tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72086336048000735242024-03-19T05:27:01.199-07:00The 21st Century CenturionChanging minds... and minding change in 2010Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-30367899433051852662010-07-13T11:15:00.000-07:002010-08-02T20:27:16.723-07:00Honoring Leaders I've Followed -- Leadership Day 2010I've been consumed lately with thoughts about leadership in 21st Century schools. This thinking started when our district superintendent announced she would be leaving for a new assignment--in a district far away. Her announcement to the Leadership Team struck a tough blow. It splintered the present, as we'd enjoyed it, into sparks of the future as our organization moves forward.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrJyjovSj-HbGj2hcjnC05gN4XE2fpceJkSMudii03GwWbOx736jXgO8SRm3EzaNZFRbyuSUDOIdZffrTgeNKkvPTdV0c4CqZKf9MZxCkNlsatO6u9zEqat5QeQ3c7iui0q4O9yxgFqM/s1600/old+baseball.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrJyjovSj-HbGj2hcjnC05gN4XE2fpceJkSMudii03GwWbOx736jXgO8SRm3EzaNZFRbyuSUDOIdZffrTgeNKkvPTdV0c4CqZKf9MZxCkNlsatO6u9zEqat5QeQ3c7iui0q4O9yxgFqM/s320/old+baseball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500647896144467346" border="0" /></a> Our team is seasoned enough to recognize a crossroad. As I glanced around the room following the shattering message, I witnessed what my colorful brother-in law might call a "come-apart." Ripped apart at the seams, it seemed. The district leaders froze and slowly thawed. They self-consciously tried to "shake it off" and slowly, one by one, they dispersed in different directions-- a bit weary and worn--toward uncertainty. Things would never be quite the same. All of this occurred in the first moments of a leadership vacuum. It was devastating. We would miss our leader.<br /><div face="times new roman"><div> </div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">The loss of a good leader gets personal very quickly. Within seconds, I found</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> myself attempting to "mend seams" by examining my sky-high expectations for education leaders. I found myself mentally turning the pages of Lee Iacocca's 2007 best-seller, <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Where-Have-All-the-Leaders-Gone/Lee-Iacocca/e/9781416532477">Where Have All The Leaders Gone?</a> I called up his words describing a crisis in our nation's leadership. I agreed with Iacocca's thought stream. It frightens me to admit that great leaders are rare.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />In recent weeks, I've focused inward to assess the personal impact of this recent leadership change. I've reflected on the actions and patterns that have guided the course of my educational endeavors in t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">he past, seeking wisdom and direction to inform my own </span><span style="font-size:100%;">next steps. It became crystal clear in hindsight that I've shaped an entire career by making deliberate decisions to follow and support outstanding leaders. I've chosen to align with those who are visionary, progressive, driven, passionate, and courageous about doing the right things at the right time for the stakeholders they serve.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Reflection convinced me that my future started long ago. I didn't choose my first "leader." By grace, I was born to a first class bos</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s. He was a dashing, hard-charging Army Capt</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbagvWxlwVuOaGxXn6DmlrQnAFGGPJIdToRGI362Rht5ZxOgR9ec5J-XNdr7l7ouOHjvhKUN3HIEStQt8Ot11etkJOStOhyphenhyphenVfmR4eVnS5WjydVcvRWiN8AE5LIYp0JmA9reWYa9eqXQc/s1600/Daddy_young.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbagvWxlwVuOaGxXn6DmlrQnAFGGPJIdToRGI362Rht5ZxOgR9ec5J-XNdr7l7ouOHjvhKUN3HIEStQt8Ot11etkJOStOhyphenhyphenVfmR4eVnS5WjydVcvRWiN8AE5LIYp0JmA9reWYa9eqXQc/s200/Daddy_young.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500650217149241906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">ain, serving in post-World War II Japan. I'm pretty sure he commanded his troo</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ps in the s</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ame way he commanded our family--firmly, fairly, and decisively with courageous moral authority, ethical certainty, and high expectations. There was safety in his love-tempered discipline and freedom to thrive within his clear boundaries. I learned life's le</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ssons </span><span style="font-size:100%;">easily in my father's home. They sha</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ped me in foundational ways that guide, protect and lead me today. It is not surprising that I came to hold the leaders in my adult life to similar high standards. I realize in hindsight that the yardstick provided by my fath</span><span style="font-size:100%;">er became my measure for satisfaction with leaders. Once my satisfaction meter registered below Dad's standard, I went "leadership" hunting.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">My first real leadership "pick" was a dy.no.mite little principal who landed 2 million in grant funds to dream a math and science magnet school into existence. The time I spent with her convinced me that teachers can reinvent school and all children can learn at high levels in the right kinds of schools with the right kind of leader.<br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-size:100%;">My next "hire" was a charmin</span><span style="font-size:100%;">g, charismatic leader for IBM Eduquest. He envisioned using technology to reinvent schools across the entire USA and Canada. He was a dreamer who enabled me to see infinite possibilities amidst gargantuan barriers. With his help, I learned to challenge the status quo and to persevere in the face of obstacles designed to squash armies of technology-inspired change agents.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;">My most influential "choice" was the Dean of a College of Education. His "larger than life" presence and intellect led him to a university presidency. Then, his moral purpose called him back to educator preparation, a fer</span><span style="font-size:100%;">t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ile ground for seeding the next generation of school leaders. From him, I gained an infallible commitment to excellence and an unshakable certainty that the leaders of today can build a foundation for the schools of tomorrow.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />My most recent, carefully selected leader left our school district on Friday, July 30 on <a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/07/calling-all-bloggers-leadership-day-2010.html">Leadership Day 2010. </a>It seemed fitting that Scott McLeod (<a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/">Dangerously Irrelevant</a>) encouraged bloggers to focus </span><span style="font-size:100%;">on</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_WuaJhmDCuDQrWKV7Ujzgk1Rnn7YRCszb3EyIE88xoVMXLDhka4C5iVOoFUjqtf-PDV917JUWenjqomdS8xsKNigMf4CtcY8-UD1GW6lnSQ1Ii9iiunB2lCbB124AUEBGCRPVE-VJp4/s1600/leadershipday2010_thumb1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_WuaJhmDCuDQrWKV7Ujzgk1Rnn7YRCszb3EyIE88xoVMXLDhka4C5iVOoFUjqtf-PDV917JUWenjqomdS8xsKNigMf4CtcY8-UD1GW6lnSQ1Ii9iiunB2lCbB124AUEBGCRPVE-VJp4/s320/leadershipday2010_thumb1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500656952334197346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> leadership on that day. I didn't blog on Friday. I mourned. Next week my former boss will begin leading educators across the glo</span><span style="font-size:100%;">be. She'l</span><span style="font-size:100%;">l share lessons we learned together and taught each other. She'll bring the "burned out" and the discouraged new hope. She'll reignite a spark in those whose smoldering good intentions are flickering and threatening to extinguish. From her, I learned that the will to accomplish the impossible, when combined with an unshakable determination to succeed, is unbeatable.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />So, what actions must one take when blessed to have worked with such fine leaders? For today, I'll honor them as a part of Leadership Day 2010. I'll start by quoting Bill Gates in a critically important message to the American Federation of Teachers. Gates said, "Sometimes the most difficult act of leadership is not fighting the enemy; it's telling your friends it's time to change." Let me start by speaking candidly to my many friends in educational leadership.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Dear Education Leaders,<br /><br />It is time to change. We've walked your school halls and visited your classrooms. Many of them look eerily like those in the schools you and I attended. Those schools don't work today. I urge you to follow the wisdom I've gained from four exemplary education leaders. Each of them has moved traditional schools toward relevance in our modern age. Please use their imprint to cultivate modern learning environments for the students in your care. Optimize the responsibility you've been given by ensuring that students learn and thrive in the 21st Century. You can make changes if you will follow my leaders. Here are their lessons.<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />1. Convince teachers that they can reinvent school.<br />2. Convince students that they can learn at higher levels.<br />3. Confront and embrace the infinite possibilities for 21st Century learners.<br />4. Confront and eliminate the barriers that protect a 19th Century school system.<br />5. Commit to excellence with a certainty that empowers YOU to build the schools we need.<br />6. Commit, with unshakable determination, to accomplishing what seems impossible.<br /><br />Try it. Try it. Try it. A thousand times, TRY IT! For the love of our profession, LET'S ALL TRY IT! In 2010, it is <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">way.past.time</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Photo Credit: America's Pastime, Aesthetic_Ryan's_photostream, June 17, 2006</span></span></span></span></div></div>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-11172795195369423552009-09-06T17:14:00.000-07:002009-09-07T09:43:07.772-07:00World Class Cyber Meeting for Schools? Not This Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW7RJuo-noVNjx_THVwiZhQiajnLuNxvraSjUxP14L_4ewe5tTF8wFLvMv_fe6aP_q9pDLGEN6d1BSYex3k-JYvWchHZuLgSh1OMuFkFPjUhta2rkKLyTO4XXnZT1-3YkVou2pr-Dqd8/s1600-h/eye+watching+you.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUW7RJuo-noVNjx_THVwiZhQiajnLuNxvraSjUxP14L_4ewe5tTF8wFLvMv_fe6aP_q9pDLGEN6d1BSYex3k-JYvWchHZuLgSh1OMuFkFPjUhta2rkKLyTO4XXnZT1-3YkVou2pr-Dqd8/s400/eye+watching+you.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378551482169039010" border="0" /></a>I'm still watching you, Mr. President, and I'm still holding you accountable for <span style="font-size:100%;">the beautiful words you spoke at the Democratic National Convention </span><span style="font-size:100%;">on August 28, 2008. Just days short of one year ago, you grabbed my attention and you inspired this educator. I have not forgotten. You said:<br /><blockquote>"Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide<span style="font-weight: bold;"> every child</span> a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.<br /></blockquote></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I've quoted this quote many times since your election to the office of the Presidency. I admire and ascribe to the message inherent in words like "world-class education." It conjures images of students with access to </span>"America's digital infrastructure" -- "the backbone, the foundation for getting the job done." My image of the world-class school is rooted in your own words shared on May 29, 2009 in remarks on <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-Securing-Our-Nations-Cyber-Infrastructure/">Securing our Nation's Cyber Infrastructure</a>. You speak of cyberspace as "a world Americans depend on every single day." You call attention to "our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives." Yes, I am convinced that you share a vision for schools where students learn as they live-- "with broadband networks and wireless signals-- that make us more interconnected than at any time in human history."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Because I quote you often, I am compelled to watch your actions - anxiously awaiting signs that the time for meeting the world-class moral obligation for creating 21st Century schools has come. I look for evidence that political actions taken will actually impact the learning of <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> students in my city, state and nation. I look for actions that lead to educational equity - particularly for those young people who must depend on our schools to bridge their cyber-steps into the 21st century. Your administration's rhetoric continues to resonate loudly-- but it often seems that the action initiatives </span><span style="font-size:100%;">may not be not in sync with your eloquent words of 8/28/08. Too often, the actions at the "top" seem disconnected from the reality at the "bottom." </span>I find it increasingly difficult to "quote your quotes" to educators that live the reality in today's schools and see no changes in the conditions that <span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">every child</span> faces each school day.</span></span><br /><br />Let me explain precisely how an educator can become confused at the grass roots level. <span style="font-size:100%;">I'll use your proposed</span><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> "back-to-school" address to</span></span> our nation's students at noon on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 to make a case in point.<br /><br />First, I must be clear that I've carefully read the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/">script for your Back to School Event</a>. I've also reviewed the materials (<a href="http://bit.ly/S4TwH">K-6</a>) (<a href="http://bit.ly/fHlu6">7-12</a>) your office has posted for use in our nation's classrooms. I have no objection<span style="font-style: italic;"> whatsoever </span>to your message or the materials you recommend. I commend your desire to inspire and engage our students in discussions about the importance of education in the 21st Century. I am actually intrigued with the idea of students working in tandem with an American President on topics related to personal responsibility and academic goal setting. I see the logic, the merit, and the purpose in this activity and I view it, in theory, as positive and productive.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><p>What perplexes and confounds educators, however, is that this plan and the <span style="font-size:100%;">experience you propose to share with students conflicts with the actions your administration has taken to equip our nation's schools</span> with the "digital foundation for getting the job done." The idealism of the proposed "moment" contradicts our ever-present reality. On the one hand, you invite all of America's students to watch you deliver your message via a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/">live broadcast </a>on the White House Web site at 12:00 p.m., ET. You actually encourage educators to collectively <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">use this moment</span> in cyberspace to help students get focused and inspired to begin the new academic year.