Let's Fight It Together - Joe's Story - Cyber-Bullying

Cyber bullying is a real issue that impacts young people in today's social media environment. Almost every conflict that arises between students at North either began online or through texts, or is prolonged electronically. Yesterday I went with members of the North staff to a Cyberbullying workshop and saw this video. It is a poignant look at the kind of daily issues with which our students are faced.

The week after Thanksgiving we will be holding class assemblies to discuss a variety of issues with our students, and this is one of our topics. I urge parents to discuss cyber bullying, online etiquette, and online safety with their sons / daughters and to closely monitor their social network profiles and activities. The benefits and potential of social networking are limitless, but the potential pitfalls and inherent dangers are real concerns.

Flipping the Classroom

Recently there has been a lot of discussion in the world of education regarding the concept of "Flipping the Classroom". Essentially, the idea is that instead of students practicing that which they've learned as part of a homework assignment, they do the practice in class under the tutelage of the teacher, and use time outside of the classroom to investigate concepts either through video, text or web based resources. This idea is analogous to the coach of an athletic team who has his players study the playbook on their own time, but uses practice to actually perfect their work. While I'm not sold on the concept as a wholesale change from the way we use class time now, there are certainly some possibilities for this approach.

The Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org) is dedicated to providing a free education to anyone, anywhere in the world. The website offers thousands of videos on a wide variety of topics - especially mathematics - that can be used as the presentation of new material, or as reinforcement of lessons introduced in the classroom. In some schools which have adopted the "Flipped Classroom" teachers from the school are creating videos and podcasts to deliver instruction, and using class time to practice what was presented.

Students and parents will experience some lessons where teachers experiment with this approach, and we would love to hear feedback. In the meantime, visit the Khan Academy site for resources to augment instruction here at North. For more on the Khan Academy approach view this clip.

21st Century Skills Culture at High Tech High

Often I hear adults bemoaning the fact that kids text more than they talk. Many adults believe that students' digital communications have resulted in them being less effective in interacting face to face. While that may be true, and to a certain degree I agree that face to face interaction is a real skill that we must teach, it is also apparent to me that the advent of social media and various technologies has not only not hurt our students' ability to interact - these technologies have enhanced that ability.


Our students are more thoroughly connected, and more broadly connected to a variety of people, than ever before in our world's history. Almost every student is a content creator - volumes of content is published every day on Facebook and various social media sites. Kids are writers on Facebook and blogs, filmmakers on You Tube, critics on all these sites, composers on Garage Band and iNudge, graphic designers on Glogster, moderators in various groups, and content creators in any number of wonderful ways. They interact with one another in both surface, superficial ways and deep, meaningful ways. Adults who do not see the relevance and importance of social media and available technologies run the risk of losing valuable relationship opportunities and credibility.



Every generation of adults has pined for the "good old days" when things were the way they remembered as a kid - sometimes with good reason, and other times through rose colored glasses. A critical lesson we need to learn from history is that change will occur - we can't slow the sands of the hourglass nor the evolution of human ingenuity. As educators, the greatest "fail" with today's students is to resist the technologies that are the lifeblood of our young people. By embracing those technologies, we not only gain their potential benefits, we build credibility, empathy and engagement opportunities with our students.



For a look at a "school of the future" to see that embracing technology, creativity, and project based learning is a way to not only cultivate confident, competent, creative problem solvers, but also a way to build strong relationships, see the video of California's High Tech High:

Relationships and Technology

Often I hear adults bemoaning the fact that kids text more than they talk. Many adults believe that students' digital communications have resulted in them being less effective in interacting face to face. While that may be true, and to a certain degree I agree that face to face interaction is a real skill that we must teach, it is also apparent to me that the advent of social media and various technologies has not only not hurt our students' ability to interact - these technologies have enhanced that ability.

