Building a culture of sharing

One of my professional goals as you know is to begin sharing more.  This morning, I attended a roundtable discussion on the connected educator paneled by 10 of the greatest minds and authors in educational leadership today.  The session was filled with ROCK STARS and they rotated through our smaller groups to share with us and allow us to glean from them their 'pearls of wisdom'.  It was awesome session...almost perfect...I say almost for a reason.

Two of the presenters who rotated through were Pernille Ripp and Peter Dewitt.  While speaking of ways to build a culture of sharing in schools, I posed a question to Pernille via twitter.  I also tagged another blogging hero of mine, Tom Whitby.  The response I got made me do the Homer Simpson style 'Doh'...

Initially, I was looking for a quick answer.  This response, though caused me to pull together all the tidbits of knowledge that I have gleaned from a myriad of sessions here at ISTE.  Well, played Pernille, well played.  So here goes a few of the ideas I have to foster a culture of sharing at our school this coming year.  

Call out the elephant in the room:

Admit that sharing is hard and scary, and even more scary in front of your peers that you respect.  Start there are then move on. 

Modeling

Model sharing and living your passion for those around you.  Starr Sackstein (@mssackstein) may have said it best 'None of us start as experts'  Couple this with quote attributed to Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers) 'The smartest person in the room, is the room' 

Shout out sessions in traditional and virtual meetings

Take the time to stand and recognize the genius and skill of those around you and encourage them to be recognized and share with the group in that moment the great things they are doing.

Create a brand and write your own story

I don't remember where I heard this one from or who I am stealing it from, but 'Tweetable Moments'.  I hope to make it a habit to find tweetable moments everyday.  I hope to inspire my peers to do the same share out 1 tweet a day with our school hashtag and use the already existing hardware in our commons area to showcase the awesomeness that is taking place in our school everyday.

Speed Geeking

This idea is one that a colleague of mine, Patty Wolfe (@wolfep).  Speed geeking, or organizing a regularly scheduled time for our staff to share 3 minutes of genius with other staff members in a rotating speed dating style session.  I see some potential for this to fit into our weekly breakfast club meetings we have on Fridays.

Walkthrough Wednesdays

This idea is inspired by Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) while he was walking through the poster sessions at ISTE.  I am hoping to use the Periscope app to record videos of students every Wednesday as they are answering the question 'What is the greatest experience you have had this week in school'.  I then plan to upload these to YouTube and curate these experiences over the course of the year and give teachers some 'lift' as they hear the joy kids are experiencing in their classrooms.

 Start a Blogging Clan

This is an idea I had a little over a year ago.  One of the obstacles most people find when blogging, is not having a dedicated time to get it done.  Life happens, right?  This idea is to create a blogging clan that meets regularly to blog, and help others who are wanting to start blogging.  I know we have several people who want to blog but just need the input of activation energy!

 Mini Ignite Sessions

This is an idea that I am going to bring to our administration for the kickoff to our school year.  Have our fellow teachers get up and share 5 minutes of passion with the rest of the staff.  It is time to drop the self consciousness and self defeating talk.  We wouldn't tolerate it from our students, so why do we tolerate it from ourselves.  Lets share our talents and passion with the world.  You never know the impact you will have.

So, this was my list of ideas.  The challenge I give to you if have read this far:  What ideas do you have to build a culture of sharing?

Sharing Your Genius - It's not a choice, it's an obligation

For quite some time, I have had these thoughts:

'As educators, we have a moral obligation to share our genius.'

'As educators, we need to share our genius with others more often'

'As educators, we need to have the courage to share our passion in front of our peers' 

So, this post is serving two masters for me: I have set the professional goal to do more than think outside the box, it is time I have the courage to model what I preach to others.  A second goal I have set is to share my 'genius' with others through blogging.

You see, for me, this process of blogging is where I work through inner dialog.  It is where I hash out the inner workings of ideas.  It is where reflect on my JOB to get better at my PASSION of being an educator and leader.  Over the past couple of years, I have written probably somewhere around 100 blog posts and then later deleted them because I didn't have the courage to post these outside the box ideas for others.

