A Time for Reflection…

So here we are, a week into a brand new year with all of it lying stretched out before us. A clean slate of endless opportunity and promise, just waiting to be brought to life with each new day. I love coming back from the first semester break honestly, because I get to hear all about the holiday adventures, and I get to bask in all the smiles as we gather together again as a community. Students and teachers seem refreshed, and renewed, and excited to begin again, and eager to make this the best year of their lives. There’s a positive energy in the air that is palpable, with everyone eager to start the new year off on the right foot. I wrote a post a couple of years ago that I’d like to highlight again today, as I think it still rings true as we start 2016…here is a piece of that post that I hope will resonate with many of you…maybe for a second time.

 

When people talk about the beginning of a New Year, the conversation inevitably turns to New Year’s Resolutions, and all of the amazing changes that people are going to make in their lives. From quitting smoking, to getting in the best shape of their lives, to spending more time with family, or to being a better correspondent to old friends. We all start the year with super high expectations and a new commitment to a better life. For many people however, these resolutions are empty promises that for whatever reason seem to fade before we finish the climb to spring. So instead, I want to encourage everyone to think about some New Year’s Reflections, and to use the promise of a new year to better yourselves through a focus on the how and why of change, and through a commitment to purpose and meaning.

 

In my opinion, the act of reflection is the most important part of learning and growing as a person. Whether it’s personal or professional reflection, the power of looking back is paramount. Thinking about your actions, your beliefs, your attitudes toward others, your reaction to things that may not have gone your way, or even the way you see yourself, your worth and your value to others and the world……….this  is remarkably profound. Without reflection, the opportunity to discover yourself and your potential is lost. Taking the time to think about how you learn, how you teach, your relationships with students and colleagues, and how you can give every aspect of your life more meaning is a necessary step before you make those concrete resolutions.

 

So with that said, I want to wish you all an amazing 2016, and I truly hope that it’s your best year to date. Make a point this year to continue to learn, and to grow as a person/educator, and to take risks, and to reflect on what’s going well…and what you could be doing better. We’re only one week into the new year…with the endless possibilities stretched out before us…so reflect on the past year, look longingly to the future, and most importantly, live in the present. Our lives are made up of small, simple, day to day choices which make up and affect our lives, so take the time to reflect early and often, and watch your year begin to take shape into something beautiful. A clean slate is a gift for us all so be purposeful about how you bring this year’s portrait to life.

 

Have a wonderful week everyone and remember to be great for our students and good to each other. Here’s to an amazing 2016!

 

Life I am the New Year.

I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about a life of reflection and giving.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me,
waiting for you to search it out with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve
is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will,
All the faith that you claimed but did not have —
these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened
by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity
to renew your allegiance to a life fulfilled
I am the New Year.

— Author Unknown

 

Quote of the Week….

The unexamined life is not worth living – Socrates

 

Inspiring Videos to Start Your Year – 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwKyauE_l-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUOpqd0rQSo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atNiYtCTcPc

 

Interesting Articles About the Power of Reflection –

http://ift.tt/1P38Hjz

http://ift.tt/1SbAVPo

http://ift.tt/1uw9O07

http://ift.tt/1SbAVPp

from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/1PXInw7

The Death of ” Digital”.

Sunset 26th Avenue Santa Cruz Ca.

Words are a powerful vehicle for meaning and understanding, connected to individual or group perspectives, interpretations, and connections. The word “Digital” has been part of our vocabulary landscape for a long time. It was only after reading Nicholas Negroponte’s book, “Being Digital” in 1995, that I began to be aware of the term and its impact on the world to come, but in 2016, the word “digital” has now blended itself into the daily fabric of our lives. When we think of the word “digital”, it creates a sense of disconnect from our world and implies that the digital world is a separate part of our reality. However, this is no longer true. Our lives are so embedded within this digital realm that the two have become inseparable. So, I invite us to use a new set of vocabularies to frame this paradigm: Appliances, Utilities, Information Flows, Ethics and Algorithms.