Our students are more thoroughly connected, and more broadly connected to a variety of people, than ever before in our world's history. Almost every student is a content creator - volumes of content is published every day on Facebook and various social media sites. Kids are writers on Facebook and blogs, filmmakers on You Tube, critics on all these sites, composers on Garage Band and iNudge, graphic designers on Glogster, moderators in various groups, and content creators in any number of wonderful ways. They interact with one another in both surface, superficial ways and deep, meaningful ways. Adults who do not see the relevance and importance of social media and available technologies run the risk of losing valuable relationship opportunities and credibility.

Every generation of adults has pined for the "good old days" when things were the way tehy remembered as a kid - sometimes with good reason, and other times through rose colored glasses. A critical lesson we need to learn from history is that change will occur - we can't slow the sands of the hourglass nor the evolution of human ingenuity. As educators, the greatest "fail" with today's students is to resist the technologies that are the lifeblood of our young people. By embracing those technologies, we not only gain their potential benefits, we build credibility, empathy and engagement opportunities with our students.

For a look at a "school of the future" to see that embracing technology, creativity, and project based learning is a way to not only cultivate confident, competent, creative problem solvers, but also a way to build strong relationships, see this video of California's High Tech High:

21st Century Education - Really???

North teacher Andrew Taylor recently sent me a link to a blog post at http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/ that was an actual final exam from a paperless social studies classroom. The concept is intriguing, and I think that after looking at the exam most people will have two reactions: one - this is a great authentic assessment - very true to the work historians might have to do, and the methodologies they would employ, and two - can anyone really do all of this in two hours and fifteen minutes?!?





View the exam post at http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2011/06/exam-day-demonstrating-understanding.html.





As I perused the page, elsewhere under favorite posts I found a great post speculating what things in education will be obsolete by 2020. While the technology world evolves this rapidly, I'm not sure I believe education will (it never has...), but one could make an argument that at least some of these changes will happen, and perhaps should. Take a look, and please feel free to comment on those changes you expect to happen, or others not included on this list:


21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020

Last night I read and posted the clip on '21 Things That Became Obsolete in the Last Decade'. Well, just for kicks, I put together my own list of '21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020'.

1. Desks
The 21st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your students. Allow the network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21st century learning.

2. Language Labs
Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.

3. Computers
Ok, so this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: 'Our concept of what a computer is'. Because computing is going mobile and over the next decade we're going to see the full fury of individualized computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can't wait.

4. Homework
The 21st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear. And despite whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don't need kids to 'go to school' more; we need them to 'learn' more. And this will be done 24/7 and on the move (see #3).

5. The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions
The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn't far behind. Over the next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor in college admissions.

6. Differentiated Instruction as the Sign of a Distinguished Teacher
The 21st century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who hasn't yet figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher out of a job. Differentiation won't make you 'distinguished'; it'll just be a natural part of your work.

7. Fear of Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the greatest democratizing force in the world right now. If you are afraid of letting your students peruse it, it's time you get over yourself.

8. Paperbacks
Books were nice. In ten years' time, all reading will be via digital means. And yes, I know, you like the 'feel' of paper. Well, in ten years' time you'll hardly tell the difference as 'paper' itself becomes digitized.

9. Attendance Offices
Bio scans. 'Nuff said.

10. Lockers.
A coat-check, maybe.

11. IT Departments
Ok, so this is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments as we currently know them. Cloud computing and a decade's worth of increased wifi and satellite access will make some of the traditional roles of IT -- software, security, and connectivity -- a thing of the past. What will IT professionals do with all their free time? Innovate. Look to tech departments to instigate real change in the function of schools over the next twenty years.

12. Centralized Institutions
School buildings are going to become 'homebases' of learning, not the institutions where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller and greener, student and teacher schedules will change to allow less people on campus at any one time, and more teachers and students will be going out into their communities to engage in experiential learning.

13. Organization of Educational Services by Grade
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving the bulk of grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer groups by interest and these interest groups will petition for specialized learning. The structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.

