Paperless? So What.

If you have attended any educational conferences in the past three years you have probably seen one or more sessions on "going paperless." I have actually led several of these sessions.

To any teacher who is trying to "go paperless" I say...so what.

Who cares if you use paper.

Who cares if your students exclusively use web-based tools.

Seriously...it doesn't matter.

What DOES matter is using the appropriate tool for the right reasons.

Sometimes PAPER is the right tool.

Benefits of Paper:

• Simple
• Cheap
• Doesn't require WiFi, charging, or updates.
• Doesn't require explanation or training

Sometimes DIGITAL tools are best.

Benefits of Digital tools:

• Allows for multi-user collaboration
• All voices are equal
• Not geographically dependent

You are a professional, highly trained educator. Your students are counting on you to pick the best tool. Use your best judgment. And don't let anyone make you feel guilty for using paper (or not).

Top Podcasts for Educators

I grew on on radio. My family didn't even have a TV until I was in high school and we never had cable. Radio was our TV. Podcasts have always been a favorite form of media for me, fitting nicely into the "on-demand radio" category. Here are the podcasts that I listen to regularly.

EntreLeadership (Dave Ramsey) - this is a business focused podcast under the Dave Ramsey brand however the show is hosted is Chris LoCurto who features short excerpts from Dave's business seminars and interviews with well know guests. This show features quality interviews and solid leadership advice and motivation.

The Unofficial Linchpin Podcast (Andy Traub) - This podcast is the namesake of a book by Seth Godin. The premise of the show is to find and highlight individuals who have become linchpins by creating something of value for others. The guests on the show vary greatly, from well know business leaders to regular people who have started or done interesting things.

Seth Godin's Startup School (Seth Godin) - Seth is one of my favorite bloggers and online personalities. He has a tremendous ability to convey simple truths. A year ago, Seth hosted a three day "school" with several dozen individuals; regular people who were starting new things. This podcast is a recording of the event. It's raw, unpolished, and a bit haphazard, but contains lots of good ideas. 15 episodes.

The Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast (Andy Stanley) - Andy Stanley is the pastor of the second largest church in America and the author of many books. In this podcast, Andy discusses leadership principles that are applicable to all industries. Each episode features an intelligent and challenging discussion on a practical aspect of leadership.

The State of Tech (Sean Beavers, Eric Curts, Eric Griffith) - an EdTech podcast with an Ohio flavor. These three guys have a lot of fun together and put on a good show. Each show includes a run down of recent tech news and a discussion of a worthwhile topic. The State of Tech is available in both audio and video form. You can also participate in their live recordings on Google+.

The Google Educast (EdReach collaboration) - A weekly run-down of news, tips, and tricks centered around the Google web ecosystem. I am a previous contributor to this show, but haven't had time lately to join in. If you are a big Google Apps users, this is a good podcast to listen to or watch.

TEDTalks - These 18 minute presentations feature some of the sharpest minds in the world. If you subscribe to this podcast, be prepared for some wild topics! Nothing is off limits. One minute you are learning about Agile Programming and the next you're listening to an episode by the world's leading mushroom expert. I tend to pick and choose which episodes I download on this one, but there is usually something worth listening to.

Oh, in case you are wondering, I am an iPod/iPad person, so I listen to all of my podcasts via the Apple Podcast app. The Podcast section on iTunes is very comprehensive and a great place to find new shows. 

Have You Ever...

Have You Ever....

Gotten in trouble with your administration because of something you wrote?

Had a student tell you how much they hate your class?

Tried something new and had it fail miserably?

Upset another faculty member because of something you are doing in your class?

Upset a parent because of your "unorthodox" teaching methods or projects?

Had someone criticize you on their blog, social media, etc?

If you can answer "yes" to more than one of these, then you are going to do great things. Failure is a requirement of success. Those who are unwilling to take risks or get hurt, will never venture outside of their comfort zone where awesomeness lives.

Do unto others, the best rule for....well...everything!

Flickr: Originauk Moose

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This familiar proverb of Biblical origins is just as true in the 21st century as it was in the first century:

If you want to have followers, you need to be a follower.

If you want to have friends, you need to be a friend.

