#admincamp 3 reflections

11/12/2014

What a great day of expanding my thinking. There were so many great thoughts that I wanted to capture to review later. I have so many things to reflection on:

From Paul Angelise

"Who is your every body?" 

A prepared mind understand your passion. 

Being a manger used to be educational leadership but now we are moving to instructional leaders but even that alone does not define what a good educational leader is. There's an important piece about service that must be included. 

"The best prize like has to offer is the chance to do the work worth doing" 

From Adam Hartely 

The oppisite of a hero is a bystander. 

The world is a dangerous place to live not because of those people who do evil but because of the people that do nothing about it. 

"like dang" is the call of a bystander

Adam walked us through a Heroic Journey 

"we are so focused on climbing that mountain we don't take the adventure to go around it." 

interesting people to connect with on twitter 

Lars Leafblad, Daily inspiration, Clocky @poweron

A hero is compassion, empathic, mindful and attenitve

Steps in the herois journey 

call to action 

connecting/assistance

thershold

main challenge/ trail 

mastery of both worlds. Trail blazer that impacts the staus quo 

Bystander leaders build through success which means they are destoryed through losses. Heroic leaders build throught the pain and exerience to fuel their passion to face the next challenge.  

#Colchat takeaways 7/29/2014

#Colchat takeaways 7/29/2014

It was so great to run into expected and unexpected tweeps at #COLchat2action. 

 There's an amazing type of learning that happens when you have a room full of a passionate professional that are doublingly  engaged. I say double egagned because I am listening to  and being inspired by great speakers such at @thenerdyteacher and at the same time my head is down engaged on my device in a back channel conversation. That head down device lit  face body language looks disrespectful on it's face value. But it's not. I am activity engaged in listening, inspiration and channeling that engagement into constructed my own learning. Is this learning our students would benefit from? Posssibly. Is this learning we would allow our students? Probably not. 

We say we go to these conferences on our own time own our own dime for connections. And #Colchat did not dissappoint. I ran into all the usual suspects. Geat to see them and hear what's going on in their life. 

But also I put faces to people I have talked to on Twitter. Another awkward face to face moment where I say so nice to meet you to someone I feel that I know well through twitter. 

But also I connected to new people. I spoke with new administrators. I learned about new groups in virtual education. 

And that's what a conference should be. 1. see those you know 2. meet those you know 3. meet new people. 

And then there was the learning. 

I learned about Voice Thread. We can have a read out with our homeschooling students. 

I missed the session on standards based grading - that will have to be home work for me. 

Someone mentioned Glide - some app. I want to figure out that is. 

I want to recommit to blogging. Not  because I want a following but to be reflective in my practice. 

 In Seth's session he challenged us to do some crappy writing. This is mine. I am a terrible speller and the iPad Blogger app does not have spell check - can you believe it!

the "why" in leadership #miched #edleadership inspired by @pauldsupt

why i notes

I am lucky to be part of the "why I" cohort in Birmingham Public Schools where we focus on the why in your leadership and empathy.  @pauldsupt leads us in reflecting on why we want to be leaders in public schools and what type of leader we are. Here are some notes from our earlier December meeting. These questions may guide you in your own reflection about your leadership. 

12/5/2014

The difference between effective and highly effective is intentional. When learning stops, how intentional is a teacher about moving them along. John Hattie Visible Learning. 

What is your greatest strength as teacher?

How intentional are you about that?

Think of a great teacher, what's their greatest strength?

What would others say about you? 

What's an area of growth that you are working on?

How intentional are you about that? 

Evaluation process is about intentional bettering practice. The greatest variable that we can impact in student achievment is teachers. 

Rick Duford:" are you looking out the window or looking in the mirror?" Out the window is things you cannot control. The evolution process is looking in the mirror. 

Circle of Trust approach 

clearness committee is  discussed in Park Palmer book on page 44 and 92 

Clearness committee is a protocol that asks questions of your decision without giving advice 

Touchstones of Circle of Trust

give and receive welcome; speak your truth in ways that respect other peoples' truth; 

Reflection: so often we response with advice or our own story. As we tell our own story we are building connections. This protocols allows us only to ask questions, not fix and give advice.  That's a hard thing to do. To be in service of others. 

What's your Why? 

