Art of Creating Awe

"When we're sort of infused with either enthusiasm or awe or fondness or whatever, it changes and alters our perception of things. It changes what we see. It changes what we remember."

- Rob Legato, movie effects creator from his Ted Talk "The Art of Creating Awe"

Being introduced to the School Board

Last week I started a new job. No longer in Educational or Information Technology, I am now the Executive Director of Innovation and Design for a K-6 school district. Leaving my former position, and district, was not a decision that I took lightly. And yet, it was an easy decision to make. Why? Because this new district is in pursuit of awe... of wow... of creating wonder and joy for students. It was evident in their five year plan published on their website. It was evident in the weekly videos produced showcasing students engaged in learning. It was evident in the questions they asked me during the interview process. It was evident in every conversation I had with employees, colleagues around the county, and community members. And it was even evident in the description for the job being offered.

So often, in education, we get bogged down in the bureaucracy crap... test scores, union contracts, budget cuts, uninvolved parents... and heaped on that are the jargon of the day crap, like "teach with fidelity" and "21st century skills" and "1:1." We lose sight of the fact that we do all this for those doe-eyed precious hearts smiling at us from their desks. We forget to bring the awe into what we do.

Awe can't be found in any of those items I listed. It's not found in a standards-based report card or in a data team meeting. It's found when we play, when we dream, when we listen, and when we lead with our hearts. That's what I have found in this new role. The opportunity to listen to my heart, and provide for students the opportunities they deserve, they desire, and they expect from us.

I'm excited for this new journey. And excited to bring life back to this blog to share my awe journey.

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SAMR Sort: Getting Teachers To See the Bigger Picture

A couple months back I attended an executive briefing about digital learning and our 1:1 initiative. During the briefing, we were led through a SAMR sorting activity. Eight different classroom projects were shared with us. We had to sort the projects in to the SAMR level we thought it best fit. We then had to defend our decisions. It was an enlightening experience. Back at the district, my ed tech team decided to recreate that opportunity for our students. Using ISTEs Student Profiles for learning as a guide, eight K-8 grade scenarios were created. On Tuesday, teachers attending the "New to Classroom iPads" professional development completed the sorting activity. It led to fabulous discussions about looking at learning from different perspectives. Teachers commented that most of the lower level activities could have easily been modified to advance in SAMR level. With so much focus on using technology meaningfully in the classroom, activities like this one

100 Starts with 1

A while back, I read an article in Good , "A magazine for the global citizen" about a #100StartsWith1 project. The idea is to promote positive change that betters society. It's an idea I circle back to today because I just spent three days at CUE Rock Star Admin being inspired by the passion, innovation, and creativity of school and district leaders in attendance. Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that make the biggest impact. For example, dancing and singing during morning drop off, as this vice principal in Arkansas does every day. Maybe my #100Startswith1 project will be a return to blogging. Don't get me wrong... I don't believe my blogging will better society. But perhaps the time for me to reflect, and the ability to hold conversations with others about the current state of education, will spark a change that will lead to a better society. It's worth a shot.

The Punctuation in Your Classroom

Photo Source: Flickr, Eric E Castro I learned the other day that ending a text message with a period can be interpreted as insincere. Such a simple, innocuous dot now carries more hidden messages than it was ever intended to convey. Likewise, the messages we think we're sending in our classrooms may not be the messages received by students. Consider these... Time WILL pass, will YOU? Does this imply a nurturing, supportive environment that believes ALL students deserve every opportunity to be successful? I'm not so sure. Students not paying attention in class? Lock up devices. Does this show trust? Relationship building? I wonder if the teacher's device is locked up during meetings as well. Or how about this sign I saw in a classroom: "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise." A companion sign read, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." Does this mean we don't value collaboration? Team work? I wonder how

Igniting Awe in Learning

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