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“To transform education and education technology to more progressive and less programmed ends means we do have to address what exactly we think education should look like now and in the future. Do we want programmed instruction? Do we want teaching machines? Do we want videotaped lectures? Do we want content delivery systems? Or do we want education that is more student-centered, more networked-focused. [...] And instead of acting as though ed-tech is free of ideology, we need to recognize that it is very much enmeshed in it.”

When schools adopt new technologies there often isn’t much thought given to the pedagogical or social implications the new technologies bring to the classroom. Very little consideration is given to what the tools really add to the learning process over already existing tools (besides being shinier and newer), and even less consideration is given to how this might affect who we are as humans

We rarely ask, ‘Are we building and adopting tools that might harm us? That might destroy our humanity?’"

the "positive contagion." Leaders matter less for the ideas that they possess and more for their ability to connect ideas (sometimes controversial) and people across their organizations.

By attending to our human need to create, connect, and play, leaders assure that great ideas can evolve from young seedlings into robust, self-supporting ecosystems.

1. Ability to deal with ambiguity Low need for control Openness to Experience (one of the Big 5 personality traits) Moderate perfectionism High Stability (low anxiety) Project management skills Ability to use social media Optimism

2. The capacity to foster engagement An understanding of how to motivate others Ability to foster a shared purpose and vision An understanding of human needs Interpersonal effectiveness Ability to self-regulate Empathy

3. The capacity to learn Ability to research and learn Being thoroughly on top of one’s subject area Wide and accessible networks Able to share with others Knowledge management skills The ability to foster collaborative learning

Technology planning is a process. TechSoup has broken it down into seven phases.Establish leadership and support. Assess your resources. Define your needs. Explore solutions. Write the plan. Get funding. Implement the plan.

Your organization's technology vision (together with a brief section about the current state of technology in your organization) can take the form of an executive summary. How will technology further your organization's mission? What is your long-range vision for technology use? While this isn't necessarily an essential part of the plan, this section can give an overview of your technology goals as they relate to your organization's mission.

Taking your hardware and software inventory may be the most well-defined part of technology planning. As a result, you have more options for how to get it done. If someone on staff has even a minimal knowledge of hardware and software vocabulary, you may well be able to do it in-house. Is there someone who knows how to find out the processor speed of a computer?

there is growing agreement that scores on standardized tests of academic skills are incomplete measures of the important things that students learn from their teachers.

untested learning outcomes are measureable and that specific components of teaching influence them in nuanced and interesting ways.

Agency is the capacity and propensity to take purposeful initiative—the opposite of helplessness. Young people with high levels of agency do not respond passively to their circumstances; they tend to seek meaning and act with purpose to achieve the conditions they desire in their own and others’ lives.