Education Innovation

New Classroom Rules

1. Come to school every day, unless you would rather just go on line.

2.  Come to class on time, or log into your online class anytime day or night, whenever it is most convenient to you.

3.  Leave your seat only when necessary, which should be often to go collaborate with others or demonstrate something to the class.

4. Bring required materials, including your laptop and cell phone every day.

5. Talk only when permitted, text at all other times.

6. Don't Talk to your neighbors, unless you are sharing your ideas, asking for help or giving help.

7. Use polite speech when speaking, blogging, texting, Twittering, instant messaging, etc.

8. Do not cheat, but remix, re-purpose, and sample other peoples’ work and ideas and give them credit.

9. Follow the teacher's directions immediately and your peers’ directions too.

10. Be polite, courteous, and respectful at all times in both physical and virtual space.

11. Complete all assignments neatly and on time and submit on line or post to your blog or wiki, and share it with your followers on Twitter.

12.  Keep your hands to yourself, but share all your ideas and knowledge with others in your Personal Learning Network.

13. Be quiet in lines, hallways, and restrooms, unless you are at home and logged into your on line classroom, in which case you can dance and play music.

14. If you need help raise your hand, but don’t wait for the teacher get help from your neighbors and post your question to your online Personal Learning Network.

15. Know what you are supposed to be learning, why, and what you will do with the knowledge.

A Hoarding Culture vs. A Sharing Culture

Have you ever considered if your school and district has a hoarding culture or a sharing culture?

In a hoarding culture, teachers and schools keep their expertise, their knowledge, their ideas, and their innovations to themselves. These teachers and these schools get a sense of reward and gratification by being seen as experts, as more creative, more knowledgeable, and more effective. They crave the recognition that comes from getting results that others are not able to achieve and the influence and recognition that comes with it.

We have all seen it, those teachers who have great ideas but don’t want to share with others. Teachers with special training that keep all the knowledge to themselves to be seen as the “expert.” Teachers who are good with technology but seem to keep the “secrets” all to themselves. Principals who keep information to themselves so as to ensure staff must go to him or her for the information. Even entire schools keep their best practices and knowledge to themselves. This is what hoarders do. They set up silos and keep their knowledge inside.

Sharers know that their fellow teachers, their fellow principals, and their fellow schools can benefit and should benefit from their knowledge, ideas, creativity, and information. Sharers get a “reward” out of helping others benefit from what they know. Sharers attempt to overcome silos by sharing with others so that the entire school or school district can benefit.

Toyota has an approach to knowledge management called “Yokoten.” The Japanese word means “taking from one place to another.” Toyota’s culture is a sharing culture. They correctly understand that knowledge, ideas, and data are organizational resources. A good idea should not be wasted but should be implemented. In addition, and this is key, a good idea should not just be used in a single location, but should be exported to all parts of the organization. Their sharing culture obligates that an individual share with their peers and leaders are expected to circulate good ideas throughout the organization.

In other words, if Toyota ran your school or your district, teachers would be expected to implement good ideas and share with others. Principals would be expected to implement good ideas at their site and share with the rest of the district. Silos would not be allowed to prevent good ideas from being implemented and shared. If the idea is a resource, it is not wasted, it is used and it is shared.

Does your school and district have a hoarding culture? Or does your school and district have a sharing culture? A culture of “yokoten?”

Catalytic Questions:

1. Imagine the benefit to student learning and achievement if every great idea in your district was implemented and shared across the district. Every one. How might you encourage this level of collaboration and sharing?

2. In what ways could you begin to model a sharing culture? How might you use the principle of “yokoten?”

3. What things should you stop doing? What things are getting in the way of collaboration and should be eliminated?

4. How might your approach to collaboration change if you viewed ideas as a necessary commodity or resource for your school and district?

5. In what ways have you encouraged, rewarded, acknowledged, or expected sharing of ideas, knowledge, information, or data?