14. Education School Classes that Fail to Integrate Social Technology
This is actually one that could occur over the next five years. Education Schools have to realize that if they are to remain relevant, they are going to have to demand that 21st century tech integration be modelled by the very professors who are supposed to be preparing our teachers.

15. Paid/Outsourced Professional Development
No one knows your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN in their backpockets, teachers will rise up to replace peripatetic professional development gurus as the source of schoolwide prof dev programs. This is already happening.

16. Current Curricular Norms
There is no reason why every student needs to take however many credits in the same course of study as every other student. The root of curricular change will be the shift in middle schools to a role as foundational content providers and high schools as places for specialized learning.

17. Parent-Teacher Conference Night
Ongoing parent-teacher relations in virtual reality will make parent-teacher conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years, parents and teachers will become closer than ever as a result of virtual communication opportunities. And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech integrated.

18. Typical Cafeteria Food
Nutrition information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of $3.00 bowls of microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.

19. Outsourced Graphic Design and Webmastering
You need a website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake just let your kids do it. By the end of the decade -- in the best of schools -- they will be.

20. High School Algebra I
Within the decade, it will either become the norm to teach this course in middle school or we'll have finally woken up to the fact that there's no reason to give algebra weight over statistics and IT in high school for non-math majors (and they will have all taken it in middle school anyway).

21. Paper
In ten years' time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by no less than 90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry and the paper industry itself will either adjust or perish.
Posted by Shelly Blake-Plock at 9:45 AM

Schools of the Future

In coming weeks at commencement exercises across the nation, speakers will make the point that commencement means the beginning of something rather than the end. In keeping with that idea, while we are at the end of another school year, schools are embarking on plans for the future. There is much discussion in the education world today about "Schools of the Future" and what form(s) they might take. Through the years, public education has changed very little in some respects, and dramatically in others. As the world and our technologies change more rapidly than any time in the world's history, I thought this article abstract was an interesting look at the possible paths the schools of tomorrow might take:


What Will Schools of the Future Look Like?

In this thoughtful Education Week article, Richard Elmore and Elizabeth City of the Harvard Graduate School of Education ask us to think ahead 10-15 years and guess the proportion of student learning that will take place in schools (versus elsewhere). “The availability of relatively cheap technologies offering direct access to knowledge of all types creates opportunities for students to experience a dramatic increase in the choice of what they learn, with whom they choose to learn, and how they choose to learn,” say Elmore and City. Right now, most schools have resisted the digital revolution, sequestering computers to special labs, using laptops as digital typewriters and presentation producers, and treating social networking as a subversive activity. Will that change in the years ahead? Here are three possible scenarios for 2025:

• Fighting for survival – Schools look much the way they do today, but expand the use of laptops, interactive whiteboards, digital lessons, digital grading, and new ways to communicate with parents and schedule meetings, while teachers continue to control access to content and learning. “In this instance,” say Elmore and City, “schools will increasingly become custodial institutions, isolated from the lives of their students and the learning environment beyond their walls.”

• Controlled engagement – Schools define learning goals and map out the best pathways, then use technology to open portals for students to learn from a wider world. For example, a school in Alabama participates in a two-way bilingual cooperative with a school in Shanghai, with teachers using video technology and shared materials to alternate between English and Mandarin lessons. “Teachers are less gatekeepers of knowledge and more knowledge brokers,” say Elmore and City. “School leaders become less managers of instruction, and more entrepreneurs connecting their organizations to the broader learning environment. Schools become less places where students go to learn from adults, and more places where adults and students get together to enter a broader learning environment.”

• Open access to learning – There are broad standards for content (like the Common Core) and general guidance on how students and parents can get access to learning, speculate Elmore and City, but schools “are on their own, competing with other types of service providers and learning modalities for the interest and loyalty of students and their parents. A family might combine services from two or three different organizations into a learning plan for its children – tutoring for ‘basic’ academic content, active learning and access to the digital environment at an experiential learning center, and physical and kinesthetic development from sports and recreation center.” Students might take as long as sixth months in one learning environment – a language program or a biology expedition – accumulating digital learning portfolios of their learning that would be used to apply to colleges. All this would be funded by per-student grants adjusted to family income, language status, and disabilities.