If you want people to respond to your tweets, than you should be commenting and helping others.

If you crave comments on your blog, than you should be posting comments on the blogs of others.

If you want a quick response to your emails, than you should promptly respond to the emails of others.

If you want your services to be recommended by others than you should be quick to provide recommendations for others.

If you want high quality service, then you should be providing high quality service.

If you want people to cite your work, than you should be citing the work of others. 

Grocery Stores and Classrooms

I live in the town of Brighton, Michigan. It's not a big town but it's not small either. It's a nice place to live. We have three grocery stores: Kroger, Meijer, and VG's. I have shopped at all three with Meijer receiving most of my business due to their size and location. As of today, that's changed.

My wife, daughter (19 months), son (8 days) and I made our weekly pilgrimage to the grocery store and chose VG's because of where we happened to be in town. We walked in and my daughter was immediately excited about the car shopping carts (which are free to use, unlike Meijer). She got in and we walked through the doors and found the complimentary popcorn and coffee. Dad's good for 20 minutes and daughter is now really happy riding in the car munching on popcorn. Baby is fast asleep. Mom is happy because none of the kids are screaming.

We made our selections throughout the store proceeded to the checkout line. The clerk cheerfully greeted us and immediately offered my daughter a sucker. We declined (didn't want to pull it out of her hair later) and the clerk promptly substituted stickers which my daughter immediately began sticking all over herself (much easier to remove than the sucker). VG's still has baggers (amazing, no?) who bagged our order, loaded it up into the cart and brought it out and loaded it into our car despite the pouring rain.

There are three grocery stores in my town. Each sells essentially the same items for essentially the same price. Location is somewhat of a factor however two of the stores are right next to each other. What can the store do to distinguish themselves from their competitors? Answer: make the experience of grocery shopping as enjoyable as possible.

The added value (carts, coffee, popcorn, loading groceries) that VG's provides is incentive for customers to return. VG's makes the experience of shopping so much more enjoyable than their competitors. The extra value that VG's provides costs them next to nothing yet their return on this investment must be great. On the way home I told me wife that we're shopping at VG's from now on.

I'm an educator and everything that filters through my brain eventually gets connected to education. Todays experience is no exception.

All schools are essentially the same. They each have classrooms, textbooks, desks, students, teachers, grades, etc. What causes one school to be better than another? It is the added value that is provided by the teachers, coaches, and administrators that cause students and families to have an extraordinary experience. It's the phone call home with good news instead of bad news. It's the teacher who shows up to sporting events and performances. It's the administrator who knows each students name.

What do you do to add value to what is already expected in your classroom?

Leaders As Community Managers

I listened to Chris Anderson (editor-in-chief of Wired, The Long Tale, Free) interviewed on the Catalyst leadership podcast today while on a walk with my 19 month old daughter and, was struck by a new idea the he fleshed out near the end of the interview.

"Today's form of leadership is community management. I do a lot less things for people. Instead I'm helping them do things for themselves."

Anderson went on to say that "If you can create a community, they'll find you." This perfectly intersects with the thesis of my post about Seth Godin's new book Linchpin which I posted earlier this week. Leaders are no longer valuable because they can set up systems, they are valuable because they connect with people and create an environment (i.e. community) that causes them to achieve their best.

The connection to education is obvious. As a teacher, I lead my students. Setting up systems (seating charts, grading scales, homework policies) is less important than my ability to craft a community or environment which is conducive to learning. Are my students encouraged to take academic risks, to try new things, and to learn on their own or do they just show up, do their work, walk out the door and forget everything they just did?

As I reflect on the classroom environment that I've created this year I'm fairly happy. I haven't spent a lot of conscious effort in creating this environment, it's just happened based on my personality. Next year I need to adopt a more proactive approach in crafting the environment of my the classroom from the first day of school forward. Here are four things that I would like to emphasize:

1. Building community as a class by celebrating successes, encouraging each other, and lending a hand when needed.
2. Assigning students to small lab/learning groups of 3-4 for an entire semester to hold one another accountable and help and encourage each other.
3. Spending class time to regularly remind students of the big picture: skills are more important than facts and habits that you start now will be with you tomorrow.
4. Model life-long-learning by sharing with my students the things that I am learning on a regular basis.