A Tale of "Two Teachers" --Teaching and Technology

Teacher 1:
"Walking into a classroom that doesn’t have all that media is like walking into a desert."

"...collect information from other sources, and borrow, and steal, and put it together and reshape it. Isn’t that a skill that I want them to have?"

"I am not saying that cheating is okay. I am saying that cheating is something you have to look at closer to say what is cheating and what’s not cheating?"

Teacher 2:
"Students know how to do things I can’t do technologically in the classroom and I just let them take over and they are naturals."

"I feel at though I am fighting the good fight.  I am trying to hang on to what I think is the most important part of what I do. But, my time is over. This is too much for me. It’s not the educational arena I entered into."

Two teachers dealing with the cultural changes to the educational landscape caused by technology. Which one describes you?

See the video from FrontLine's Digital Nation: Life On The Virtual Frontier --Education In The Digital Age

How Google Saved a School

Thoughts:

Technology is like oxygen.

Wow. Doing interesting things. Feeling of independence.

Real World Skills

If students are getting the work done, they will be doing so while the are IMing, gaming, etc.

Rigorous, challenging, interesting.

Creating original content and adding to the Internet.

Teaching students to muli-task

I don’t think I as an adult can sit and do work for an hour, so I don’t know why I would says it is a drawback that my students can’t?

Focuses them.

New Global Students Will Have The F.A.C.T.S

Maya Frost’s book The New Global Student has been such an interesting and inspiring read. Maya uses the mnemonic FACTS to describe the 5 key qualities that “…will guarantee students will be successful in whatever they choose to do in the wild and wooly world of global work. In addition to being able to read, write, speak, calculate, and analyze proficiently, bold future leaders share the following characteristics.”

F Is For Flexible

• They adapt quickly to their surrounding and make new friends easily wherever they go.
• They speak more than one language fluently.”
• They are free—and eager—to travel or live abroad and are not hampered by massive college debt, a  lack of confidence, or insistence upon a particular lifestyle.
• They think independently and are no attached to a certain “right way” of doing things.

A Is For Aware

• They read and can discuss—intelligently—a wide variety of subjects ranging from economics to e-learning.
• They’ve lived abroad, see their own culture with greater clarity, and can represent their country in a respectful way.
• They’ve seen firsthand the inequities of the world and show compassion and respect for those who are struggling.
• They understand the need to focus on sustainable ways of living, and they incorporate environmental awareness in everything they do.

C Is For Curious

• They have a natural interest in a variety of topics and enjoy learning on their own.
• They know how to ask question in order to gain knowledge and create stronger connections with others.
• They don’t wait for opportunities to appear—they are actively engaged in research in order to discover their best options for learning, travel, and work.
• They know how to use a variety of tools to both create and distribute information, and they continue to learn as new systems and gadgets are developed.

T Is For Trustworthy

• They know that in a global economy there are thousands of people who are willing and able to complete any given task, and they recognize the increased importance of being dependable in order to gain trust and greater opportunities.
• They know how to collaborate with others and can create a sense of community without the benefits of face-to-face meetings.
• They hone their professional writing and speaking skills and can convince other of their integrity and commitment remotely.
• They complete their work on time and to the best of their ability, and they stand by their work without making excuses.

S Is For Self-Directed

• They are extremely good at establishing and moving toward their goals.
• Their work ethic and motivation are internalized—they don’t count on competition from their colleagues in the next cubicle or sit-down sessions with the management to light a fire under their seats.
• They can focus on the tasks at hand whether they are in a work environment that is solitary and silent, social and distracting, or chaotic and stressful.
• They have abiding passion for what they are doing, tremendous energy and enthusiasm, and a clear desire to improve their skills while doing their best work.

Maya explains that students, if allowed to step out into the world with some “reasonable concern” from their parents, and parents not letting their fear and ego, AKA “fergo” get in the way, will develop FACTS naturally.

