The previous tagline was:
“Technology is transforming learning. All you need is an idea of where you are and where you need to go.”

The new tagline is:
“Learning is Job #1″

This tagline really reflects my personal bias – learning, in any form, is what school (and life) is about. I think this is a fitting time to once again share my favorite quote:

The best thing for being sad, replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then – to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.
~Merlin to Wart (Young Arthur) in The Once and Future King by T.H. White

I am really looking forward to how the blog grows in a new direction!

For anyone reading some of my recent posts, you may have noticed a distinct focus on what is going on in the New York State Education Department (NYSED). One of my main responsibilities in the new position will be to keep up with what is going on at NYSED, and how it will affect the teachers and curriculum in the areas I am responsible for. As I have been going through the interview process, I became much more in-tune with the happenings in Albany, and therefore posted more about that. One could easily devote a full-time job to keeping up with NYSED

As I move into the position, one of the things on my mind is how this blog will work into my new role. I will absolutely keep it going, but I wonder what focus the blog should take on.  I started blogging in 2004 after hearing David Thornburg speak at an ISTE conference. Back then “blog” and “wiki” were relatively new terms, and being a technology integrator, it has been a perfect fit for me. I have grown through and enjoyed the writing I do.

I also wonder if the title and tag line is appropriate in my new position. Here is what is at the top of the blog:

Point A to Point B
Technology is transforming learning. All you need is an idea of where you are and where you need to go.

The title of the blog, Point A to Point B, and the web address (which I own) I think are appropriate for any educational endeavor. Regardless of the content, everyone is at point a, and is trying to get to point b.

Regarding the tag line, technology is certainly transforming learning in every area including the ones I will be responsible for. As a matter of fact it was music technology that was the catalyst for me making the jump to becoming a technology integrator in the first place! Many staff and students I have worked with in recent years are surprised when they learn that music is my background.

I have come around to where, like many, I know it is not about the technology, it is about the learning. So how about this for a tag line (it is actually my Twitter tag line right now):

Point A to Point B
Learning is job #1

I do not think one could argue learning is our fundamental purpose. My writing will focus more on the content areas I’m involved with. I will still probably draw out connections to technology, but I am actually really liking the fact that I can focus on technology from a content perspective instead of technology as a separate “thing” (which I admit I can do quite easily…). At the end of the day, it is about the learning (in Music, Art, Business, and Home & Careers, etc.) and not about the technology.

I would love your thoughts on what I have outlined here. If you have any comments or suggestions for the tag line, I would appreciate that also. My “point a” is changing, as is my “point b”, and I’m looking forward to the journey!

Image courtesy of woodleywonderworks on Flickr

Collaboration, coaching and reflection are not new concepts. What they are, however, are new ways to approach professional development to improve learning in a systematic way. I will use the analogy of my past experience as a band director to draw connections to how teachers have always coached, collaborated and reflected, and compare that to how we can make systemic change.

From the beginning of time, musicians would perform a concert, and then go out to celebrate (or commiserate) afterward on the performance. This is true of concert musicians as well as music teachers after a school concert. What typically happens in the “after-hours” celebration is a lively dialogue among teachers involved in the concert and colleagues who attended the concert. Discussion ensues about what went well, what could go better, and steps to take for next time. It is a dynamic, fluid process of collaboration, coaching and reflection that moves teachers forward. Next steps that might happen is that a particular teacher might go to visit a colleague to see how he/she works with their students to solve a similar challenge. A guest clinician might be brought to school to coach teachers on rehearsal techniques. Teachers may get together after school for a few weeks in a row to teach each other about instrument intricacies. These types of experiences are informal, and occur spontaneously after a performance. How can we formalize this process so it benefits every teacher, every day, but does not water-down the effectiveness?

The same exact scenario above can be played out by any teacher in any discipline immediately following a major benchmark assessment or other summative assessment, such as a state exam. Math teachers, for example, will have a spirited dialogue about an exam as it is being administered, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses they suspect among their students and how they perceive students will perform. This continues as the results are reported and strategies are investigated to help students succeed.

How are more recent professional development models in-line with the collaboration, coaching and reflection needs of staff? With the data team as a fundamental unit now, the model is in place for regular and routine dialogue along these lines. At its core the data team is a formalized way for colleagues to collaborate on how students are performing, and identify strengths and needs for students. During this process they might decide that assistance is needed with a particular instructional strategy or technology so a coach is called upon. In my role as technology facilitator I consider myself the “technology coach” for whomever needs assistance. Throughout the data team process, reflection is built-in as well as teachers think about their students’ performance and their own teaching.

