Category:

Leadership

Explore tools, strategies, and insights for educational leadership. Discover resources to inspire and support effective school and district leaders.

Leadership

Successfully Implementing Lasting Change

by Lori Gracey September 28, 2018

written by Lori Gracey

There are probably a lot of things that each of us wants to change in the world today. Whether that’s how classroom teachers implement technology for learning, how people respond to each other, or just getting our children to put their toys away, change is something we are very familiar with and often seek. It might be a good idea, then, to look at what the research has to say about how to best foster change in whatever we are attempting.

The Latest Research

Grant Lichtman took a graphical representation of the steps needs for successful change done by Timothy Knoster and others in the Managing Complex Change Model first published in 1987 and added the steps he believes are necessary for school implementation of change. The graphic below illustrates those steps.

change

What This Means

The concept is clear. In his research, if any of the steps are not present, then a less-than-effective implementation of the new process will occur. The best way to think about this is with the illustration of rock climbing. There are a number of ways to get to the top. However, if you miss a hand or foothold, then the journey may not turn out like you hoped.

There are eight critical pieces involved in sustainable improvement:

Leadership
Vision
Inclusiveness
Timeline
Skills
Resources
Commitment
Communication

(Lichtman does an excellent job of defining each of the above steps here. )The failure to plan for any one of these will result in anything from a complete failure of the new initiative to confusion, silos, and disconnects.

As we look at implementing a new professional development program, a new technology, a different lunchroom process, whatever the change may be, we must be sure to include the eight critical steps that will ensure the new program and all of our hard work are successful.

September 28, 2018 0 comments

Record Retention and Management 101

by Jennifer Bergland September 26, 2018

written by Jennifer Bergland

The task of record management is not for the faint of heart. You must know the law, determine the procedures, organize the process, and train the users in all of the above. Since most school district’s records are digital, the chief technology officer has an important part to play in this process. As a service to our members, we recently hosted a webinar in which Joshua Clark of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, provided an overview of the rules that govern the management of school records, including those that are electronic. This blog post is a short recap of what he covered in the webinar.

The Basics

Let’s first define what we mean when we refer to records management. Below is the legal definition for the state of Texas.

Records

We know it’s important to manage a district’s records because it is the law, but there are other important reasons to do so. Having a records management plan helps you efficiently find records when they are needed, either for legal purposes or to carry out the business of the district. In addition, it helps you control costs by destroying copies you are not required to retain.

Next, we need to establish the definition of a record. According to the TSLAC , a state record is

any written, photographic, machine-readable, or other recorded information created or received by or on behalf of a state agency or an elected state official that documents activities in the conduct of the state business or use of public resources.

It might be helpful to also consider what is NOT a record.

reocrds

Determining Records to Retain

Since there are often multiple copies of a record, the question becomes which record do you keep. Joshua pointed out that the one copy you keep is identified as the record copy. All other copies are considered convenience copies and can be destroyed at any time. It is the district’s responsibility to determine which copy is the record copy and in what media format the record should be stored.

records

Records Management Officer

Now that we know what a record is, whose responsibility is it to maintain them? Each district is required to appoint someone to be the Records Management Officer. The district’s school board makes this designation. The RMO has the responsibility to oversee the entire process. This includes the establishment of the policies and procedures and includes a retention schedule. The RMO is also responsible for determining the method of storing the records and how they will be retrieved. They must also determine the most economical method for the storage of the files that are inactive.

Records Retention Schedule

Under the RMO’s guidance, a school must create or adopt a records retention schedule. Your district can create their own retention schedule, adopt TSLAC’s schedules, or do a mixture of both. Most districts adopt TSLAC’s schedules.

A school district’s record is grouped with records that are similar. These are called a record series. Each record in a series is required to be kept for the same length of time. It doesn’t matter if the record is contained on paper or if it is a digital record. The record series determines the length of time it’s to be retained.

records

A retention schedule is not hard to read if you know what to look for.

records

How Long?

Once you identify the record series and the retention schedule for that record series, you are able to determine how long you must keep the record.

records

While we are reviewing the length of time each record series is to be kept, it is important to note the exceptions that prevent you from destroying a record, even if it meets the threshold upon which it can be destroyed.

records

Managing Electronic Records

I often hear someone ask, “How long must I keep a teacher’s email?” It depends. The content of a record is what determines the length it must be retained, not the format of the record.

However, electronic records do pose some problems that a district must consider when storing their records electronically. The RMO needs to determine if the record will be available and readable. For example, if the record is on a floppy drive, but you don’t have a device that can read the floppy drive, the record isn’t available. You must have both the necessary hardware and software that’s needed to access the content of the record. This will be an ongoing issue as storage solutions evolve and change due to technological advances.

Metadata

One thing I learned from the webinar is that the metadata of a file is considered part of the government record. Metadata is data about the data. For example, metadata will tell you who created the record and who has changed it. It also might provide information about the location of its creation and the time and date the record was created.

records

Types of Electronic Records

Email

Email is considered a record if its contents contains government business. The contents of the email determines how long you are required to retain the record. It is important to note that the content of the email, not the device it was created on, determines if it needs to be kept. If the email pertains to school district business, then it is a record that must be managed and retained according to the retention schedule, even if it was created on an employee’s personal device.

