Tag Archives: connected educators

Posted on by

Most Likely to Succeed – Screening coming to DPS109 11/9/2015

“The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented. It is our ability to invent the future that gives us hope and makes us what we are.”
– Dennis Gabor

In DPS109, and across the nation leaders are working to transform education and to re-imagine education for our nation’s students. In DPS109 we have launched a series of instructional and operational initiatives in our school district these past two years that directly tie to innovation. Our tag line is Engage, Inspire, Empower and this year’s Big 3 Focus areas are PIE: Personalization, Innovation, and Engagement

Often I write and those I read write about the need for education to focus on the future of futureour children as opposed to education focused on our past. As Most Likely To Succeed’s Twitter image reads “Our School System Was Designed in 1893” … that in and of itself causes me to pause and consider the implications of a system designed so far in the past and the impact on the present and in our future.

As a solutions focused person I look for ideas, plans, systems and structures to improve. I am not one to “admire problems” or focus on the negative. In that regard, our District is partnering with our local high school district to host a ittakesavillagescreening of the documentary film Most Likely to Succeed since it takes a village to raise a child – this film screening at Deerfield High School will be open to the community. Together we can form our own “committee of ten” as suggested by the co-author of the book, in an effort to improve education and sustain our future.

From the authors of Most Likely to Succeed

We made the film Most Likely To Succeed to help school leaders effect change. We’re seeing inspiring examples all over the country where a leader brings their community together to watch the film, hosts a vibrant discussion after the film, and polls attendees on questions of relevance to their go-forward strategy. After seeing this film, the audience understands the urgency for moving forward, and is inspired by what is possible. What we hear back is that the film enables bold initiatives to take place — at the school, district, or state level — that otherwise would shrivel on the vine.

I’m sharing a link to a TED Talk by @mltsfilm producer Ted Dintersmith

To highlight the power of connected educators, I received this link today via a friend and colleague from Virginia, Pam Moran, via a Voxer group to which she and I belong.

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

Posted on by

Why be/become a connected educator? Why are we in DPS109 Connected?

“Never lose your sense of wonder.”
– Unknown

Many are writing about “connected educators”. The educators and educational leaders who are learning and growing through multiple digital learning networks. These personal and professional learning networks allow people at various levels to share links, blogs, journals, research, tips, tricks, etc. These networks allow for virtual relationships to develop between and among professionals at many levels. These networks are the wave of the present and future – not the past. These networks are revolutionizing professional development and conferences. Now terms like “un conference” or “ed camp” are becoming the norm. Now “experts” – meaning professionals at every level – are facilitating sessions and sharing creativity.

Through our journey into the connected world, we have discovered that in some school systems the top leadership does not understand or value these new types of learning. Their relative ignorance about social connectivity can become quite detrimental to a school system in search of change, innovation, and leadership. Students today will be competing for jobs that do not yet exist. Students today will be connecting in ways that generations of senior leadership do not understand. Therefore, I believe that it is incumbent upon senior level leadership to connect, to open up, to model, to essentially lead in a culture of connectivity.

I am proud to report that I am a connected superintendent who leads a connected leadership team and a connected faculty and staff! At @DPS109, #Engage109 we challenge you to resolve to become more connected in 2015!

Why connect to others? Why seek out a professional and personal learning community?

Connected educators are educators who:
· Organize the entire community around specific and focused goal areas
· Build relationships constantly
· Seek feedback, shares feedback and incorporates feedback into actions
· Communicate by listening first, processing, and responding
· Stay focused on the big picture, medium picture, and details
· Respect the Board of Education and connects with the Board professionally
· Learn about the formal structures and the informal structures and moves all forward
· Reach beyond the “walls” of the school District and community to learn, grow, & share
· Respond to all inquiries in a timely and respectful manner
· Connect to the modern day technology as an accelerator for teaching, learning, and leading
· Measure culture and reports on culture and deliberately work to improve organizational culture
· Keep students, staff, and community at the forefront of all decision making
· Communicate over and over and over again – clear messages, brands, modes of communication

In DPS109 we Engage, Inspire, Empower – each and every child – each and every day!

We Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, Encourage the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge)

Posted on by

The Hour of Code (now)- TedxUBC from 2010 – Leading and Learning in “exponential times”

“The hours of your life are the most valuable currency you will ever have. How will you spend them?”
– Dan Millman, The Four Purposes of Life

From an email I received from the Khan Academy (I signed up for these types of updates and reminders)
 This week, across over 150 countries, millions of people and students will try out computer programming for the first time. Anyone can learn to code!

Start the Hour of Code
The Hour of Code is an hour-long introduction to computer programming that’s both fun and free. At Khan Academy, we’ve crafted several different Hour of Code lessons that require no prior experience. Try one or try them all and get new badges for each lesson in the process!

Try Hour of Code on Khan Academy!
Hour of Drawing with Code: Learn to program using JavaScript, one of the world’s most popular programming languages via two great options:

Drag-and-drop: experimental block-based coding for those with less-developed typing skills and on tablet devices (ages 8+).
Typing: keyboard-based coding (ages 10+).
Hour of Webpages: Learn to make your own webpages using the basics of HTML and CSS (ages 10+).

Hour of Databases: Learn the fundamentals of databases using SQL to create tables, insert data into them, and do basic querying (ages 12+).

We’ve created lessons that will show you how fun coding and building things can be. Now you’ll be part of creating technology, not just using it!

Code on!

Sal
Founder of Khan Academy and lover of code

Our students participate in the Hour of Code and some of our students will grow up and become future computer scientists! Our schools offer opportunities for all types of learners and all types of people in order to prepare for the future – the future our students will lead!

I often look to TED videos as we consider all that we are doing and all we still need to do. How much recent technology is no longer “current technology”, what is now obsolete? what is now “new” – remember – it’s exponential times in which we live and it’s exponential times we are teaching our students to thrive, succeed, and blossom. It’s interesting to hear the perspectives about school and work force design from multiple perspectives.

Posted on by

In DPS109 we are FUTURE READY! Engage, Inspire, Empower

“I have discovered in life that I can do anything, but I can’t do everything. No one can go it alone.”
– Robert Schuller


One of the Big 5 that guide and explain the momentum in DPS109 is Technology. In support of our motto: Engage, Inspire, Empower, our Board of Education authorized the transformation of our learning environments into what is known as 1:1 learning environments. We are device, company, and operating system “agnostic” – we believe in technology tools as supports to excellent teaching. The “ogy” to which we base our efforts and energies is PEDAGOGY not TECHNOLOGY. A great teacher will never be replaced by a great computer.

An initiative supported by the President of the United States as well as the Secretary of Education is the ConnectEd initiative. Today at the White House in Washington, D.C., President Obama addressed a gathering of superintendents and other educators from around the country at a Connected ED Superintendent Summit. Embedded into this blog is the 20 minute address the President gave to some of the nation’s thought leaders. It’s worth a listen, reflection, and review! We are proud in DPS109 to be FUTURE READY!

The President Gives Remarks at the White House: http://youtu.be/4eudtEDzluw
Published on Nov 19, 2014
President Obama speaks at “ConnectED to the Future,” a conference with superintendents and other educators who are leading their schools and districts in the transition to digital learning. November 19, 2014.

What does Future Ready mean to you?