EDG 646

As part of our Preparing Leaders for Deeper Learning series, we have been writing about what roles leaders need to play in innovative, future-driven, next-gen schools. (E.g. Leaders are lead communicators, Deeper learning instructional leaders, design thinkers, and more.)

Located just south of downtown Seattle, the Kent School District (KSD) is certainly unique. It's the fourth-largest school system in the state of Washington; it's one of the most diverse districts, with 137 languages spoken; it's home to a large refugee community given the close proximity to the airport and cheap housing available throughout the area; and it's a district where a majority of the 27,000 students are on a free or reduced price meal plan.

Today's schools are focusing on boosting kids' technological proficiency and warning them about the perils of the web. But something critical is missing from this education. Indeed, although many of today's teens are immersed in social media, that doesn't mean "that they inherently have the knowledge or skills to make the most of their online experiences," writes Danah Boyd in her 2014 book It's Complicated: The Secret Lives of Networked Teens .

For the promise of learning technology to truly become reality for students and teachers, classrooms have to be equipped with the tools that fit their needs. There are a lot of factors to finding the right match. One of the most important, we've found, is also one of the most overlooked - procurement.

Using social media to share with your community? It's a start, but it's not enough. Using social media to connect with other educators? That's awesome, but that's not enough either. Using what you've learned from social media to significantly change the day-to-day learning experiences of students (and teachers)? Now you're getting somewhere...

n partnership with IDEO, a leading international design and innovation firm, Digital Promise developed " Evolving Ed-Tech Procurement in School Districts," an exploration of ideas to make learning technology procurement more modern, efficient, and attuned to demand.

In our Avoiding Plagiarism module, we gave you tips for citing, quoting, and incorporating various sources into your writing projects. However, depending on what types of sources you use, you may also have to consider copyright and fair use laws.

This framework is something that I've shared with district technology directors and coaches. If you're curious about having me meet with your team, please fill out the contact form at the bottom of this post. So AJ Juliani and I have started a new Classroom Questions series on rethinking professional development.

The greatest software invented for human safety is the human brain. It's time that we start using those brains. We must mix head knowledge with action. In my classroom, I use two essential approaches in the digital citizenship curriculum that I teach: proactive knowledge and experiential knowledge.

Wicked Cool Evidence Gathering. The Digital Principal, Part 2 http://t.co/AuMcLoYa10 -New Blog Entry #vted #edchat #cpchat

from November Learning News http://novemberlearning.com