To accomplish these two goals,  I am setting the goal of having a meaningful blog post once a week.  I am going to be action oriented when I return to work in the fall.  My role in our school has grown into one where I am the person who calls it like I see it and isn't afraid to cast away tradition in the hopes finding a better way to do it.  Luckily, I have a boss who relies on me to 'rock his boat'.  Now it is time, I take another step and be willing to model the leadership thoughts, educational actions and new ideas that I generally take to others.  So, stay tuned for more.

The real impetus behind sharing this post came from a 'Honey-Slap' moment as Adam Bellow (@AdamBellow) calls it.  I was lured into an experience for the honey and slapped with the reality of truth.  That honey-slap moment for me was sitting in the #HackKeynote by Adam and Dean Shareski (@shareski).  The one and only Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) sat down behind and me and it was go time baby!  Those who know me best, know the giddy excitement I experience from meeting my EDUCATION heros, so this was like nirvana for me.

This was my nirvana moment as I was surrounded by rock stars Adam Bellow, Tony Vincent, and Dean Shareski...not to mention fellow #CozadMakers Patty Wolfe & Karen Berreckman

And then it dawned on me...The people that I idolize are ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things...and they make others more extraordinary by sharing their genius.  The slap was this - We have a moral obligation to share our talents and live our passion for the world around us'.  There is no doubt that these guys are rock stars and uber talented, but the reality is that they have made a conscious choice to share their genius with us.  Their sharing has made me better and I owe it to others to share that with them.

I wonder how the culture of school would change if, we as educators and leaders, had the courage to share our genius with our peers and not be self conscious in showing our passion to our fellow educators.  When others are showing their passion it is contagious.  It is a contagion that lifts your spirits.  I can assure you that this year I am moving forward in my work as an educator to share my genius and just maybe I will be able to elevate those around me.

Lastly, I must give credit to a few of the people who have inspired me to be more awesome.  Thanks Adam Bellow for imploring all of us to make education better.  Thank you to Angela Maiers for encouraging other to share their genius.  Thanks Pernille Ripp for modeling blogging and authentic sharing.  Thank you Tony Vincent for being such a confident down to earth rock star.  And lastly, thank you to my fellow educators and friend for inspiring me to grow.

ISTE 2015 Reflection: Part 1 of ????

One of things I love about my job is the opportunities I get to engage in quality PD with my peers.  The last 3 summers I have been lucky enough to attend the ISTE conference and this years ISTE in Philly is just as great as the last two I attended.  Here is my David Letterman style top 10 list of take aways from ISTE...so far...

10. HackED 15  The all day conference as part of the EduBlogger Con event.  It was a full day Ed Camp style presentation facilitated by some big hitters like Adam Bellow (@AdamBellow), Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers) and more. The  smackdown portion of the day showcased those of us in the audience who shared our 3 minutes of genius smackdown style.  Click here to see the link of topics covered this day or click here to see the list of smackdown showcases

9. #SatChat This event featured your typical twitter chat, but was held in a meeting hall and then streamed on Periscope.  It was awesome to hear the voices of those tweeting and speaking in a panel type discussion.  My takeaway from this was, it is all about connections.  Not just connections in the digital sense, but connections with people.  I believe a CORE VALUE of our school ought to be RELATIONSHIPS.  It was powerful to see the multiple layers of conversation that take place during a twitter chat and see the authentic interpersonal relationship building that was taking place.  One of my goals for #TYIW is going to be to bring this to our school and community.


8. There is no 'Arrived'- Feeling like a rock star one minute with your grasp of technology and educational practice and turning around to seeing those around you and realizing your are but a grain of sand on beach.  The diversity of the professionals who attend ISTE is a key ingredient to what makes this experience so great.  It humbles you, it inspires, and motivates you make connections and 'Be More Awesome'

7. The Expo - About the time you are thinking you know what is out in the world for tools/sites/apps/providers/etc a walk through the expansive expo will blow your mind and prove you don't know jack about the who or what is out there for EdTech and education in general.  There is tons of swag to be had (and for us cheepos a great place to pick up a toy to take back home for our kids).  It is also a nice place for a change of pace of learning when visiting vendors like the Google Booth.  Google and many other exhibitors are conducting learning sessions on the use of these educational tools, pedagogy, or have show and tell sessions from teachers.

