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ring represents the school’s products or services.
The “how” is an explanation of what the school
does. The “why” is about what a school believes
in. Sinek uses the example of Apple. The why is:
They think differently, thereby challenging the
status quo. The how is: By informing potential
buyers that their eye-catching designs are easy
to use. Finally, they arrive at the what question:
They make computers.
MEASURING SUCCESS
It’s important to have a common understanding
of what success looks like and what drives the
different measurements of success. Districts
need a common definition and measurements
of success. Grayslake Community High School
District 127 is using EdLeader21 rubrics to
address this need.
PERMISSION TO THINK AND OPERATE
DIFFERENTLY
Welcome the concept of strategic abandonment,
or the permission to stop doing things. It doesn’t
matter if you’ve invested millions of dollars and
tons of time. If it’s not serving children, let go.
Also consider what you might want to start
doing. Reassess where students and teachers are
and see if you can meet them there. Sometimes
simple solutions can make a big difference, such
as the success of the Facebook group for New
York City educators. Don’t be afraid to think or
operate differently.
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Educators and leaders need strategic learning
opportunities aligned to their personal needs.
There should be a way for teachers and leaders
to assess their success using a resource such
as the ISTE teacher standards. Teacher and
leader learning and work should be recognized
(perhaps via badging or micro-credentials)
and celebrated. There should be a place for
ongoing communication and collaboration so
that learning is not a one-time deal (e.g., online
communities, personal learning communities,
meet-ups, Twitter chats). This will not work
without leaders modeling this work. When they
do, capturing and sharing what they model will
help bring the work to scale across a school and
district.STUDENTS AT THE CENTER
Regardless of the approach or strategy, we
must always keep students at the center. When
implementing blended or personalized learning,
it’s important to remember that the relationship
between teacher and student is still key for
success. However, it goes beyond that. Today,
the teacher should no longer be at the center
of instruction. Instead, the teacher should be
guiding and empowering digital learners who
are at the center of their own learning networks
aligned with their passions, interests, and abilities.
Book recommendations to learn more are The
Educator’s Guide to Creating Connections and
Supporting Student Personal Learning Networks.
Not only should students be at the center, but
students can be empowered to have leadership
roles as well. For example, students can lead
digital citizenship initiatives and there can be
student tech support teams.
In fact, students should be involved in all
aspects of their education: curriculum design,
room space, IT, purchasing. It’s essential that we
communicate with the people who ultimately
will be impacted and give them a platform for
input. Bring everyone to the table and discuss
issues and come up with solutions. Develop a
clear plan, implement, and execute, creatinga pathway that leads and feeds into other
schools. You may want to consider abandoning
a technology plan and creating a learning plan
with pathways to innovation.PLAN FOR THE SHORT TERM AND ITERATE
Gone are the days of long-term plans, purchases,
and infrastructure. The speed of change should
cause us to rethink how frequently we’re
assessing and updating our resources. Schools
and districts must be agile and adapt. This
applies to equipment purchases. Technology
changes every two to three years—not every five
years. It applies to filtering policies. Research
shows that social tools, music, and video have
educational value. Are we inadvertently blocking
resources that can encourage tolerance and
acceptance of communities such as LGBTQ?
Policies should be decided at the school level and
should be easy to adjust. Software application
licenses should be purchased for the short term.
Short-term contracts help put pressure on
companies to stay current.
The same is true for furniture and other
elements of the learning environment. With
flexible design and low-cost items, schools are
less locked into an investment. Beanbag chairs.
Bouncy balls. Pillows. Rugs. High-top tables
for conversation and working while standing
up. Mobile, convertible furniture that meets
learning needs. One school is using $30 pop-
up tents as green screens for students. Some
participants talked of “Ikea-izing ” their schools
and classrooms. There are easy ways to create
flexible learning environments without breaking
the bank.
Lisa Nielsen is author of The Innovative
Educator blog and director of digital engagement
and learning at the New York City Department of
Education.