Five and Six

This is the fifth year of what was once called our 1:1 Device Integration plan.  The day that I'm writing this is the sixth day of that school year.  So much has changed, not in technology, but in our rollout of ideas and philosophies that I sometimes forget that it really hasn't been that long of a journey.  Here were my personal "Long Term" goals when I submitted my first application for a grant to get devices for my students:

1. Establish a fully integrated Open Educational Resources collection tied to specific Common Core Standards and Learning Targets that is accessible to all teachers.
2. Integrate lessons on Digital Citizenship so students can become leaders in technology specific areas that they can carry with them on to higher levels of education and into the workplace.
3. Push for student created content (Apps, Programs, and Modules) that can be integrated into the lessons and shared with the OER collection and published in real world situations.

As I look at where those goals drove my instruction in the classroom, I can't help but realize that I was not actually looking at the big picture.  I was doing what most of us do when we think about long-term plans: "How will this benefit me?"

It's a common question for many, but it's not as self-focused as it seems.  It's natural to want to think about how much benefit will come from a five-year investment, but the reality is that students will always benefit from teachers who plan for the long term.  My personal goals didn't necessarily take into account the needs of students.  If I had to do it over, I'd rewrite my goals to be more student focused:

1. Establish a portfolio of student created resources  (tied to specific ISTE standards) that is accessible to all teachers to be used as examples for the works students can create.
2. Have students develop lessons on Digital Citizenship that are relevant to the current lives and future lives.
3. Find ways to have students create apps, programs, and modules that are relevant to their classes.

The subtle changes to the goals would shift the focus to what has actually happened over the past five years: students are taking more ownership over their learning and engaging in the process.  Instead of pushing technology on students (which is, in some ways, how we were thinking at the start of this process) we're struggling (in a good way) to keep up with their needs.  All of us are working daily to make sure that the students have what they need, not what we want them to have.  For ourselves, we need to remember that the day-to-day connections with students are, and will always be, the most valuable tool in our toolboxes.  Computers can't do that for you, but some of the tools you have at your disposal can help you take that first step.

If you already have a Twitter account, consider tweeting.

If you haven't sent a positive email note home in a while, send one.

If you haven't used a Calendar program to help keep your students organized, considering crafting one.

We, the Technology and Innovation Facilitators can help with the small things as well.  Your ideas for establishing and keeping authentic connections with students don't have to be big ideas.  We talk a lot about moonshots and long-term goals, but maybe your plan is just to be a little bit better tomorrow.  That's just as good (and in some ways, actually better) than imagining a future of VR Headsets because it is way more real-world and way less dream-world.

So whether it's big steps or little steps, let's shift the conversation to your plan and your ideas for how we can turn all of this technology stuff into their plans and their ideas.

And if you need help, of course, please don't hesitate to give us a call, or an email, or even a Tweet.  Good luck on your upcoming year, we can't wait to see what you have in store.

The Technology and Innovation Facilitators of Carl Sandburg High School:

Christine Borst
Christopher Frye
Tim O'Shea
Desi Vuillaume