Leadership

There are many theories comprising the concept of motivation, each providing insight into the begging question that many educators have: "How can I get students to remain interested, take ownership, forgo procrastination, and ultimately become a self-regulated learner?" In this short blog we will briefly examine the concept of motivation and assess how we as educators can foster a climate conducive to motivated learners who actually enjoy classroom instruction, are empowered education recipients, and don't require nagging to complete assignments.

Acceptable Use Policies developed as a result of legislation that attempted to govern how schools allowed students to use the Internet. While legislation usually did not directly call for their formation, it was sort of the implementation of choice for most schools around the country. The policy is basically a signed agreement documenting what's acceptable in using the Internet at school (although as Karl Fisch stated, it is really an unacceptable use policy as most of them are just a list of things that kids cannot do). Parents and students had to sign the AUP before they were granted any Internet privileges at school. In that way, it was sort of like a contract between the school and the student's family.

The focus of school administrators is graduation rates. As I understand it, Georgia has set its goal for all schools at graduating 100 percent of students by 2014. Fail to meet that goal and state funding will be cut. This puts a lot of pressure on teachers and principals to get students to pass state exams. My small-town high school, Fitzgerald High, wouldn't survive without state funding.

Just a quick review: In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. dominated the world in K-12 education. We also dominated economically. In the 1970s and 1980s, we still had a lead, albeit smaller, in educating our population through secondary school, and America continued to lead the world economically, albeit with other big economies, like China, closing in. Today, we have fallen behind in both per capita high school graduates and their quality. Consequences to follow.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the LoTi Framework. Since its inception in 1994, the LoTi Framework has been used as a statewide technology use survey, a district school improvement model, and a classroom walkthrough tool impacting thousands of schools nationally. Today, the LoTi project has grown beyond classroom technology use and has become synonymous with innovative teaching practices.

If you could design your own school, what would it look like? This is not a question many educators actually get to answer, but it is this very question that we have been asking ourselves at The Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) for the last seven years - as we have planned, built, and now moved into our new 123-acre, nine-building campus. This tremendous opportunity to build an entire school is both the chance of a lifetime and an incredible challenge. How do you build a campus that not only meets the needs of today's students, but which will hold up over time, allowing for enough adaptability to grow and change in a climate where five-year strategic plans seem long-term? Even more challenging: how do you plan the technology for a campus like this?

TechYES is an innovative way for schools and community organizations to offer a technology certification program to students in grades 6-9. As with all Generation YES products, students are at the center of the solution - backed up with solid research and extensive resources. In TechYES, students show technology literacy by creating projects that meet state and local technology proficiency requirements. As part of TechYES, a structured peer-mentoring program assists the teacher or advisor, and provides student leadership opportunities that serve to further strengthen the program and enrich the learning community.

Plan, teach, and report on student technology literacy in an integrated, 21st century context. techSteps includes a district technology literacy framework, a sequential, project-based curriculum for K-8 technology literacy development and authentic assessment and reporting tools. For information go to www.techsteps.com

Taking A Good Look at Instructional Technology (TAGLIT) is a suite of online assessment tools designed to provide educational institutions effective data to evaluate technology use and integration in the teaching and learning environment. The suite includes assessments for School Leaders, Teachers, and Students. The Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001, issued by the U.S. Department of Education (US DoE), has established requirements by which states must report the technology literacy of all 8th grade students. (SETDA document regarding this requirement) TAGLIT is an established, quick and inexpensive tool to assess 8th grade students and provide information to meet the reporting requirements under this mandate.

ProfilerPRO allows for the evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and skill based on simple surveys implemented via the World Wide Web. Group members can share knowledge and promote collaboration based on responses to skills-based survey items. Use ProfilerPRO to strengthen your school's, district's, or other educational group's ability to share expertise and grow as an organization.

Profiling Educational Technology Integration, or PETI, includes a framework aligned to No Child Left Behind, Title II D (NCLB IID), as well as a suite of tools designed to assist states, districts, schools, and researchers in profiling their progress with technology over time, documenting both readiness and effective use. Why are the profiling tools important? The tools were developed to assist states in making sound, data-driven decisions about educational technology. Metiri Group, which developed these resources under the advisement of the SETDA Common Data Elements committee, has worked over the last year with five states to pilot and revise the instruments and protocols based on data analysis to ensure reliability and validity. Used as outlined here, PETI offers valid, reliable data collection instruments and methodologies that answer the questions in the SETDA framework. Used over time, these tools can provide valuable baseline and trend data for accountability purposes.

In this TED talk Ed Ulbrich, the digital-effects guru from Digital Domain, explains the Oscar-winning technology that allowed his team to digitally create the older versions of Brad Pitt's face for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."Incidentally, I loved Brad Pitt's performance, especially the hour or so in the movie when it was embedded in the animated head. Once you view the talk and see how it was created, you will want to go see the movie. Promise.This video is an amazing example of tenacity, innovation, and problem solving. The type of execution that led to the final product made me think about the difference between traditional marketing communications and where marketing communications needs to be next. The old ways would mean the option of applying heavier makeup - let's rewrite the brochure, sell sheet, press release. The new ways are about taking out what is in excess, just like Michelangelo did with a block of marble - agility and expressiveness of content are essential. The new ways are also about understanding what expression to apply when - this system can recreate facial images at a resolution of 200,000 pixels.Just like Digital Domain did, in order to create an action plan for your business, you need to:(1.) Admit you have a problem Having a methodology is a great first step. Especially if you're trying to break new ground. It will be tested by reality. As Ulbrich says, it's not just the special effects or the technology, it's how they...

David Allen talks about ways you can make Facebook and Twitter work for you on the job.

1. See (really see) what's possible 2. Know specifically what you want to achieve 3. Make good decisions 4. Understand the tactics to get things done and to change minds 5. Earn the trust and respect of the people around you

As the use of personal and instructional technology becomes increasingly embedded into day-to-day operations, superintendents need more than ever to be intimately involved in the direction, decisions and deliverables of a school district's technology initiatives.

Great story on CNET. Prez Obama gets to keep his Blackberry. Thank goodness. As far as I am concerned going without a Blackberry would be like trying to quit smoking. Not that I know about the smoking bit - having never started. Am totally addicted to my Blackberry.

In this research, 112 high school principals from throughout the country responded to a structured questionnaire. Results offer a snapshot of current practices. Most schools (84%) have adopted a written cell phone policy. Generally, they either completely ban or conditionally permit cell phone use by students. Violations result in disciplinary actions ranging from a mild reprimand to confiscation. But do students have a right, legally or constitutionally, to carry their cell phones with them in school? No. Is there a rational and measurable educational benefit to student cell phone use in school? No. Do the potential negatives (disrupting others, taking embarrassing pictures, cheating on tests, inappropriate text messaging) clearly outweigh the benefits? Yes. Ironically, however, 24% of schools permit cell phone use by students.

Technology by its very nature will stop working at some point and this often creates an atmosphere of distrust. As the Director of Information and Communication Technologies I very often only hear the complaints and rarely a thank you. My staff works hard every day, which includes typical upgrades, day-to-day fixes, and emergencies. Decisions are made daily that impact how our teachers, staff, administrators, and students use the technology resources that are available in the schools. I think it is in our best interest to be proactive and share the good news and the challenges that are presented through the integration of technology throughout academic and organizational use throughout the school district.

Use these 4-5 minute presentations to quickly gain a better understanding of the variety of tools on the World Wide Web including blogs, social networks, and wikis.