But the rapid rise, and now demise, of Flip is also a vivid illustration of the ferocious metabolism of the consumer marketplace and of the smartphone’s power to destroy other gadgets. “It was unusually fast,” said Brent Bracelin, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. “It’s a testament to the pace of innovation in consumer electronics and smartphone technology. More and more functionality is being integrated into smartphones.” The rapid innovation of smartphones, he said, is “one of the most disruptive trends we’ve seen.”

I approach professional development with an unusual zeal because I know that I'm going to get to explore my practice with my peers. Together, we learn more about instruction that works and we polish the things that we do best.  We have a commitment to one another and to our students that is nothing short of energizing---and that commitment brings us back year after year to work together again. 

Why This? Why Now? Why Bother?

"These new skills that we call digital skills are simply cognitive skills in digital settings," he says. Beyond being able to use technology efficiently and productively, Knezek explains, K-12 graduates should understand how to use it to define and break down a problem, look into how similar problems have been solved, and design and implement a solution. In communicating that solution, they should be skillful not merely at typing a Word document but also at telling a compelling story through an interactive multimedia presentation.

s my network has grown, so has my growth as an educational leader. With new ideas and strategies in hand, I am now working collaboratively with my staff to transform the teaching and learning culture of my school. Through a combination of sound pedagogy and effective technology integration, student engagement is on this rise. We are making learning relevant, meaningful, and creative!