Monday, May 31, 2010

Teacher Librarian Links 06/01/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Secrets of Change: Secret 2


I have now finished the second secret in Michael Fullan's book, The Six Secrets of Change. This chapter is on Secret 2: Connecting Peers with Purpose. In my new position as CIO I have a vision of an integrated Library and Technology Departments into one Information Department. Right now in theory, we are all housed under the guise of "information services", but in reality each department functions independently of the other. When I was reading this chapter, I tried to envision how to utilize what was said in the effort to unite the two information families into one united information hub.

Initially in the opening statement for this chapter, Fullan talks about the nuance of connecting peers with purpose. "The nuance is that connecting peers with purpose does not require less leadership at the top, but rather more -- more of a different kind. (Fullan, 2008, pg.41) This, much like secret one, does not see exceptional leadership as top-down, rather with the leader being able to skillfully navigate the potentially choppy waters of interpersonal interactions.

Fullan does set forth three conditions that positive purposeful peer interaction effectively occurs with:
1) When the larger values of the organization and those of individuals and groups mesh.
In our school environment I feel that everyone in the information services department loves the school, and that was a strong draw for me to take this job. When everyone is there for the good of the students and the good of the school, you will have step one in the bag. Not having to create a foundation is a plus, though if this step is not already in place, a good leader must start from scratch. The way that I look at it is, if step one is not in place, you will need to examine what each of your group's members have in common and build coherency around like elements.

2) When information and knowledge about effective practices are widely and openly shared.
This is something that I feel happens among members of PLN's but within schools this is something that is at times reticent to happen. I am not sure why, but I find that those that work in schools are most apt to keep their cards close to their vests when it comes to things that might gain accolades. What everyone needs to know is that best practices and sharing of knowledge and information raises the bar and standards for every member of the team and the team as a whole. When step 1 is in place and people begin to feel responsibility for the school, the team and themselves, everyone wins!

3) When monitoring mechanisms are in place to detect and address ineffective actions while also identifying and consolidating effective practices.
Step 3 can only happen when steps 1 and 2 are solidly in place. There is also the underlying need for trust. If a team does not trust it's leader then monitoring mechanisms and efforts to unite best practices will be met with animosity and second guessing. If you are at the point where step 3 is in the queue and you are setting up monitoring mechanisms, you should also have the trust of your team. Remember, these mechanisms cannot and should not be developed in a vacuum and not only should a good leader be transparent, but a team should be united by best practice to collectively create and use the monitoring mechanisms to continually evolve.

While Peer to Peer purposeful interaction can be used as a common thread within a team, it is much more than simply that. Beyond purposeful, there needs to be higher level interactions that can align a team to continue along those paths indefinitely.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Teacher Librarian Links 05/30/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Monday, May 24, 2010

My Link Library 05/25/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Teacher Librarian Links 05/25/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Teacher Librarian Links 05/19/2010

  • A GREAT example of social media in action. Also a very good example of the power of Prezi. This would be great as a homework assignment prior to a lesson on social media and/or an example of a well constructed, web-based narrative. Students could analyze all the elements and evaluate the sources.

    Tags: Prezi, social media, presentation


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/17/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Teacher Librarian Links 05/14/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/11/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/07/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.

Teacher Librarian Links 05/07/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/05/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.

20 Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers

This slideshare from Simon Ward is great little resource for teachers. While there are multiple references to New Zealand the tools themselves are worth looking at. I see things like this as great for informal professional development for teachers. Quick showcasing with the option to see more if desired. Kudos to Simon Ward.

On a side note, slideshare itself is a fantastic tool for finding and sharing resources.


Monday, May 3, 2010

Secrets of Change: Secret 1


It has been a long time since I have posted about what I have been reading, but the one that I am reading now has begun to resonate deeply with me and the new position that I will be starting in about 8 weeks. The current book that I am reading right now is The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to help their Organizations Survive and Thrive, by Michael Fullan.

Secret One: Love your Employees

While this might sound a bit "hippie-dippy" the idea of loving your employees is as timeless as people. Most of us know it as the golden rule. When we look at education within this paradigm, we need to know that we are talking about how administrators work with their faculties and staff. The best schools will have administrators and leaders that value their employees as much as their students. "the quality of the education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers" (barber & Mourshed, 2007, p.8). If this is truly the case, then we need to have high quality teachers to have a high quality education. If our teachers don't feel loved, then they will not want to be there. If a teacher does not love being at his or her school, then they will not stay motivated to be great, if they are not great, our system is in failure.

Fullan says that one of the ways we can love our employees is to create the conditions they need to succeed (p.25). When a teacher can feel like they are simultaneously able to fulfill their own goals and the goals of the school they begin to love what they do and want to do it better.

While this concept seems to have been designed for business, the translation to education is not that far off. In the business model Fullan talks about five stakeholder groups; customers, employees, investors, partners and society. When you move this model to education we look at our stakeholders; students are our customers, teachers are our employees, parents are our investors, many groups such as pto's, vendors, and community groups are our partners and well, society is still society. Using this model we are beginning to look at the symbiotic relationship between our teachers and students, but we are also looking at being the best we can be.

Loving our teachers, with respect, encouragement, top notch working conditions and resources to be the best they can will allow both teachers and students to flourish together. This is not about pay, rather human nature.



This image has been licensed by Getty Images as stock photography.

Teacher Librarian Links 05/04/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/03/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.

Teacher Librarian Links 05/03/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of teacher-librarians group favorite links are here.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Digital Citizenship 05/02/2010


Posted from Diigo. The rest of Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship group favorite links are here.