Jumping In! Looking Straight Ahead!

Look straight ahead, 

and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
~ Proverbs 4:25, NLT

I started the EDLR program during the summer of 2009.  That is when this picture of one of our granddaughters and our old husky malamute (Taylor and Kimberly respectively) who were often walking partners was taken.  Both a bit unsteady on their feet: one with a vision of adventure and wisdom that moving forward was a necessary action.  

I am transitioning my blog and re-commissioning it as a more reflective palette for embracing my independent study on Spirituality, Innovation and Play in Educational Leadership.  My topic of study is an exploration of the integration of spirituality and innovation with educational leadership in creating dynamic school environments that embrace the learning community of students, parents, teachers, and global community. This has been my focal point for the past academic year though my vision has been clouded by numerous other events. I have had to refocus my vision and align my learning outcomes with consideration to those events. 

This blog will serve several purposes as a: 

• Reading Reflection/Journal: 'This reflection will incorporate some aspect of the readings, synthesis of material, implications in my current educational environment, and/or considerations for future leadership.' 
• Personal Reflective Practices: Thoughts on personal practices that I have introduced/integrated into my life.
• Reflective Discussion/Presentation Summary: My desire to interview some educational leaders was redirected by life events.  I have attended several outstanding and inspiring keynote addresses during the recent ISTE conference. I will share my thoughts and reflections on those as well as two key Ted Education talks.
• Jumping Off Block:  The topics, themes and ideas written here have and will continue to simmer on salient research points and provide substance for exploring the stories of learners at the crossroads for my dissertation proposal.

Looking forward! Jumping In!

Innovation! Leadership! Play!

It seems like it has been forever since I actually posted to this blog! Actually it has been forever! I haven't been idle in reflecting upon learning.  I've had great fun curating in ScoopIt! on the topic of Innovation, Leadership and Play.  I started an independent study on Spirit, Innovation and Play in Educational Leadership. Well, and it just seemed right to PLAY!  How can one take a topic and really explore it in an innovative and playful spirit? After years of such serious study I feel the need to live out that inquiry model of learning by exploring a variety of ideas in action. I want to make my learning relevant to what I dream of doing over the next decade - engaging in educational leadership. ScoopIt! allows me to 'scoop' those ideas and resources that I feel are important to my topic, my learning. It becomes a part of my PLE, another topic that Kathy J (our librarian) and I have presented for the NAIS 2012 conference.  And of course the theme captured the energy we hope to engage all learners in discovering.  INNOVATION: Imagine, Invent, Inspire, Dream  

Here's to connections that inspire us to innovate and play in our learning!

 

Birds of A Feather

It is actually Tuesday today and I am sharing my own post from our ISTE blog -  even with a few spelling corrections! I am forever amazed by the ying/yang of energy/exhaustion! Check out our thoughts and learning on SAAS@ISTE


Is it Monday? What is Weebly?

In a "Birds-of-a-feather" session with Helen Barrett the passionate portfolio advocate. I love the fact that it is the ownership of work - artifacts - reflections on learning by the student allow that ownership.  We have Mahara linked to our Moodle 2.0+ that is coming on line in July.  I love Google Sites - but not sure as a portfolio platform though her idea of a student creating the goals for learning, posting an artifact representing the learning, and then reflecting upon the learning is very doable. She also talked about blogs as a porfolio frame. They could use the same protocol.

Evernote as a portfolio frame? I can see that working and it works well with the ipad.  Here is the blog Helen suggested: http://blog.evernote.com/2012/02/28/how-to-create-a-portfolio-with-evernote-education-series/

Portfolios for student led conference - love these ideas! Our kids (our personal ones) participated in such practices and they were very proud of what they had learned and what was shared. The model she is showcasing looks like a Google Site - it is a Google Site!! Multi-media added the personal touches and interactivity.

Also love the idea of reflection for both students and teachers in their learning! She has recipes for reflections. This is such an essential part of learning (and teaching) that we often skip because of the 'time' factor.

Hmmm. Doesn't this blog serve as a reflection piece for our ISTE adventures?

Splashing!!!
Vicki

Helen's site is https://sites.google.com/site/iste12eportfolios/ 
Image from: http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/detail_PEA0333__633__peanutssplashaj.html

Connected Learning!!