From an educator’s perspective, I wonder if I, or my fellow educators are capable of producing global students who have the FACTS?

Are we helping to create or hindering the development of flexible, aware, curious, trustworthy, and self-directed students?

Thanks to Maya for showing us the power of global students having the FACTS.

Also See:
The Global Student - Old School vs. Bold School

A.W.A.R.E.N.E.S.S

For a Professional Networked Learning Collaborative to have maximum impact on meeting the needs of students and improve student learning they must leverage their “AWARENESS.”

A student focus

Having AWARENESS means PNLCs are focused on the needs of students and student learning. That is the mission and purpose of the PNLC. PNLCs need to be aware of their work and ensure that is focused on student needs, and not house keeping needs. This means having a student focus.

Wisdom

A PNLC leverages wisdom. The difference between the typical view of wisdom and the PNLC view of wisdom is a PNLC views wisdom as something that can be discovered and accelerated. Wisdom can be discovered and accelerated through exploring the creativity, knowledge, innovation, and imagination of each individual, the great minds of the past and present, the team or the group, their networks, including professional networks, and the crowd. Leveraging the power of each of these is what I call "Lateral Wisdom." PNLCs use Lateral Wisdom

Abilities

PNLCs are aware of the individual abilities of each of their members and seek to leverage these abilities to maximum effect to improve and increase student learning.

Response-ability

PNLC don’t just respond and hope. They use proven strategies, methods, and models to respond appropriately and effectively to meet the needs of students. PNLC have the ability to respond. This ability is honed through the other key characteristics of PNLCs, and that is learning. PNLC are constantly learning so they can better respond to the needs of their students.

Education

PNLCs members are learners. Members need to always be aware of learning from their work, from their peers, and from their extended networks. Seeking out education opportunities to increase the group’s knowledge and cognitive diversity is something all PNLC members are constantly aware of and actively seeking.

Network

PNLC have the advantage of the “network.” The vast array of networks that are combined and blended to make the PNLC networked. PNLC members will fluidly move between the physical and virtual networks to communicate, collaborate, and share ideas, data, strategies, and information. Each member being a portal or node to their individual network makes the PNLC exponentially stronger, knowledgeable, and wise.

Experiences

PNLC are aware of and seek to leverage the variety of individual experiences that each team member brings to the team. No two members will have the exact same experiences. PNLCs are aware that the variety and different experiences of each member can be leveraged to improve student learning.

Skills

PNLCs are also aware of the skills of their individual members. Just as no two members will have the same experiences, no two members will have the exact same skill set. Skill that are developed professionally within the teaching discipline are combined with skills developed outside the discipline to create unique skill sets. PNLCs are aware of these skills sets and seek to leverage them for the betterment of students.

Scalability

PNLCs understand that they are scalable. PNLCs can be expanded to include professionals who provide their needed expertise in both physical and virtual spaces. New members can be added as needed to address certain specific student needs and problems as they arise. The PNLC is aware that this can be accomplished in touch space with professionals at the table with the team or in virtual space with teams using collaborative technology platforms for synchronous communication and collaboration from professionals who cannot be physically present. PNLC are always aware that they scalable, and will add professionals to help the team meet the needs of all their students.

Essential Education: Ignore Everybody by Hugh Macleod

To complete your Essential Education take a few minutes to watch friend Steve Cunnigham's great video summary of the book Ignore Everybody by Hugh Macleod

Sir Ken Robinson Thinks We Are “Out of Our Minds”

A few education related thoughts by Sir Ken Robinson from his book “Out Our Minds: Learning To Be Creative.”

“The dominant ideologies of education are now defeating their most urgent purpose: to develop people who can cope with and contribute to the breathless rate of change in the 21st century—people who are flexible, creative, and have found their talents.”

