Education | sjt Rants...

21st-Century Leadership Skills

sjt

May 14 |10:04

I just finished delivering a brief (30 minute) presentation about the Children’s Internet Protection Act and how that influences the resources available in our classrooms.

The presentation seemed to go very well and I did my best to bring about discussion and questions from the audience. Clearly, this is a highly discussed topic with no easy answers. However, the wind is changing and schools are moving slowly away from the possible solutions being driven by technology to solutions being driven by common sense and the needs to speak to the world in which students live – not the artificial world of the classroom.

There are quite a few people here; probably 75. Also here is my good friend Chuck Walters who has moved up to the role of Superintendent at the DeRuyter School District.

sjt

Lots of Activity…

sjt

Mar 3 |15:41

The last few days have been full of all kinds of activity. The largest amount of my time has been spent reading materials that are related to this new job. The disaster recovery plan alone is a full 4” binder of materials and an accompanying CD of supporting documentation.

Gradually, I am discovering a theme to all of this. I am already getting a sense for the things that will need to be done in order to have services established for this organization and all of the BOCES and school districts it serves.

The people here have been great. Many have made a point of stopping by and introducing themselves. They have offered assistance with anything that I need – and delivered on that offer when I have asked.

The biggest change in my day has been the significant reduction in chaos. Each day used to be filled with such a flurry of activity that getting to my own work was nearly impossible. Now, I am able to focus on my work and actually make headway. I’m sure there will be more chaos as things get rolling faster, but it feels pretty good to get to the end of each day and know that there has been forward momentum.

There are many things I miss. But those details will have to be published later.

sjt

“Did You Know?” v.4.0

sjt

Nov 9 |10:44

sjt

Teach? Watch!

sjt

Nov 3 |14:24

sjt

“Hard lessons for our teachers…”

sjt

Dec 11 |14:47

Education reform always makes for interesting reading…

Daggett, who spoke at several sessions, was his usual provocative self. Teachers who resist all change should be driven from the profession, he said. Educators who eschew new technology “are pretending to prepare the kids for a world (they) don’t even live in.”

via State: Hard lessons for our teachers.

sjt