I couldn't help but marvel at this image of connected learning! I found it in Dangerously ! Irrelevant, a blog by Scott McLeod, a professor in educational leadership among other roles.

Below is an infographic made by Dachis Group that highlights these essential components of connected learning. What if every learning environment was centered around these principles?

PLE Pause, Learn, Educate - Purposeful. Link. Embody

Snoqualmie Falls Speacock Slide Show

I am trying to focus on preparing for the upcoming NAIS conference. Our librarian, Kathy Johnson, and I are presenting on Personal Learning Environments.  Kathy has been phenomenal putting the slides together, gathering research, exciting ideas, and trying to keep me focused.  She embodies the PLE for me on so many levels.  Even as I write this with the intent to Pause I realize that she is already challenging my thinking! 

Kathy has been using the imagery of mountains - a perfect one for the Pacific Northwest and learning environments. The dance of the mountains and rivers are seen in the power of waterfalls.  My challenge is creating the activities that will make the presentation personal for the attendees - the waterfall activities that will soar deep down and then disperse to others.

My thoughts come back to QUESTIONS? and CONNECTIONS! Who are my best connections on learning? My own iGoogle site, of course! It is my waterfall of innovation ideas and resources!

On Belay!






I realize that there is so much information to sift through and I've forgotten to listen to my own PLE resources.

Fall Again? It's Apple Time!

Fall 2011

This summer we received a gift of 60 iPads.  The 'seed' was planted in late spring.  We did some nurturing of the soil, pulled a few weeds, watered a few dreams and developed our growth and harvesting plan!  Last week the choice tablets were distributed to faculty and staff - and the growth spurt has begun!

Seattle Academy has a gift for grassroots ownership.  With minimal apps on the iPads we are modeling inquiry based exploration.  Faculty are encouraged to share their experiences and create foundational practices that support and enhance their teaching and learning.  Together we will chronicle the seasons through the use of a Moodle resource course and forums, shared research through Diigo groups, collaborative sharing through Google Sites and Google Docs, and a perhaps a collaborative app or two!

Our first focus meeting was held today.  These focus groups provide an opportunity to ask questions, comment, share new expertise, bring forward challenges, and engage the possibilities.  All were asked to share their thoughts and discoveries in a forum.  We are a learning community on a journey and I'm excited to see what paths and trails we will be exploring!

On Ward through the Orchard!

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.


(photo from Stone Garden in Philadelphia, ISTE 2011)

What happened to the Fall?

It seems that we were just in August a few days ago and suddenly it is November!  What happened?! 

A great deal has happened here at SAAS since this summer:

 Debut of Winter Tri 'paint job'

• Our Moodle site moved from our servers to Moodlerooms, a hosted site. Just as in any move we lost a few things, discovered new things, and are still moving the 'furniture and pictures' around to best suit our present needs!
• The great news is that we are current and up-to-date!
• Troubleshooting with the Moodlerooms support people has been a great help and they are awesome people!  
• We have many learning and teaching options for teachers and students to explore.
• and soon it will have a wonderful new 'paint job' just like a new house should!

We moved to Google Apps for Education! Collaboration, cooperation, creative exchange and creation of ideas, as well as global access is another step towards a holistic 21st century learning environment.  Google Docs, Google Sites, blogs..... the potential for learning and sharing learning will continue to keep us thoroughly immersed in the education adventure.

SAAStainability is becoming an integrated theme for our sustainability initiative across all departments and offices.  Check out our Google Site on Sustainability created for the PNAIS fall teacher conference in Portland:  Sustainability Resources (to share and contribute)  I am still awed by the Virtual Museum of the Origins created by Melinda's evolution seminar class last year.

The arrival of netbooks for some of the middle school math and English classes has increased our student to computer ratio to almost 1:1.  We now have full access carts in 10 classrooms, learning support, and enough to borrow for special projects.   The tech lab still serves as the Internet Cafe of Global Learning for classes and individuals. 

Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz we are moving along the yellow brick road of the future - "Podcasts! and Bloggers! and Tweets! Oh My!" with our collaborative friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and Toto.  We have our tools at the ready, our content at our fingertips, and our capacity to create learning environments that prepare our students for college and life.

What happened to Fall?  Perhaps the more relevant question Where are we in our learning this fall? We've been learning, growing, creating and discovering the questions.

We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.  ~Lloyd Alexander

It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.  ~Jacob Bronowski