<br /></p><p>On the other hand, Mr. President, did you listen at all when I whispered these important words to you in my <span>11/8/08</span> blog <a href="http://21stcenturion.blogspot.com/2008/11/yes-we-can-mr-president-elect.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yes, We Can, Mr. President</span></a>?<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-size:100%;">I spoke quietly hoping you would listen closely:</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><blockquote>"If you want your children and my child, and all American children to have a world class education, you must <span style="font-weight: bold;">connect them to the world</span>." </blockquote></span></span>Do you realize that all of our schools cannot possibly "meet with you"for </span> a live broadcast<span style="font-size:100%;"> at noon on Tuesday? If all of our schools attempted to connect to your live broadcast at one point in time using ou</span><span style="font-size:100%;">r</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> limited </span><span style="font-size:100%;">infrastructures, minimal bandwidth, low-speed connectivity, and limited tech</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ni</span><span style="font-size:100%;">c</span><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXXIjQ3Ttd5S0Qyxvrr18GCJqf0AEJJn69YTEmdH7wt3VvNZmkeZgaid7jnp9h2Lx-YQUMtro1Bv4CQHPOvW7Efg3uzkTypNRmlS3X5nPV5jw7oKumbxzu_dEsBd7LdwqO1U92atfNS8/s1600-h/computer+crash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXXIjQ3Ttd5S0Qyxvrr18GCJqf0AEJJn69YTEmdH7wt3VvNZmkeZgaid7jnp9h2Lx-YQUMtro1Bv4CQHPOvW7Efg3uzkTypNRmlS3X5nPV5jw7oKumbxzu_dEsBd7LdwqO1U92atfNS8/s400/computer+crash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378548795873065506" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">al support, the infrastructure </span><span style="font-size:100%;">would surely cough, spin and likely collapse. Uniting our schools via the web for</span> "this moment" to help students "get focused" and to "inspire them to begin the new academic year" would create technical chaos! In fact, it would underpin and reinforce what educators and their students already know: <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Our schools are not technically equipped to serve students in the 21st Century.</span> "This moment" that you strive to create would epitomize the frustrations of this nation's educators, serving as an exemplar for the loss of millions of "teachable moments" we have already sacrificed to technical failure. Surely, Mr. President, you cannot be so far removed that you are not aware of the fatal flaw in your plan for "this moment."<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> Frankly, this educator grows increasingly frustrated as trillions of dollars are appropriated for projects that are far less crucial than reforming the archaic education system that is failing our children. Yet, it seems that as funds are quickly appropriated for various industries and innovations, reform for education is met by "inspiring" our nation's children to set goals that cannot be accomplished in our 19th and 20th century schoolhouses. Perhaps, "this moment" will serve to inspire you to make haste in appropriating funds that ensure that next year's "back-to-school" broadcast is accessible to </span></span><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">every child</span> that needs a world-class education</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">. Only then can our educators convince 21st century learners to engage in and set goals for 21st Century success in our nation's schools.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the meantime, I encourage you in your efforts to inspire our students. I ask you not to assume that the nation's educators rejected your back- to-school message because we do not login in mass to your live broadcast during the </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">back-to-school week</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">. I earnestly believe most educators would gladly meet you in cyberspace-- if we had confidence that we could do so-- but, frankly,</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Mr. President,</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> you need to know this: Our schools are not equitably and adequately equipped for cyber meetings in real-time. We know our network limitations and, I'm sorry to say that where connectivity is concerned, "</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><strong>No, we can't</strong></span><span>."</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p></span>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-25927107026550743542009-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:002009-08-30T06:30:21.884-07:00Is There Satisfaction in Knowing Without Doing?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerFzi_RoVbwIBN6vif2pZW64pASUgkRp88xD1p8_u-55ujyY6rahnLFoJHq5f-ArCzhVq7bMxMepAoqLb4msV02dvP64yBLXdJ-fTLZHSiEjza7lOSdWY1W6hJiQhWpt6OV2IzdD9sJ4/s1600-h/satisfied.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerFzi_RoVbwIBN6vif2pZW64pASUgkRp88xD1p8_u-55ujyY6rahnLFoJHq5f-ArCzhVq7bMxMepAoqLb4msV02dvP64yBLXdJ-fTLZHSiEjza7lOSdWY1W6hJiQhWpt6OV2IzdD9sJ4/s400/satisfied.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375550920982468594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">On July 14th, 2009, Bob Sprankle, co-founder of the <a href="http://bitbybitseedlings.ning.com/">Seedlings Social Network</a> and author of the <a href="http://bobsprankle.com/bitbybit_wordpress/">Bit by Bit</a></span> blog and podcasts published a fascinating little survey that posed an intriguing question: <span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://bobsprankle.com/bitbybit_wordpress/?paged=2">Are You </a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://bobsprankle.com/bitbybit_wordpress/?paged=2">Satisfied </a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://bobsprankle.com/bitbybit_wordpress/?paged=2">with the Pace of Change?</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I am so intrigued by the question Bob posed that I'm returning to </span><!-- by Bob Sprankle --> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >The 21st Century Centurion</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> to blog on this topic after a seriously focused <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">work-binge </span>(excessive indulgence in work) in our nation's amazing schools. Believe me, it took an intriguing topic to lure me from my current reality!<br /><br />Bob's original survey items asked educators to respond to their level of satisfaction with the pace of change in education by selecting from the following responses:</span><ul class="ss-choices"><li class="ss-choice-item"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><label class="ss-choice-label" for="group_0_1">Very Satisfied! I can't believe how much has been accomplished! Schools are doing what's neccessary and our students will be ready for their futures.</label></span></li><li class="ss-choice-item"><span style="font-size:100%;"><label class="ss-choice-label" for="group_0_2">It might feel slow, but if I'm honest, the change is going as well as could be expected. Change takes time, and things are moving along better than expected.</label></span></li><li class="ss-choice-item"><span style="font-size:100%;"><label class="ss-choice-label" for="group_0_3">I wish things would speed up. I'd like to see the "transformation" before I retire from teaching.</label></span></li><li class="ss-choice-item"><span style="font-size:100%;"><label class="ss-choice-label" for="group_0_4">I think things are moving way too slowly. We've been talking about all this for so long. Why am I still seeing traditional schools stuck in traditional practices, slipping further and farther away from the realities and advances happening elsewhere outside the school building?</label></span></li><li class="ss-choice-item"><span style="font-size:100%;"><label class="ss-choice-label" for="group_0_5">Change? What change?</label></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;">This survey confronts a critically important issue for all educators. In my mind, the questions</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> and truths that run beneath Bob's survey questions are far more complex than the information Bob collected from selected responses. In fact, the hidden questions (and quite likely Bob's hidden agenda!) are so vitally important that I believe they may unveil barriers to the transformation of schools as we know them.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">It would have been <span style="font-style: italic;">easy </span>to simply click the survey's radio button, recording my vote for <span style="font-style: italic;">"I think things are moving way too slowly."</span> It was tempting to stop right there and skip about in the comfortable but shallow waves of change. I so desperately needed to "click and run" on a day when time was short and I owed everyone a fe</span><span style="font-size:100%;">w "bits" of my time. I was captured by Bob's question, however, and I could not run. Had I clicked to run away, there'd have been <span>no place for me to hide from the deeper questions</span>. Bob's survey caught me. It stopped me cold as it challenged my professio</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nal sense of urgency and deep commitm</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ent to education reform for the 21st Century. I knew myself well enough to resist the "quick click." I had to face part two of the fourth radio button.<br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"We've been talking about all this for so long." Bob said.</span></span> </blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">Yes, indeed, Bob, we have been talking, and talking and talking for way too long.<br /><br />But Bob pushed forward. I still had to face part three of the fourth radio button.<br /></span><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >"Why a</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >m I still seeing traditional schools stuck in traditional practices, slipping further and farther away from the realities and advances </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">happening elsewhere outside the school building?" Bob asked.</span><br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">W-h-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-w! Talk about a loaded question! I quickly realized that my re</span><span style="font-size:100%;">action to the "pace of change" in our nation's schools was NOT the issue that stings and torments me. The issue that stings, torments and drives me is captured in Bob's probing question:<br /></span><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">Why am I still seeing traditional schools stuck in traditional practices?</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">The fact is, I think I know why - at least in part. If you are reading this blog, I'm betting that -- on some level-- you know why too. I know that we continue to "see" tra</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ditional schools because our our profess</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ion is deeply ensnared in the abyss of the "knowing- doing gap." This common organizational phenomenon is described by J. Pfeffer and R.I. Sutton(1999) in their informative book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Doing-Gap-Companies-Knowledge-Action/dp/1578511240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251582110&sr=8-1">The Knowing Doing Gap</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Doing-Gap-Companies-Knowledge-Action/dp/1578511240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251582110&sr=8-1"><span id="btAsinTitle" style="">: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action</span></a>. Very simply, the authors confront education's #1 PROBLEM:<br /><span> <span class="tiny"> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br />"WHY do educators know so much and do so little about the pace of chan</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span><span class="tiny"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ge?</span>"</span></span><br /><br />According to Pfeffer and Sutton, the </span><span style="font-size:100%;">knowing- doing gap</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> occurs </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >when knowledge</span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" > is not implemented. In a nutshell, the field of education is engorged with knowledge experts - b</span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >ut it is painfully short on <span style="font-weight: bold;">doers</span> who<span style="font-weight: bold;"> implement</span> knowledge and do so to promote organizational </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >change. The authors correctly note that the most destructive aspect of the knowing-doing gap is the substitution of <span style="font-weight: bold;">TALKING ACTIVITIES</span> for action. Too often, they warn, these </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" > <span style="font-weight: bold;">TALKING ACTIVITIES</span> engage</span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" > practitioners in dialogue that changes absolutely nothing. While other more familiar reasons for the knowing-doing gap are mentioned (outdated culture, fear of change, internal competition, meaningless measurements), I am convinced that that the lesser mentioned </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">TALKING ACTIVITIES</span> are a serious threat to the the pace of change in education.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Frankly, I am tired of talking about change. In fact, I stopped blogging </span><span style="font-size:100%;">(talking) </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> for awhile for the explicit purpose of </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"> implem</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">enting</span> knowledge</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. Before the bloggers attack me, let me be clear in explaining that the the pace of change (implementation) in my organization is so great and so fast that my time for </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span>extraneous </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">TALKING ACTIVITIES</span> is seriously limited.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Personally, I prefer the faster pace-- but it does take a toll on time for blogging! This is not an attack on blogging. It is rather, a statement that this blogger is challenged to implement at a rapid pace and blog at the same time!<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />I am confide</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nt that many educators in this country KNOW what changes must be made to reform our schools. We KNOW how people learn. We KNOW our students deserve opportunities to thrive in learning environments that honor this generation's unique place in time. Very simply, we KNOW that today's students need to meet high standards by learning in and about the world in which they live and must produce. A strong network of KNOWLEDGEABLE educators who will IMPLEMENT could literally catalyze the reform that brings education into the 21st Century.