Text Messages

Courts have ruled that text messages are also considered a record if it conducts government business. Check out the TSLAC’s blog on ways to capture text messages that need to be retained and other issues related to email.

Social Media

Social media can also create government records. TSLAC recommends that your district create policies and procedures that outline who can post and what they are allowed to post. You have to decide if what is posted is a convenience copy or the official record copy. You also must decide if you are going to allow the public to post on the district’s social media accounts. If so, you will need to create policies regarding this and post these policies on the different district social media platforms. You might want to review the TSLAC’s blog for articles dealing with social media.

Training Available

If you are interested in more training, checkout their website. They have multiple webinars that you and your staff can watch to ensure that your district is in compliance with the law.

Source: Most of this content, including the graphics, were obtained from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Photo of Computers by Gerd Altman, accessed on Pixabay. Creative Commons License: Free for Commercial Use and No Attribution Required.

September 26, 2018 0 comments

CTO/CIO Leadership

Setting Your Staff Up for Success

by Dr. Bruce Ellis August 27, 2018

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

While we all want our staff to succeed, we need to admit that there is a major role that we play in making that possible. By doing (or not doing) specific things as leaders, we can inadvertently hinder their ability to succeed. And, when you think about setting them up to succeed, many of the same strategies that we use for students will also work with our staff. Daniel H. Pink summarized it best when he identified the three things that motivate creative folks: “autonomy, mastery, and purpose.” Let’s take a look at how these might play out on your campus or team as you set them up for success.

Give Your Staff Members Choice

Just as with students, allowing our staff some choice in various decisions or activities can help build buy-in to the activity. Granted there are some things that may have to be assigned. But if the end goal can be accomplished by a variety of folks, why not let them choose who will take responsibility?

Differentiate Your Communication

Sometimes we get frustrated with our staff because they don’t fully understand the vision, goal, or reason why we are doing something. When I find myself in this situation and take a step back, it is usually because I have failed to communicate clearly and adequately with my staff. Unfortunately, I’ve never had any mind readers on my staff! If you have a similar situation, then you might take a look at how you are communicating. To break it down further, think about differentiating how you communicate by considering the medium that you use. Some folks respond better if they have information in an email while others may not check their email regularly because they find texting their go-to method of communication. Still others may prefer the face-to-face communication that couples body language and tonal inflection for them to catch the “aha!” that you want them to grasp.

Provide Strategic Scaffolding

Whether you have new staff, staff that lack specific skills, or you are the new one to them, it might benefit them (and you) to think through how you can scaffold expectations for them. Those that need the additional support can take advantage of it while others that do not need those supports can bypass them, only taking advantage of fewer resources or procedures to meet your expectation.

Detail Your Criteria

Though you probably won’t have a rubric for folks to use that may be working on specific projects, it couldn’t hurt to write out your expectations in such as way that they understand what the minimum expectation is and what needs to happen to hit it out of the ballpark. With these, though, as with students, you need to review the indicators so that everyone understands what the various levels of quality mean. If not, you may find that everyone may share the same vocabulary, but have very different understandings of the definitions of that vocabulary.

Play to Their Strengths

You might consider doing some type of inventory with your staff to help them (and you) identify their strengths, preferences, and natural inclinations. There are a variety of personality tests on the Internet that are free. If using these, it is best to set the context of why you are providing the test and that there are not any right or wrong answers. Consider providing these at the beginning of the year as an ice-breaker or getting-to-know-you activity. You may find that putting these online in a Google Form can help everyone look at their (and others’) information. The better we know each other, the better we can support each other and move forward. Playing to each individual’s strengths can also increase the quality of their success and possibly connect with more intrinsic rewards.

Start Small and Build

Granted that you may have had a lot of expectations dumped on you that you are now expected to pass on. That doesn’t mean that dumping them all at once on your staff is the best way to go. While you may be able to handle it, you may have staff that find themselves overwhelmed and become shut down or distracted from the end goal, therefore unable to perform up to expectations. Consider how you can start small and add expectations as you go along. It’s like when you see a skilled juggler that is able to juggle seven sharp knives successfully; it’s good to remember that that’s not how he started. He most likely started by juggling silk scarves or just two small balls and then worked his way up.

So, whether you are an educator at heart or have a heart for your staff being incredibly successful, consider implementing these strategies. You might be surprised at the outcome! There are many other strategies that could be listed when brainstorming what you can do in setting up your staff for success. Jump in the comments below and add to our list. We’d love to continue the conversation.

August 27, 2018 0 comments

Digital Literacy Good Teaching Leadership Professional Learning

TCEA Responds: Starting a District Twitter Chat

by Miguel Guhlin August 17, 2018

written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

A quick question for you…I’m working on our district’s twitter chat for this school year and was wondering if you had a listing of topics that you can share and/or any marketing ideas (what can we do to get our teachers involved and participating in the chats). Thanks in advance.

