he was just perpetuating the misunderstanding. He had faith in his values and allowed them to guide his actions. Hopefully I’ll be able to remember that the next time I feel as though educators are being criticized by those who aren’t part of our world. I’m sure I’ll have that opportunity very soon.

The last chapter of the “Character” section is entitled “Be a Master of Paradox”. There are lessons in this chapter for the educator too but I think they are a little more cryptic. So many times I feel as though I’m walking a tightrope in which I can see the big picture in my district while at the same time I can see how that big picture gets interpreted by individuals. There’s always a little disconnect between administration and teachers, but, the biggest thing I’ve learned since I’ve been out of the classroom is that the principal is truly the educational leader in each building. They set the tone and interpret that big picture. I guess I always kind of knew that, but until I traveled between schools and saw the way different administrators ran their schools, I didn’t really understand how true that was.

Thus far, my experience with Lincoln On Leadership has been a good one. I’ve learned a little about Lincoln a little about leadership and have gotten a lot to think about.

Education, PLN, Professional Development, Reflections, leadership

This morning I arrived back in St. Louis after spending about 48 hours in Chicago for the Google Teacher Academy.  On Wednesday September 24th, 53 educators from 17 states converged on the Google Offices invited by Dr. Mark Wagner, CUE and Google for the purpose of networking and looking at the educational applications of the suite of tools offered by Google.  The process began with an application in which we were required to make a one minute video and post it on YouTube.  About one week later, those who were accepted received an email with an invitation to become a Google Certified Teacher.

The day after I found out that I was accepted I created a Google Site and started inviting others that I knew would be attending to contribute their own information to the site hoping that before we all got together, we would at least be able to put a name to a face.  I began searching Twitter posts and blogs for anyone who had posted that they too had been accepted.  (The site was down for a short while, but that’s another story.)  Over the next three weeks I found a total of 18 future GCT’s and invited them to contribute.  Interestingly enough, it paid off.  Stephanie Madlinger and I traveled together and met Paul Hieronymus (a GCT from Ohio) at the Rock Bottom Brewry for dinner on Tuesday evening.  We had a great time sharing ideas and experiences and speculating about what the following day would hold.

On Wednesday morning, Stephanie and I walked the eight blocks from our hotel to the Google offices.  As we passed the front of the building I recognized Fred Koch standing on Kinzie Street and knew that the site had paid off.  We all introduced ourselves, checked in with Allison Merrick and began our amazing day of sharing and learning.

Over the course of the day we collaborated with fellow teachers, were introduced to tools and applications and became inspired by speakers.  The day flew by and before we knew it we were done.  I’m still reeling a little from the sheer volume of information and learning that took place that day but one of the most important things had to do with the people that I met.  My personal learning network has expanded yet again and I’m excited about the possibilities.

I have had many professional development opportunities during my educational career and many of them have been very transformative.  GTA is now at the top of my list of these experiences.  As I reflect on the day, the most valuable parts of were the connections and conversations in which I participated.  The opportunity to be a part of such a diverse and forward thinking group was well worth the trip and I look forward to future opportunities stemming from the event.  I encourage anyone with any inclination to apply and have the same experience.  To all my new friends, thank you for your expertise, sharing and vision.  Let us all continue to share our knowledge and learn from each other as often as possible.

Google Certified Teacher, PLN, Professional Development

I got word last night that my application to attend the Google Teacher Academy in Chicago on Sept. 24th has been accepted.  My colleague, Stephanie Madlinger, and I will be making the trek for an intensive day of professional development.  Now I get to join my friend Cindy Lane, who encouraged me to apply, as a Google Certified Teacher.  I’m looking forward to a day of learning in Chicago and am excited about the possibilities. 

As part of the application process we were required to make a one minute video.  I enlisted the help of two students to make my point.  Hope you enjoy it.

Education, PLN, Professional Development, Technology

I’m not new to the world on online networks and I know that many people have their own agenda when they are posting things. However, when I’ve come to rely on my PLN and, for the most part, trust them. Today I feel as though I have been deceived. I don’t think those involved were being malicious, but at the same time, they certainly weren’t forthcoming. I’m going to be as general as possible because I don’t know the intentions, but I certainly was disappointed and will remember this in the future.

I’ve been on Twitter for a few months now and have been fairly active in terms of my posts and trying to follow and actually keep up with everyone. I must say that I’m an addict now and have gotten so much out of it that, after struggling with the purpose that Tweets have in my life, I don’t see leaving. I came across a little advice that I thought would be worthwhile in my practice, however, upon further scrutiny, I found that the person from whom I’d gotten the advice had a great deal to gain from it. The advice was completely self-serving, which is fine, but I would have liked to know that up front. PLN’s are a great way to find resources and, to a certain extent, market yourself. I guess I was just disappointed. Does this fall under the realm of cyberethics? I’m not sure, but it did leave an impression on me, one I won’t soon forget.

PLN, Reflections, cyberethics