6. Social Media as instant PD - The idea of using social media, such as twitter, for professional development is not new.  My PD at ISTE  via social media can only be summed up as: PD on steroids, hyped on caffeine, all while experiencing a sugar high.  At ISTE it is easy to immerse yourself in the 'social media thingy' and expand your PLN.  My twitter feed was blowing up and Tweetdeck made it simply to follow a focused stream or my general stream.  It was a constant barrage of links, articles, blogs and tidbits of PD.  I honestly feel like I grew as much through my social media reading as I did in actual sessions while at ISTE.

5. Quips & Witticisms Piggybacking on the social media is the overwhelming number of quips and sayings you see in the form of meme's and cool pics.  These are great graphics that have been doctored to inspire and make you wonder and THINK.   And better yet, it happens in your social media feeds without you needing to do anything. These small tidbits of info and thoughts are great little mental pinups to keep you centered for the other 361 days of the year when not at ISTE.

4. Debreifing and Connecting Some of the most powerful conversations that happen at ISTE are those that take place after the doors to the conference close. ISTE powers the gears inside your head and those gears stay in motion well after the conference ends.  These reflective thoughts and passionate experiences lend themselves to great conversations.  After the sessions each day our group meets up and enjoys some food and great conversation.  The ideas that come out of these sessions are 'priceless'.  They are the ideas that will transform our classrooms and schools.  They are the ideas that will make our classrooms the place that will be transformational for students.  

3. Ignite Sessions  This fast paced inspiring session gave 15 presenters only 5 minutes each and 20 slides to share their message and inspire the audience.  Some of these were presented by average Joe's who wanted to share their genius but the most remarkable one was without a doubt the BE THE CHANGE message shared by Pernille Ripp (@PernilleRipp).  Her energy, passion, conviction and message sent chills up spines and tears streaming down cheeks.  I couldn't help but wonder why couldn't we bring and IGNITE style session back to Cozad to kick off our school with our teachers sharing their 5 minutes of genius.  Click here to  watch the video of the ignite sessions.  Pernille Ripp was the 2nd one and is about 5 minutes into it and it is worth the watch.


2. 'Fanboy'itis' Having the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the most respected educational leaders in the world today.  Adam Bellow, Angela Maiers, Pernille Ripp, and Chris Lehman are just a few of the 'Rock Stars' I had the chance to meet, talk with and most importantly listen to!

1. The opportunity to recharge my batteries and be grounded once again in my pursuit to change the world one student at a time.  Cozad is lucky to have such great educators and I wouldn't trade the world for the time I spent collaborating, laughing,  dreaming,  and sharing with those who attended ISTE.  Thanks to Cozad Schools for believing in my professional development and caring enough about me as an educator to help me get better at making a difference.

Here is a link to a folder containing some selected resources from the conference.

The Little Things Make A Big Difference: The case against 'small task triage'

This summer a colleague of mine, Karen Berreckman (@2ndCoz), shared with me a blogger that she follows on twitter, Pernille Ripp (@PernilleRipp).  Recently she wrote a blog entitled 'Dear Administrators, Please Don't Forget About the Little Things'.  Generally, I don't spend my limited time reading blogs when they are written by teachers who have not worked in administrative capacities. Even with my experiences as a quasi-administrator and my limited knowledge of all the things a real administrator deals with, I know that there are parts of their job that I don't have a clue about.  Most of those that I have read have been little more than just a rant from a teacher who has an axe to grind.  This one from Pernille Ripp was different.