-John

Dear John:

Thank you for your message via Twitter. My experiences have involved shorter Twitter chats and meets. To respond to your questions, I’ve split them up into several topics. I asked the Twitterverse to jump in and share their thoughts (#TwitterChatTips). Two people who responded include Kathi Kersznowski and Dana Bickley. They have both initiated and maintained Twitter chats over a long period. Their responses are blended into the responses below. As you consider Twitter chats, remember that you can do a lot more. Twitter chats can be a part of a more comprehensive strategy. View this slideshow:

View slideshow

Before we go much further, let’s answer the question that some may have. That is, what is a Twitter chat?

Defining What A Twitter Chat Is

Before we jump into responses for getting a chat going, allow me to share an excerpt of Cathy Wassell’s article on the subject. In her article, Twitter Chats Explained, Cathy writes:

Twitter chats are a great way to build a community. You’ve probably seen the hashtags that suddenly populate your timeline at a particular hour? …hashtags are a means of pulling a group of like-minded people together for an hour. At best they will chat and have meaningful conversations about the topic, which will foster a sense of community.

Twitter Chats are one way of fostering a sense of community. Creating, strengthening a community remains an essential part of any school organization. It is as essential online as in physical spaces. For a chat to be effective, make it an extension of a face to face relationship.

Building Relationships Online

“Once we gained a little momentum, people were reaching out to me…but I did start out with personal 1-1 invites,” says Dana Bickley (Northside ISD). Unlike many Twitter chats that start out online, you can start face to face. As Dana points out, why not start a pizza party? Invite folks to join you and learn to use Twitter as well. Move from location to location for each Twitterchat, inviting admins to get involved. As you can see from Dana’s efforts below, participants were able to earn CPE credit for their participation. Imagine attending an afternoon workshop where you earn CPE credits and get pizza?

Host and Topic Selection

“To get hosts, I started out by personally inviting people to lead a chat,” says Dana Bickley (Northside ISD). Kathi Kersznowski (@kersz) suggests having “great, engaging graphics for questions.” Here’s one example focused on growth mindset chat.

Source: Dana Bickley’s Tweet

When selecting topics, aim for open-ended topics that welcome the sharing of experiences and opinions. Some of the best ways to engage adult learners is to encourage the sharing of personal experiences. Just because a topic has been discussed via another Twitter chat, it does not mean your district should avoid it. The goal is to have open-ended discussions and bring your participants unique focus.

One way to get organized is to brainstorm topics relevant to your District’s mission, then create a schedule.

Make a Schedule

Hand in hand with topic, host selection is coming up with a schedule. I’ve created my Twitter chat schedule using a shared Google Sheet or OneNote Online notebook. A simple table can get you started as Dana shares at this link. Note the organization:

Here is a selection of of topics from the schedules shown above:

#NISDInspired
The 21st Century Educator
Beyond the Mascot – Building Your School’s Instructional Brand
Transforming Technology for Empowered Learning and Teaching – Beyond the $1,000 Pencil
Ecosystem of Culture
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Topics:
- PLCs – Weathering the Challenges
- PLC – Continuing to Renew, Refine and Transform OUR ‘Professional’ Practice
- Got Game? Building Effective PLC Teams
- Rollin’ with a PLC
Kids Deserve It! Giving our Best to Help Our Kids be Their Best
The Power of Purpose: Your Why
Building Relationships: The <3 of a Classroom That Thrives
Growth Mindset: The Ultimate Game Where You Never Run Out of Levels
UN #NISDedchat
Preventing and Stopping Learned Helplessness
Don’t Count the Days, Make the Days Count! Finish the Year Strong!
Best of Filling Your Teacher Toolbox
Rigor in Everything We Offer
Leaders All Around Us
Birds of a Feather, Twitter Together: NISD and NEISD Collab
Parent Empowerment with Ready Rosie
Keep the Door Open: Developing Professional Collaboration Among Educators
School Climate and Culture
#HackSchooling-Everything is Up for Being Hacked
Being Better Tomorrow Than Today
I have an iPad! Let’s chat!
A Day in the Life of a Student
Learning Made Fun Gets Done!
Families and Schools: Partners in Education
The Knowing-Doing Gap
Unleashing Originality: Being a Champion of Ideas

The chat questions are arranged in a nifty “twitter card;” no reason why you can’t send a copy to chat leaders and participants.

Image Source

You can organize your Twitter chat questions as a slide deck. Here are a few that I made for a #TCEAchat that relied on Voxer more than Twitter. I often encourage Twitter chat organizers and participants to blend other media types into their chats. For me, that’s easiest when using an app like Voxer.

Slow Chat, Anyone?

Image Source: OELMA

You can always make your Twitter chats what are known as “slow” chats. Slow chats steer away from the immediate, thirty minute chats to a more expansive timeline. Those who want to participate may take a day or a week to respond. A slow chat is described as the one below:

A topic is chosen and a different question related to the topic is posted each day (Monday-Friday) on twitter through [twitter account] with the hashtag [#yourhashtag]. Participants answer the questions and respond to each other as they can throughout the week, remembering to include the hashtag. (Source: Virtual Learning Network)

With slow chats, advertising a schedule with questions in advance assists people. You can block off your calendar with different topics each week that focus on discussions of practical value to participants.

What About a Tweet Meet?

