My world on the web
I think sometimes we push a group to all change in the same way at the same time. We add something new: a new system, a new approach, a new process, and we expect everyone to respond similarly. But some people are like my shoulder, some like my knee. We need to support the changes we want in such a way that we don’t expect the same responses and results from everyone, and realize that some people are ready to be pushed hard, and others need to go slow.
I think this is one of the biggest challenges that any leader faces when implementing change.
It reminds me of something that Corrie Barclay recently wrote in regards to reading various ‘how to’ posts:
As much as I have enjoyed reading and engaging with those countless posts and articles written and shared recently about these topics, I am also conscious… maybe not the right word… maybe it is… that schools and school leaders are doing what is right for them, their own situations and their contexts.
I have previously talked about with my staff, as well as at conferences I have presented at, the 3 Russian Brothers and their Cousin. Their names being:
- Morov. (What do you need to do more of?).
- Lessov. (What do you need to do less of?)
- Ridov. (What do you need to get rid of?)
- Tossin. (What can you toss in?)
From here on in I think I will disown Tossin as we need to part ways, indefinitely. Ridov can hang around. Lessov too. And as for Morov… I’ll only be conversing with him after I have held deep and meaningfuls with his two brothers.
Here’s to doing better instead of more.
Your ‘Russian brothers’ reminds me in part of a post by Tom Barrett on innovation compression, where you need to take something away in order to add something in:
We need to avoid innovation compression by clearing the way, closing existing programmes and providing people the resources they need to make things work.
I sometimes wonder about those brothers and how much sway I have over them? As Harper Lee once wrote:
You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ’em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.
When I think about WHY I started blogging it was certainly not for the likes, kudos and comments. It was for one simple reason and that being – to share my experiences in teaching, learning and leading. Pretty simple hey.
There are two pieces that I often come back to on this topic. The first is from J Hillis Miller who argued that we are always already writing:
As we read we compose, without thinking about it, a kind of running commentary or marginal jotting that adds more words to the words on the page. There is always already writing as the accompaniment to reading.
The challenge is getting those thoughts out.
The second is Clive Thompson’s discussion of the power of public:
Having an audience can clarify thinking. It’s easy to win an argument inside your head. But when you face a real audience, you have to be truly convincing.
Although nobody may care, it is the possibility that they might which probably matters.
In regards to your writing, what I have always appreciated about your posts over time is your effort to bring things together. Personally, I am less worried about the technical side of writing and more interested in the voice and perspective offered. But then, maybe I am just a bad writer too. Who knows, who cares 🙂
With the above being taken into account, as well as again, trying to steer my darlings away from watching… ONLY YouTube videos, I decided to structure their screen time, and more so iPad time, by throwing out some challenges and projects for them to complete. To be honest, I thought that this idea would crash and burn however they have responded to what’s been set well. Their enthusiasm and motivation to complete these challenges have been great and I am pretty proud of them for seeing them through.
In setting these challenges and knowing my kids, I knew that there needed to be a few parameters around what I was setting. My kids are highly competitive and see anything that is deemed to be a challenge or pits one against another as competition – something that I was wanting to avoid. The parameters I set may differ for other kids and families however, they worked for us and until the wheels fall off, I’ll continue with them. There are only 3 and this is how they were pitched.
- You are rewarded for attempting the challenges being set. This is not about competition and who is the best. It is about participation, being challenged, and giving it a go!
- Time limits are set. Challenges are not ongoing and or to last years at a time!
- You must give it your best. No half baked attempts or deciding to opt-in purely to get a reward. I need to feel that you’ve not given your best.
What I like about the ‘challenges’ is that it is not about how much screentime, instead it is about how that time is used. This was something Mitch Resnick discussed in this extract from Life-Long Kindergarten. The only addition I wonder about is something like Duolingo. Is this a challenge or too educational?
In regards to Garageband, I was reminded of something Austin Kleon said:
Like most parents, I angst about giving the kids too much screen time, but Garageband has taught me: Not all screen time is created equal. The right piece of software matched with a child’s natural proclivities and talents and passion can yield complete gold.
A little while back I attended a great day of professional learning which was facilitated by the DLTV titled “Tell your own adventure: Literacy and DigiTech through interactive fiction”. What caught my eye with this event was that I love my technology and the ways in which, when used effectively, can support student learning outcomes. Additionally to that, my school has had a large push on building the capacity of our students to shift from ‘being good at writing to being great writers’. Based on that I felt this PL opportunity would encourage that.
Friday before last, I was fortunate enough to attend the ‘Minecraft for Education Teacher Starter Academy’. This was hosted at Microsoft HQ in Melbourne and led by Stephen Elford, a DET Digital Learning Coach and Minecraft Global Mentor.
The day was in its entirety an opportunity for us in attendance to learn the basics of the game, primarily the education edition, and discuss with others how we could best implement this back in our own settings.
To borrow from my previous post I mentioned that Riss had led us through the “writing process” and shared the the 5 core steps in that process;
- Pre writing planning,
- Drafting,
- Revising,
- Editing,
- Publishing.
Fair call to say that I skipped step one and went directly to step two. My plan is to now ‘revise’ the above piece (which i’ll be more comfortable in sharing albeit still uncomfortable in doing so), and then edit, and finally publish.
It’s not been until my current place of employment that I was asked, repeatedly, by parents and caregivers about what the impact would be of iPad devices being integrated in to their student’s learning. In saying that, it does not mean that other parents and caregivers has not been concerned in …
I thought the one person to turn to in regards to the effectiveness of technology was Gary Stager. He certainly has some interesting things to say:
@mrkrndvs @jjash @jennyluca We are only ever asked to provide evidence for things kids like.
— Gary Stager, Ph.D. (@garystager) March 5, 2016
I am intrigued by your reference to Marzano in association with technology. Have you read his work on IWBs?
I have always had concerns with SAMR, my particular gripe is the lack of awareness to the wider context. I have really enjoyed following Ian Guest’s work assocaited with Twitter, in particular his reference to ‘non-human’ actors. This is why I think that there is hope with the Modern Learning Canvas to support teachers in developing a richer appreciation of practice. See for example the canvas I made assocaited with our learning model:
“Modern Learning Canvas – Instructional Model” by mrkrndvs is licensed under CC BY-SA
If we ask teachers to change their “roles, relationships and actions”, I think that we need a way of seeing and appreciating that. The canvas provides a great tool to identify transformation.
Lastly, in regards to wider research, I collected some links here if you need anything.
Aaron
Syndicated on collect.readwriterespond.com
Empathy is about feeling with people and understanding with emotion the plight they may be in. It takes a true human connection to be made for empathy to be real and genuine. It is that empathetic connection that makes the feeling of being vulnerable better.
Getting Going with Google (w/ Corrie Barclay)
Melbourne Google Educator Group Meeting at Manor Lakes, 10th December 2014
