What if we provided you with a classroom set of iPads?

What if we provided you with a classroom set of iPads? We asked this question during some of our interviews last spring. The range of responses we received was interesting. Some candidates were thrilled with the idea and talked about all the ways they would be able to use the devices. Others admitted they didn't know much about how to use iPads for learning, but would be eager to learn more. One candidate shared that her school bought several iPads for her classroom a couple years ago, but she hadn't used them much. She said the school didn't really offer any training.

To be clear, we only have a handful of iPads in our building. However, we have a vision of being a 1:1 school at some point in the near future. We asked the question to get a sense of how open candidates were to implementing technology in the classroom. Ideally, we are looking for teachers who are passionate about leveraging technology as a tool for learning. Clearly, having iPads go unused for a couple of years is not acceptable even if the school failed to provide training.

So I hear this all the time in the graduate classes I teach. We need to offer teachers more PD on how to use technology. And I couldn't agree more. Schools always need to improve the learning opportunities for teachers, and it is a poor practice to just drop new devices or software on a teacher without training. But it also seems like this line of thinking is the most common excuse for not taking control of one's learning and becoming confident with digital tools.

Ultimately, we need educators to be active learners and seek out the information they need. I am not a technology wizard, but my experience tells me that 98% of what I know I've learned by doing, exploring, researching, etc. It did not happen because of a training. Let's be empowered to learn what we need when we need it. Schools need to offer opportunities for tech training, but teachers should never wait until a training is offered to learn something that might be good for them and their students.

To be successful, focus on what successful people do

When I was coaching we had a sign above the door of the locker room that read "Practice and play like a state champion today." It was a reminder to everyone, players and coaches, that our goal was to strive for excellence in the process of becoming a successful team. We had a vision of what it would be like to win a state championship, but our daily actions needed to reflect what state championship teams do. We had to respect the process.

The same holds true for my work as a principal and for our school overall. We want to provide the best possible learning experiences for our students, and for everyone who works in or visits our building. We want to build dreams, create opportunities, and make a positive impact. So we have to have a vision of what the best schools look like and then we have to go out day by day and put that vision into to action. We have to practice and play like we are making that vision a reality.

If we get too focused on results, we can get discouraged if we aren't having the success we think we should. We can't always control the outcome, but we can control our commitment to the attitudes and behaviors that will likely produce the results we want.

Why do educators need Twitter?

I'm terrible at predicting the success of new ideas in technology. When Google came to my attention a dozen years ago, I was using Yahoo as my portal to the web. I couldn't believe anyone would want to use this plain looking search engine when Yahoo offered news, sports, and more from its home page. My early analysis of Amazon was it was nothing special. And then there was Twitter. Why would anyone want to post on this weird site where you are limited to just 140 characters? Who cares what you had for breakfast?

I never would have dreamed in a million years that millions of education related Tweets would post each day. Educators are finding Twitter a powerful way to connect, collaborate, and communicate with each other.


So why do you need Twitter? Why build a PLN? With Twitter and other collaborative tools available, educators who are working in isolation, and not connecting with people from all around the world, are making a conscious decision to do so. Isolation is the enemy of improvement. If we want to grow into the best leaders possible, we need to network with the best education leaders out there. Many of them are on Twitter and sharing their knowledge freely. 

Twitter is a place to share resources, be inspired, push your thinking, own your learning, and find new opportunities. I'm grateful to innovative educators who helped me realize the power of Twitter.