Instead of a Twitterchat, do a TweetMeet. The latter involves scheduling all questions and responses by the facilitator, guest host(s) ahead of time using https://TweetMeet.twitter.com . The main benefit is that an admin or person who may only be able to respond to an email with questions can have all their responses scheduled to appear live during a Twitter chat. This makes it look like they are “live” but in truth, they may not be (or maybe they are but don’t have to worry about responding except to follow-up questions). Microsoft has several tweetmeets scheduled throughout the year. You can even complete a free online course via the Microsoft Education Community.

TCEA Responds: Starting a District Twitter Chat

Ready to get started? Remember there are many district chats ongoing. Why not lurk, jump into those to get your feet wet before starting up your own? It will be fun. What’s more, you may find an opportunity to build a bridge with other chat organizers. Imagine how powerful it is to escape the bounds of time and distance to connect with other educators brimming with amazing ideas.

August 17, 2018 0 comments

Leadership

Principal Whack-a-Mole with Your iPad

by Miguel Guhlin August 16, 2018

written by Miguel Guhlin

If you are a campus leader, you may often find yourself playing whack-a-mole with a variety of problems. You knock one problem down, but another pops up in its place in a never-ending cycle of moles. In this blog entry, learn how to leverage your principal iPad to facilitate enhanced communications in a way that solves three moles, er, problems.

Listen to Blog Entry

What’s Your Mole?

An ASCD article (now offline) a few years ago listed these “moles” as typical problems for campus leaders:

Family Concerns
Instructional Rounds
Student Discipline
Email
Professional Development
Communication

This last mole, communication, can be “whacked” through the use of iPad apps. In any communication challenge for principals, there are three problems to solve that the right iPad apps can be a solution for. Let’s examine those:

Time – Minimize the time you spend preparing communications.
Planning Communications – Plan short, plan long. Send information in short bursts. These bursts are the concrete, steel, and fiber that bridge school with home and community.
Sharing Great Stories – Capture with technology what children are learning and doing and then share it.

Let’s take a look at some iPad apps that can facilitate communication and solve the above three problems. (By the way, avoid the pitfall of pointless app acquisition. Add these apps one at a time. Learn to use each alone and then combine as needed.)

Level 1 – Photo/Video Creation Apps

Note: There are a multitude of apps that allow you to create. These are a few that are easy to get started and get you going.

Camera Roll – This is an app that comes pre-loaded on your iPad. You have probably already used it to snap pictures.
Annotate – This app makes it easy to add comments, circle, or draw arrows. Save the marked-up photo back to your Camera Roll. Import the annotated image into other apps below.
Shadow Puppet – Take a collection of photos, organize them as slides in any order you want, and then add audio narration.
Haiku Deck – Stunningly beautiful images, text, and chart presentation maker. With this app, you can quickly create a slideshow using free images (copyright-friendly) on the web or from your own camera roll. You can easily export this slideshow as a PowerPoint via email or view it on the web via the Haiku Deck website.
Optional:Strip Designer ($2.99) – Lets you create comic strips using photos from your Camera Roll. You can build your comic, then save it as a picture into your camera roll. Once a comic is in your camera roll, you can import into Explain Everything, Book Creator, or iMovie for further fun.

Level 2 – Narrating Your Work

Note: You can “remix” anything you’ve created at Level 1 with the apps below. Unfortunately, these apps may cost money.

Book Creator ($4.99) – Create your own ePub books with embedded video, audio, and text.
iMovie (Free) – Inexpensive movie creation tool. I prefer Pinnacle Studio, but iMovie will do for most.

Level 3 – Sharing Your Creations

Readdle Documents – Less of a creation app, more of a viewing app,this is an app that makes it easy to share your content with others, as well as copy your final product to Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud storage locations.
Seesaw – Make a seesaw portfolio that features your teachers as students. Ask teachers to share projects students create on a device (e.g. Chromebook, iPad, Windows/Mac laptop) with you. You, in turn, can publish those shared projects as a blog.

If you are just getting started, then consider Level 1 apps to be the easiest to get started with! The workflow for using these apps can be quite simple and I encourage you to try them. To help, remember these three tips.

Tip #1: Connect with Time-Saving Activities

Consider these sharing opportunities that only take a moment of your day.

Teacher or Student Highlight

In this highlight piece, snap a picture of the teacher, their classroom, or both and then put that picture into a sequence in the Shadow Puppet app (works on your iPhone). Prompt teachers to share their responses to the question What are some successes you experienced this week?

Classroom Walkthroughs

In this sharing activity, capture pictures and video on your daily campus and classroom walks using your iPad’s Camera Roll. As you walk through your school, take your iPad with you. When you see something you like, want to celebrate, and/or share with your school community, snap a photo or do a quick video interview. Make a comic strip featuring student reflections with Strip Designer.

Capturing Learning as It Happens

When doing a video interview, don’t spend a lot of time prepping before the interview for it. Simply ask four questions that will help the person you’re interviewing overcome their shyness at being on camera:

What’s your name and job title?
What are you doing?
Why are you so excited about it?
What have you learned?

These four simple questions will get people sharing, probably more than you want. Make sure to arrange a signal to let them know when the interview starts and ends.

Photo Interview

If a video interview is not appropriate, then consider taking a photo of what you are seeing and then making a mental or written note that answers the questions above. You can later assemble the photos into a narrated slideshow that will convey a powerful message about what is happening at your campus. When video recording or photographing students, make sure that you have collected permission forms for sharing that content online.