The gist of the article was that as busy as principals are this time of year, it is vital for them to take care of the little things for teachers right now before student arrive.  This paragraph below from her blog sums it up perfectly and made some connections for me as a guidance counselor and my work with students and teachers:

"Yes, I know it is not fun or exciting to think about those things that you promise teachers that you will do, like approving a form, emailing a parent, looking up that long lost order.  But those little things?  They make a big difference to us teachers.  Those little things that you may not think deserves your limited time right now, those are the ones we need you to also take care of because those things add up to a whole lot of stress for us when left undone.  In fact, some of those little things may be stopping us from fulfilling our big dreams, hopes, and wishes." (Copied from http://pernillesripp.com/2014/08/12/dear-administrators-please-dont-forget-about-the-little-things/)

There are so many big things we all come back to school after summer wanting to accomplish, and each day we perform 'small task triage' to work on the most pressing tasks.   After reading that paragraph, I couldn't help but think about the large number of emails or messages I receive from students that I sometimes put off for a day or so until I have time to get to them.  I also couldn't help but consider teachers requests such as scheduling concerns, rosters, etc. and how my 'small task triage' may be an obstacle to their implementation of big ideas in their classroom.

Reading Pernille's blog gave me a solid direction for my work yesterday and today as teachers came back to school.  It was rewarding to fill those immediate needs of teachers in an almost immediate timeframe.  Many of the staff here at Cozad Community Schools are working to implement big ideas and it is exciting to see those come to fruition as the small tasks are taken care of.  Now that it is crunch time (a.ka. Prime Time), we have a great opportunity to complete the small things for fellow staff members and students.  It is an empowering and positive way to start the school year by helping those big ideas set sail.

If you have a few moments take the time to watch this video of a former Navy seal who spoke at the University of Texas Commencement in May of 2014 (forward it to 4:36 to get to the heart of the message) or read this link on the 10 Life Lessons from a Navy Seal.  Number one on the list is an illustration of the idea of taking care of the small things first.  It gives us a sense of accomplishment and sets us on a course to accomplishing more.

This year I hope to remember that if I want to really change the world, I have to first take care of  the small details to make a big difference.

Follow me on Twitter @CHS_Mr_F

Choosing your attitude

As the school year is set to begin, many teachers and administrators have been rejuvenated over the summer.  They have rediscovered their inner passion and remember why they joined this great profession.

Those in education can identify a cycle that takes place with teachers: School year begins and excitement is high, then comes mid-year and that excitement begins to wain. Then look out because here comes a time  late in the school year and that excitement morphs in to cynicism.

By way of full disclosure, I must admit that I have fallen into the this quagmire myself.  Each summer I take time to reflect on what my successes were, but more importantly to me than those successes are my failures.  I am a firm believer that failure is essential to growth and even more essential to success.  If we are satisfied with resting on good enough, then greatness, is a phenomenon that we will never experience.  One my favorite quotes is:  "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be" -- John Wooden

So how did the process of reflection lead to a blog about 'Choosing your attitude'?  Experiencing excitement is a choice.  Experiencing cynicism is also a choice.  When people are excited, they are focused on the potential of what could be.  When people are cynics, they are focused on what isn't.  

This year, I am challenging my co-workers to remain centered on the first of those 'What could be'.  I am also challenging my co-workers to hold me accountable to this and keep me focused on it as well.  My hope is, to do my part, to create an environment that is as conducive to student success.  We owe it to our kids to not let our choice of attitude negatively affect our students.  

I recently read a blog by @PernilleRipp that she posted to twitter.  The blog was spot on with what I have been thinking.  Click here to read her blog on "A letter to those who are new...Myself included'  She pointed out the importance of being fearless, setting goals, and most importantly not losing yourself in the job.  If you read nothing else between now and when school begins, I suggest that post to give you a lift before school starts.  

Another resource I just love is to utilize is to watch the Kid President videos on YouTube.  If you have not checked them out I highly recommend it.  Here is one of my favorites:

So here is to staying motivated and positive this coming year and changing what I failed at the in past...all while focusing on what could be with a positive attitude and actions.

Follow me on twitter @CHS_Mr_F