<br /><br />When educators get serious about IMPLEMENTING their knowledge, the pace of change will accelerate</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. "Teacher-doers" in collaborative teams hold the power to reinvent school from the bottom up. I know this because I have done it and I see it happening today. I never doubt the power of a core gr</span><span style="font-size:100%;">oup of "teacher-doers" to IMPLEMENT foundational and lasting change. Until our profession begins full implementation of our collective knowledge, I doubt we will enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">IMPLEM</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ENT</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTnYtzifpIFVwNR-ipxlVuUwMiAdSnMG3rwyOYVheS8Cwr5otGKWjYoTeFFf93SFgdk8rZg4ED7MepGRiPT5S1Hxp1A39YpSJFZdZCpIT-o40NAKNH8auVyAqclD0_jdXrcuzz7z0Vto/s1600-h/implement.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTnYtzifpIFVwNR-ipxlVuUwMiAdSnMG3rwyOYVheS8Cwr5otGKWjYoTeFFf93SFgdk8rZg4ED7MepGRiPT5S1Hxp1A39YpSJFZdZCpIT-o40NAKNH8auVyAqclD0_jdXrcuzz7z0Vto/s400/implement.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375549080356997922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">ING</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">knowledge-driven </span><span style="font-size:100%;">change to meet the needs of modern learners is education’s primary </span><span style="font-size:100%;">challe</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nge and #1 function in the </span><span style="font-size:100%;">21st Century</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. As soon as the numbers of teacher-doers reaches a critical mass - we WILL reinvent school - and the pace </span><span style="font-size:100%;">of change will be difficult to contain. I</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> predict that the change will come much sooner than later. It won't come easily, however, nor will it happen</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> without hard work. </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >I'm betting that the pace of change picks up as </span><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >the number of "teacher-doers" slowly outnumbers the masses of "teacher talkers."</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Only then, will our profession move from KNOWING to DOING the right thing for students.</span><br /><br /><br /><div id="details"><p>Photo Credit: Implement - jpg - <span style="color:green;">www.lassemoller.dk/<wbr>implement/implement1.jpg</span></p></div>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-26646853981236572902009-01-01T12:53:00.000-08:002009-01-05T16:28:47.254-08:0021st Century QuestionsOh, Ben, Ben, Ben! I was so enjoying a quiet, unfettered afternoon - and there you go again - over at <a href="http://bengrey.com/blog/">The Edge of Tomorrow</a> posting <a href="http://bengrey.com/blog/">21st Century Clarification</a> on New Year's Day! I've been following your conversations since reading your December 20 blog post<a href="http://bengrey.com/blog/?p=52"> 21st Century Confusion</a>, in which you expressed concerns and reservations about the movement promoting 21st Century Skills (or literacies) in our nation's schools. I need you to know that I purposefully clicked away from your blog on December 20. Frankly, I was feeling too weary and too worn with the hype of the season to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkQCdea8LOgvgenRLSjM6P5-TsQ8JrnJSGcC8zcz7yA1xMznkNJuMRrJqlWhKKKlc53wwXwFqRPVkaZ_8QW_kRmwVMcJ5qioORCrVN7f3muRlsWz4lWTzCyJCp-rswcAtVBsrwAF83NM/s1600-h/mexico_bull_fight_021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkQCdea8LOgvgenRLSjM6P5-TsQ8JrnJSGcC8zcz7yA1xMznkNJuMRrJqlWhKKKlc53wwXwFqRPVkaZ_8QW_kRmwVMcJ5qioORCrVN7f3muRlsWz4lWTzCyJCp-rswcAtVBsrwAF83NM/s320/mexico_bull_fight_021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286441771708159554" border="0" /></a> begin an explanation of the critical need for immediate attention to 21st century skills in our schools. I did "tweet" a DM to you, just to let you know I'd be back to share what I hope will be a clarifying rationale for the pressing call for 21st century school reform. I didn't expect to be roused, however, from the complete peace and relaxation of New Year's Day by the post <a href="http://bengrey.com/blog/">21st Century Clarification</a>! It's a great post, Ben, but, you see, I'm like the old, wounded bull in the picture on this topic. Your recent post is the bright red cape that provokes me to respond. Your blog just happens to be the skilled matador on this New Year's Day - the engine that fanned my fire. You are not the enemy, Ben. You are obviously a bright guy seeking clarification on a movement you are trying to understand. That's a very good thing. I hope I do not let you down.<br /><br />Your fundamental point of confusion becomes apparent when you express doubt over the 21st century "concept" and beg the question, "What does it mean to be literate?" You must understand that the 21st century skills movement is not a philosophical "hair-splitting" exercise over nomenclature. It is a very serious, very real, and incredibly important <span style="font-weight: bold;">action initiative</span> that must be examined and processed by <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span> educator because - like it or not - our profession is being redesigned by the nation's need for a workforce that epitomizes the 21st century skills.<br /><br />Let me take you on a step-by-step journey to make my point. We'll hit the high spots. I know where we're headed. I've lived it. Bear with me, I'm going to try to be very, very clear because I'm counting on this to make a difference for you, Ben.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 1: </span>The first call for skills essential to success in the 21st century came in 1983 in a report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education entitled <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html">A Nation at Risk</a></span>. This call to action spoke of the "tide of mediocrity" that characterized the American education system. The report extended literacy to “Five New Basics” - English, mathematics, science, social studies, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">computer science</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">A Nation At Risk</span> specified that all high school graduates should be able to “understand the computer as an information, computation and communication device; students should be able to use the computer in the study of the other Basics and for personal and work-related purposes; and students should understand the world of computers, electronics, and related technologies."<br /><br />That was 1983 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">twenty- six years ago</span>. I ask you, Ben: Has education produced students with basic knowledge in the core disciplines <span style="font-style: italic;">and computer science</span> TODAY? Are we there yet? OR - are we still <span style="font-style: italic;">at risk</span> for not producing students with the essential skills for success in 1983?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 2: </span> In 1991, eight years after the release of <span style="font-style: italic;">A Nation At Risk</span>, the U. S. Department of Labor and the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills released <span style="font-style: italic;">"What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for American 2000</span>. In a nutshell, the SCANS Report called on schools to produce students with "three essential skills: 1.) A solid foundation in the <span style="font-style: italic;">basic literacy</span> and computational skills, 2.) thinking skills necessary to put knowledge to work, and 3.) personal qualities that make workers dedicated and trustworthy."<br /><br />That was 1991 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">eighteen years ago</span>. I ask you, Ben: Has education responded to this call to produce a nation of high school graduates that have mastered<span style="font-style: italic;"> basic literacy </span>and computation skills, thinking skills, and workplace ethics TODAY? Are we there yet? OR - are our businesses still looking to public schools to produce students with essential skills for success in 1991?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 3:</span> On June 29, 1996, the U. S. Department of Education released <span style="font-style: italic;">Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century; Meeting the Technology Literacy Challenge, A Report to the Nation on Technology and Education</span>. Recognizing the rapid changes in workplace needs and the vast challenges facing education, the Technology Literacy Challenge launched programs in the states that focused <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">on a vision of the 21st century where all students are “technologically literate.”</span> Four goals, relating primarily to technology skills, were advanced that focused specifically on: 1.) Training and support for teachers; 2.) Acquisition of multimedia computers in classrooms; 3.) Connection to the Internet for every classroom; and 4.) Acquiring effective software and online learning resources integral to teaching the school's curriculum.<br /><br />That was 1996 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">thirteen years ago</span>. I ask you, Ben: Has education responded to this call to produce a technology proficient teacher corps and technology equipped classrooms with high speed internet access TODAY? Are we there yet? OR - is our nation still looking to public schools to provide teachers that use technology to support instruction in the basic literacies by producing students with new, high tech skills?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 4:</span> In 2001, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) No Child Left Behind established a statutory requirement that underscored the growing consensus regarding the importance of technology literacy - <span style="font-style: italic;">the ability to use computers</span>. The law says: “To assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technologically literate by the time the student finishes <span style="font-style: italic;">the eighth grade</span>.” Another goal encourages “the effective integration of technology resources and systems with teacher training and curriculum development to establish research-based instructional methods that can be widely implemented as best practice by State educational agencies and local education agencies.”<br /><br />That was 2001 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">eight years ago</span>. I ask you, Ben: Has education responded to this call to produce technology proficient students by the end of the eighth grade? Are our teachers using technologies to teach based on research-based instructional methods TODAY? Are we there yet? OR - are our public schools ignoring the law requiring that students master basic computer literacy and have opportunities to learn core subjects using modern technologies and research-based practices?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 5:</span> In 2002, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills published <span style="font-style: italic;">Learning for the 21st Century.</span> Here is an excerpt: "To cope with the demands of the 21st century, people need to know <span style="font-style: italic;">more than core subjects</span>. They need to know how to use their knowledge and skills-by thinking critically, applying knowledge to new situations, analyzing information, comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving problems, making decisions.” This important document, designed to influence policy ,called attention to the need for students to know and be able to do "<span style="font-style: italic;">more than core subjects</span>" for success in life and work in the 21st century. These skills were advanced and are often referred to as 21st century skills:<br /><br /><ul><li><span>critical thinking</span></li><li><span> apply knowledge </span></li><li><span> analyze information</span></li><li><span> comprehend new ideas</span></li><li><span> communicate </span></li><li><span> collaborate</span></li><li><span> problem solve</span></li><li><span> making decisions </span></li></ul><br />Now, I know you say these skills have always been important, Ben. I agree. The point, however, is not whether the skills are important or not. It is well established that the skills are important. <span style="font-style: italic;">The point is whether or not we are teaching these skills and students are learning them in schools.</span><br /><br />That was 2002 - <span style="font-weight: bold;">seven years ago</span>. I ask you, Ben: Has education responded to this call to produce students with competencies beyond <span style="font-style: italic;">basic literacy</span> and knowledge in core subjects? Are our schools empowering students with opportunities to construct knowledge in a manner that facilitates development of the 21st century skills? Look at the bulleted list again. Do we see students developing these skills in public schools TODAY? Are we there yet? OR - are are educators scratching their learned heads and grappling with whether or not to call the competencies "skills" or "literacies?" Now you see where I'm coming from, Ben. It is way, way, way too late to debate and "wordsmith." Our profession is failing miserably to respond to <span style="font-weight: bold;">twenty-six years</span> of policy, programs and even statutory requirements designed to improve the ability of students to perform and contribute in a high performance workplace. Our students are <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">losing </span>while we are debating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Point 6:</span> Now we are in trouble. In 2007, The <a href="http://www.skillscommission.org/executive.htm">Report of the NEW Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce: Tough Choices or Tough Times</a> made our nation hyperaware that "World market professionals are available in a wide range of fields for a fraction of what U.S. professionals charge." Guess what? While U.S. educators stuck learned heads in the sand, <span style="font-style: italic;">the world's citizens gained 21st century skills</span>! <span style="font-style: italic;">Tough Choice</span>s spares no hard truth: "Our young adults score at “mediocre” levels on the best international measure of performance." Do you think it is an accident that the word "mediocre" is used? Let's see, I believe we saw it w-a-a-a-y back in 1983 when <span style="font-style: italic;">A Nation At Risk</span> warned of a "tide of mediocrity." <span style="font-style: italic;">Tough Choices</span> asks the hard question: "Will the world’s employers pick U.S. graduates when workers in Asia will work for much less? Then the question is answered. Our graduates will be chosen for global work "<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">only</span> if the U.S. worker can <span style="font-style: italic;">comp</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ete academically, exceed in creativity, learn quickly, and demonstrate a capacity to innovate</span>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFP3T-SO5CfLoP1ZGrfYYVO74CQ20LB_mdH0HfCP40YyZ-6QnSAdF2ur6ndOfztAjxt7bKwf9hPECRc6KaAXxuz7upKcX0ON8Peb9hNJFzLtI1bttAL-DeK0CiSYeL07gJ5Z5HImYAJs/s1600-h/GAP.