{"id":1238,"date":"2013-12-29T18:21:20","date_gmt":"2013-12-30T02:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/?p=1238"},"modified":"2013-12-29T18:21:20","modified_gmt":"2013-12-30T02:21:20","slug":"my-top-three-list-for-2013-with-apologies-to-chris-kennedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/?p=1238","title":{"rendered":"My Top Three List for 2013 (with Apologies to Chris Kennedy)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n


\nLinus: ‘I guess it\u2019s wrong to be worried about tomorrow, maybe we should only worry about today?’<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Charlie Brown: ‘No, that’s giving up: I’m hoping that yesterday will get better!’<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 Charles\u00a0<\/strong>Schultz<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I am inspired, yet again, by Chris Kennedy who leads the way with the Culture of Yes<\/em> post wrapping up the \u201cTop 3\u201d\u00a0for 2013 (click\u00a0here<\/span><\/a><\/span>). This is his tradition and he has blogged about this annually in 2012, 2011, and 2010.\u00a0 He is a wonderful writer, brilliant thinker and inspiring leader. I tried to follow in his footsteps last year but wandered off the trail. You can see this in my own \u201cTop 3\u201d post last year (read here<\/span><\/a><\/span>). \u00a0So here I am again trying to do some sort of penance, searching for some answers, scrambling for the profound in the midst of the profane.<\/p>\n

My Top 3 Blog Posts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once I remembered my password (oh, my sorely neglected blog), I was able to log in and to check out my most popular posts from this past year. There weren\u2019t a lot of posts to choose from but these three had a few more hits (nothing viral to jump up and down about):<\/p>\n

1. <\/span>Transforming Education<\/span>: Creating a Radical Social Movement<\/em> (transcript of my ConnectEd Calgary keynote provided here<\/span><\/a><\/span>) .
\n2. <\/span>Guiding Principles:<\/span> What do we believe?<\/em> (the foundation for our work described here<\/span><\/a><\/span>)
\n<\/span>3. Getting Under Your Skin:\u00a0<\/span>a review<\/span><\/a><\/span> of Seth Godin\u2019s book<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Good Ideas That Spread Across our District:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.<\/span> Genius Hour<\/span><\/a><\/em>:<\/span> Time given to students to explore their own passions and share them with others that begins a transformational learning journey for students and teachers. When will Denise, Gallit and Joy publish their book?
\n2.<\/span> Kiva<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span>:<\/span> Classrooms are micro lending as little as $25 around the world to help alleviate poverty. This is an authentic opportunity for students to learn about personal and social responsibility. Thanks to @plugusin for getting us started.
\n<\/span>3.<\/span> Innovation Week<\/em><\/span>:<\/span> Inspired by Jesse McLean<\/span><\/a><\/span> (@jmclean77) from Parkland School Division in Alberta, other schools and classrooms are beginning to try this concept in our own backyard (see Fraser Heights story<\/span><\/a><\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three New Promising Pilots:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>1. Communicating Student Learning<\/em>:<\/span> Interested teachers across the district are engaged in creating an alternative to the standard reporting process and template (might just be my next blog post). Sample templates and resources were shared via the #sd36learn hashtag and internally through our SurreySchools.ca site.
\n2. Assessment Empowering Learners<\/em><\/span>:<\/span> Team leaders from eight schools being trained in deep formative assessment practices and facilitating inquiry groups at their own schools. The model developed is based on Dylan William\u2019s work and includes a digital component connected to @freshgrade.
\n<\/span>3. Tech4Learning<\/em><\/span>: Existing school inquiry plans are examined to see how learning can be digitally enhanced to ensure the most effective use of technology for student learning. Only schools with substandard technology are eligible. As well, school teams respond to the question: How does your plan connect to the new B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum transformation and assessment document?<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Great Books:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Books I am trying to read, should read, have started, half way through, want to finish, or have definitely finished:
\n1.<\/span> Intentional Interruption: Breaking Down Learning Barriers to Transform Professional Practice<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span> (recommended by Assistant Superintendent Karen Steffensen (@kstef2)).
\n<\/span>2.<\/span> Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span> (the word \u201cboundaries\u201d grabbed me but now the content has me reading it with my pink highlighter in hand\u2014I have much to learn here).
\n<\/span>3. <\/span>Embedded Formative Assessment<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>(being read by many, many teachers in our district).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Things I Read that Mattered:\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was actually tired of the same old, same old leadership \u201cstuff.\u201d Instead, I nourished my soul by reading the newly translated 2 million Korean bestseller, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/span>\u00a0I escaped into literature to find some normal in the midst of what sometimes seemed an abnormal world. Reading kept me focused and gave me a place to hide (see next list). I love the well-placed word.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Things I Didn\u2019t Want to Know and I Am Not Going to Talk About: <\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The Untidy Business of Dying
\n<\/em>2. <\/span>The Slow Death March of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease<\/em> (my dad)
\n<\/span>3. <\/span>The Crippling Impact of Parkinson\u2019s Disease<\/em> (my mom)<\/span><\/p>\n

