I Don't Understand My Colleagues Sometimes

by Patrick Larkin - Principal of Burlington High School (MA)

I am the first to admit that I can be a bit naive sometimes. This is especially true in regards to anticipating how people will react when they are introduced to resources that will help them do their jobs better. For example, if I asked my fellow administrators the following question:

If I introduced you to a tool that would allow you to interact with educators all over the world, find solutions to problems, share best practices, and see the latest technological resources that will allow your teachers to impact teaching and learning dramatically then how long would you wait to use it?

I assume that most folks would answer something along the lines of ASAP. 

The Reality

Unfortunately, this is where my presumptive abilities were once again proven to be drastically wrong.  After reading the December issue of the National Association of Secondary School Principals' NewsLeader, I am a little bothered by the data in the bottom right hand corner of the cover under the heading "Principals Not Rushing To Adopt Social Media." This data shows that 84% of Principals do not currently use Twitter. This is coupled with an even more alarming statistic that indicates only 4% of those Principals plan to start using Twitter at anytime soon.

In the past, I had worked under the premise that the word administrator is synonymous with the term "educational leader." However data such as this again proves my inability to construct credible assumptions. What will it take to get more administrators out there utilizing web 2.0 tools and modeling for their staff and students? Our jobs as educators are changing and you can no longer just close the door to your office or classroom and do your job effectively.

Administrators Need to Embrace Technology Possibilities

If we want a relevant education for our students, we need at a minimum to have administrators who are keeping themselves and their school communities informed about these the exciting changes! Better yet, we need administrators who are embracing the possibilities that these technologies offer. Our schools and our classrooms should be at an all-time high in regards to student, staff, and parent engagement.

Unfortunately, in many places our students are receiving the same education as their parents and their grandparents.  I hate that story that people tell about Rip Van Winkle and the fact that if he woke up today that the only place he would recognize is the inside of a school. I think the reason I hate it so much is that it is still the truth in many instances. But these issues go well beyond the use of technology so I will not digress.

Answering the Questions

Back to the issue at hand, I guess I have a few other questions for my colleagues who have yet to embrace the powerful impact that web 2.0 resources could have on their schools. What are your wishes for your students when they leave your school?  Would you like them to be at the head of the pack when they go out into their post-secondary school lives? Do you want them to know how to utilize powerful tools that will help them collaborate, organize, and create?

Once again I am going to assume that I know how my colleagues would answer. I know for sure that we all want to provide the best education possible for our students and that there are a number of ways to accomplish this goal. I also know that if you deny the impact of new technological resources and do not promote their widespread adoption in your buildings then you will fail in reaching this goal and will provide your students with less than they deserve.

Time to Begin

My final requests are that you turn on the cell phones for learning, loosen up your web filters to allow access to all of the educational resources that are out there, and start social networking. Create your own Personal Learning Network (PLN) and learn from the numerous educational leaders (mostly non-administrators) available to you.   

I will conclude with a quote from Seth Godin - "How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? "

Comments

[Mel]

Patrick

From my own teaching experience in another district and living in Burlington. Burlington needs community engagement and education. Twitter, Facebook etc are at the bottom of the list compared to what we as educators have available, As a parent or educator, those tools do not impress me as being on the cutting edge of technology. The more new innovative resources and tools people in the districts know are available to them, the more apt they are to look for the educators and thier children speaking about them. I have found that community buy in and feeling included is the key. In our district we started with sports, baseball, lacrosee, football, hockey , track etc. We did PODCASTS with players to the cheerleaders, we got community buy in, suggestions, parental and student pride etc. There is nothing worse than a community writing about events and only mention the same players over and over. I find that Burlington is a the perfect example of that huge mistake. When I read about sports in Burlington, its always the same player who is mentioned, same track runner, 2nd baseman, defensive player etc. Parents want to feel community included and to hear when thier child does something that stands out to the success of the team and community. I can honestly predict for each sport in each season that is played the names of the kids- whether male or female or female that will make the paper and blog. That would be disheartening to me if my children were sports age. The community knows well the last names in the district are connected. Just food for thought and one small area that could engage the community to feeling like a part of what you have to have regarding education. It all is one big ball of wax

Sincerely

[Mike Warner]

i think you are optimistic to think of administrators as ed leaders, the pressure in my district seems to leave them very little time to work with teachers. And Secetary Duncan is pushing that Administrators are more like CEO's than educators.

[Patrick Larkin]

Peter,

Thanks for the grammar check! I cannot argue with your suggestion and can only imagine what my senior English teacher Mrs. Lucier would have said to me. It was very sloppy indeed!

In regards to the comment about web filters, I guess I am a fan of hyperbole to make a point. While I know we cannot completely shut down web filters in our schools, I would like to see a little bit more trust in the professionals in the building to use what is out there appropriately.

I know of schools with no access to YouTube, Twitter, etc. I guess I am just frustrated that so many places where learning is supposed to be fostered are putting road blocks in front of avenues that would excite and engage students.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Peter]

Typo in this line:

This data shows that 84% of Principals do not currently use Twitter even more alarming statistic that indicates only 4% of those Principals plan to start using Twitter at anytime soon.

Either a run-on sentence or one that is missing a few words. Looks like it should be two distinct statements.

"Loosening up the filters" is one of those phrases that is easily tossed off-the-cuff but that in reality may not be well understood by admins. Consider the problems with Glogster and, to a lesser degree with Wordle, where fairly dicey content was de rigeur until teachers complained and the product owners agreed to make a change. It's easy to say "let's run open shop" but is it a responsible course of action? I'm unsure of the answer. Are you?

[Esra Akiskali (@ekamin)]

Patrick,
What you say here is exactly what I think. There are billions of opportunities out there on the Internet but most of my colleagues ignore them and still tell the old story:) I know some teachers who think "using technology in class is a matter of interest and they are not interested in technology"!!! It sounds really weird to me and I can't understand how a person can turn a blind eye to all these facilities and opportunities especially when they are the ones that are working with young people who are termed/named DIGITAL NATIVES:)

[Mary Beth Hertz]

Patrick,

It appears that both teachers and admins like us are in the same boat. I wonder how my colleagues can completely ignore new and exciting technologies that can improve their professional learning experience and make their day to day job easier and more engaging for their students. What we lack is leadership and vision that supports technology innovation.

It seems that this leadership is blossoming due to Twitter. Now it is easier for you to find like minded admins to bounce ideas off of. Thank you for your honest and accurate post. Keep it up, we're listening, and hopefully soon many more admins will fall in line!

[Colin]

I totally agree that administrators need to get involved in the 24/7 online conference that is twitter.

[Tom Whitby]

Nicely done. It is refreshing to know that there is still hope for forward thinking administrators with vision. The only way educators will leave the darkened rooms of blackboards and rows is to be led. Many educators have tried, but they have been stymied by lack of support and leadership. We have not been led by vision but with fear. enlightened leadership has been slow in coming at all. Best of luck in getting that information flowing. Lead on and Thanks.