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFP3T-SO5CfLoP1ZGrfYYVO74CQ20LB_mdH0HfCP40YyZ-6QnSAdF2ur6ndOfztAjxt7bKwf9hPECRc6KaAXxuz7upKcX0ON8Peb9hNJFzLtI1bttAL-DeK0CiSYeL07gJ5Z5HImYAJs/s320/GAP.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286503111143677474" border="0" /></a>" There they are again...those 21st century skills!<br /><br />What we have here is a fundamental GAP between what our nation's workplace (and the global workplace) need and what our schools are willing to deliver. After twenty-six years of warnings, suggestions, policies, programs and LAWS, I am humiliated to admit that our profession is still quibbling about the "definition" of 21st century skills. I am mortified when I see brilliant educators debating "verbiage" when the barn ( schoolhouse) is burning and our children are endangered.<br /><br />Ian Jukes asks a good question in his paper "<a href="http://web.mac.com/iajukes/thecommittedsardine/Handouts_files/ttwwadi.pdf">That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It</a>." Jukes says, <span style="font-weight: bold;">"For what world will today's schools prepare our students?"</span><br /><br />I'd like to add to these good questions to Juke's prompt:<br /><br /><ol><li>Will our schools continue to prepare students for the Agricultural Age - that shaped our current school schedules?</li><li>Will our schools continue to prepare students for the Industrial Age - that shaped our current instructional designs?</li><li>Will our schools continue to ignore the demands of the Information Age - that shaped the nation's current demand for school reform?</li><li>What will our profession do with the demands of the Conceptual Age in which an educator's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">economic function</span> is to create new ideas, new applications of technology for learning, and new content that addresses the 21st century skills?<br /></li></ol><a href="http://www.jimcarroll.com/">Jim Carroll</a>, a leading international futurist and innovation expert makes a salient point his article <a href="http://www.jimcarroll.com/acrobat/FutureTrends.pdf">“What Comes Next? A Trends Perspective 2008.”</a> I'll use Carroll's important point to conclude these thoughts. Carroll says:<br /><blockquote>“Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century."</blockquote>Think about this, educators, please. As adults, we'd better start <span style="font-style: italic;">learning </span>how to reform our schools for the 21st century. In tough financial times, do you <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> think there will be funding for educators that find it important to debate the definitions and split hairs about the value of 21st century skills? There is <span style="font-weight: bold;">twenty-seven years of documentation</span> and a federal law to answer your concerns about the need for 21st century skills. Read it! Our job now is to learn how to create learning environments in which our students have opportunities to practice and to demonstrate these skills - in our schools - and in life as they take their place in the highly competitive global workplace.<br /><br />Ben, thank you for your willingness to open the discussion. I hope this bit of historical perspective is useful as you continue your search for professional meaning in the 21st century. I wish every educator would take this discussion as seriously as you so obviously do. You care. So do I.Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-88081925742627645762008-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:002008-12-27T18:29:42.551-08:00STUDENT Conferences are the AnswerDecember is a busy month! I was thrilled with an opportunity to visit Jon Becker's excellent blog <a href="http://edinsanity.com/">Educational INSANITY</a>. I sat down (innocently) to enjoy a peaceful and quiet read and french-vanilla coffee - not expecting to face an old and troubling issue. Then I read Jon's thoughtful December 4th, 2008 blog <a href="http://edinsanity.com/2008/12/04/conferences-presentations-etc/#comments">Conferences,Presentations, etc.</a> - and the flurry of comments it inspired - and I felt an old concern I've learned to repress. My coffee is cold now and I am hot. Right up front, you should know that I am, at best, an education conference skeptic. At worst, I am an anti-education conference protester. Given this disclaimer, you now have the option of retreating.<br /><br />I've attended and presented at more education conferences than I can begin to count. I abandoned confidence in them several years ago. I was forever changed by one surreal but pristine moment. I'll never forget it. I was attending <span style="font-style: italic;">yet </span><span style="font-style: italic;">another</span> education conferen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSsY1iEQ_tRHmv8XL72lFRPNCPsFbT71shebMw6OPPA-3XQqEbduh3fNkQrP7BEsSgevE_EK-43yVw3mw7qCEOxyXAkovMUooT6UFc5XqhysYQesCMPARrIxxeiFPsSw9geaFyNsi-ng/s1600-h/casino.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSsY1iEQ_tRHmv8XL72lFRPNCPsFbT71shebMw6OPPA-3XQqEbduh3fNkQrP7BEsSgevE_EK-43yVw3mw7qCEOxyXAkovMUooT6UFc5XqhysYQesCMPARrIxxeiFPsSw9geaFyNsi-ng/s320/casino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281931249723127186" border="0" /></a>ce on the west coast far from my east coast home. I looked up in this moment and was struck by a camera click instant - a kodak moment - a mental snapshot that hit like a thunderbolt. According to the Urban Dictionary definitions, my <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kodak+moment">kodak moment</a>, epitomized the second definition, "a horribly twisted event." For the first time in my conference experiences, I literally saw what I'd never seen before. I saw HUNDREDS of educators - glassy-eyed and disconnected - wandering through a Reno, Nevada casino in search of a vendor hall to claim cool "freebies" - simple trinkets promised by a vendor/presenter. And, all of this happened on a school day - a Friday morning! I can't reproduce the kodak moment. I can't reimage the looks on those educators' faces. I've provided a similar image of the setting in the photograph above and offer these descriptors for my colleagues' facial expressions: bewildered,dislocated, uncertain, confounded, lost, misplaced, uncomfortable. Can you see my twisted kodak moment? Have I made it vivid? Do you see the problem here?<br /><br />I was struck by what seemed to be a flawed education conference system and faced five big questions that forever changed my outlook on conferences.<br /><br />1.) WHO is in school teaching our STUDENTS on this Friday morning?<br />2.) WHAT could we do to improve STUDENT learning if all funds used for this educational "gathering" were applied directly to improving opportunities for STUDENTS to learn?<br />3.) WHERE does all the money generated by this conference go? Does it find its way back into U.S. classrooms - where it was appropriated to be spent on our STUDENTS' learning?<br />4.) WHY aren't forums like this dedicated to our STUDENTS who could benefit greatly from a conference that exposes them to the best minds and newest knowledge on the face of the earth?<br />5.) Finally and most difficult, WHEN will educators admit that a trip to a casino-centered conference is a blatant "perk" - a trip to an "adult playground" - possibly at students' expense? I was troubled that the public funds spent on this <span style="font-style: italic;">one conference</span> might have supplied countless schools with the modern tools needed to upgrade educational opportunities for students.<br /><br />In my own thinking, we've lost our way with education conferences. We leave our students sitting in closed nineteenth century classrooms while we jet to Reno to hear the best children's authors promote and sell their new books. We sit passively for an hour while speakers tell us what we already know. For those who wish to sight-see, seek entertainment and enjoy the ambiance of a new setting, the conference is a semi-vacation. If you are honest you know this is true. Let me ask you a very direct and difficult question:<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> How are we any different than the corporate executives who redirect investors' and taxpayers' monies to opulent conference opportunities?</span> How are we different? That is my question.<br /><br />There is a fundamental flaw in the current conference design. The flaw - we've omitted education's reason for being - OUR STUDENTS.<br /><br />My resolve is to avoid education conference that fail to focus on the STUDENT. In the meantime, I am learning far, far, far more using online professional development opportunities. I learned more in the <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/"> K-12 Online Conference 2008</a> than I have ever learned in all face-to-face conferences combined. I see more potential in the <a href="http://notk12onlineconference.org/">NotK-12 Online Conference</a> than I can ever image taking place in traditional education conferences. I find more pearls and nuggets in <a href="http://edtechtalk.com/">EdTechTalk</a> forums than in packed conference halls. I sleep better at night knowing that I am not contributing to <span style="font-style: italic;">or profiting from</span> a flawed attempt to "improve education." Marketing products and ideas to educators in short, one-shot, speaker-centered sessions is a poor application of research on learning. We know that. It is expensive time wasted. We are far too smart to think these conferences are improving the future of our students. We are far too ethical a profession to sit by as our profession directs funds to unproductive causes. Let me conclude with this very difficult question: If we asked our students and their parents to glimpse my "kodac moment," would they not be as infuriated as those who are losing their life-savings on investments mismanaged by leaders who recently scheduled an elaborate conference at the taxpayer's expense? When U.S. citizens look at the Nation's Report Card, do they have a point in wanting to know the percentage of education funding spent on "elaborate conferences" for educators?<br /><br />I'm just saying...let's think about this. Let's get real about our<span style="font-style: italic;"> reason for being</span> by focusing on our STUDENTS. If we focused our time and best thinking on how to create an effective conference for STUDENTS, we'd quickly see a First Lego League Competition, a Mabry Film Festival, an Inventor's Forum, a Writer's Symposium, a Health and Fitness Extravaganza, a World-School Financial Summit, and on and on. Then the educators could learn through <a href="http://constructingmodernknowledge.com/cmk08/mathscience/">Gary Stager's</a> "minds-on, hard-play" with one important twist. They learn <span style="font-style: italic;"> with and beside their students</span> - as it should be in the 21st century.<br /><br />Photo Credit: Casino at Excalibur from http2007's photostream on Flickr.Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-65914978187812632662008-11-30T06:56:00.000-08:002008-12-27T18:33:53.978-08:00So Is It Possible that Changing Public Schools Is Impossible?I'm certain that Clayton M. Christensen's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Class-Disruptive-Innovation-Change/dp/0071592067">Disrupting Class How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns</a> will be viewed as a landmark - even an icon - in the quest for school reform. In my opinion, it is the "writing on the wall," the "new cheese," the "light on the path,"and the "ultimate reality" that describes the reconstruction of school as we know it. The book is powerful and I am so hopeful that our profession will rush to respond to this map for radical progress. I doubt, however, that <span style="font-style: italic;">Disrupting Class</span> will hasten the reform of our schools. I wonder if Clay Christensen, who really understands the inevitability of his message shares my hopes and my doubts? I think he does. Let me explain.<br /><br />You see,<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> if</span> our education culture was different, <span style="font-style: italic;">every single educator</span> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">whole wide world </span>(or at least most) would assume responsibility for understanding "disruptive innovation." <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">If</span> members of our profession genuinely understood the phenomenon of disruption, we would all make sense of the "disorienting dilemmas" that have characterized our schools for decades. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">If </span>each educator truly took it upon themselves to examin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfZayB-Cree9ZNjb69CqlwQmMYkrvjs8ikHQm-oGqULEGkWs1o6w0YIxYSEpsU__ghfAHBghM4MHWzuJLjZVWclXuGJZsUNcq1izsBAe1tkhxKwFkEnb8P2Gdtf5DhgZZPDxwgdHRAK0/s1600-h/Be+the+change.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfZayB-Cree9ZNjb69CqlwQmMYkrvjs8ikHQm-oGqULEGkWs1o6w0YIxYSEpsU__ghfAHBghM4MHWzuJLjZVWclXuGJZsUNcq1izsBAe1tkhxKwFkEnb8P2Gdtf5DhgZZPDxwgdHRAK0/s320/Be+the+change.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274561278304251586" border="0" /></a>e and completely assimilate the impact that technology, networking and connectivity is exacting on all factions of our society and all the world's institutions, surely then, the walls of educational resistance to "change" would collapse. Surely, our profession would collectively experience the "perspective transformation" <a href="http://www.nl.edu/academics/cas/ace/resources/jackmezirow.cfm">Jack Mezirow </a>describes in his seminal work <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Transformative-Dimensions-Learning-Jossey-Education/dp/1555423396">Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning</a>. Our profession might universally begin to see that our 19th century "school view" constrains our understanding of the 21st century challenges that face our institutions. It prevents us from rising to our call. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">If</span> all of the world's educators truly experienced a"perspective transformation," our profession could enjoy an enlightenment. An enlightened school view would drive the profound changes required to respond to the needs and potential of 21st century students. We might even begin to develop what Christensen calls the <span>"common language"</span> that enables important conversations about 21st century learning and learners. Educators might actually initiate a transformation that leads to renewed ways of knowing and doing school. Our profession might even become a vital, thriving, transforming, empowering, relevant 21st century institution. All of this might be possible - <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">if </span>educators were to embrace <span style="font-style: italic;">their own</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">transformation</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> as essential </span>to rebirth as a 21st century educator.