Assignment 4: 1 to World Connectedness

         “On Monday, I’m going to eat way better and run 5 miles every day” I often make Monday morning resolutions like this on a Sunday night after a weekend of eating terribly and exercising very little.  Unfortunately, far too often these resolutions to eat better and exercise more often get broken by the middle of the week. Why do I break these resolutions? Failure to implement, from our own Monday morning resolutions to a 1:1 initiative, often stems from a limited vision.

Everybody loves opening that neatly wrapped box and playing with the shiny new toy, think Christmas morning.  A lot of money gets spent every holiday season on the latest and greatest gadgets (FitBit, Kindle, etc.); we buy them because they are sold with promises that align with our resolutions. The same thing could happen in education. 

           In his article Why Schools Must Move Beyond One-to-One Computing, Alan November refers to this concept as “’spray and pray’ mode with one-to- one computing: ‘Spray’ on the technology, and then ‘pray’ that you get an increase in learning.” Failure to successfully implement a 1:1 initiative in a school could would be unfortunate for our 21^st century learners who thrive with immediate access to technology. November cautions, “Unless we break out of this limited vision that one-to-one computing is about the device, we are doomed to waste our resources.”  So how do we, as digital leaders, ensure that we do not waste our resources?

The CCSS provide a framework for technology use as it applies to different content areas which give teachers the flexibility to incorporate a variety of strategies and resources. If we truly want children to be college and career ready, schools must take thoughtful and strategic action to include technology tools in classroom instruction. As a digital leader, I want to empower my teachers to feel that they can make decisions about how to address the Common Core, meet the needs of their students, and provide opportunities to strengthen digital skills. Part of our shared vision should include the belief that students need experience using technology and developing digital skills that can be applied to multiple tasks.  

To support effective instructional practice (NETS A 1.a.) a culture of innovation can only be created by a school leader.  I must remember that it is my job to model desired learning outcomes and promote risk-taking – empowering teachers to feel comfortable to make mistakes as educational technology pioneer, Becky Firth reminded us in class yesterday. I believe digital leadership requires us to utilize faculty meeting and in-service time to model the instructional practices desired from teachers in the classroom. This does not mean a one-time blanket training; rather small chunks of time built into PLC time or staff meetings to share integration ideas.  Teachers are the experts so let's capitalize on it!

Visionary leadership, as is described in NETS A standard 1, requires us to develop and implement “a shared a vision for integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformation throughout the organization.” In his article, 1-to-1 Laptop Initiatives Boost Student Scores, Study Finds, author Michael Keaney urges that we must shift from “teaching kids to remember something to teaching them how to figure something out.”It will be easy to treat an iPad as a “$1,000 pencil” and create digital worksheet activities. As a digital leader, part of my vision will be to shift from a mindset that believes simply putting an iPad in every student’s hands will guarantee immediate results. Supporting this shift, will necessitate a 1:1 initiatives to be embraced and cultivated y the digital leader to ensure they don't fall victim like a Monday morning resolution.