Take Action

Image Credit: http://www.sonomahealthaction.org/take-action

As I sit here at 6:30 on a Sunday morning reading through Eric Sheninger's book on Digital Leadership and participating in a Voxer Book chat, I became inspired by Allison Petersen's comments related to taking action during times of change.In particular this quote from Eric's book "A vision begins with talk, but it will only become reality with action" really struck a chord. What actions have I been apart of over the past few years at Black River Middle School that have moved all school stakeholders forward in the digital era? Here is the list.......

• In the Fall of 2014 our school will be 1:1 with Chromebooks. This is a direct result of school stakeholders advocating for a more innovative environment where students can connect, collaborate, create, and learn.
• This past winter our wonderful PTO purchased two mini iPads for one of our special education classrooms. The impact has been tremendous and has allowed students to learn math and other concepts in ways once thought unimaginable.
• In the Fall of 2013 our PTO stepped up once again and purchased a Smart TV and ChromeCast set up for our main entrance hallway. We are now able to inform, promote, and inspire on a daily basis. What better way to tell your school's story through pictures, videos, and text on a tv monitor. Each day a quote/image is displayed that is intended to motivate all who walk by. Week in Review photo collections are played using Animoto. Also, our Video Newspaper episodes are played to keep stakeholders informed of school happenings.
• We take great pride in communicating with stakeholders via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Each social media feed caters to a different age group. They are very easy to manage and archives all the great things going in our school.
• Our staff has been involved in various forms of innovative professional development from Edmodo Book Talks to Online Digital Badge Systems to Blogging to using Twitter to attending various EdCamps.
• The Tech Detectives Club has empowered students to take ownership of the technology they use in school. Anytime a teacher has an issue with their SmartBoard or computer a member of the Tech Detectives will problem solve the issue.
• Digital literacy has been an important focus in our classrooms over the past few years. Students compose via Google Docs, reflect on learning experiences using Kidblog, read online textbooks, and can sign out eReaders from the library.
• This school year we introduced a new STEM program for all of our middle schoolers to enjoy. They get to build robots, catapults, and solar panel cars to name a few. The real world experiences they obtain in the form of collaboration and learning from failure is second to none.
• Our students use various web tools such as Edmodo, Thinglink, Socrative, Educreations, and Powtoon to show what they know about a given topic.

I am sure there are a number of things I am leaving out. All in all though, it's a pretty thorough list. When school stakeholders work together in an environment that embraces autonomy and innovation anything is possible. Taking action is a must in today's educational world. Relying on what has worked in the past is no longer an option. Realizing that it's not about what we as educators are comfortable with. Rather, it's what the kids know in the present day and are comfortable with in their own learning environment. Please share ways in which you have taken action in the digital era by leaving a comment below. Keep fighting the good fight!