Tip #2: Decide where and with whom you will share your communications.

Now that you have been collecting content, you need to take a moment to ask yourself How can I make this content available? You’ll want to pick some online space that you can easily update and share. Several solutions abound. The easiest one is to use a tool like Seesaw’s built-in blog tool. You can access it on the go, publish content to the blog, and then share it via social media.

Tip #3: Cultivate a Culture of Sharing

Once you start sharing, it will automatically encourage students, parents, and staff. Nurture this culture of sharing. Encourage students and staff to create their own “great stories” to share. Once all embrace the concept that they are storytellers as well, you can begin to switch back to your role of campus administrator, manager, and leader.

Principal Whack-a-Mole with Your iPad

Whack-A-Mole is one of my favorite games. I suspect that if you whack-a-mole like communication with your iPad and the tips suggested in this article, you will find yourself spending less time focusing on negative interactions and much more on positive ones. That’s worth the up front effort of learning a new mole-whacking tool, don’t you think?

August 16, 2018 0 comments

CTO/CIO Leadership

Back to School Ideas for Leaders

by Dr. Bruce Ellis August 8, 2018

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Ready or not, teachers and students are about to come back to school! Why not be a little creative in welcoming them back? Depending on what assets you have (time for planning, talent on staff, etc.) may determine if your efforts are a solo act or more of a group effort. Either way, your staff and students are sure to feel welcomed and happy to be back. Here are a few ideas that you might want to consider that won’t break the bank or require you to recruit Disney.

Introductions

Getting to know others is a great way to build camaraderie among your staff. Sometimes, though, the back-to-school to-do list is too full to allow you the flexibility to build in all the activities you’d like to do. Why not use Flip to introduce yourself to the group using this template: share your name and what you do, one thing you are excited about this school year, and one fun thing you enjoy doing when not at school. Here is a sample Flip Intro sandbox that you can jump in and record your own and see what others say that join in (be sure to use the guest password Leadership to access the sandbox).

Microsoft purchased Flipgrid (now Flip) and made it completely free to everyone! Educators can enjoy all the great features without having to worry about freemium issues. This has to be one of the best free tools for educators and leaders to use! And, since each Flip has to be password protected, you don’t have to worry about outsiders accessing your activities or seeing videos of staff and students. To find more great ideas of using Flip, consider searching on Twitter for #flipgridFever or take a look at their blog to more ideas.

YouTube Welcome Back to School

You don’t have to have Broadway in your background to create a great YouTube video that welcomes students and teachers back. It helps if you are creative, but even that isn’t always a requirement – just identify the creative folks around you and ask for their help. Here are a few YouTube videos that might serve as inspiration for a video you might do for your folks. As you will notice, some are more involved than others. But don’t feel that you have to achieve this on your first go round. Let it start a tradition of communicating that “we enjoy being together and working with students.”

Inspire to Make a Difference

Even if you find that you are not one that likes to be on either side of the video camera, you can still find resources that can inspire your staff to make a difference this year like never before. You can find a variety of inspirational videos at http://bit.ly/educatorsinspire. My favorite inspirational video for educators – whether in the classroom or in administration – is by Rita Pierson as she clearly gives a call for action to make a difference with those we serve.

What Will You Do?

How will you start the school year for your staff, teachers, and/or students? Will you design activities that help them focus on the critical nature of their job in supporting students? Will you help them grow in trusting their peers so they are more likely to look for inspiration and great ideas around them to emulate? Or will you use a video to evoke humor amidst the hard work that is already starting for the school year? However you choose to start this school year, we’d love to hear your story and possibly pass it on to encourage and inspire others to do the same. You can drop me a line at bellis@tcea.org and let me know.

August 8, 2018 0 comments

Leadership Professional Learning

Six Ways to Spice Up Back-to-School Inservice

by Diana Benner August 7, 2018

written by Diana Benner

The beginning of the school year is fast approaching and teachers will be walking in the front door for their first back-to-school inservice. This can be one of the most important and productive professional development opportunities of the school year. But on the other hand, it can also be one of the most dreaded for teachers, who want time to work in their classrooms. So how can you spice up your inservice and ensure it isn’t a wasted meeting? Find some suggestions below.

1 – Have a Plan and Invite Your Staff to Share in It

The first “must” for a successful inservice meeting is to have a plan and an agenda in place. Agendas make it easier to stay on track and follow up with important items. When creating your agenda, remember that you want to make effective use of everyone’s time. Be sure to include a section for action items so that everyone can have an overview of what needs to be done.

It is so easy to create your agenda electronically, for example with Google Docs. There are many agenda templates that exist as well. Look at this sample agenda. Once thing you will notice is that it has a place to take collaborative notes. There’s no need to have notes or minutes being taken separately when they can be done on the agenda itself. If you share the agenda with your secretary or even some of your staff members, they can collaboratively take minutes.

Another thing you can do is share or email the agenda to all staff members in advance of the meeting. Invite them to contribute topics or ideas that they think should be added to the agenda. This will show that you value their thoughts and they will be more invested in your time together.