As an aside, with the NYS Race To The Top initiative, one of the key components of the new structures being created is called the school-based inquiry team. NYSED defines the inquiry team as:

School-based Inquiry Teams – comprised of teachers, teacher leaders and administrators – are charged with becoming expert in accessing, understanding and using data to identify a change in instructional practice (e.g. teaching division of fractions) that will accelerate learning for a specific group of underperforming students. Based on what is learned from that experience, teams work with school staff to implement and monitor system-level change to benefit all students. The reflective practice that is used as the basis for the Inquiry Team’s work is intended to support continual, evidence-based improvement of student learning. While each school is to have at least one Inquiry Team, more teams may be put in place should the school find it valuable to do so.

Click here to see NYSED document with this definition.

To me this refers to the data teams we already have in place. While there are many individual teams and no one overriding data team to analyze system-level change for the whole school, the purpose of our data teams is in line with the definition of the inquiry team above. It appears we are well positioned as components of the RTTT initiatives are rolled out in the coming years.

Image licensed from iStockphoto.com

While it is not as relaxed as an after-concert celebration, the more formalized process of collaboration, coaching and reflection built into our data teams and the coming RTTT initiatives put us in an excellent position to help our students excel.

For the past 2 years during the state’s involvement in applying for and winning a RTTT grant, the Board of Regents has actively been implementing parts of what it calls the Regents Reform Agenda (RRA) (sorry for the multiple acronyms – it’s easier to type). The RRA is essentially the plan in place to carry out the items specified in the RTTT application.

One of the components of the RTTT application is an updated performance review process for teachers and administrators. New York had to change its application, which was rejected in the first round, to reflect a more concrete process in which to demonstrate an updated review process. In May of 2010 new law was passed by the legislature – section 103 of the laws of 2010 specifically addresses teacher and principal performance review. The new section of the education law, 3012-c, can be found here.

The law indicates that teachers and principals must be evaluated on a combination of student performance (40%) and personal performance (60%). Regarding the 60% based on personal performance, the law states, “The remaining percent of the evaluations, ratings and effectiveness scores shall be locally developed, consistent with the standards prescribed in the regulations of the commissioner, through negotiations conducted pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law.” (Section 3012-c(2)(h))

The standards prescribed in the regulations of the commissioner (as mentioned in the law) were just approved by the Board of Regents at the January 2011 meeting. They come in the form of the New York State Teaching Standards. There are seven standards, with underlying elements and performance indicators, that outline the skills necessary for teachers. These standards were designed so rubrics for performance could be developed. The work group putting together the teaching standards stopped short of developing specific rubrics, as there are other groups working on that right now. For a list of FAQs surrounding the development of the standards, click here: Teaching Standards Q&A

Here is the full document with the newly adopted NYS Teaching Standards: New York State Teaching Standards

So in the age of technology and its use in the classroom, where does New York State stand in terms of what teachers should be doing with technology? One of the questions from the Q&A document provides some light:

Q. Is there a separate standard for a teacher’s use of technology?
A. The ability of educators to use a variety of technological tools, techniques, and  skills to inform and enhance teaching, learning, and other aspects of  professional performance is crucial to their effectiveness in today’s learning environment.  Since technology is such a prevalent factor in today’s world and is included in so many aspects of teaching and student learning, a decision was made to infuse technology throughout all of the Standards rather than to isolate it in a single Standard.  Therefore, references to the use of technological resources, knowledge, and skills are found throughout the Teaching Standards ( e.g. Elements I.6;  II.6;  III.4;  III.5; etc. ).

Technology, or technologies, is referenced 11 times within the standards – below are the specific references. Take a look and see what you think. Please note that I am only showing any mention of technology. Some of the items items are elements within standards, and some are performance indicators within elements.

• Teachers demonstrate knowledge and understanding of technological and information literacy and how they affect student learning.
• Teachers use technological tools and a variety of communication strategies to engage each student.
• Teachers incorporate a knowledge and understanding of technology in their lessons to enhance student learning.
• Teachers explore and use a variety of instructional approaches, resources, and technologies to meet diverse learning needs, engage students, and promote achievement.
• Teachers incorporate instructional approaches and technologies to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes.
• Teachers engage students in the development of multidisciplinary skills, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and use of technology.
• Students utilize technologies and resources to solve real world problems.
• Teachers organize and utilize available resources (e.g., physical space, time, people, technology) to create a safe and productive learning environment.
• Teachers ensure that all students have equitable access to available resources and technologies.
• Teachers use multiple measures and multiple formats, including available technology, to assess and document student performance.
• Teachers advocate, model, and manage safe, legal, and ethical use of information and technology, including respect for intellectual property and the appropriate documentation of sources.

I like the fact that technology is not a separate standard, as it needs to be used as a tool. I like the fact that ethical use is specifically mentioned. I like the statement, “students utilize technologies and resources to solve real-world problems.” As a matter of fact, I think every statement included in the standards related to technology is excellent.

