This I Believe About Ed Tech

Carrying the Wisdom of My Crowd Into My Next Adventure

Tomorrow marks the start of my professional development work with new teachers at my new school! I started as the Director of Educational Technology at an independent school in July and I’m excited to work with this group of enthusiastic educators.

Why have I returned to school life after working for 8+ years as an independent consultant? There are a few reasons… a) I miss kids and my own are nearly grown, b) I’d like to take on the challenge of applying all that I’ve learned the past few years, and c) I’m tired of the edtech rat race and all that goes along with it. I often ponder about the authenticity and impact of consulting work and at this moment, I’d rather focus on a school and a few other passion projects. It’s time for a new adventure!

Here’s the educational philosophy statement I produced as part of the application process for my new position as the Director of Educational Technology for an independent school. I’m not quite satisfied with it, but I hope to continue to refine this and to write more often now that I will be back in a school setting.

Student-centered, inquiry-based, globally connected learning environments have intrigued me throughout my career as an educator, stemming from my own early learning experiences as a student in an independent school from kindergarten through grade 9. Fundamentally, all educational endeavors must be rooted in the authentic experiences facilitated by thoughtful teachers for students to engage and be motivated to learn genuinely. In turn, students develop critical thinking skills and produce deep work, reaching their fullest potential as learners. This path may look different for each child, and it is the responsibility of a school to know and understand their students and to provide personalized learning opportunities, based on student learning styles and interests. I also fervently believe that it is our education system’s obligation to inspire students and their parents and to bring the world to them whenever possible so that they can understand our planet from a broader perspective.

Within this context, I am convinced that technology should be used to support and enhance teaching and learning, to present educational opportunities that were never before possible, and to provide a window into the individual learning experiences of students. Technology is not a substitute for an artful teacher, and while some students may benefit from remedial technology applications, I prefer to see technology employed in more profound ways that allow students to collaborate, to co-create and to communicate with others within their school and beyond their classroom walls. Developing these 21st-century skills sets and STEM skills via the affordances of technology is crucial in this day and age. Our young people eventually will have to work across borders and solve global challenges as adults; technology and innovation play essential roles in preparing students for an ever-changing world.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has been revamping standards for students, teachers, and administrators over the last few years. These changes reflect a significant shift in the field of educational technology from a skills-based approach to one that seeks to develop innovative thinking. We no longer want students and educators to be just technology literate; technology is now seen as a lever for transforming education. Increased awareness of the impact on learning spaces also factors into this. Flexible learning spaces, maker spaces, fab labs, and the like are becoming more prevalent in schools today. In general, I believe that the ISTE standards serve as a useful guide when setting goals in a school related to educational technology.

The effective integration of educational technology into school settings depends on a significant amount of professional development and coaching support for faculty members. Professional learning opportunities can be informal and formal, but the bottom line is that these experiences must be rooted in principles of adult learning theory, otherwise known as andragogy, to inspire teachers to consider the benefits of any professional experience. I also believe in the power of professional learning networks and I try to model for others on how to best leverage these connections. Professional development is one of my passions, and I partake in a variety of opportunities including local lectures, webinars, podcasts, Twitter chats, Ed Camps, and a variety of conferences as I try to learn more about what inspires teachers to evolve in their practice.

As a longtime advocate for educational technology in a range of settings, my role has often involved listening to educators, determining their needs, and making suggestions regarding strategies and tools. I am a curator of best practices in innovation and believe in being professional generous by sharing information with others. Additionally, I have worked with several schools to develop long-term plans for change and, these plans are always customized to each institution and aligned with current strategic plans. In my experience, innovation work with schools must be based on a clear understanding the school’s culture and priorities. My work has taken me around the world to see and work with some of the most resource-challenged schools as well as some of the most elite schools out there. Because I have had these opportunities, I hope to synthesize my findings and apply this knowledge in-depth to an institution on a long-term basis.

