I spent the morning at the Apple campus in Cupertino yesterday for a meeting with their education division. The meeting was fantastic, but what really blew me away was the atmosphere. Walking from the parking lot into the main lobby, I could sense something, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I’ve been to Apple before, I’ve been to the Google campus before – it’s always fun, but so NOT the education world that I work in.

In the back of my mind was this notion that now I am an administrator (many of my friends would say that I’ve gone to the “dark side”). My first official administrative job will begin on August 4th – as the AP of the largest elementary school in my district. What struck me as I walked around the Apple campus yesterday morning was the energy there. From the lobby to the grounds, and the café, everyone seemed to be exuding energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and vitality. I couldn’t help but wonder why our schools don’t feel the same way. Am I the only one who feels this way? I certainly don’t mean to say this specifically about my new school – I haven’t spent enough time there to tell. I will report back on that later. But from my experience as a teacher and instructional resource teacher working in many of the schools in my district, I just don’t feel the buzz.

Of course, many individual classrooms that I have vistited  have this feeling, but I have never felt it from a school as a whole. How can an organization as large as Apple exude this feeling and a school campus full of energetic students does not? What is stifling the energy there? This is what I want to focus on during my year as a new administrator – how can we create a school that exudes excitement for learning and has a palpable energy that people can feel the minute they walk on campus? What are the roadblocks to this? How can people settle for anything less?

I’m hoping that my new school community will surprise me and be that school. If not, I’m willing to work as hard as it takes to try to make that palpable energy a reality. I hope my staff, students, and community will join me in that goal.

This week I am spending time in Hollister, CA,  with the fantastic team of CTAP Region V trainers. The focus is on Leadership in Technology. How does one create positive, systemic change regarding technology and learning? The training is very well organized and thought provoking. What I especially enjoy is hearing from fellow teachers about their successes and trials with helping to advance technology at their sites or in their districts.

I also have to give props to our IT department in Cupertino. They do a terrific job of very selectively filtering out inappropriate content while allowing educators to determine what type of Online resources they can use in the classroom. Here in Hollister, one out of three sites I try to access is blocked by their firewall, including Blogger and news resources I was trying to access. Very annoying!

Laurel and I are excited about what we’ve been learning here and hope to use much of the information in our CUSD/CEEF board presentation.

Tikatok is a FREE digital storytelling tool available for teachers and students. Teachers can sign up and get accounts for their students. Students are able to import their own drawings or pictures and use them in their digital book. Students can work alone or collaboratively on a story. Parents can view and comment on the stories, and even purchase a hard bound book if so desired. Here is a sample book – click on the full screen link for an easier read.

#1 ANIMOTO – This is a great site where teachers and students can create Hollywood-like music videos based on content. Teachers can get free accounts with student access codes. Click here for some educational examples. The movie I made is posted above.

I found this video on YouTube several months ago and recently saw it again. I think it speaks volumes about the way education must change so we can better meet the needs of our students and have them participating in the world that surrounds them. I hope you enjoy the video.

Something dawned on me tonight as I sat with my son, Patrick, while he was completing his homework. Patrick is your typical, high energy, second grade boy who enjoys going to school. The amount of work he completes each week is amazing to me – I see packets, workbooks, and projects stream in from school on a very regular basis (nothing digital as of yet – I’ll save that for another post). What dawned on me is Never once has he noticed points or grades. He doesn’t get a lot, but enough that I notice them. The weekly spelling test, the chapter math tests, the occasional writing assessments – probably the usual for a second grade class. What baffles me is that he doesn’t care about them. I know he sees them on his papers, but they seem to hold little meaning. But he is learning and loves it. He talks about his new learnings all of the time. So my question is When do the points become more important to kids than the learning?

As a middle school teacher, it was the rare tween who was not focused on the points. No matter how many soapboxes I stood on professing the power of learning and intrinsic motivation, it didn’t seem to matter quite as much to them. So when does this transition take place? When do kids stop caring so much about their own learning and start to worry more about the points?

Any ideas?

I have to pathetically admit that I am new to the world of blogging. When I first heard about blogging several years ago, I didn’t find what I read inspirational or meaningful. That has all changed for me now. I’ve spent the last month reading the fantastic blogs of Wes Fryer, Dan Meyer, and Chris Lehmann, among others, and I have become addicted. They inspire me, but most importantly, they make me think. Now I’m ready to act.

I must give my blog title credit to Wes’s entry “A Worthless Worksheet and Voluntary VoiceThread“. I am now a part of the revolution, and I couldn’t be more excited. I sent his blog posting link to my colleagues within my school district and sent it to my children’s elementary principal. I’m hoping it will spark a conversation and change will begin to manifest itself. 

I’m looking forward to posting my own thoughts, ideas, experiences, and findings here at Learning Rev. My part of the revolution is now underway!