Group items tagged

People who fear they will be hurt by a change speak up immediately, loudly and without regard for the odds or reality. People who will benefit from a change don't believe it (until it happens), so they sit quietly. And that's why change in an organization is difficult.

What's important with a PLN is not "what it does for me" but rather how I can use it to change things in education, society, or the world. Learning networks give us potential for action. For many educators, these networks function on a gift-economy basis. ...Creation, collaboration, and sharing are the true value points of a PLN.

We took another 20 minutes to use a force field analysis to explore the drivers and resisting factors around change. Since the presentation, I have had several requests for more details on using the force field analysis as a decision-making tool, so the following is more detail on how this tool can be effectively used in a variety of settings including education.

My list is very different: - emergent thinking: extracting patterns, rules, regularities, prototypes - sensing value - finding meaning, truth, relevance, purpose, goals - acting semiotically - using signs, signals, art, desig, etc., to do things - seeing beyond - describing, defining, drawing conclusions, explaining data - ecological sensitivity - placing in context, seeing frames, making meaning - living in change - understanding flow, adaptation, progression

"...we need to keep reminding ourselves that ed reform is not technology reform and that embedded, transformative technology is not simply digitizing what we've already been doing."

I was recently asked by a superintendent if I had some questions to ask his principals to start off the year. The questions I gave him were based on the following areas: Fostering Effective Relationships Instructional Leadership Embodying Visionary Leadership Developing Leadership Capacity Creating Sustainable Change

It is my main critique with the emotional-feel-good message of Ken Robinson's focus on creativity. First, we need to get over the view that our generation is astonishingly unique. Hasn't every generation faced new technologies to solve problems not foreseen? The present moment arrogance that invades much of school reform thinking is frustrating. And, I might as well add, the pendulum-thinking mindset that is evident in Robinson's view is damaging in the long term. See also http://daily-ink.davidtruss.com/elearnspace-its-new-its-new-george-siemens

1. ICT IS USED TO ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING2. ICT IS AN INTEGRAL ASPECT OF TEACHING3. PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT IS ONGOING4. PLANNING, BUDGETING and EVALUATION ARE KEY ORGANISATIONAL ACTIVITIES5. ICT INFUSION IS SUPPORTED BY COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS

One of my core beliefs about school these days is that we need to get teachers off of the hamster wheel of the current school-day model. Teachers need time to collaborate, to plan, to innovate. And schools need to find ways to build frequent - I believe weekly - time for everyone to sit in a room and work together to make schools better.