I wonder how this is going to play out. Since the annual professional performance review (APPR) is a locally-negotiated item, how will these standards come into play when the review document is created? According to the state, there are a number of pilots underway right now to test various types of rubrics to support the standards. As with any measure of professional performance, the meat and value of the review will come with the details of how the measurement is done.

The new New York State Teaching Standards represents a top-down model for improving teaching and learning, motivated by the Race to the Top initiative. We are going to spend a lot of time transforming current systems to this new model – I hope it’s worth the time and effort.

I’ll get the ball rolling by taking a few minutes to look back to the posts I did last year regarding the iPad:

• Touch This – Tactile Learning and Technology
• How the iPad Has Changed My Game
• How the iPad Can Change Students’ Game

Now that it a little over 6 months since I wrote those posts, what apps have I come to rely on the most on my iPad? Here are my top three:

• Safari - No big surprise here that the main task I do is use the Internet. Many times while working at a website, I will learn that there is an app for the website (for example, The Buffalo News has a news app). I then download the app, and depending on its usefulness, may begin to use the app instead.
• Mail - Managing and responding to email on the iPad is very easy.
• Angry Birds – if you have not been bitten by the Angry Birds bug, be warned – it is a game that will suck you in quickly! If I ever happen to forget to bring my iPad home, my kids are very upset if they do not get their Angry Birds fix (we have even ordered the Angry Birds stuffed animals…we’re completely hooked).

Clearly the iPad has become my productivity/entertainment center – there are a whole host of apps that I use on a regular (but not every day) basis for a variety of things. In the hands of my kids, it is very interesting that they often choose some of the creativity apps and YouTube videos (that we watch with them) in addition to games.

Which brings me to the task at hand – what apps should we be installing on the iPads for school? Some of the general categories are:

• eReaders (iBooks, Nook, etc.)
• Content area apps
• Voice recording apps (the iPad has a built in microphone)

I’ve put together a wiki page for staff and students to collect our thoughts on what apps to install on the iPads. I’m looking forward to how this rolls out.

Just a footnote that I want to bring out here – we have 4 iPads for 650 students. The iPad is a highly personal device (I can attest to that). As we share the device, I keep thinking about a comment Brian Smith from Monroe 1 BOCES made recently:

I still contend that these won’t be successful until they are made personal.  Meaning, give it to the kid to have for the entire year.  Let them take it home, play with it, read on it, correspond on it and make their learning personal.

I’m currently in a pilot with iPads and the students are lukewarm to the device because they know it will go away or that they won’t be able to make it work for them personally.

~Brian C. Smith (@briancsmith)

We are not at the point where everyone has one, but I think keeping in mind Brian’s comments make sense as we get going on getting the iPads out.

Looking forward to some awesome learning!

Creative Commons licensed image, iPad 3G and iPad Wi-Fi, by Yutaka Tustano on Flickr

Five years ago we cut the extra “pipes” into our house. We canceled our land line and switched to a VOIP phone service. All of our communication has been going through our cable modem. Some of our friends still find it “shocking” that although we have internet access through the cable TV provider, we don’t subscribe to cable TV. This is only due to the sticker shock of paying for so many channels that we never watch. Additionally, with the onslaught of Internet video services (Hulu, etc.), I believe the days of over-priced, over-stuffed channel services are numbered. In the last couple of months, fiber-optic service has been introduced in our area. We have signed up to convert to the higher quality dedicated pipe.

Of course it is possible to have one pipe for all communications, and there are many companies that are capitalizing on making the computer the single point of communication. How might this look in a school setting for a teacher, an administrator, or better yet, a student?

What would a main office look like if a principal (and his/her secretary) could manage all incoming and outgoing communication through the computer? What if a parent were able to go to the school website and click on a link to automatically call the school? What if the principal had an alert set up for any time the school hashtag was mentioned in Twitter, and could quickly respond if necessary?

What would a teacher’s classroom look like if all of their communication could be handled through the computer? No more leaving the desk or classroom to make a call, and then having to wait to get back to the computer to find necessary information. Voice calling access for teachers on their computer would be a huge benefit.

What would a student’s learning world look like if they had some form, any form, of technology at their disposal in the classroom? The technology divide for learning between adults and students is growing so large it is scary. We have arrived at a point where as adults and professionals, we could not last a day without the technology that we need. What sort of disservice are we doing by not providing our students with the same opportunity?

Mobile phones, and smart phones specifically, are the alternate form of the one pipe scenario. Just as the data machine is adopting voice on the computer, the voice machine is adopting data on the mobile phone. Adults are more used to the computer version of one pipe, while kids are more used to the mobile version. The type of pipe does not matter – what matters is having access to the pipe for learning.

Each of us needs only one pipe to be connected to the world. Each of us needs a pipe. All day, every day.

Thoughts or comments most welcome here, through Google Voice, or through Skype:

Talk to you on the pipe!