“Schools, as we presently know them, would gradually cease to exist and be replaced by social networks organized around the learning goals of students and their families,” say Elmore and City.

Which of these scenarios makes the most sense? The authors suggest that we find our way toward the answer by:

• Talking with students and educators about what school could and should look like;
• Visiting schools that are breaking the mold;
• Using new school construction and renovation projects as opportunities to think differently about what configuration will maximize student learning.
“Beyond Schools” by Richard Elmore and Elizabeth City in Education Week, May 18, 2011 (Vol. 30, #31, p. 24-26) http://www.edweek.org

Borrowing from the Independent World

Wow...two posts in one day - after nearly a month without one! After writing my earlier post, I was going through my Google Reader looking for a blog post I'd read elsewhere when I came across an article written by Patrick Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools. Independent schools are non-public, private and tuition funded, yet I've found recently that there are many parallels between their fight to sustain and market themselves and the plight of many public school systems in America - on top to that, Bassett is an engaging and thoughtful blogger.

His recent post, which is pasted below, is very relevant to my earlier post today, and to the battle education faces in America. Some of it is probably controversial from a public school standpoint, but it is thought-provoking:

By: Patrick. F. Bassett
Published: March 1, 2011
Updated: March 25, 2011


NAIS President Patrick F. Bassett

In the opening scene of The Social Network, the character of the young Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) has an exchange with his girlfriend that is so exasperating to her, she breaks off the relationship on the spot, telling him, “…you’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an (expletive deleted).” A colleague of mine observed the Zuckerberg character’s affect was so obtuse and emotionally oblivious that it could be characterized as “on the Asperger’s spectrum.”

When I saw the film, I wondered whether or not the next Mark Zuckerberg is applying to one of our independent schools. An admissions officer had sent me an application essay from a very smart (2200 SSATs) but slightly different eighth grade student. In response to the typical high school admissions essay question, “Imagine where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing in thirty years,” the student wrote a raucously funny and clever response, indicating he anticipated being married to a world class chef, who was mute, and he and his wife would by living near her restaurant in NYC, and be happy, “having very few expectations of one another.” I’m hoping one of our schools does admit this kid: He may be a handful, but if its tact and social awareness, and “social networking” he needs (EQ to balance his outsized IQ), then where better than one of our schools to get it?

So, I believe I can say with some degree of confidence that what makes independent schools great is our success in educating the whole child/student to navigate all waters of life, not just intellectual/academic ones. But since the theme of the 2011 Annual Conference was “Advancing our Public Purpose,” I wondered out loud at the conference, “Is being a ‘great school’ public purpose enough?”

Given the generally deplorable state of public education in the US (whether considered in its own right or evaluated in contrast to that of high-performing public education systems, such as that in Finland, where there are no private schools to speak of, because there is no need for them), shouldn’t there be a larger commitment by independent schools to the common good of effective public schools?

I read recently an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review, “The Big Idea: Creating Shared Value: How To Reinvent Capitalism — And Unleash a Wave of Innovation and Growth” (Jan.–Feb. 2011) by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, whose main themes were… Often when I read such materials from outside the realm of education, I transpose the subject and a few phrases to see what it might sound like if we applied the thinking to independent schools. What if the article had read like this? “Creating Shared Value: How to Reinvent Schools — And Unleash A Wave of Innovation and Growth.” If it had, the themes might have been…



The capitalist system is under siege. Business is now seen as the problem — as prospering at the cost of the local community, favoring short-term profit over long-term stability and growth, unconcerned with the well-being of employees, the environment, customers, suppliers, or the economic distress of the community.

*********

The education system is under siege. Schools are now seen as the problem — as dithering at a cost to the local community, favoring the interest of adults over those of children.