Appliances are the consumables that we connect and interact with (laptops, phones, tablets, GPS, and other hardware). These tools have become the default to our connectedness; disposable and with each new version more seamless, simple and integrated.

Utilities frame our day to day interactions. These social medias, networks, email, RSS, professional learning networks and Web 2.0/ 3.0 tools have become the architectural framework of communication and information for our connected world.

Information flows are the 150,000,000 Blogs posted a year, 5 million tweets per day, 200,000 videos uploaded on YouTube daily, and the petabytes of information created, aggregated, shared, and circulated daily around the earth.

Ethics is the why, how, when, where and who of our digital footprint in today’s world. It is the wide ranging issues from Killer Robots to the impact of a Filter Bubble (where search, news, and information algorithms choreograph what information types we get based on our personal browsing habits). The curation of our online and offline privacy as governments, corporations, and organizations juggle a treasure trove of information created by our respective digital footprints, is the new ethical dilemma we all deal with, as individuals, groups and as societies at large.

Algorithms are the backbone to the intelligent softwares that inhabit the engine of the internet. These are predictive, anticipatory, intelligent and analytical. The are the lifeblood of the internet ecosystems for individuals, governments, corporations, and organizations which then create, develop, build, facilitate, monitor, analyze, synthesize and evaluate our day to day interactions. The algorithms have become the life line to the information flows, ethics, utilities and appliances.

These words are not the definitive list, but reflect a vocabulary we use both from our past and present. They highlight how the “digital” world is ingrained in our daily lives, to the point we often are not even conscious of its presence. This connectedness fueled by our devices and ecosystems now are part of the fabric of our lives, often out of our control, and a non negotiable aspect of our own participation with the day.

A critical understanding of these words and their respective dynamics should be an essential ingredient in School and Organizational curricula. We can no longer think of them as separate entities. We have inherited this reality which now has us connected in ways where opting out becomes the abnormality . These Appliances, Utilities, Information Flows, Ethics and Algorithms are part of the fabric of our world and impact us as humans both consciously and unconsciously.

This discourse needs be given equal time in all educational settings; imbedded as seamlessly in the curriculum as they are in our lives. A responsibility to highlight the power, richness and cautions that come with tying ourselves to a set of appliances, utilities, information flows, ethics and algorithms that have and will continue to change the fabric of our interactions as humans and organizations.

So how do we do this? The key is that these terms and their meanings are introduced as part of the learning landscape in all units of study. Creating authentic connections between these words and the learning environment will then scaffold a clearer understanding of their real world applications. In our school ecosystems most subjects and curricular areas are using technology, often as a separate tool, or as a side show, but, if it is so seamless and embedded in our day to day lives, then we need to translate this into our learning. One of the first steps is to give ourselves permission to change the way we work with this vocabulary. As we change the vocabulary, and with it the meaning and role of these words, we are engaging in an active learning process connected to the changing world.

To ignore this vocabulary is to short change future generations of their awareness of a world that has become more invisible, seamless and blended both in our conscious and unconscious day. The death of “digital” is here.

John @beyonddigital.org

 

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Lost Keys 2002 Yamaha R6 Motorcycle | Mr. Locksmith Video

Lost Keys 2002 Yamaha R6 Motorcycle | Mr. Locksmith Video

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The Grand Tour

A fire-fighting approach to solving problems in schools

Tackling issues and problems in schools is an endless task, so much so that if leaders are not careful, it can completely drain you of your energy.

A lot of problems in schools are highly complex in nature and take significant amounts of time to figure out and work through. As we begin to get to to the heart of the problem other issues may surface and the problem is a lot bigger than one initially envisaged.

Firefighting analogies have been used frequently when describing the challenges associated with tackling problems in schools. Some of the statements below got me thinking about how we tackle problems (fires) in our schools:

Tackle the real blaze not just the smaller spot fires. We need to make sure, as leaders that we do not just focus on damage limitation of problems, we need to get to the source of the problem and work hard to overcome it. The real problem is often the most difficult one to tackle, smaller blazes are easier to put out. Overcoming small blazes is important but they do not address the major problem, which burns on.