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure my list will grow over the summer as I reflect on this past year and prepare for the upcoming year.

As a leader, I'm a community builder.

Leaders Reproduce

Andy Stanley is the pastor of North Point Community Church outside of Atlanta Georgia. He is a gifted communicator and leader. I highly recommend his book Next Generation Leader. It's a short and succinct look at what it takes to be a leader.

Andy was interviewed on the Catalyst podcast which I listened to in my car while I was stuck in Detroit rush hour traffic this afternoon. The interview was an interesting glimpse in to the daily life of a very influential leader (his church has 22,000 members and 300 staff) however I was impressed by one comment that Andy made:

"My greatest job as a leader is seeing the leaders around me succeed."

In a move that very few pastors would take, Andy removed himself from the pulpit over the summer and mentored and coached ten younger guys who led the multi-campus congregation during the summer months.

"If I don't leave a dozen trained communicators in my wake when I move on then I haven't been successful."

As a teacher, if I don't help train up a dozen or more innovative, creative, and influential men and women, then I haven't been successful. This goes well beyond content knowledge and diverges into the realm of what my students "catch" rather than what they are "taught." What attitudes, disciplines, and qualities do I exemplify on a daily basis that my students might possibly emulate?

Teachers are leaders. Leaders reproduce.

Why can't schools be miniature Magic Kingdoms?

I'm spending my winter break this week in Orlando, Florida with my wife, daughter, and in-laws. We visited the Magic Kingdom yesterday and Downtown Disney tonight. Throughout our visit I vacillated between disgust and amazement at the Disney empire. The expense, extravagance and commercialism can be overwhelming. Upon further reflection, however, you have to be impressed and amazed at the vision created by Walt Disney which infuses every aspect of Disney World.

Recognition of the Disney brand is one of the top in the world. The Fortune 1000 market report ranks it as the 11th most recognizable brand. Not only is the Disney logo instantly recognizable, it carries with it an ideal greater than the sum of its individual parts. Disney is associated with imagination, creativity, adventure, excitement and magic. Several other companies have achieved similar success in their branding, namely Google, Apple, and FedEx.

When touring the Magic Kingdom I was impressed by the immaculate landscaping, tightly designed themes, and unbelievable staffing and infrastructural organization. 17 Million visitors walked through the gates of the Magic Kingdom in 2008 making it the worlds most visited theme park. Every aspect of the park exudes the creative imagination of Walt Disney. Even areas under construction are decorated with quotes from Disney. Museums, theme parks, and other entertainment venues strive to achieve similar success, but Walt Disney is unquestionably the master.

If you've read this far, you're probably wondering how this fits in with education, technology, teaching, or anything at all. Simply put, why can't schools be miniature Magic Kingdoms?

First of all, very few companies, let alone schools, have a guiding vision that is understood, owned, and lived by their employees. Some do (Zappos is a good example), but this is the exception, not the rule. Are you in a school in which students, teachers, parents, and administrators are all striving for a common goal? I'm not talking about some vague goal of "academic excellence," but something deeper and more significant that requires the collective efforts of an entire community to make possible, something that impacts the culture of the school.

Does your school have a brand? Does it have uniqueness about it that sets it apart from other schools? When people think of your school what words, feelings, or ideas come to mind? Are they positive? Reputation is a powerful force. It takes years and years to build and seconds to destroy (just ask Tiger Woods). Schools need to do a better job of branding themselves. Schools create a product just like a business. Our product and methods are different, but we are still expected to produce. Charter and online schools are doing a decent job at branding themselves. Some private schools are as well. In my area (metro Detroit), Brother Rice has done a remarkable job at creating an educational brand that excites families.

Everyone wants to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. This is vision. Where there is no vision, people perish. Strong leaders emphasize and illuminate the vision. They don't always have to come up with the vision, just creatively and inspirationally communicate it to others. This is what Walt Disney was able to do. His vision was so well defined and communicated to his employees that even after his death it continues.

If schools can become miniature Magic Kingdoms, they will be transformed into exciting, dynamic, and challenging learning environments. Castle optional.