<br /><br />The key here is that each and every educator must face responsibility for constructing meaning about the disruptive innovations that <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> transforming our schools. We must be willing to "become the change we want to see." We'll have to live and breathe the attributes of a 21st century learners as we become the self-directed critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators needed to create globally-focused schools for the 21st century. In other words, we must all be willing to make the transformation to being 21st century educators by accepting the 21st century challenges.<br /><br />On page 192 of <span style="font-style: italic;">Disrupting Class</span>, Christensen asks the defining question of the book: <span style="font-style: italic;">"So is it possible that changing public schools is impossible?"</span> The authors believe that change is possible <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">if</span> education embraces the three tools that <span style="font-style: italic;">can</span> change schools despite failed past reform initiatives. To change public schools today, Christensen first calls for <span style="font-weight: bold;">common language </span>- what he refers to as "a collective framing of the problem," a precondition to deriving useful solutions. I've described the "perspective transformation" educators must make to drive common language conversations. Second, Christensen calls for use of <span style="font-weight: bold;">power</span> - calling upon a cadre of school leaders who can amass and wield power to change the status quo. In my entire profession, I have encountered <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> such courageous leaders. How many can you count? Recognizing that <span style="font-weight: bold;">common language </span>and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> power </span>solutions may fail,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Christensen also calls for <span style="font-weight: bold;">separation</span> - the third tool which he calls "the critical option in the arsenal of school reform." Separation refers to a "setting up" of new schools in which teachers, parents, administrators are aligned in vision and committed to educating children and doing it very well. And, I would argue that in a global economy, the <span style="font-style: italic;">separated </span>school must do it better than any other school in the world.<br /><br />So there you have it - Christensen's<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>ultimate vision for a <span style="font-style: italic;">changed </span>public school is a<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">separate school</span>. This vision is born of disruption and characterized by hope and doubt. And, who do you think will lead the <span style="font-style: italic;">separated schools</span>? I'm betting it's those who are willing to "amass and wield the power," and those who speak the "common language." I can't envision a place for the "learned" who refused a "perspective transformation." Can you? They will, as Eric Hoffer predicted, "find themselves <em>beautifully</em> equipped to deal with a <em>world that no longer exists</em>." The "separated school"... I'm just saying - and I think Christensen is saying - get ready for it.<br /><br /><i>Photo Credit: </i><span style="font-style: italic;">be the change in yourself </span> <i> from trailerfullof pics</i> <i> photostream on Flickr.</i><small><br /><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trailerfullofpix/"></a></b></small>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-70444334563431350212008-11-08T06:38:00.001-08:002008-11-10T13:04:29.185-08:00Yes, We Can, Mr. President-Elect!I want to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama. We don't know each other but we've been communicating. On November 4, 2008, the President-elect looked right at me and spoke directly to me during his acceptance speech. He said,<span style="font-style:italic;">"And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."</span> Thank you, Mr. President-elect. I heard you and I pledge my unwavering support to your presidency.<br /><br />I was moved by my President-elect's promise to me. Determined to find out if he'd really heard <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> voice, I began devouring information on his education platform. Yep! He appeared to have heard my deepest concern expressed in August, 2008 when I signed the CoSN,ISTE, NEA, SETA online <a href="http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/election.html"><em>petition</em> </a>in support of making 21st century classrooms a top national priority. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He even <span style="font-style: italic;">seemed</span> to respond to the petition on August 28, 2008 during his speech at the Democratic National Convention. He said, <span style="font-style:italic;">"Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy."</span> <br /><br />Mr. President-elect, I <span style="font-style: italic;">believe </span>you genuinely want to provide a world-class education for all American children. As parents, you and I have a common understanding of the compelling, driving hope all parents share. We all dream that our children will enjoy an empowering education. Listen to me, please. I'm whispering, so you'll listen very closely. <br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >If you want your children and my child, and all American children to have a world class education, you must connect them to the world. </span></span><br /><br />The transportation to a world-class education is a sound, reliable, high-speed information super highway that can lead our schools into the 21st century. Our educators cannot possibly take our children to "meet the world" without a road to travel that begins at the schoolhouse door. We cannot join the world's growing learning revolution with patched school infrastructure, blocked information resources, minimal technical support, insufficient professional development, minimal funding and lack of coherence and vision for educational technology at the national level.<br /><br />I'm very concerned that the U.S. Department of Labor reports that education is <span style="font-style: italic;">dead last</span> on a list of 55 industries in its use of technology. I'm devastated that the New Commission of the Skills for the American Workforce in it's landmark 2007 report <a href="http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tough Choices or Tough Times</span></a> describes our public schools as failing in this "<a href="http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/TCTT_Standard_Powerpoint.pdf">Portrait of a Failing School System</a>."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcAlR3Uu3NqP-IoJGAxznmdMlPeR74SRj8qKTRVZS4g-Ah-dUQiS1Sw_4_fczpZOPf5n0FySC2ABu3B7rnqYY80Rzy9b4dEg7uFy7HaEc4bOu_Aznq4nP0kFFYhmCXmFq6kE2fKL_4RU/s1600-h/Portrait+of+Failing+Systm.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcAlR3Uu3NqP-IoJGAxznmdMlPeR74SRj8qKTRVZS4g-Ah-dUQiS1Sw_4_fczpZOPf5n0FySC2ABu3B7rnqYY80Rzy9b4dEg7uFy7HaEc4bOu_Aznq4nP0kFFYhmCXmFq6kE2fKL_4RU/s320/Portrait+of+Failing+Systm.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266816960359160738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> I'm angry to watch as our country "bails out" Wall Street and considers "bailing out" the automobile industry. Can you see that American educators have every right to be outraged? Our country's Congressional leaders, and, yes, our President, have been warned repeatedly by governmental agencies that the U.S. education system is failing our children. Yet, where is education's "bail out?" Where is the complete infrastructure we need to revamp and reform our business? Our "product" - the nation's children - are the economy of the future - the hope of our nation. Our "business" is critical to national competitiveness and, yes, to our national security. Mr. President-elect, so many educators want to reform our failed system. <span style="font-style: italic;">We know how to do it but our road is blocked</span>. We simply cannot transport our students to a world class education when we remain trapped in cement block walls with inferior networks, impossible bureaucratic barriers, and blocked access to many of the most powerful learning tools.<br /><br />Help us, the nation's educators, Mr. President-elect. Our country's teachers aspire to become <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quality-School-William-Glasser/dp/0060952865">William Glasser's</a> "quality teacher" We want to convince "not half or three-quarters but <span style="font-style: italic;">all of our students</span> to do quality work in school," but we <span style="font-weight: bold;">cannot</span> convince 21st century learners to engage with 20th century tools! Throughout our great country's history the "tools of the age" have transported our nation's progress. The tools of the Industrial Age transformed our nation's workforce. The tools of the Information Age transformed our world's workforce. And now, as we enter the Conceptual Age, the incredible tools of World Wide Web promise to transport our global community to a "world class" education. Listen carefully, Mr. President-elect: If you truly want to lead our nation in a transformation of 20th century schools to world class 21st century schools, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">connect our schools to the internet</span>, unleash some the barriers to information access and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">hold our profession accountable</span> for reforming school.<br /><br />Throughout your campaign, Mr. President-elect, you demonstrated an undeniable grasp of the power of technology to transform and energize your political engine. You wisely took advantage of broadband connections to inform, to communicate, to survey, to recruit, to inspire, to learn and to lead. Technology gave you a distinct advantage. I ask you now, President-elect Obama, won't you make very certain <span style="font-style: italic;">every American child </span>has that <span style="font-style: italic;">same opportunity</span> to use the tools of the age to reach their highest potential? I want to thank you for listening to me. Because I am able to sit in my own livingroom and communicate with you via the amazing information super highway, I have the highest hope that you will "hear me." I want you to know, however, that many teachers and students do not have this privilege in our schools. <span style="font-style: italic;">We can</span> do something about this. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><strong>Yes, we can</strong>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-65224291250447691152008-10-25T12:56:00.001-07:002008-10-25T19:36:17.964-07:00Creating a Disturbance!It’s been a fascinating Saturday morning. There’s touch of Fall in Georgia. The drone of TV election news is compelling. The irresistible <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/">2008 K12 Online Conference</a> begs for my attention. My Google Reader is filled with inviting new treasure. An important new project sits on my desktop demanding my time. Does this communicate that I feel the draw, the imperative, the reality, the momentum and the TIME CRUNCH associated with CHANGE? Odd, I think, that a blog post should take priority when so many stimulating choices and obligations compete for my morning. Howe-e-e-e-v-v-v-r-r-r-r! I’m humming an old song to new steps. Go ahead! Click the video. Listen to the words. See the old ponies doing new steps to an old tune! This is proof! We can all do new steps. Click the video and hear the song that's on my mind as you read on about a new step we must take.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jyyf8s3AvSA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jyyf8s3AvSA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">“And I won’t stop trying (step, step) till I create a disturbance (shrug, shrug) in your mind (tap,shuffle)!”<br /></span></div><br />I started the morning by visiting a link to <a href="http://www.ed421.com/">Stephanie Sandifer’s Change Agency</a> to skim a post I’ve been saving for “prime time” reading. Stephanie’s personal account of moving from “KNOWING to DOING” with Web 2.0 tools describes a transformation. She’s done it! She’s moved from the stage of “familiarizing and talking about” tools to “accomplishing” with them. Stephanie took the leap from “knowing” to “doing” and adeptly describes the difference between the two in her post <a href="http://www.ed421.com/?p=724%20">The Knowing - Doing Gap</a>. I left this post on Stephanie’s blog.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">I can relate to the positives of being in a “doing” situation! It is important to have opportunities to KNOW but it is also essential be able TO DO if one is to learn deeply and personally. I was very pleased to read that you too are encouraged and motivated by having a place to really apply your knowledge of Web 2.0 tools in productive and meaningful ways. I think your personal example speaks volumes about the ways we educate our students today. Too often our students are caught in the “knowing-doing gap.” Educators typically honor students’ need “to know” but fail to provide learning paths that include opportunities “to do.” There is a world of difference between knowing and doing - and your relevant example makes that point so well. Thank you for sharing!</span></blockquote></div>The timing for reading Stephanie’s post could not have been better. Last night I was completely “taken” with Alec Couros’ <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=310">K12 Online Conference presentation “Open, Connected, Social: Reflections of an Open Graduate Course Experience.”</a> The viewing experience is a total package – a real “trip!” The viewer is entertained, taught, challenged and extended. But, as it is when one is taking new steps,” I was caught by ONE statement amidst the wealth of information that led me to post this comment in Alec’s blog :<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Really enjoyed the entertaining and informative presentation, Alec. For me, a key point drawn from your presentation was the recommendation to “focus on HOW the new tools guide student learning rather than the ‘coolness factor’ of the tools themselves.” This important “take away” will stay with me. I agree that the real challenge is not learning to use the tools. The tools are relatively easy to use. Rather, the challenge (and innovation!) is discovering how to best facilitate LEARNING while managing the tools. Wouldn’t it be powerful to have educators keenly focused on HOW to best use *insert name of Web 2.0 tools* to deepen and accelerate student learning? Now, THAT is a course I’d like to take!</span></blockquote>You see, there’s a “disturbance in my mind” that is rattled by posts like David Warlick’s 9/24/08 <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">2¢ Worth</span> <a href="http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=1587">"If 'It’s not about the technology,' then What is it About?"</a> and David Truss’ 10/21/08 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pair-a-dimes<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span> post <a href="http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/pods/">POD</a> – a passionate and “appropriately disturbed” reaction. It appears that these two thinkers are concluding that the time for “familiarizing and talking about” tools is ending - and a time for “accomplishing” with the tools is upon us. I'm so sure of this. The time for demonstrating education's knowledge of the tools by DOING <span style="font-style: italic;">all that must be done</span> to “accomplish” school reform for the 21st century is ripe and well overdue.