2 – Don’t Do All the Talking

As the principal, you don’t have to do all the talking at the inservice. Allow your staff members to shine by having them lead a part of the meeting. Giving your staff that opportunity will help develop your school leaders as well as build staff morale. You could assign teachers roles, topics, or updates that they will, in turn, share with the entire group. Your teachers will feel empowered by taking a more active part in the inservice. Remember, teachers love to teach, so utilize that when planning your inservice.

3 – Break the Ice

The start of a new school year can be nerve-wracking, not just for students, but for teachers, too. Why not incorporate a fun, getting-to-know you activity? Giving your teachers time to share special facts about themselves or share fun things they did this summer will help ease those nerves. This is also the perfect time to introduce and recognize any staff members who are new and learn a little more about them.

Icebreakers help you build relationships with your staff. Try to use icebreakers that your staff can use with students in the classroom so they can build relationships with their students, too. It never hurts to model what you want to see in the classroom. You can find a few icebreaker activities at Classroom Icebreakers for Back to School and Even More Classroom Icebreakers for Back to School. The great thing about those icebreakers is that they incorporate technology. The ISTE Standards for Administrators say that you should promote and model effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders using digital age tools (ISTE Standard 3c). Digital icebreakers will help you do that.

Click on the image to see a Two Truths and a Lie Icebreaker. The password is Icebreaker.

4 – Try Something Different

There are so many things you need to cover at the beginning of the year inservice, such as policies and procedures. These aren’t necessarily the most exciting topics to discuss; but nevertheless, they must be covered. Therefore, why not incorporate a little fun into reviewing these less-than exciting topics by using a little variety? Instead of showing a PowerPoint, have the teachers complete a scavenger hunt or some type of game. Have them compete in a smack down or rotate around the room to have quick conversations about specific topics. You can find these ideas and more at Innovative Professional Development Models.

Example of a speed dating professional development activity

5 – Incorporate the Three F’s

Do your best to incorporate the three F’s:

Food. Food can have a tremendous impact on the meeting’s productivity and outcome. I always liked the saying, “To Meet Better, Eat Better.” You will especially want to provide a snack for your teachers to avoid afternoon slowdowns.
Freebies. It’s always a good idea to give your staff something to welcome them back. It could be something like a pen, water bottle, or coffee mug that has the school logo on it. If there aren’t any discretionary funds available for this, then you could make something for them. It’s the thought that counts.
Feedback. Feedback is important and we all know it. As mentioned in #1, getting input from your staff will show you value their thoughts and opinions. Make sure you provide opportunities for your staff to speak up during the inservice.

6 – Start with the End and End with the Positive

At the beginning of your inservice, make the goal or objective for coming together very clear. Ensuring that your staff knows what the expected outcomes are will make for a more efficient inservice.

Lastly and most importantly, make sure you end each day on a positive note. Let your staff know how much you appreciate them. Make these days about them and be visible and ready to help them when needed.

Have a Great Inservice

Hopefully, this has given you a few ideas on how to spice up your inservice and get off to a great start. It’s a busy time of the year, so make the first days with your staff count as much as possible.

August 7, 2018 0 comments

CTO/CIO Educational Trends Funding Leadership

OER Implementation in Six Steps

by Jennifer Bergland July 27, 2018

written by Jennifer Bergland

Over the past twenty years, school districts have become much more prescriptive about what happens in their classrooms. Teachers no longer open up a textbook and start on page one and progress through the book until they get to the end (or the school year comes to a close). Many districts not only provide a scope and sequence so a teacher knows what to teach and in what order, but in many cases, they also provide lesson plans so that every student gets the content taught in the same manner. The creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) for these districts is the next logical step in tailoring the state standards for their student’s needs.

Why OER?

In a recent survey, Texas technology directors indicated that 30 percent of their school districts are currently investigating the use of OER and 56 percent say they are open to their use, but need more information. Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others. Over the past year, we have published several blog posts related to OER. So if your district is in the beginning stages of looking into OER you might want to read some of the following posts

Ready to Go Further?

If your district has already investigated the use of these resources and decided to begin the process of implementing these free instructional materials aligned to the state standards, the following steps may help guide your efforts. These steps, created by Achieve.org, were included in a document designed to help states implement a state OER initiative. I’ve adapted the steps so they fit within the context of a school or district.

1. What’s your vision?

OER The first thing you must do is make sure that you know how OER will be used within your school or district. You must be able to envision what the ideal OER system would look like, including the expected impact it will have on your teachers and students. Below are some of the questions you should be able to answer:

Why is your school or district considering the use of OER?
- Is it it reduce the costs of instructional materials?
- Do you want more control over the instructional materials used within your classrooms?
- Do you see it as a professional learning opportunity for your teachers as they curate and create instructional materials?
What will be the impact on teachers?
- How will you manage the process so that it empowers teachers?
What will be the impact on students?
- How will you ensure that every student has access to the instructional materials whether they are at home or school?
- What needs to be in place to make this happen?
How will you measure success with teachers?
How will you measure success with students?
Who do you need to share this vision with?
How will you get them to buy into the vision?