I have learned so much over the course of my career, particularly since embarking in a M.Ed program around 2000, and more intensely, during my past several years as a consultant. As I re-visited this statement recently and have begun to think about how I approach my new role, I think it’s important to acknowledge those who have influenced me over the years. As friends generously offered words of encouragement during the last couple of weeks, I have realized that I bring the expertise and wisdom of a whole crowd with me to my new school. I am truly grateful for all the experiences and people I’ve encountered; without these people, my career path would look very different. I also love how I’ve learned about computer science, design, and other topics related to ed tech along the way. Here’s a list of influencers over the years in no particular order…

• Pat Tomasek, Flo Vaughan, and Karen Putman — great teachers, mentors and friends from Pirie School and the Lab Schools who are no longer with us. I think about these women often.
• Steve Hargadon — my work partner on Global Education Events and other projects who is one of the wisest people I know
• A slew of ADE friends particularly everyone who was on our 2006 trip to Berlin and Prague. That was a trip of a lifetime that sparked my interest in global education.
• Valerie Becker and Judy Beaver are two ADEs who particularly have influenced me with their wisdom and creativity. (I miss hanging out with them!)
• Other ADEs include Julene Reed and her iSummits of yesteryear; Mike Lawrence for work with CUE and beyond; Carolyn Skibba and her school which I visited several times.
• Other Apple friends including Helen Hoffenberg who nominated me for the ADE program in 2005 (before applications were open to the public) and Paviter Singh and Adrian Lim for bringing me to Singapore twice.
• Don Buckley, Andrew Gardner, and Karen Blumberg–a trio who used to work together at a school in NYC. I love how their brains work and they collectively have expanded my education horizons.
• Mike Muir who always shares the best thinking about teaching and learning and I should also include here the many awesome Maine educators I’ve met over the years.
• John Connolly — always fun to work with in CPS. I especially loved having the opportunity to visit dozens of CPS schools to evaluate teachers for the Ones to Watch award for a few years.
• Ed Tech industry people — Betsy Corcoran for pre-EdSurge conversations, Manish and Ketan Kothari for bringing me into the Edmodo family from time to time, and to Karen Cator for being the kind of leader everyone wants to be when they eventually grow up.
• CoSN friends and colleagues- I learned a great deal from the mobile learning project I worked on and have developed great contacts through continuing involvement with this organization. I’ve especially enjoyed working with the wise and thoughtful Keith Krueger and Marie Bjerede.
• My coaching and tech audit consulting gigs — in particular working with Larry Baker and his students and colleagues at Mercy High School, John Connolly in D230, the folks at Falconer School and at Dwight.
• Chris Lehmann, Tim Lauer and other early edubloggers— I really have loved the SLA model. (Also, will never forget driving around Hyde Park and gawking at Obama’s house after a U of C event at which these guys presented.)
• Lab School colleague Marty Billingsley who taught me about the value and importance of computer science education before it was trendy in schools
• Web Institute for Teachers friends — boy, that was a long time ago and such a great model for PD. Bring back WIT!
• The Learning2 community — specifically Julie Lindsay, Kim Cofino and Madeline Brookes who brought me to Bejing in 2012. Learning2 is an amazing conference model and the international school world is full of some very talented people. I’m especially grateful to Kim as we followed each other on Delicious and other social media for years before meeting in person.
• Chip Kimball whom I met as he came through Chicago several years ago with a team from his school to explore other schools. I’m inspired by his approach to innovation via a CoSN talk a few years ago and his GEC keynote along with Tim Stuart.
• Various global ed friends who continue to inspire me with their passion and voices. Ed Gragert, Brandon Wiley, Dana Mortenson, Anne Mirtschin, Julie Lindsay and a plethora of others who contribute to the global ed community on a regular basis.
• Assorted architect friends first made via Karen Greenwood Henke at a NYC schools charette which resulted in Christian Long telling me about the Third Teacher and Kerry Leonard bringing me a copy of the book.

So thank you, everyone, for sharing your talents, time, and ideas with me. I appreciate your professional generosity. Know that you’ve made a difference.