<br /><br />Right before I began this post, I watched Alice Barr, Cheryl Oakes and Bob Sprankle in their K12 Online presentation <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=269">“How Can I Become Part of this ReadWriteWeb Revolution?”</a> Boy, did I hear the old music and see the new steps! There they are – three educators who are familiar with the tools – making the transition from “knowing to doing” and urging us all to START DOING NOW. So, given their inspiration, I put down the remote control (leaving McCain and Obama to fend for themselves) to DO SOMETHING. This blog is a very small part. But...I'm not through. <span style="font-style: italic;">"I won’t stop trying (step, step) till I create a disturbance (shrug, shrug) in your mind (tap, shuffle, bow)!” </span>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-20569034950390362062008-10-17T06:15:00.000-07:002008-10-17T09:32:52.210-07:00RSVP: I Regret That I Cannot Participate in the 21st CenturyIn response to Social Networking - <a href="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6003934">Talk can cost nothing if you know where to look</a> Published in TES Magazine on 17 October, 2008, By: Terry Freedman<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IwB0DBHxGC-uyuyXD0fXN6Y2G4I2OUSIU8dmiNkcIEC6UntbGqF7oNG5cTUndq-5MotuWY_43vvoPbvxKR04mG1wL5UaEZa106LGHvhfkTU92rXgG0zCryQeBJaLq9v_dyTnOLWPxyQ/s1600-h/Invitation.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IwB0DBHxGC-uyuyXD0fXN6Y2G4I2OUSIU8dmiNkcIEC6UntbGqF7oNG5cTUndq-5MotuWY_43vvoPbvxKR04mG1wL5UaEZa106LGHvhfkTU92rXgG0zCryQeBJaLq9v_dyTnOLWPxyQ/s320/Invitation.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258161264615558642" /></a> This morning I followed Terry Freedman's intriguing tweet that promised an "article about social networking for teachers." I was pleasantly surprised to find that the article went far beyond social networking to describe a 21st century invitation to participate in educator professional development. I was moved to respond because, as a self-directed learner, my invitation to the online social learning experience was the <span style="font-style:italic;">gateway to the most effective form</span> of professional development I've yet to experience.<br /><br />Terry recommends a variety of powerful tools for personal professional development including Twitter, Skype, Ning and instant messaging. As always, he is point perfect. I'd like to add one additional plug, however, for a form of continuing professional development that supports and sustains my own 21st century thinking and learning in unique and immeasurable ways. <span style="font-style:italic;">Reading and writing blogs immersed me as an active participant in the world of online 21st century learning!</span> In fact, I have discovered in blogging the ultimate tool for differientiating <span style="font-style:italic;">my own</span> professional learning path! I meticulously customize and refine my personal Blog Roll and regularly adjust feeds to my Google Reader! I use a unique filtering process designed to be beneficial to ME! I learn so much from reading the blogs (and microblogs) of selected colleagues - whom I choose with <span style="font-style:italic;">great care</span> and after a careful background check. My process of blog selection is so selective, so dynamic, and so personal that my learning path is tweeked and adjusted to my specific learning needs on a <span style="font-style:italic;">daily</span> basis. I owe so much to my incredible "learning network!" I am growing in leaps and bounds because I made a decision to <span style="font-style:italic;">accept an invitation</span> to participate fully in 21st century teaching and learning! <br /><br />I realize that discovering the benefits of blogging is not new to many people. I understand that I'm simply "riding the high" of my new-found power to learn. While exhilarated, I'm also challenged to guide a process through which educators can self-direct in the discovery of Web 2.0 tools for their own personal professional development. This challenge is really tricky. It is far more difficult than preparing for a traditional workshop in which captive participants occupy seats and mark time. This type of professional development is an <span style="font-style:italic;">open invitation to learn</span>. The invitation has an RSVP, which acknowledges that the guest has the privilege of saying, "I Regret." I understand and believe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rogers">Carl Roger's</a> premise that “The only learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning." I know I have to give each educator the "right to regret" my invitation to learn. I just worry that the many of those who are invited to participate in 21st century teaching and learning do not REALLY UNDERSTAND the extent to which they <span style="font-style:italic;">will regret</span> not participating in the learning revolution.Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-68355186230584576502008-10-11T18:57:00.000-07:002008-10-12T21:25:10.765-07:00What IS 21st Century Teaching and Learning?Last week two completely separate events inspired this post. First, I had the honor of visiting three schools to respond to the topic of this blog, "<span style="font-style: italic;">What IS 21st Century Teaching and Learning?</span>" The topic was definitely on my mind. Then, while browsing <a href="http://www.netvibes.com/jutecht#General">Jeff Utecht's Universe,</a> his link to <a href="http://www.problogdesign.com/quick-tweaks/25-ways-to-spice-up-your-blog-post-photos/">Pro Blog Design's "25 Ways to Spice Up Blog Post Photos</a>" caught my eye. I'm sure Jeff's intent was to link readers to tips for improving blog graphics, but I never got past the second paragraph. I stopped at, "A post without any graphs, drawing, or photos can look <span style="font-weight: bold;">daunting</span>." Now, I'm a brand new blogger and I am still learning the rules. I had not considered using pictures in previous blog posts. I apologize for publishing so much <span style="font-style: italic;">daunting</span> text. That ends today!<br /><br />I love images. I chose this fabulous graphic from the online collection<a href="http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html"> Library of Congress Prints and Photographs</a> to shape the theme of my presentation, <span style="font-style: italic;">What IS 21st Century Teaching and Learning?</span> Does it seem odd to select an image from 1905 to make a 21st century point? Bear with me, this historic image comm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27yxUimQfztFpqoVoiDHQeoSC_xfEUQ8-ikiarMPCbXbPYwiuEI21bOywWBigLIESzlZtR99l2x1_vRk2PYLODi9zrgl6oIRyzArssDRjuKDRDAVVvd5lgn8Gp_s1DqEPiXUV4KuN_XU/s1600-h/Cooking_Sewing_Tools.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27yxUimQfztFpqoVoiDHQeoSC_xfEUQ8-ikiarMPCbXbPYwiuEI21bOywWBigLIESzlZtR99l2x1_vRk2PYLODi9zrgl6oIRyzArssDRjuKDRDAVVvd5lgn8Gp_s1DqEPiXUV4KuN_XU/s320/Cooking_Sewing_Tools.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256091410952429138" border="0" /></a>unicates an important message. Please understand, <span style="font-style: italic;">I am driven</span> to help teachers know and be able to "lead the learning" of 21st Century skills in our public schools. While I admire the <a href="http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=120">Framework for 21st Century Skills</a>, published by the <a href="http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php">Partnership for 21st Century Skills</a>, and I genuinely appreciate the <a href="http://www.metiri.com/features.html">enGauge 21st Century Skills</a> model, I know teachers need to move beyond models to "cut right to the chase." They need a clear picture of today's challenge. Thus the 1905 image and my simplified response to a loaded question:<span style="font-style: italic;"> What IS 21st Century Teaching and Learning</span>?<br /><br />Take a close look at the picture the Library of Congress labeled "<span style="font-style: italic;">A modern training school</span>." Girls are sewing and cooking. Boys are woodworking. The students are <span style="font-style: italic;">using the TOOLS of the era to prepare for the work of the era</span>. The teachers are working beside their students, coaching and mentoring them as they refine skills that transfer beyond the schoolhouse to life in the real world. Zoom in. Look a bit closer. The TOOLS include needles, knives, chisels, hammers, picks, heat, ovens. The tools of the age are potentially dangerous - but they aren't blocked from the school. Teachers are teaching students to use the tools of the age - and use them safely.<br /><br />One more picture to make this post less daunting. This image from <a href="http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html"> Library of Congress Prints and Photographs</a> is entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">1910 -1930 Infantile speech defects corrected</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG0_Du8X5bebFe0L4XOP1CdcJqdNSxY7fVkUEOgXZ09cv8q6WVPiynpjF3c0zX77QKxifLUwaJZr3_6EznIm4rffj0FRr_ccLHJt3aoD6cFBWayVSALzhFy8NSyxCwZKwFtqGU08lt3g/s1600-h/Ch_ch.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG0_Du8X5bebFe0L4XOP1CdcJqdNSxY7fVkUEOgXZ09cv8q6WVPiynpjF3c0zX77QKxifLUwaJZr3_6EznIm4rffj0FRr_ccLHJt3aoD6cFBWayVSALzhFy8NSyxCwZKwFtqGU08lt3g/s320/Ch_ch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256120186733753106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> by games. This class is playing "train," making "ch" sound</span>. What a great example! The students <span style="font-style: italic;">are learning the CONTENT of the era using the highly relevant CONTEXT of the era. </span>At the beginning of the 19th century, trains were a phenomenon. The railroads were slowly joining rivers, canals, coaches and carriages in transporting people and goods across the country. The "ch-choo" train was serious pop culture in 1919 and students must have engaged in learning about them. The "ch-choo" that was so relevant and popular in that era seems remote and out of place in the schools of 2008. Yet, we persist in "ch-chooing" when we could be "cha-chinging" the critically important 21st Century lessons of Financial Literacy. Our school train just hasn't engaged the context of the 21st Century.<br /><br />Let me wrap this up. What IS 21st Century Teaching and Learning? In very simplistic terms:<br /><br />1. Students <span style="font-style: italic;">use the TOOLS of the era to prepare for life and work in the era</span>.<br />2. Students <span style="font-style: italic;">learn the CONTENT of the era in the fascinating CONTEXT of the era. </span><br />3. Teachers <span style="font-style: italic;">COACH </span>and mentor students who refine skills that<span style="font-style: italic;"> matter</span> and transfer to life in the real world.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1.)Tools. 2.) Content. 3.) Context. 4.) Coach.</span> Not so very new or different. We just need to bump the focus of <span style="font-style: italic;">all four</span> up <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">a mere one hundred years</span> - and we're here - in the 21st Century!<br /><br />__________________________________________________________<br /><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: black;">Image Source:</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA<br /><b>Digital ID:</b> cph 3a15671<br /><b>Digital ID:</b> det 4a27732<br /><b>RIGHTS INFORMATION:</b><tt><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></tt>No known restrictions on publication.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-49112469898501884112008-10-05T14:30:00.000-07:002008-10-05T16:56:41.196-07:00ME? Hang on Facebook?In response to October 5, 2008 post, <a href="http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/facing-facebook/#comment-1217">"Facing Facebook" by David Truss: Pair-a-Dimes for Your Thoughts</a><br /><br />I've been thinking a lot about Facebook. In fact, I created an account several months ago. Never added a profile. Finally, I deleted the entire account. Why? I just couldn't figure out how I could "contribute" in the Facebook social environment. I could not see myself having a pillow fight with a colleague. I didn't really want to send an exotic cocktail to new a new friend. I wasn't interested in forming a new social connection with an adolescent or a college student. I didn't know how to speak the <span style="font-style:italic;">"Well, ah, like, what-e-e-vvvvr-r-r, you know"</span> language. I just could NOT envision myself in the Facebook crowd.<br /><br />So, I'd been wondering why it made sense for an educator like me to participate. My interest was piqued by the number of outstanding educators I know who enjoy maintaining Facebook accounts. When the Cool Cat Teacher, Vicki Davis, shared that she had a Facebook presence, I thought, "Well, I know you're cool - but, Vicki, you have adult connections on Linked In! What's up with you, friend?" I just could NOT understand WHY. Vicki is not the only first class educator I know on Facebook. I know <span style="font-style:italic;">many</span> stand-up <span style="font-style:italic;">adults</span> who are members of the Facebook community! Their career interests and professional goals are the same as mine - but they knew something I didn't know. When David Truss, an admired Twitter colleague, hinted that he'd be blogging on the topic "Facing Facebook" I was delighted. Soon, I'd be in on the secret! <br /> <br />Now, here you come, David, with a whole new spin on Facebook! Responsibility. You really "got me" with this appeal. You paint a picture of teachers that "follow" students for all of the right reasons: showing interest, standing up for online integrity, demonstrating altruistic values. You made me think. I have <span style="font-style:italic;">hundreds</span> of former students on Facebook. I still care about them. I always enjoy reconnecting with them face-to face as adults and learning about their lives and careers. I am attracted to the idea of "being there" for them in Facebook - unobtrusively but staunchly standing for high standards in adult life and in digital citizenship. I'd be honored to reconnect with them as a former teacher - professionally - continuing my work with them as a mentor. I can see myself in this role - and I like it.<br /><br />It is odd. When I deleted the Facebook account a pop up message appeared as I clicked <span style="font-weight:bold;">"OK. Delete Account"</span>. Perhaps it was serendipity. The message touched me: "Come back to Facebook. We'll miss you." Now the message is more compelling. Facebook is missing me. It is missing the presence of adults who care enough about our young people to network in their space. <br /><br />Thank you, David. I <span style="font-style:italic;">really like</span> your post. It is valuable and helpful. "and so, like eeeeewwwwww, I'm off to hang out." ;~)Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-82979738925982131342008-10-03T15:03:00.000-07:002008-10-04T06:20:59.690-07:00Determined to PracticeIn response to Tracy Rosen’s October 3, 2008 blog post Educational Malpractice: "A Values Charged Assessment" on her blog <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://leadingfromtheheart.org/">Leading From the Heart</a></span>, and in response to a comment by Heidi Glass Gable in her October 3, 2008 response to my October 3, 2008 blog post, "Well…Is THIS Educational Malpractice?”