*********
Companies must take the lead in bringing business and society back together, going beyond the corporate social responsibility mindset via the model of shared value, beyond philanthropy and even sustainability to creating value as the core principle of the economic model.

*********
Schools must take the lead in bringing education and society back together, going beyond the social responsibility/service learning mindset via the model of shared value, beyond philanthropy and even sustainability to creating value as the core principle of the educational model.

*********

Re-conceiving the connection between society and corporate performance is already happening in forward-thinking companies: Google, IBM, GE, Intel, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson.

********
Re-conceiving the connection between public purpose and private schools is already happening in the most forward-looking independent schools, where we find laboratories of experimentation; outreach programming to serve the educationally underserved; centers of civic engagement; partnerships with public schools.

********
Businesses acting as businesses, not as charities, could be the most powerful force for solving society's challenges.

*********
Private schools acting with public agency, not for themselves alone, could be a powerful force for solving society's challenges.


If my imaginary version of the HBR article had been a HGE Newsletter (Harvard Graduate School of Education) article instead, it might have cited for inspiration and grounding some important thinkers on the topic:

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." ("Letter from a Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.).
"America has a long heritage of educational diversity, of public schools working alongside our independent schools, and this tradition has done much to contribute to our nation's greatness." (President Ronald Reagan, speaking at our last NAIS Annual Conference in Washington, DC, 2/28/1985).
"We must migrate from 'silos of separation to communities of collaboration'." (Margaret Dowling, director of the Department of Education’s Office of Non-Public Education, speaking at the NAIS Annual Conference in National Harbor, MD, 2/24/2011).

And I would add, "For America to prosper, public schools must once again be good, and private schools must be great."

So, dear reader, what do you think? Is having a great school that educates well future leaders “public purpose enough?”

Planting Acorns...

A man I admire, Mark Scharenbroich, uses the analogy of planting acorns to describe the role teachers and parents have in the lives of young people. With care and nurturing, the acorn will grow into a sturdy oak that will outlive the planter by several lifetimes, and be a lasting testament to the care invested in its growth. In today's world of immediate gratification, the frustrating problem for some is that we may not see the payoff on the investment in the futures of our young people for many years. A sturdy, healthy oak takes decades to develop.

I'm constantly reminded that while we work every day on student achievement, instruction and delivery, and measurable outcomes for students, some of the most important outcomes will not be measurable, and not evident, for many, many years. As I have advanced in my career (some would say advanced in years...), it has become more and more apparent that the role educators play in shaping people is far more important than the role we play in teaching grammar and mathematics.

For years education has struggled to attract the best and the brightest to our profession. The pay is relatively low compared to jobs that require commensurate training. The status of educators in American society is probably at an all time low as American education is attacked from every angle. Nevertheless, somehow, we are still able to count among our professional educators people who care about more than comma splices and quadratic equations. Every day our teachers are invested in the whole child - their successes are our successes, their failures our failures.

Education and education funding is a hot topic in Michigan. This is not a political blog, yet I urge anyone reading to recognize the critical juncture we have reached in Michigan. With the loss of industrial and manufacturing jobs, educating young people to be creative solution finders with the capacity to think their way to a living has never been more critical.

I question whether the problem lies in the schools, or in our approach to them. Are teachers valued appropriately? Are schools valued to the degree we value businesses and infrastructure? The unquestionable truth is that the future of our state and nation depends on how many acorns are cultivated into strong long-lasting oaks in schools and homes. Now is a time for all to be invested in the education of our youth as the critical issue before us.

Adults - Immigrants To the Digital World?

It's often said that adults are immigrants to the world of technology, but kids are natives. Inherent then in that relationship is some mutual fear. I wonder how many of you never learned to program the vcr before it became defunct, or how many of us don't know how to program our TIVO or use our remote or computer properly? Bet your kids could show you...