I want to be an administrator to move my service to mentoring teachers from mentoring students. With the changes teachers are going through cataclysmic changes. There is a great need to support those people that in pinched between students and all the pressures from outside. 

should businesses run schools? via jeff Branzburg

source http://branzburg.blogspot.com/

What @GoogleGlass connected me to #throughtGlass #Gafe #migoogle

What Google Glass connected me to     

My Story

Last year about this time, I attend MiGoogle conference and listened to Andrew Vander Heuvel talk about his experience with Google Glass.  The innovation of Google Glass inspired me to apply to be a Google Glass Explorer. At that point the program was a closed beta. That means you needed to be accepted in order to be allowed to buy glass.  Currently it is an open beta (meaning anyone can buy Google Glass). Instead of putting my first name on the application, I put my twitter handle @JulieAllThat. Within a week I have an invitation to buy Google Glass. The cost is significant. But the experience of being a Google Glass Explorer has opened doors for me.

What I do with Google Glass

Glass has been great for first person point of view videos. I can video tape my daughter’s whole band performance without the picture dropping down because my hand is sagging. The first person point of view can best shown from this example on my YouTube Channel.  While recording my daughter’s band concert, I was invited to present at Chrysler to their team that works on vehicle connection software. I did present there and had great conversations about technology added vale verses distraction with the engineers.

Glass is also great for being there. I never have to dig for my phone. Email, tweets, texts, and phone calls are right there when I am wearing glass. It’s called heads up display.

One of the best things I do with Google Glass is share it. Yes I present at corporations, conferences, and edcamps but I also pass it around. There’s nothing more powerful than that expression on a student’s face when they start engaging in the technology. When they do engage, we open that innovative thinking to create the next generation of problem solvers.

What can Google Glass do in the classroom?

·         Star Chart gives student a heads up map of the night time sky.

·         Evernote can record a teacher’s lecture for student who need notes.

·         Student’s can record presentations and labs from their point of view.

·         Google Glass can translate text from one language to another.  

·         Google Glass can read QR codes. A student can look at a QR code to bring up more information.

·         Virtual Field trips can be created from a first person point of view to enhance the student’s engagement.

Takeaways

For me it’s not about the device. Google Glass is just a conversation starter for creative problem solving. For moving our thinking into the next step. Wearable technology is a growing field including Fitbits, smart clothing, and smart watches. Our students will be earning a living as adults in a world that moves. They will need to adapt and change with that world.  I came across a post on @teachthought called 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teachers Who Use Technology. These are more than just habits, they are fundamental job skills for our students.

Learn More:

Andrew’s story about Google Glass

Andrew’s trip to CERN

STEMBites

Teacher’s Guide to Google Glass

30 Ways Google Glass Can Innovate the Classroom

Mrs. Pepe’s 60 of Google Glass in the Classroom

My Wearable Technology Presentation

#Edcampou Wrap up

This past weekend was the third edcampOu. This year we moved to Pawley Hall which is a great building. From the artium downstairs you have three floors of  people joining the learning.

Playing with Makey Makey 

Playing with Conductive Ink !

student discipline framed as a growth opportunity via Dr. Proctor #30daysreflection

Have you ever listened to one of those leaders that such is so great it's just a wow moment?

I had one Monday night. Dr Fred Proctor, retired principal of Groves HS speak to us about leadership. He wrapped up student discipline in the most positive way. Here's my utterly lacking para phrase:

"Students make choices. Choice have outcomes. Not all of those choices are wise and not all of the outcomes are good. It's a given that young people will make bad choices. Their brain are not done growing and predicting consequences is one of the last skills we develop.
As a principal, we are responding to the choices they made. Each choice has outcomes.
As principals we are face with explaining the outcomes of their choices. We help our students move through the consequences of their choices. But very importantly, we give them the tools not to make those choices again. We let them know there is redemption, second changes, and growth. We are not punishing children but raising adults. We need to help time move forward."

All his words ( paraphrased) not mine. Reflecting on this I found it powerful. He did not frame it in a negative light. In fact he focused on the positive outcome of growth and moving forward yet their was a strong accountability. And no judgement.

teacher leadership Tomorrow's goal #30dayreflection #day3

As a teacher leader, I wear many hats. Still a teacher yet a resource for our teachers is a balancing act that I am still learning. In many ways the conversations are the same. I am still talking to a learner who is asking for support in an area.
Tomorrow's goal is to move the teachers up on the priority list to equal with my students. In the beginning of the school year management tasks were weighting my schedule down. Does everyone know their passwords and usernames.
Tomorrow's list has follow ups with students and teacher mingled together inside of student than teacher.