<br /><br />Tracy and Heidi, you raise interesting and thought provoking ideas and questions. I thank you for getting involved in this conversation! It is not easy to step forward and share thoughts and feelings. It takes courage.<br /> <br />Heidi, you suggest that such conversations are “useful as a beginning step to determine what the issue is.” Thank you for making this observation. That is precisely the intent of my initial blog post, "Is This Educational Malpractice?" I sincerely believe that most members of our profession will not interpret the hard questions as a “judgment of failure.” We are much tougher than that. Most educators know they are not failing. Some acknowledge that the change mandates facing schools are not unreasonable and some accept the logic behind the directives. Some superlative educators are more than willing to embrace personal accountability on issues surrounding 21st century skills - and, some educators <span style="font-style:italic;">are</span> embracing student-centered learning with one (functional!)computer in their classrooms! As Tracy (who knows she is not failing) points out - active, engaging, social learning does not necessarily require computer hardware and connectivity. While it is <span style="font-style:italic;">possible</span> for students to practice many learning skills in the absence of technology, I ask WHY? I suggest that using the tools of the age is essential to building the skills students will need for success in a modern society and a global economy. In my opinion, we need <span style="font-style:italic;">all</span> of the teachers to embrace the 21st century challenge! We need every student to have opportunities for participation in the world’s conversation - just as we are participating now. Students need opportunities to demonstrate competence in essential 21st century learning standards and performance skills. To do so, they must be able to use technology. In a time when the digital divide so seriously threatens “equity” for all students, the schools serve as “the bridge of hope” for technology literacy for many American children. We cannot let these children down. <br /><br />Tracy, you suggest that we identify those who are “mal-practicing” and you put forward a far more complex and serious observation: “If there is malpractice it is systemic.” I say, thank you. While I am not at all in favor of pursuing “mal-practicers,” I am most interested in a conversation that advances our profession’s ability to articulate an argument for substantial, proactive change in our nation’s classrooms. I embrace your good observation and pose it back to you as a question: “Is education malpractice - with respect to the 21st century skills - a systemic problem?” I’m not sure it is, but I am willing to suggest that a time of reckoning is upon our profession. As a member of the education community, I am prepared to objectively consider the possibility of systemic malpractice in implementing the 21st century skills in our schools. I am willing to partner with teachers, leaders, policy makers and government officials to be certain the barriers (which Heidi describes as “what stands in the way of DOING”) are removed. Common barriers cited by educators include: 1.) lack of teacher professional development; 2.)lack of teacher time for learning and practice: 3.) fear of change; 4.) fear of technology; 5.) resistant attitudes; 6.) lack of technology: 7.) lack of technical support; 8.) blocked web access and on and on. There are many barriers – but they are not insurmountable. There are solutions. I am willing to be a part of solutions that makes it possible for educators and students to learn using the most powerful learning tools of the age - in spite of the barriers. There are scores of teachers that work toward these goals on a daily basis. There are some education leaders across this nation that work daily and diligently to eliminate barriers. But we need help. I suggest that the <span style="font-weight:bold;">entire education community</span> is needed to support the migration from traditional education practices to 21st century learning environments.<br /><br />Tracy, I totally disagree that the compelling need for 21st century skills is “a values-charged argument.” I suggest that adopting, embracing and teaching the learning skills it is a responsibility. I also disagree that the whole language movement is “values-charged” movement. The whole language movement (simplified) advocates for knowledge construction as learners make meaning in language-rich environments. Promising research-based principles that point to efficacy of whole language methods attract educators. Yet, in the current decade, the 2000 National Reading Panel released "The Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read," which concludes that children benefit most from explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, text comprehension and oral reading fluency. Now, here is my point. The "reading wars" are a debate between two research-based methodologies. It has become an <span style="font-style:italic;">emotionally-charged issues</span> for some educators - but both camps agree on the <span style="font-style:italic;">value<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> of teaching children to read. The methods teachers use do not deprive students of reading instruction. Clearly, our nation’s teachers work to teach reading - and they are passionate about it. With respect to 21st century skills, however, a teacher’s decision not to use technology (where it is available) deprives a student of opportunities to practice and learn the 21st century skills in technology-empowered, information-rich environments. It is irresponsible to "decide" not to use technology for learning. I'm calling for a passionate teacher workforce that champions the use of technologies to advance the 21st century skills.<br /><br />Heidi, I'd like to answer your good question: “Why, as a system, are we failing so miserably in providing teachers with mentors and coaches who will help them (teachers) through this change?” That is, in fact, the specific work that I do each and every day. I work with teacher leaders and mentors who “lead the learning” in schools committed to becoming models of 21st century learning. We are not failing. These educators are <span style="font-style:italic;">amazing</span>! Education specialists who guide and support teachers through the process of transforming education are an invaluable investment. They are hard to find. They are hard to keep. They are, in my opinion, the change agents needed to make positive change happen. And I believe, they are responding to the call to "stand up" for updating our schools for the students of the 21st century. Still, there are too many educators that irresponsibly "decide" not to participate. That is a shame.<br /><br />So, we have had quite a discussion! I’ve neglected some very important work this past 36 hours – and must get back to it - but I consider this conversation worth a lost night’s sleep. I’m signing off on this topic now – but leave you with an earnest question. Are we, as an education community, willing <span style="font-style:italic;">and able</span> to consider the question of "malpractice" with respect to implementing the 21st century skills in our classrooms? I find the question intriguing. I've been thinking about it each day since I heard it. I am not discouraged and I am not defensive. As an educator, <span style="font-style:italic;">I am determined<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> to <span style="font-weight:bold;">practice<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> the 21st century skills!Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-22749319550197768152008-10-03T00:59:00.000-07:002008-10-03T02:29:26.289-07:00Well...Is THIS Educational Malpractice?In response to a comment posted by Dan Callahan on October 3, 2008 in response to my October 2, 2008 blog post, "Is This Educational Malpractice?" <br /><br />Dan, I'm so glad you zoomed in on my mention of "standards of practice" in my October 2, 2008 blog post "Is This Educational Malpractice?" I anticipated that readers might question the "accepted standard" caveat articulated in the definition of malpractice offered on FreeAdvice.com. You didn't let me down and I appreciate that! Thank you for reading my blog and for encouraging me to explain my position. <br /><br />I would argue that the "standards" for 21st century teaching and learning are widely published and accepted at this time. For example: <br /><br />1.) The International Society for Technology in Education updated the 2000 NETS.T in January 2008. The <a href="http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm">2008 National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers</a> detail and profile the internationally accepted standards for 21st century teaching. ISTE describes these standards as "a framework for educators to use as they transition schools from Industrial Age to Digital Age places of learning."<br /><br />2.) In 2007, the American Association of School Librarians released the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm">AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner</a>. These standards detail the skills, resources and tools that are crucial for students who will live and work in this century. According to AASL, the standards provide "a guide and beckon... to serve as a tool for library media specialists to use to shape the learning of students in the school."<br /><br />3.) In 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007, the International Technology Education Association(ITEA) published the <a href="http://www.iteaconnect.org/TAA/Publications/TAA_Publications.html">Standards for Technological Literacy</a>. The intent of ITEA's standards is to help educators define and recognize quality technology instruction. <br /><br />4.) The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an advocacy group composed of education leaders (National Education Association and American Association of School Librarians), business leaders, community and government leaders published a powerful <a href="http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=120">Framework for 21st Century Learning</a>. To date, nine states have adopted the P21 Framework and are systematically working to infuse standards for 21st century teaching and learning in public schools. <br /><br />5.) Every state in our nation has developed and implemented technology standards for students. In our nation, there is a statutory requirement that requires schools to ensure that students are technologically literate by the end of the 8th grade. The portion of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act known as 'Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001' (E2T2) requires schools: To assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technologically literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade, regardless of the student's race, ethnicity, gender, family income, geographic location, or disability. <br /><br />I could go on and on with examples of “accepted standards” but I know you get the idea.<br /><br />If you are arguing that the 21st century skills are not standard PRACTICE in U.S. public schools, I would wholeheartedly agree with you, and thank you for making my point. The "accepted standard" (and,I might add LAW, see #5 above) is not the accepted practice. Let me return to the medical malpractice definition and analogy. First, I admit, I’m no attorney, so I'm simplifying to make a point. If a physician notes a suspicious lesion and fails to evaluate the cause and follow an accepted standard in practice, the physician does harm to the patient. In a like manner, if an educator is aware of a pertinent educational need of students charged to their care - and fails to assess the need and implement an accepted "standard" of instructional practice, they do harm to the student. Let's look at it another way. What consequences might follow if an educator decided NOT to teach reading in his class? What if he ignored reading as an “accepted standard” of practice? I think we know the answer. The 21st Century skills are often compared to reading – as an essential life skill for students who will live and work in this century. How can educators NOT embrace the teaching of these skills with the same passion and vigor as they embrace the teaching of reading?<br /><br />Let me make an important point that you bring to my attention. I am quick to praise our nation's educators who <span style="font-style:italic;">are doing an admirable job</span> teaching many, many, many "standards." Our teachers are masters at TEACHING content. My October 2 post, however, is calling attention to a set of LEARNING skills and abilities that students will need for success in the 21st century. These skills include: constructing knowledge in modern contexts; practicing life skills through real-world problem-solving; experiencing creativity and testing innovation through relevant projects and activities; gathering, analyzing, creating and communicating information to audiences of peers throughout the world. The "accepted standards" for these skills, in IMHO, are not widely visible in contemporary classroom practice. My question remains, Dan. Is this educational malpractice?Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-80510592312817616402008-10-02T07:16:00.000-07:002008-10-03T09:29:33.893-07:00Is This Educational Malpractice?I’m a new blogger and I have a writer’s block. It is not the “block” one typically associates with blank paper. It is, in fact, the opposite. This block is like trying to stream live video on very low bandwidth. The video stream of my mind pushes so much data into the narrow “pipeline” of my keyboard that the path clogs and the hourglass of “wait time” begins to spin. You see, I’m extremely concerned about the compelling need to reform our nation’s schools. Our national economic security depends on bringing our schools into the 21st century. In my small circle of influence, I have championed the progression of the 21st century skills movement for 25 years. I became passionate about the need for school reform with the first national call for change - A Nation at Risk in 1983. I have followed and reacted to a plethora of urgent “change mandates” for a quarter of a century now. I’m clearly focused on the need to upgrade schools and I’m serious about it. Now, given a blog forum, I’m eager to “push” every challenge and each potential solution into the blogosphere and I’m limited by one text stream!<br /> <br />I’ve decided to “beat the block” by letting the stream flow with one of the most thought-provoking statements I’ve heard in my experience with school reform efforts. It happened just last week as I attended a conference of instructional support specialists representing school systems throughout the U.S. During an administrative briefing, the topic shifted to our schools’ need for leadership in implementing the 21st century skills. The speaker, armed with data and rationale, made the challenge real. Her admonition: “Failure to implement the 21st century skills in our schools constitutes <span style="font-style:italic;">malpractice</span>.” Simple. Bold. Clear. Finally…the bottom line! <br /><br />Malpractice, according to FreeAdvice.com is defined as:<br /><br />“… a professional's misconduct or failure to use adequate levels of care, skill or diligence in the performance of the professional's duties that causes harm to another. In order for malpractice to be actionable, injury, loss or damage must be suffered by the person who retained the professional's services, or those otherwise entitled to benefit from or rely upon the professional's services.”