2. What resources do you need?

You next must determine what resources you will need to deploy the OER to your teachers and students. This includes key personnel, technical infrastructure, instructional materials, and software. One of the biggest issues you will need to deal with is the quality of your OER. Your team will need to answer the following questions:

Access

What portal or system will you use to share resources?
Is there an existing system you can use?
How will you handle licensing/copyright?
How “open” will materials be?
How will you address technology infrastructure challenges?
What devices will be accessing your OER? If devices are necessary, do all your students have a device that can access the OER and, if not, how will you overcome this barrier?

Content and Policy

Will you curate existing resources, create your own, or a mix of the two?
Will you use the OER that were produced for TEA by OpenStax or Study Edge?
How will you work within or address curriculum and textbook adoption policies and funding restrictions?

Quality

How will you define quality?
What rubrics will you use?
How will you evaluate quality of the OER curated or created by your teachers?
Who will conduct the evaluations?

3. What’s your timeline?

Now that you know what you want to accomplish, you can begin to sketch out the timing of the each of the steps. Use these questions to guide your discussion.

What is the timeline for implementing priority activities?
Is there a final deadline you are working toward?
Are there other time-sensitive activities to consider?
When will each activity need to be completed?
Are there deadlines or milestones along the way?
What timelines already exist for roll out of instructional materials or professional development that you could build upon?

4. Who will design and implement the plan?

You will need to identify the key stakeholders and define their roles in the creation and implementation of the OER. For each of the stakeholders, you will need to answer these questions:

What part should each stakeholder be responsible for?
What do they need to know, understand, or be able to do?
What kind of training do they need?

5. What’s your communications strategy?

For any new initiative, communications is key. It is best if you include this in your plan. Identify the groups you need to communicate with and consider the following questions:

OER

What is the stakeholder’s current level of engagement? High or low?
Ideally, what would the engagement of this stakeholder look like?
How will you engage this stakeholder?
What is your message to this stakeholder?
How will you know your message is reaching this stakeholder?

6. How will you know if it’s working?

Finally, plan now how you will determine if you have been successful in the creation, distribution, and implementation of your OER. The following questions can guide you as you design your evaluation process.

How will you measure success?
How will you determine whether the OER is having the intended impact on educators and students?
How will you determine whether your activities are being implemented as intended?
What metrics will you use to assess the implementation progress?
Who should be involved?
Who is responsible?
What data will be reviewed?

As you grapple with these questions, keep at the forefront the reasons why your district chose to consider Open Educational Resources in the first place. OER is more than just a way to reduce the cost of your instructional materials. The process of creating them has proven to be an excellent professional development experience for the teachers involved. The creation or modification of OER also enables you to design your instructional materials to meet the educational needs and struggles of your particular students. These questions will help your district as you move through the process of adapting and creating your own instructional materials.

Open Photo by Finn Hackshaw on Unsplash

Stickies on Chalkboard Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Clock Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash

Teacher holding Comment Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Puzzel Pieces Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

July 27, 2018 0 comments

Leadership Professional Learning

The Year of Developing Leaders

by Dr. Bruce Ellis July 24, 2018

written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

You have checked your list twice as you prepare for school getting ready to start again. You have planned with your team and prepared your agenda for the first meeting back. You are ready to motivate and inspire as teachers and administrators begin a fresh year. But have you planned to look for teachers and administrators who show qualities that would make them great leaders?

When I was teaching junior high, a friend of mine who was an instructional specialist asked me to consider applying for an opening they had in the Instructional Technology Department. They had asked me to apply for prior openings, but my response was always the same, “I’m enjoying teaching in the classroom. Why would I leave it?” Somewhat convinced that I was planning to retire in the classroom, my friend said he wouldn’t bother me any more about job openings, but still thought I would be a great asset to help a wider audience. Needless to say, I applied and got the position and later rose to be director of the department. In that experience, though, I realized that they had been looking at me for a while and saw something more in me than what I saw.

We have the opportunity to work with so many people on a regular basis. Many of them show great potential in becoming leaders if they had someone to walk along side them and help develop those skills. As Carnegie noted, “The older I get, the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.” So as you start this new year, here are a few items to add to your list as you go throughout your day.

Look for Talent in Future Leaders

Many folks can talk a good talk, but may lack the skill to put their words into practice. Others, though, may not say much, but are excellent at their work. Make note of these people and what they are doing that is making a difference. For many, it may not be that they received special training, but that it comes naturally to them. These may also be the people who just assume that everyone has these same skills and therefore doesn’t consider themselves as special, gifted, or talented.

Have Open Conversations

When you see skills in others, be sure to let them know that you recognize those attributes and encourage them in using those skills. You may be the lone voice that ignites a desire for them to make a difference on a larger platform. If you have an idea of where that skill may be needed or may be a great asset, then say something like, “You are really good at explaining complex problems in a way that is understandable. Have you ever thought of a job in ____?” By articulating the skills that you see in them and sharing what a possible career trajectory might be for them in making use of that skill, you may inspire them to start considering additional growth opportunities.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Sometimes we might tell someone that we would like them to come work for us or be in our department. We may even assume that they understand what our department does and many of the details on which we spend our time. Consider being more direct and invite them to shadow you or one of your staff members. You might ask them to help out on a particular project or initiative to give them some exposure to the job and connect with others already in those positions.