Advice from Lestat to help teachers with their changing professional #30dayreflection #day2

"I simply refuse to be defeated. No matter what happens to me, I fight back and I fight for myself and fight to turn the experience into something meaningful. This is not a virtue. This is an inherent disposition." Lestat 

From Anne Rice's Facebook fan Page Lestat here: Jasmine Donovan has asked: "Lestat, what do you believe has helped you to adapt to the changes in the world over the years and has helped you to survive through all the trials and tribulations you have faced? --- Jasmine, it is my optimism and rebellious spirit. I simply refuse to be defeated. No matter what happens to me, I fight back and I fight for myself and fight to turn the experience into something meaningful. This is not a virtue. This is an inherent disposition. posted 10/3

What is your inherent disposition towards ......
....learning?
.....your students?
.....your families?
..... your team members?

So much to think about from a vampire. Lestat has been through the human experience since 1760. As teachers, we think we have been through some pretty huge changes in our career.  But a good teacher has that same inherent disposition of being a fighter. A fighter for our students. A fighter for givng them the best learning so their futures, however much the world changes around them, will be bright successful and happy. 

Teacher leadership is about the teachers not the management tasks #30dayreflection #day1

Starting up the school year is a huge job for administration. As my first time being a small part of it, I can say it was more than I expected. As I finally get my head above water again, I realize I am spending time being a manager not a leader. I am fixing schedules, checking usernames, and resetting passwords as one of my teachers needs help. 

While the management tasks do need to get done, they should not rule us. My goal is to increase the time I spend supporting our teachers. 

My core values #edcamp #whyi..

working on my paper, here's what came out ..........

My educational manifesto is based on my three core values. Through two leadership groups I am a participant in ( Aspiring Principals Leadership Academy at Oakland Schools and Why I Leadership Cohort at Birmingham Schools), I have done an exercise repeated that is flipping through a stack of cards to pick your Core Values.  The results of this can be viewed in this presentation and are summarized below.

My first core value is learning. Learning takes several manifestation in my values. First my own life long learning and continuing to be challenged. Secondly to model, support, and create opportunities for others to learn including students and teachers to extend their learning.  Lastly our decisions must be based in what’s best for student learning because that is the bottom line. Supporting student learning is the foundation of our profession.

The next core value is innovation. Innovation has three aspects for me. First it speaks to my love of technology. But innovation is more than flashy technology, it is creativity in all forms. The purpose of innovation is to find ways for all learners to be successful. This is what drew me to special education. The three aspects of innovation are technology, creativity, and success for all learners.

Inspiration is another core value. I used to focus on passion. My passion is about me and in service of me following what’s important to me. If you take that same energy and turn it in service of others you have inspiration.  I find inspiration in my personal learning networks of twitter, edcamps, Aspiring Principal Leadership Academy, Why I cohort, and my mentor at work. I hope to be that inspiration in others.

Learning Innovation Inspiration

Reflection from #TEDxGPSHS

Below is my storify from #TedxGPSHS. @thenerdyteacher does a great job of explaining for #20time projects are.

These kids were so inspiring. I have decide to take on my own challenge. My 20%time project is to find balance in my life.  Here's my priority list as proven by the way I live my life now. 1. work 2. work 3. needs of other ( my kids) 4. graduate school 5. hobbies I enjoy.

Finding balance in life is a huge mountain to climb so here is my baby step. Take 20% of your time to follow your passions that are NOT professional. Gardening. Crafting. Training my parrots. Off line time will be my balance.

Tech should engage ( not enterain) students reflections on @collivan97 's post #edtech

This was so huge for me that it edits my belief statement. (Bird walk I have a living document I call my belief statement. It is focuses on my Core beliefs and short explanation of them.) This morning I read Five Things I Want Teachers to Know About Edtech by Collin Sullivan @collivan97. #3 is engage vs. entertain. This was the huge part for me. Technology must promote student engagement. Engagement is the doorway to student learning. Without that engagement, student do not master the information to turn that information into knowledge.
Engagement should the litmus test for if technology should be used. This pulls together so many principals that have ran true for me such as "we should not use tech for tech sake". From my belief statement:

Innovation is one of my core values because we must find creative ways to meet the challenges of the future. Many of today’s student will have jobs that do not exist today. My own virtual learning mentor job did not exist even five years ago. Innovation does include embracing technology but that should be tempered with evaluation. We should not impose “tech for tech sake”. Technology is a tool that should support student learning not impede it. I am an early adopter, techie at heart, and geek but I have my feet on the ground. The litmus test for using technology should engagement verses entertainment. While "this is really cool" is exciting, it can turn into a road block for learning. If applying technology to a lesson increases student engagement then it should be used.

added today.

What do you think?