Nocking the Arrow

Who wants to get better? Are any of you running over to the line designated for those who want to get worse? Probably not, there's nobody standing there. Scott McLeod's #LeadershipDay14 is an admirable, and inspirational collection of blog posts from educational leaders from around the world. (Click on the Leadership Day 2014 badge for more information) I was racking my brains trying to come up with a topic and theme that wasn't already part of this outstanding project. Then, while doing pull-ups at the gym, this Bleachers song comes over the loudspeakers, " I Wanna Get Better ". Jack Antonoff's lyrics are referring to our personal psyches as we face adversity or tragedy. However, the chorus "I wanna get better" grabbed my attention as I framed it in an educational sense. Everyone wants to get better. Learning, regardless of age or status, makes us better. What if each of us gets a little better every day?   What if each of u...

Is there anyone alive that wouldn't like to make themselves better? I had the opportunity to speak to our student body about   Internet Safety . After covering material on cyber bullying, digital footprints, and intellectual property, I decided to share some perspectives on self-improvement through becoming a school and community contributor. The inspiration for this presentation came while I was home from school, sick in bed, and had just watched the Angela Maiers TedTalk, "You Matter" . I consider it a must-see for educators. There are others that contributed to the themes shared in this presentation; Stephen Covey , Carol Dweck , Daniel Pink , John Wooden , Boyan Slat , and Kid President . The main points were... Build a personal learning legacy for our school, and the world Adopt a growth mindset so that personal challenges are viewed as opportunities to grow and learn (learners vs. non-learners) Recognize and use personal gifts for the betterment of others...

I was sitting in Dr. Helen Barrett's ePortfolio workshop at ISTE-13 contemplating how I was going to introduce and support digital portfolios with my faculty and their students. We are in the midst of a 1:1 roll-out with iPads, and also integrating GoogleApps. Yes, I know - square pegs, round holes. Thus, the extra-contemplative look on my face. About the time that Dr. Barrett was going to start to ignore my rapid fire hand-raising, she unleashes the "one great thing" on me. You know, you hope to pull "one great thing" from the sessions that you attend at a conference. This "one great thing"- life-wide learning . "Hold on a second Dr. B.!  Please tell us more about this life-wide learning.", I said without trying to sound bossy. Since growth mindset and lifelong learning are at the core of my personal philosophy, it was fitting that the phrase " life-wide learning " caught my attention and prompted me to seek more inform...

What if attendance to your classroom was optional? Would students still come to your class? These questions were inspired by a recent post by Ryan McLane, " Teach Like a Pirate Day ". Ryan's leading question was, " If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room? " This question was prompted by the book, " Teach Like a Pirate ", by Dave Burgess . The premise is that students would not attend their classes. Instead, students would look over a menu of learning "experiences" and attend whatever they find interesting. The offerings were interesting, fun, engaging, mysterious, and challenging. The results at Utica Junior High were impressive. So much so, students and teachers responded by asking, " Why can't every day be Pirate Day? " One student offered to pay money to attend a " Mystery Skype " session, which was full. Would students pay money to attend a meaningful learning exper...