“The relationship between education and the world we actually live in are being stretched to breaking point. They need now to be entirely rethought. This process should begin by reframing the abilities we all have, and reassessing the skills and aptitude that are now most needed for personal fulfillment and for economic success. The preoccupation with academic ability is an example of a functional fallacy: the tendency to confuse a particular purpose with a general one. One of the functions of education is to develop academic abilities. This does not mean that the function of is wholly academic. Education has an economic function: this does not in mean that the functions of education are wholly economic. Education has many social, personal and community purposes that have to be balanced with broader economic functions. Human intelligence includes the capacity for academic activity; this does not mean that academic activity is the whole of intelligence. To educate people for the future, we must see through the academic illusion to their real abilities, and how these different elements of human capacity enhance rather than detract from each other.”

Our Responses to Online Content Match Our Responses to Collaboration

One of my favorite blogs is Lateral Action. Recently contributing writer Rajesh Setty posted about whether bloggers, Twitters, etc. could know if their ideas were succeeding in influencing their audiences in a positive way. His idea is that the audience would “tell them” by the manner in which they responded to the online content.

What I found interesting is this is very much like how we collaborate in our Professional Learning Communities, Professional Networked Learning Collaboratives, Personal Learning Networks, Critical Friends Groups, teams. Rajesh suggests there is 9 ways people respond to content. Spam, Skip, Scan, Stop, Save, Shift, Send, Spread, and Subscribe. Remixing these, I found there are 9 ways we respond to ideas when we collaborate in our teams.

   1. Spam: “If your content does not provide a reasonable ROII (return-on-investment for an interaction) for the reader or is self-serving or simply useless, the reader will mark it as spam. Posting something that may be assessed, as “spam” is the fastest way to losing credibility.”

If your ideas, thoughts and comments do not provide any benefit to your team, or worse, seem self-serving as opposed to meeting the needs of your students, you are going to lose credibility as a member. Make a contribution through collaboration that benefits the team and the students.

   2. Skip: “The reader makes an assessment that he or she won’t lose much by reading it. In this case, the reader has not written you off yet but if you consistently create content that is worth “skipping,” the reader might write you off.”

The worst thing that can happen to you as team member is to have others stop listening and stop giving any consideration to your ideas, thoughts, and comments. If you consistently fail to add to the discussion in a positive way, or focus on yourself instead of students, etc. people are going to consider your ideas, thoughts and comments worth skipping. “Skipping” is a failure in collaboration.

   3. Scan: “The reader thinks there are only a few parts that are of relevance and wants to get right to the core of the content and skip the rest.”

Cut to the chase. The most valuable resource for teachers is time. Don’t waste people’s time. Effectively collaborate by getting to the point, being succinct, staying on topic, driving to the core of the issue, and providing possible solutions or ideas to the issue at hand. If you want team members to stop, focus, consider your ideas, and collaborate on them, get to the core quickly.

   4. Stop: “The reader is touched by the article and stops to think about the article, it’s relevance and what it means to him or her personally and professionally.”

During PLC, PNLC, CFG, or team meetings member hear things that make people stop, take notice, and want to dig deeper. Great ideas, meaningful comments, powerful solutions make teams stop, think, and collaborate to create impact for students.

   5. Save: “The content is so good that the reader might want to re-visit this multiple times.”

Smart teams will save great ideas and revisit them throughout the school year. Smart teams will save the best ideas and look for ways to use and apply them with their students.

   6. Shift: “The article is transformational. The reader is so deeply affected (in a positive way) by the article that it shifts some of their values and beliefs. In other words, this piece of writing will transform the reader and make him or her grow.”

An important aspect of any Professional Learning Community or Professional Networked Learning Collaborative, or Personal Learning Network is the word “learning.” Smart teams are always learning from each other, from current research, from experience, etc. Smart team adjust or shift what they do, how they do it, or what they know when they apply what they have learned.

   7. Send: “The content is not only useful to the reader but also to one or more people in the reader’s network. The reader simply emails the article or a link to it to people that he or she cares.”