<br /><br />How many times have I walked through schools and left with a heart heavy for the students who are being harmed by omission of the 21st century skills? Too many children have passed before my experience deprived of opportunities to learn academic content in relevant, contemporary contexts. Too many, who are entitled to a 21st century education, sit passively in rows at the expense of learning to self-direct, innovate, collaborate and demonstrate responsibility for their own learning. I’m beyond being perplexed at the mindset that stubbornly determines to “beautifully prepare students for a world that no longer exists.” (Eric Hoffer) I find myself aligned with a brilliant woman who had the courage to call it what it is: MALPRACTICE. <br /><br />I Googled “malpractice” as I began writing this blog entry. A lengthy list of links to “medical malpractice” appeared. I looked around with trepidation as site after site defined malpractice as “negligence by omission of accepted standards of practice that cause injury to others.” I can’t help but wonder how long our profession can sustain malpractice. How long will stakeholders forgive institutional tolerance for “omission” of 21st century skills? After twenty-five years of public policy, reform and change mandates pleading for upgrades to schooling, I can’t imagine continued patience. I suggest that the day of “educational malpractice” is upon us. Let every educator at every level examine “omission” of 21st century skills in their own practice. This is serious. Upgrading the seriousness of the 21st century challenge might be just what is needed to upgrade education's sense of urgency.Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-30416618441363238072008-09-15T17:41:00.000-07:002008-09-15T18:50:52.918-07:00Swinging at the Pendulum<span style="font-size:12;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Those of us who have been teaching for awhile are quite familiar with education's "swinging pendulum." We’ll probably agree that the “edupendulum” has come to symbolize a never-ending cycle of minimally impactful “changes” in the schools. The pendulum has become an icon in our profession. Educators have come to accept it as an inevitable tenet of our business. The time has come, however, for the edupendulum to be examined and exposed for what it is. It is an enemy in the battle for school reform. <br /><br />You see, most teachers don’t trust the pendulum. They trust it so little that without prompt or provocation veteran teachers indoctrinate “newbies” to the capriciousness of the pendulum. It is identified as a force that powers the constant ebb and flow of education fads and trends. It is blamed for swinging teacher’s attention from one counterproductive craze to another. Unfortunately, the pendulum has conditioned our teachers to sabotage “change efforts.” It is a problem of our own making. We’ve not always been selective about the tools we've introduced to our teachers. We’ve allowed societal pressures, eager vendors, ambitious leaders and funding cycles to drive “killer apps” and startling "innovations" into our classrooms. We’ve insisted that educators use them. We’ve cajoled their positive attitudes. Then, we watch in dismay as a vast majority of teachers quietly retreat to their classrooms where they continue to do what they believe to be best for students. They teach as they were taught.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It is easy to understand why so many seasoned teachers are leery of educational "change." Because we all understand the pendulum phenomenon, why then are we surprised when educators view the "21st century skills" as one more in a series of pendulum swings? Well, we aren't <i style="font-style: italic;">all that </i></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >surprised</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> but, in this matter, we have to be <i style="">deeply concerned.<em></em></i> Why? Because the skepticism that educators bring to the 21st century skills is becoming a major barrier to the progress of our students and our nation. For the first time in the history of our profession, the reluctance of educators to embrace a change is actually threatening the future of our stakeholders. Today's students live in a digital age, a global world and a new economy. These students will live and work during the morphing of boundaries, institutions, knowledge and businesses. The tools of their professions have yet to be invented. The jobs they will hold are yet to be created. Their workspace will, no doubt, be grounded in cyberspace. How will we prepare them for the challenges of exponential change? Frankly, unless each teacher "steps up," we won't prepare them. "Stepping up" means recognizing that the pendulum of traditional education cannot swing forever. The friction of change is rapidly grinding the worn, traditional gears to a halt. Perhaps it is as it should be. With the pendulum stilled, educators can cease marking time--cease a back and forth movement--CEASE <i style="">marching in place</i> within the confines of a monolithic system. Instead, educators can do what they yearn to do. They can step over the barriers of traditional schooling and step into the 21st century learning trajectory. They'll meet their students there -- on an </span><span class="vi" style="font-size:100%;">upward and onward path that challenges all learners to </span><span style="font-size:100%;">master the skills and abilities needed to glide into their future.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-91422548433042497112008-09-13T15:47:00.000-07:002008-09-13T20:05:22.784-07:00Lurking Guardians of the PastI'm deep into my "detailed reread" of Clayton Christensen's <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Class-Disruptive-Innovation-Change/dp/0071592067/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221346812&sr=8-1">Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns</a></span>. My first encounter with a promising new non-fiction book is always a cursory review. I'm essentially speed reading to hear the author's foremost message. If I'm drawn to the point, I set aside precious quality time for a delicious and "detailed reread." That's what I did with <span style="font-style: italic;">Disrupting Class</span>. I added it to my stack of "rereads." My self-appointed rule is to place a new "reread" on the bottom of the stack--but I rarely follow my own rule. I've noticed that compelling "rereads" find their way to the top to the stack by haunting my curiosity and peaking my sense of adventure. These books lure me back to them with an attraction that surely resembles the forces that drive treasure hunters. Because I know treasure exists within them, I'm compelled to mine the gold in "them there hills." I'm beginning to better understand and appreciate the "reread" stack. It is a second filter of sorts. It separates potential treasure troves from fool's gold. And true to its function, the "reread stack" catapulted <span style="font-style: italic;">Disrupting Class</span> toward me at every given opportunity for quality time. I am <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">into</span> this book. I'm reading for treasures and finding them.<br /><br />Here is a treasure drawn from page 112. Its accuracy disturbs me.<br /><br />"Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian Nobel Laureate in literature once observed, "At every crossway on the road that leads to the future each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the past."<br /><br />I'm disturbed because I suspect that the "thousand men" may be living in my neighborhood, in my community... and they may be congregating in <span style="font-style: italic;">my schools</span>! Why, just last week I caught a glimpse of lurking guardians of the past. I'd just chaired an exhilarating meeting with forwarding-thinking administrators that<span style="font-style: italic;"> genuinely</span> aspire to transforming schools for the 21st century. Following the meeting and filled with hope and renewed energy, I plunged into my work. One of "the thousand" slowly emerged in my thinking - out of nowhere! Just as clearly as a ringing bell, I replayed a meeting scene in which a potential "guardian"interjected, "What we are doing is <span style="font-weight: bold;">changing</span> the teacher's job description." Now, I don't doubt for a minute that the speaker intended to call attention to the fact that our expectations for <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> teachers teach are changing ... and for the better. But somewhere deep in the origin of the comment was a guardian of the past. The "guardian" challenged whether or not our schools <span style="font-style: italic;">had the right</span> to adjust expectations for how teachers teach in the 21st century. After all, the existing job description did not spell out a responsibility for teaching "21st century skills." Maeterlinck's quote kicked in. It was a jolt - an epiphany. <span class="sense_break"><span class="sense_break"><span class="sense_break"><span class="sense_content">In an instant I had an intuitive grasp of the reality that surfaced through this event. It is simple and so striking. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">There is a "guardian of the past" lurking in the the most</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> progressive of us.</span> As we step into the future, the guardian of all things past is that voice that whispers, "Can we <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> do this?" "Is it <span style="font-style: italic;">really possible</span> to glimpse the future and plan for progressive tomorrows? "Who <span style="font-style: italic;">am I</span> to lead a charge for change?" Oh, that Maeterlinck's "thousands" were that small in number! Given a thousand to defeat, we'd have 21st century schools with informed teaching and progressive learning on every corner. The reality, however, is that "guardians of the past" exist within the most courageous of us. We must all battle to conquer the voices that "guard the past." It won't be easy. It will be hard. Chances are great that "the old demon" will surface every day.Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208633604800073524.post-85337711237422339562008-09-06T18:33:00.001-07:002008-09-14T14:55:28.574-07:00Flanking the Centurions<span style="line-height: 150%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >I can't remember my first lessons about the Roman centurions. I don't recall the grade or the teacher. I have no idea why I carry a clear imprint of these ancient soldier-leaders...one that closely resembles this award-winning image from <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikimedia Commons</a>. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Admittedly, I am not a history scholar. In fact, my current understandings about centurions are quite likely shaped by my schooling, old movies and my husband, the history buff. As I began thinking about a name for my blog voice, however, a synapse of stilled dendrites and axons rattled my dormant "centurion schema." After a bit of cursory fact-checking, my uncontested choice for a blogspot title was "The 21st Century Centurion." You see, on some level, I know we need a militia of highly skilled educators to lead the learning in the 21st century. I am compelled by the urgent need to energize, empower and mobilize a vast corps of courageous, innovative educators who <b>will</b> <b>redefine</b> teaching and learning for the 21st Century. Having </span><span style="line-height: 150%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >worked in technology professional development for years, I'm able to recognize that the "season" for transformation is upon us <b>now--in the present--today</b>. All things past have come together - to NOW. A symphony of knowledge, tools, resources, conditions, policies, societal needs, educational crises, and the pulse of the human condition is at full crescendo. After 25 years of change vibrations, beginning with a Nation at Risk in 1983, the call for a learning revolution resonates at ear-splitting intensity. The shrill cry for change will certainly shatter the fragile remains of traditional, monolithic schools. Our students hang in the balance trusting society to rally and rebuild them. The good news is an army of 21st century "education centurions" is forming.<br /><br />Having said all of that, I confess that this centurion paused before charging into the edublogosphere. It is truthful to say that she looked over the blog horizon, saw the army of naysayers, and considered a quick retreat. It is <b>intimidating</b><i> </i>to make one's self vulnerable to arrows of criticism from the bows of colleagues. Yet, over the years, I have learned to take blows from traditionalists without negative emotion. Uncharacteristically, however, I have silently followed and learned and grown from the courageous lead of edubloggers who overcame fears and wounds to lead the net-charge for school reform. I've long been inspired by the web queen, <a href="http://kathyschrock.net/">Kathy Schrock</a> and the flat world princess <a href="http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/">Vicki Davis</a>. I've been energized by the passion of <a href="http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/">Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach</a>, the sheer volume of <a href="http://www.wesfryer.com/default.htm">Wes Fryer's</a> outstanding contributions, the humor and wisdom of <a href="http://christaallan.com/">Christa Allen</a>, the selfless and brilliant insights of <a href="http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/">Terry Freedman</a>, the faithfulness of <a href="http://durffsblog.blogspot.com/">Lisa Durff</a>, the erudite rants of <a href="http://www.stager.org/blog/index.html">Gary Stager</a> and the tireless and amazing efforts of gifted leaders including <a href="http://ideasandthoughts.org/">Dean Shareski</a>, <a href="http://elemenous.typepad.com/">Lucy Gray</a>, <a href="http://thumannresources.com/">Lisa Thurrman</a>, <a href="http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/">Scott Floyd</a> and <a href="http://budtheteacher.com/blog/">Bud Hunt</a>. There are so many others. I owe so much to so many.<br /><br />How can one sit on the sideline once the mission is clear? How can one "be still" when walls are crumbling and students must be served? How does an educator say "no" when colleagues are assembling to reform our profession? Here's the answer to all three questions. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We will not be still.</span> The educators will rally. They'll enlist. They'll disrupt, conquer and rebuild our schools for the 21st century. I am certain of this. Toward this end, I join the ranks of web centurions that marched before me and paved my way in the blogosphere. Thank you for your leadership.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span><p style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></p>Beth Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13819933894839367350noreply@blogger.com9