Spending a lot of time at technology conferences, one thing is evident; there are a ton of sessions on “stuff”. As I write this post, people are scurrying around to find ways to connect “Pokemon Go” to the classroom.
Sessions like “100 tech tools in 60 minutes”, often dominate these conferences. So many choices, yet so little time to implement. We quickly move from one thing to the next, waiting for the next big thing.
Yet many of the participants in these same conferences have positions that are purposely meant to extend past the classroom. “Tech leads” or “Director of Innovation”, etc., are common titles.
So when you look at those positions…they are much more than the “stuff”. They are about how to help other people move forward.
For every blog post or book you read on technology, you should (at minimum) read an equivalent amount on leadership. “Cool tools” stay as “cool tools” if we do not think deeply about “why” we use them, and how others will see meaning in them.
So some quick thoughts on how to help others move forward with educational technology:
- Don’t just show people tools…discuss the thinking and learn to make a direct connection to deeper learning.
- Ask questions more than you give answers. Great leadership starts from where people are at, not only where we want them to go.
- If you go to a conference, take time to reflect on any tools that you learn and think about where they fit into the bigger picture of your school’s mission or vision. If you spend 60 minutes in a session learning about a tool, take 60 minutes in that day to think about how to get others to implement.
- Streamline…do less, better. Don’t turn a teacher’s full plate into a full platter.
This quote is relevant.
If you embrace the above, you will understand this is about a lot more than the “stuff”.
from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/2bw7uKr
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