Educational Leadership magazine has a group of high school students called their "Screenagers" who provide technology feedback from a student's perspective. In the February, 2011 edition, some of these kids address the issue of the technology-challenged adult:

" I'd much rather explain some technology thing to a teacher than sit there and watch them try to figure it out for themselves. Just admit you don't get it. We all know you don't know. Because if you knew, it would be up already. Just don't be afraid to ask for help."

"There's a lot of pressure for teachers to use technology, but no one teaches them how. What drives me nuts is when we're going to watch a YouTube video, 10 minutes later the teacher still hasn't figured out how to start it. It's kind of cute, but it's a waste of time."

- Educational Leadership, Feb. 2011, vol.68 no.5, p. 45

So often, adults shy away from technology because of a fear of appearing inadequate. Often students can be a great resource, but more important is taking time to learn how a tool works before using it. We provide teachers constant professional development in the use of technology tools that are available to them. We are also happy to provide that training to parents and other adults. Periodically we offer sessions in accessing student grades and attendance, and we've sponsored sessions on cyber-bullying and internet safety. If any parent has a need for assistance with technology, please don't hesitate to contact us here at school and we will make training available on a one to one or group basis.

We are committed to our teachers using technology as a tool, but not at the expense of good instruction. If a tool takes longer to use than the task could be completed without it, we shouldn't be using it. With a new influx of technology coming into our building courtesy of the Grosse Pointe Foundation grant, even more teachers and students will have the opportunity to access new and better tools. We will provide our teachers training, but like all tools, technology can sometimes be difficult. Our students can be great resources.

While adults may be immigrants to the world of technology, we're in "immersion school" as we have no choice other than to learn how to use and access the available tools. As natives in the world of technology, it will be interesting to see what today's kids create as adults, and how fast those creations evolve and adapt. We have to embrace technology as both a tool and a way of life in the 21st century. After all, if you have to ask your child to show you how to shut down the computer, chances are technology immigration officers may be asking to see your technology immigrant green card...

Law School and Exams...

Every year during exam week I think of law school. In a misguided career pursuit I attended law school for a year after college. While I learned a lot, met a lot of great people and had mostly good experiences, I have always thought the system of education was ridiculous. As first year law students we all had the same courses. There were no elective options, and most surprisingly, no graded assignments. With the exception of my legal writing and research course, grades in every course were determined solely by performance on an end of year exam. We spent the entire year reading, researching, arguing, discussing, but our entire grade for a course came down to one day in the spring. That's pressure...

Our exams at North may not carry as much pressure as the exams in law school, but exam week can be very stressful for a lot of students. Exam grades count for 20% of a student's semester grade. The semester grade is the only grade that shows on a transcript, and semester grades are the ones that count in determining a student's grade point average (g.p.a.). 20% can be a fairly significant number - enough to cause stress in many students.

Some recommendations for helping students deal with stress brought on by exam week:

* Sleep!! - Frequently students cram late at night and arrive sleep deprived which adds to an inability to handle stress, and negatively impacts their ability to perform on exams themselves. Research shows that 20 minute naps before and/or after studying can have a significant positive impact.

* Exercise - Physical exertion is a great stress reducer, and helps to clear the mind.

* Eat Healthy - Frequently students load up on junk food, caffeine and sugar while studying, which can have the effect of making them sluggish later, and impact their ability to think clearly.

* Eat Regularly - Skipping meals can cause irritability, lead to poor nutritional decisions later, and add to stress.

* Study over time - Instead of last minute cramming, short mini sessions leading up to a final study session can reinforce understanding, and minimize stress.

* Create a good study environment - A quiet space that is free of clutter and distractions is most conducive to productive studying.

Almost all of our teachers provide detailed study guides, and many post those guides on their websites. We encourage parents to visit teacher websites, know their child's exam schedule, and assist in promoting the stress reduction principles listed above. A student who has kept up with work throughout the semester, and plans and studies in an organized fashion will do very well.

If you are concerned about signs of stress, or your son or daughter's exam preparation, please don't hesitate to contact counselors, teachers and administrators.