Events that Challenged by Thinking:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Calgary ConnectEd Conference<\/em>: Calgary was all about the brilliant transformative teaching demonstrated at the Calgary Science School and the cadre of radical educators determined to change their classrooms, their schools and, ultimately, the education world.\u00a0 Relationships, connection, deep learning and fun\u2014it was all found there.
\n2. <\/span>IBM Executive Briefing<\/em>: At the IBM conference I had a chance to get away (I needed it\u2014see above list) and I found out about the \u201c<\/span>Treasure<\/em> Wild Ducks\u201d concept.\u00a0 If IBM can do it; so can we. I am a wild duck and when treasured I do my best work (see post here<\/span><\/a><\/span>).\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/span>3. <\/span>Visit to Mooresville, North Carolina<\/em> (ISTE award winning district):\u00a0 Mooresville is described as the \u201cbest\u201d school district in America (see here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>). North Carolina was an unexpected surprise; I learn so much from going other places–it informs my practice, challenges my thinking, and pushes me to do better work.\u00a0 It was a privilege to be able to talk to district leaders, visit schools, ask principals questions, and peek into classrooms. I came back motivated to be much more aggressive about the work I do.\u00a0 I began asking myself the questions: What truly is transformative learning? How do we define it? If we have district priorities, do we see evidence of them in individual classrooms? How can we support exponential, rather than incremental, change? Where can we take more risk? How can we best design strategies to create a domino effect? Where is the tipping point?<\/span><\/p>\n

Tech-Related Projects that were Fun:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. There’s An App for That!:<\/em>\u00a0Read the news article<\/span><\/a><\/span> to see how we are changing the way we communicate with parents. It was fascinating to participate in the development of the SchoolLink app and see how business companies work in moving from idea to product. You can find it in the iTunes store (check it out here<\/span><\/a><\/span>)
\n2. <\/span>Connecting Staff:<\/em> Giving feedback on the <\/span>visual redesign<\/em> of SurreySchools.ca Version 2 (Sharepoint 2013 upgrade). Design is an area of personal interest and having the opportunity to provide input to make something more attractive was fascinating. The new look and functionality launches at the end of January.
\n<\/span>3. <\/span>An Unusual Partnership<\/em>: Collaborating with @freshgrade<\/span><\/a><\/span> to see if there is a way to capture snapshots of learning and provide descriptive feedback in digital form. Speaking as a mother of four boys in school: When will I as a parent be able to have a 24\/7 window into my child\u2019s learning?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Provocative Quotes that Need Action:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>1. \u201cWhat if we just jumped off the cliff and no longer bought textbooks?\u201d queried Jordan Tinney, the new Superintendent of Surrey Schools who blogs here<\/span><\/a><\/span>.
\n2. \u201cWe need moonshot thinking,\u201d explained Orwell Kowalyshyn, Information & Media Literacy Helping Teacher in Surrey Schools on the process of moving from incremental to exponential system change.
\n<\/span>3. \u00a0“Are we looking for a killer app or do we have a killer pedagogy?\u201d adapted from a conversation with David Vandergugten, Director of Instruction with the Maple Ridge\/Pitt Meadows School District.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ricocheting in my Brain:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Priorities<\/em>: \u201cBefore you try to come up with ways to stretch the clock and make more time, it\u2019s important to figure out if the time you already have is being used to its greatest potential\u2014that is, are you doing the right<\/em><\/strong> work?\u201d Steven Katz and Lisa Ain Dack.
\n2. <\/span>Technology Technical Support<\/em>: \u201cTeachers teach: IT makes tech invisible. That\u2019s how the magic happens.\u201d
\n<\/span>3. <\/span>Relationships<\/em>: “The greatest tool we have at our disposal is the power of conversation.” Peter Shaw<\/span><\/p>\n

My Disappointments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. ConnectEDBC– The Aspen\/Follett System (am I allowed to say that?)
\n2. Content Management Systems
\n<\/span>3. Learning Platforms
\n<\/span>Instead of The Race to the Top it is The Race for the Best Digital Platform. Most of these, however, are focused on traditional learning, recording of data and reporting out. They do not seem to match up with the B. C. Ministry of Education\u2019s new transformational curriculum. \u00a0<\/span>Sigh<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not Much of a Top Three, Is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a time for everything. \u2028I think 2013 was my worst year ever. Finding a Top 3 was a struggle. I am reminded of this timeless passage from Ecclesiates:
\n\u201cTo every <\/span>thing there is<\/em> a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven\u2026
\n<\/span>a time to be born and a time to die,
\n<\/span>a time to plant and a time to uproot,
\n<\/span>a time to kill and a time to heal,
\n<\/span>a time to tear down and a time to build,
\n<\/span>a time to weep and a time to laugh,
\n<\/span>a time to mourn and a time to dance\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that 2014 is on the horizon. I am ready. Look out.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next year will be better\u2014I know it.<\/p>\n

It will<\/em> be a time to dance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linus: ‘I guess it\u2019s wrong to be worried about tomorrow, maybe we should only worry about today?’ Charlie Brown: ‘No, that’s giving up: I’m hoping that yesterday will get better!’ \u00a0 \u00a0 Charles\u00a0Schultz I am inspired, yet again, by Chris Kennedy who leads the way with the Culture of Yes post wrapping up the \u201cTop…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,23,8],"tags":[219,287,218,46],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1238"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1270,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1238\/revisions\/1270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innovativelearningdesigns.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}