School Technology Policies

I was honored to present at the GSLT Summit 2011: Lead Within.

Here is a link to the slide show:http://goo.gl/euYWk

Here is a link to the handout: http://goo.gl/oOse3

Please let me know if you would like more information!

One of the largest trends in educational leadership right now is the “Bring your own technology / device” (BYOT / BYOD) trend fostered by students who are more comfortable using technology than many teachers. In a recent web collaboration session with our area’s Consortium of School Networking (CoSN), a group of us recommended a summit or event for districts looking to implement a BYOT summit.

Kennesaw State University is, as I type this, hosting this event. This is where some of the real work is getting done - planning for this radical shift is a major change in the control-based technology functions in schools.

Probably one of the scariest things about allowing people to bring their own technology into the classroom (both teachers and students alike) is the loss of control, even though this may create a significant shift in the number of students who are learning the way the work world is expecting them to contribute. However, can we move into the 21st Century Classroom if students don’t bring their own technology?

Another concept to consider is the need for strong instructional applications that are built for BYOT classrooms. If you are a developer, get working!

See my latest article for the American Association of School Administrators here (http://goo.gl/pwfxd)

Article Title: Parents, students, and social networking: free resources

The AASA Leader’s Edge publication is an excellent resource for administrators at all levels in the K-12 school industry.

Last week, I also provided a presentation for school counselors on social networking, cyberbullying, and sexting: http://goo.gl/mnwev

These presentations are usually light on words and heavy on images, so if you want to ask questions or discuss the content, please contact me at cwells@schooltechpolicies.com

From time to time, I get asked for writing samples, and since I just finished a significant research paper on Systems Thinking, entitled “Principles of Organizational and Social Systems,” I thought I would share it here. This paper is one of six demonstrations prior to my dissertation, and are considered Knowledge Area Modules, or KAMs.Yes, I know it’s KAM 3, and my next KAM on Leadership is KAM 5. These research papers are not always completed in a sequential order.

The 130-page paper is posted on Google Docs for anyone to view (just click here).

Also, a quick thank-you is in order to my Walden University mentor, who was a great help throughout the KAM process.

Abstract: Breadth

This section examines the foundations of systems theory, and outlines the “lens” of K-12 education as the focus of this document. To establish the broader perspective around the field of systems theory, the Breadth section explores seminal works by leading practitioners, including Daneke, Capra, Baert, Axelrod and Cohen, and Gharajedaghi, each of whom has contributed significantly to the body of work around systems theory. Systems thinking was first developed using resource methods initially developed for ecology, because concrete indicators of success did not always provide accurate data around business health. Instead, the interactions among different systems were explored as a method for determining new ways for reaching business goals, creating social change, and connecting to the K-12 educational environment.

Abstract: Depth

Recent peer-reviewed journal articles on the use of systems thinking tools have been examined and summarized, and three themes emerged in the discussion of the articles: the flexibility required to change curriculum and “scaffold” systems thinking lessons into a learning organization, the involvement of the entire school community in social and cultural change, and the amount of time required to make meaningful changes in teaching and learning. While several of the articles applied directly to K-12 education, others were relevant as examples from parallel fields or as meaningful foundational articles for further discussion. The need for systems thinking at the organizational and instructional levels is also discussed in detail.

Abstract: Application

Informed by the research presented in the Depth and Breadth sections of this document, the Application component provides three potential uses of the systems thinking concepts in a K-12 environment: an assessment of the current condition of systems thinking in a K-12 school, a collaborative online workshop design for introducing systems theory to school staff members, and a job-aid to support administrative planning for implementing more systemic activities at a school. These are non-experimental activities that can be implemented in further research if desired in the pursuit of educational and social change. Following these applications, there is a discussion connecting the activities to relevant research and experiments from the Breadth and Depth sections.

The following slide show is available to download, and includes previously used information for other slide shows, as well as links that support each of the two content sections.

There are three parts to this presentation:

• Introductory information that is general social networking info
• Information to distribute to teachers
• Information to distribute to parents

Click here to access the presentation!

Two presentations that I recently completed have been put on Slideshare.net. I tweeted these out last week, but thought it would be a good idea to put it out via this medium, too.

These slide shows are not word-heavy, and built off of the same template, so you will see repetition.

• Parent presentation on “Students and Online Behaviors”
• Student leadership presentation on “Leadership, Ethics, and Social Networking”

I have recently been speaking with many of my colleagues and parents in our school district on the concepts of social networking privacy. In case you don’t subscribe to my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/techpolicies), here are some great sites to start considering the management of your Facebook information:

• One more step for making Facebook a secure browsing tool - DO IT NOW if you can! http://goo.gl/9wRSg
• A great list of 10 privacy settings EVERY Facebook user should know! http://goo.gl/giJz
• And, while we’re at it, read this article from About.com, “22 Ways to Adjust Privacy Settings In Facebook” http://goo.gl/Hhle9

Check out my latest article on social networking and its use in schools, published by the THE Journal’s Collaboration 2.0 publication. If you’ve been wondering what I do in my “spare” time, here’s a sample of my work:

http://tinyurl.com/24dve5o