Architects of Change

What a wonderful start to the Joint Management Team of Western New York's retreat on high school reform. First off, this couldn't be held in a more beautiful place on earth- Holiday Valley Ski Resort, located in Ellicottville, New York. The best part is I get to see it while it is lush and green.

My room is absolutely the best! My bed is in a loft, there is a winding staircase, the bath tub is jetted and the view is incredible.

At dinner last night Monte Selby sang an original song about educational leaders all becoming Architects of Change. The lyrics really resonated with me as to why we have to get serious about change. I finally got the meet the incredible Neil Rochelle and he was everything I expected and more!

The conference kicks off this morning with a great line up of speakers and then we break into cohorts. My workshop is all about connections- Connecting the 21st Century Teen. I am so looking forward to all we have planned and learning from those who attend.

A big thank you to Rick, Michelle, Tony and the team that stayed with me on site last night making sure everything was up and running. Highlight of today should be the virtual speed dating event we have planned with the international edublogger community.

If you would like to check out the conference they are streaming it at http://highschoolsnewface.org

More to come!

Comments

[Neil A. Rochelle]

Doing FABULOUS work as always Sheryl. The fever is spreading. So glad you're here.

[Paul Harrington]

The speed dating event a great success from here in Wales - bravi Sheryl !!! Paul

[Rick Weinberg]

I brought this point up to Will Richardson when he was at Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES in the fall at a tech coordinators meeting. I remember I started my statement to Will like this. I said, "Maybe you can help me." I remember Will's reply. He said something like "I hate it when people start off like that." I said something like this. As a technology professional developer for teachers I am totally in favor of free and open access to information and web 2.0 tools to all students. But I am conflicted. I don’t like it when technology is a distraction from learning. There is a fine line. As a parent of two young children, I see how often technology is a distraction. I would hate it if my child was in science class looking up information that goes along with his high school pig dissection, finds videos of pig dissections on YouTube and of course stumbles across other videos that have nothing to do with his science class. Then my son says to his friend in class, “Hey, you gotta see this.” And it snowballs in to a large distraction that derails learning. Boy, Preston you are in big trouble. Anyway. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach , via Neil Rochelle’s blog, mentions cell phones in school. For work, and especially this past week at High School’s New Face, I used my cell phone a great deal. Even during work the cell phone is a distraction. I know a cell phone is a distraction in school. Isn’t this just another distraction? I’m not sure I like cell phones as an educational tool because of the lack on screen real estate anyway. I know kids are doing it, and it is my job to get teachers to use technology as a teaching and learning tool, but it is ok to be conflicted on some things. Isn’t it?

[Antonio Scordo]

I would just caution people to recognize where their inner conflict is coming from. Is it truly a problem, or is it due to the uncomfortableness (is that a real word? anyway ..) that many educators not in the "native" generation have?

Let me put it into a different contects.
Isn't a textbook in an of itself a distraction? I mean, all those pages, and sometimes pictures. "I know we're supposed to be on page 83 in our biology book right now, but on page 497 they have this cool diagram of the reproductive system."

I don't mean to sound cynical, and that's not really my point. Where is the teachers responsibility to be facilitating the lesson, and reminding the distrcted students on YouTube to get back to their task?

On the other note, lets take an distanced look at the current generation of cell phones. Almost all have the capabilities of playing MP3 or WMA. At the HSNF conference all the attendees got an iPod shuffle. I heard a lot of comments like: "Neat device. Yeah, lots of good podcasts." "Wish we had the money to get a class set for listening to podcasts, recorded lessons, audio books, etc."

So I would argue, at least by asking my wife (who teaches at a local high school) about how many of her students have cell phones that can play MP3s or even take photos, her response is almost all . . at least 90% she says. Seems to me that budget problem solved. There's your device.

And now we're forgetting the digital camera . . again doing staff development, one of the problems I encounter is that there are only a few in a school. . . but most of the kids have them in their pocket (or hidden in a bag, locker, or whatever.)

So I would argue that the technology is not, in and of itself, a distraction. Remember, that this native generation of kids, is immersed in multitasking and what we would consider distracting, is not so much to them. Again, it is up to the educators to set ground rules for conduct, and keeping the kids on task. We also need to show students proper etiquette, such as turning the ringers off the on the cell phones, or how to put them in "stand alone mode" (most have this where basically the cell part is turned off, but all the other functions of this micro computer are enabled.)

Yes, I did just use the word "micro computer" when talking about my cell phone. My little samsung, in my pocket is many many times more powerful than most of the computers I used when I was in HS.

My cell phone (and many of verizons) have GPS, and as a result can be used for many many GPS activities (don't need to buy another device) I was using it at NECC to find some of the places I wanted to go in Atlanta, and it even gave me turn by turn directions. No need for an expensive GPS Navigation system . . my phone did it for me. It even gave me my Lat and Lon in degrees and seconds. Is that not cool or what?

Personally, I get tired of most school's initial reaction to new technologies by outright banning or blocking all access. Truthfully, the seediness reputation of MySpace, could be argued, it the fault of educators. Rather than setting an example, showing students good and proper ways to use the technology, we (as a whole) turned our backs to it, and banned it (blogging). And in the lack of responsible adult guidance, we had ourselves a web 2.0 "lord of the flies."

Part of capturing students' hearts, is to go where they go, use the tools that they use, pick them up when they fall, and guide them on their way. If we don't guide them, who will?

Meanwhile, my six year old son is begging me for the iPod shuffle, so he can, you know, listen to stuff. In his own word, "but I am old enough for it dad, just show me how to make a playlist." Uh huh. I see where this is going . . . His school has banned iPods . . . may have to do a little staff development there and some advocating too.

Then again, maybe this is just the ramblings of a guy that has gotten only about 3 to 4 hours a sleep this past week during the HSNF conference.

[Antonio Scordo]

Sorry about the typos -- context not contects -- maybe if I had "phoned" a friend . . . .

[Shaheed Ali]

Dear Sheryl,

You have blazed a trail through your HSNF presentation that all attending your cohort can clearly see but may not follow you down.
I am dedicated to the struggle, sacrifice and enjoyment of becoming an architect of change, a 21st century educator.