When smart teams learn something of value, they share with others to make a bigger impact for the students. Sharing knowledge, ideas, and solutions by “sending” them on to others in their networks is what smart teams do. It is at the heart of collaboration.

   8. Spread: “The reader finds the article fascinating enough to spread it to anyone and everyone via a blog, twitter or the social networks that he or she belongs.”

Spreading ideas through our networks is a characteristic of a Professional Networked Learning Collaborative because technology is viewed as a natural part of how it works. You should take the time to spread ideas through your network, be it a PNLC or a Personal Learning Network. Smart teams spread smart ideas.

   9. Subscribe: “This is the ultimate expression of engagement and a vote of confidence that you will continue to provide great content. When the reader wants to continue listening to your thoughts, he or she will subscribe.”

Subscribing is the end result of trust and credibility. All teams are more effective when there is trust. When you prove you are trust worthy, that you have knowledge and ability, and collaborate with your team, you become credible. Team members “subscribe” to credible team members.

Rajesh Setty gives a few more things to consider that are equally valuable for team collaboration.

1. Understand Your Audience
“…your audience should be the center of the focus and not you. The more you know about your audience, the better you can connect with them.”

The better we can connect with each other in our teams, the better collaboration we will have, and the better results we will produce for students.

2. Check Your Objective

What is the purpose or goal of your team meeting? If you don’t know what you are walking in the door to discuss then you probably aren’t prepared. If you are not prepared you are not going to be able to add your best during collaboration. Know your objective.

3. Unleash Your Creativity

“You know the audience and you know the purpose... Now the next step is to unleash your creativity and create something that will generate the kind of response that you are looking for.”

Unleash your team’s creativity through purposeful collaboration and intentional creativity.

4. Learn from Feedback

Pay attention to the response and feedback you are getting from other members. Notice if they are spamming you, skipping you, scanning you, stopping for you, saving you, being shifted by you, sending you, spreading you, or subscribing to you. Reflect and then adjust your collaboration style to get the results you want.

It really comes down to having a high ROII,"Return on Investment for an Interaction." That's what all PLCs, PNLCs, PLNs, CFGs should be about. ROII.

High ROII, that's Education Innovation.

The Global Student - Old School vs. Bold School

Have you ever read something and have your entire concept about something change? That’s what happened to my thinking about high school after reading just the first few chapters of Maya Frost’s book The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition and Get a Truly International Education. Maya started a revolution in my brain about what education could be.

High school is a whole new game. We have all heard that we should think globally and act locally. But Maya says, “The new global student is thinking and acting globally.”

Maya explains that the new global student is not locked into “old school” thinking, but will be released to find new possibilities for education through “bold school” thinking.

Old School: earnestly staying within the lines
Bold School: happily scribbling wherever you go

Old School: fretting about the obstacles blocking education reform
Bold School: celebrating our freedom to participate in an education revolution

Old School: seeing “global” as a brand of profitable ventures
Bold School: seeing “global” as an invitation to connect

Old School: mindlessly competing against others by doing the same old things
Bold School: mindfully doing things differently in order to maximize our greatest gifts

Old School: counting on others to help you step ahead
Bold School: relying on your own creativity to skip forward

Old School: going global by taking language classes or enrolling in an international school
Bold School: going global by gaining worthy experience abroad and generating visionary enthusiasm

Old School: letting our we’re-number-one mindset distract and disconnect us
Bold School: cheering for the global good by focusing on innovation and creativity

Students should being doing what is best for them, doing what maximizes their talents and who they are as people, and not locking themselves into what the system thinks is best for them.

Students going global and dropping “old school” limited thinking for “bold school” empowered thinking is Education Innovation at its best.

I can't recommend Maya Frost's book The New Global Student highly enough. It is excellent.

Recommended Reading:
New Globals blog

Maya Frost: The New Global Student

The New Global Student, by Maya Frost - Excerpt