Prevent the fires before they start. Firefighting is reactionary in nature. So, many fires could have easily been prevented by good habits and practices in the first place. As leaders in schools, we have to build capacity in our staff and develop the necessary systems that limit the opportunity for problems to surface the the first place.

When tackling one fire make sure you are not allowing someone to go light fires elsewhere. As leaders we need to be aware of what is going on in our schools. This should not be confused with micromanagement. Being aware of what is going on, is about having oversight and ensuring that  there are regular opportunities for you to check-in with the members of your team, so you can be given updates on what is happening and, in particular progress being made and arising issues. If you see things going wrong then intervention can occur before it is too late.

Look at the fire from the air as well as from the ground to understand its size, complexity and unpredictability. Many blazes in natural bushland are really complex and have many fronts, so it is important to get a good idea of what you are dealing with. Rather then going into and fighting the blaze head-on from the ground, it is important to get an appreciation of the size of the problem by looking at it from the air and developing a plan for how you are going to approach it.

Solving problems in schools is not easy, it takes a lot of courage to overcome some of the obstacles in the way to improve schools. The firefighter in all of us can make a difference with careful consideration of the issues we tackle and how we approach them.

Originally posted on the Ed Leader blog

Connect with me at: richard_bruford

photo credit: carpet barn fire via photopin (license)

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Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt

I'm starting off 2016 with a novel that combines so many elements: ghosts, mothers, cults, foster kids, family, the starry sky.  You can't imagine that all of those elements can possibly come together into a story, but they do.  Wonderfully.  

Mr. Splitfoot  was a bit of a jolt for me in my reading habits, but it was a good jolt.  It begins in upstate New York, with Ruth and Nat, two teens who live together in a foster home.  This foster home, called The Love of Christ! Foster Home, Farm, and Mission is really a terrible place full of kids who aren't wanted by anyone. It's run by Father Arthur, a man who collects checks from the government and treats the foster kids horribly.  Full of fire and brimstone, he's completely dysfunctional and takes all the kids who are "damaged" into his care.  The unwanteds.  Ruth's mother threw bleach on her face when she was little, leaving scars that resemble the night sky.  Nat talks to the dead.  Or is it all an act?

Ruth and Nat fall into a relationship with a traveling con artist, Mr. Bell.  He takes them around to give readings to people who want contact with their dead relatives.  It's a way for Ruth and Nat to make money and get away from the foster home, where they will be kicked out as soon as they turn 18.  

An alternating story involves Ruth's niece, Cora.  Set in current day, Cora is a young woman who finds herself pregnant and living with Ruth's sister (and Cora's mother), El.  El and Ruth had both lived at Love of Christ! until El was taken away and left on the side of the road by Father Arthur on her 18th birthday.  Ruth waited for her sister to come back to get her, but she never did.  Cora wakes one night to find her Aunt Ruth standing in her bedroom.  Ruth takes Cora on a walking tour of New York state.  Where are they going?  Why doesn't Ruth talk? How does it connect to Ruth and Nat's past?  

There are so many elements to this novel.  It is quirky, sad, funny, mystical, magical, and sometimes just bizarre.  But at the core, it reflects on motherhood in all of its varied ways, family, love, and how we all affect one another through our actions, words, and emotions.  Mr. Splitfoot is certainly a book club worthy read, and was a great way to kick off my 2016 reading list.  

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a  review copy, and for being so enthusiastic about this novel.  

Rating:  8/10 for a very different, yet moving novel that combines what we want with what we've got (and how to work with it), and the absolute powerful pull of love in all its mysterious ways. 

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Osler Residences – Live Large in South Vancouver

Elegant traditional exteriors meet modern interior design with Osler Residences – 18 new townhomes set for a 2017 completion in the ever-more-popular Marpole.

These homes will be popular for a number of reasons. Large and spacious – with a natural gas hookup and hose bib on the patio to connect your barbecue – each unit has no restrictions when it comes to rentals and pets, making it truly feel like your home. The location, too, is tough to beat: Quiet, shady streets, parks, schools, golf courses, and community centres combined with excellent public transit, boutique shopping, and groceries ensure relaxed, city-living at its best.

 

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