Mentor and Connect

When you find someone with skills and talent to develop even further, consider making it a more formal relationship. Let them know that you would be willing to help them gain additional skills and/or develop those skills you have noticed even further. If they are interested, then start considering how you can be a meaningful mentor. And if you find that you would like to mentor, but just don’t have the time or flexibility, the best thing you can do is to be a conduit for the person and help them connect with others that might be interested in their skills. You have contacts that you’ve made throughout your career and can refer them with confidence to specific connections to help them advance and grow.

Who Will You Develop This Year?

Just as you have made it a priority to be aware of other things that are important to you, think about how you can be aware of talent you come across this year and how you can help those folks develop and grow into leaders. So, who will you develop this year? We’d love to hear about how you’ve grown leaders in the past, as well as who you might be working with this year. Email me at bellis@tcea.org and let me know.

You can also share with them some of the events we have going on at TCEA to help them hone various skills, make connections with other like-minded educators, and get “in the know” of additional opportunities that come available. A few of the events include the Technology Acceleration Academy, Innovative Learning Strategies Conference, and the SysAdmin Conference.

July 24, 2018 0 comments

Leadership

Member Spotlight on Superintendent Dr. Kyle Heath

by Susan Meyer July 9, 2018

written by Susan Meyer

At TCEA, we have members in all roles of education. Any educator who embraces learning without limits is welcome in our ranks. Each month, we like to spotlight one of our members because it may help you, our readers, to hear great ideas that you might be able to apply to your own districts and schools. It also gives us the opportunity to showcase some outstanding educators. This month, our member spotlight is on the superintendent of Cleburne ISD, Dr. Kyle Heath.

A Long Career in Education

Dr. Heath is not new to the field of education. He has been superintendent of Cleburne for four years and, in total, has spent an incredible 31 years in education. He started out as a social studies teacher in Perry, Oklahoma. He speaks fondly of those times: “Some of my most favorite memories are from those years as a government teacher, working with students in the final leg of their journey to graduation, then watching them move on to college or career.”

Collaborating with Other Educators for Student Success

Dr. Heath’s job involves working with many different educators and stakeholders. He fills his calendar with meetings with administrators across the district. He also makes time to meet with government and community leaders. Cleburne ISD is a high-profile district. Dr. Heath appreciates the involvement so many parents and community members take to ensure the district’s success. “I love collaborating with those who are passionate about education, teaching, learning, and having a shared vision, and then, through the efforts of many, seeing that vision become a reality, knowing it will make a positive difference in the life of a child.”

Student-Centered Changes for Cleburne

Cleburne ISD is a great example of what can happen with leadership–and a community–focused on innovation. The district is working on building a new high school. Cleburne High School will include a Career and Technology Education and Fine Arts facility. Dr. Heath speaks enthusiastically about the potential for this new center, which was made possible by a 2016 landmark bond referendum. “It is so exciting to know the major impact this new high school will have on the programs and opportunities we can provide to students, now and in the future.”

One way the district seeks to make changes to benefit students is by involving student voices. Dr. Heath explains one example of this: “A component of our last bond election provided mobile devices for all secondary students to use at school and home. We had sixth through twelfth grade members of our Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee pilot the devices we were considering for this initiative. Their feedback was invaluable and ultimately determined what was chosen with great results!”

Gathering Resources

Dr. Heath encourages his teachers and staff to seek out resources to keep current and improve their knowledge and skills. This includes the resources and events provided by TCEA. “We will be including micro-credentialing in our staff development opportunities in the upcoming school year and I know TCEA has been, and will continue to be, a great source in helping us help our teachers develop and grow in their use of technology.”

He was proud to see many of the Cleburne team present at the 2018 TCEA Convention & Exposition. And of course, the Cleburne Board of Trustees was honored with the 2018 School Board of the Year Award (one of TCEA’s Educator Awards). “Our board is so deserving of this recognition, and I commend TCEA for recognizing educators, administrators, and trustees for their commitment to making technology a vital part of the learning process.”

Advice for Leadership

Dr. Heath encourages other school leaders to stay well-informed about technology. He also emphasizes the importance of involving many different perspectives to guide leadership. “I encourage those new to the role of superintendent to learn all they can about technology and to collaborate regularly with their district’s technology professionals. Input and feedback from those who will use it most—the teachers and students—is essential.”

And of course, we had to ask what Dr. Heath considers to be the most exciting ed tech tools out there right now: “Virtual reality and augmented reality are quickly becoming among my favorite educational technology tools used to enhance instruction and student learning. How wonderful and amazing to be taken anywhere in the world and to view anything, from a human heart to a hippopotamus, from the inside out. These platforms have taken learning, and learners, to a whole new level. When Dr. Suess wrote about ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go,’ he had no idea where instructional technology would take us in education.” Certainly, no one can say that the students, teachers, and staff of Cleburne ISD aren’t going to some pretty exciting places.

We hope you enjoyed this look into the professional life of Dr. Kyle Heath. To learn about other innovative educators transforming teaching and learning, you can read some of our previous member spotlight posts here, here, and here. Do you know a TCEA member who needs to be in the spotlight? You can always email me your suggestions at smeyer@tcea.org.

July 9, 2018 0 comments

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