My Guilty Confession

I need to make a confession. It is about my beautiful 14 year old Persian cat. Her name is Rosie and I have corrupted her. Actually it wasn't just me, it was a family effort that started when my son and daughter-in-law came to stay. We left them in charge of Rosie while we took a week out to enjoy some of the South Island's beauty. While we were away we were sent photos by the cat-sitters of Rosie enjoying a bit of television and we thought it amusing.

The son and daughter-in-law eventually moved into their new home, and my husband and I presumed we would return to our familiar 'couple plus cat' life. It was not to be. We began to notice a significant shift in Rosie's behaviour. Instead of being content to jump up on the couch and sleep while the humans watched Netflix, Rosie was now positioning herself in front of the television and whilst not a large cat she certainly was a better door than a window.

And then it happened. Saturday night I finally snapped and being no longer prepared to watch Netflix through the cat I enticed Rosie away from the big screen and gave her my tablet with a 'cat video' (yes the actually exist on YouTube) playing. She took to it like the proverbial duck to water only this was cat to digital with Rosie whacking the screen with her paw and searching everywhere for the birds that kept flying away.

Sunday morning and instead of jumping up on our bed to lovingly greet us with a smooch and a purr, as she has done so for the last 14 years, Rosie went straight to our tablets, pushing her nose to the screen searching for, I presume, the elusive mice and birds from the cat videos. And her screen addiction continues to grow.

Even as I write this blog she has joined me in the study and instead of snuggling onto the desk to sleep, which has always been her pattern, she has taken a most un-catlike interest in what is on my screen. It is not easy to write with a cat's tail in your face and so I confess dear readers I gave her my laptop so she would watch that and let me get on with writing. Rosie the cat now appears to be totally corrupted by technology.

And I have a horrible feeling that she is not the only one. Fifteen years ago when technology first came on the scene we delighted in its ability to enhance our lives, make things easier (there is no way I am ever going back to a paper map!) and allow us to be connected and entertained all day long. But I think the delight is starting to turn to regret. In this morning's NZ Herald I read an article about Facebook and Instagram's new time management tools. It seems that in an effort to 'stay in the game' the very companies who have built and promoted these highly addictive tools are now 'helping' us to manage the addictions they have deliberately and mindfully created in order to make money.

And speaking of staying in the game, what an interesting thing has happened with this year's Super Rugby final. For the first time ever the game is not sold out. It seems that the fans are far happier sitting at home in their warm family rooms watching the game on large screens, enjoying all the action, along with commentary, replays and live feeds from the TMO. That is unless they too have a digitally addicted moggie competing for access to the screen. But then again who needs to watch the Crusaders when you can watch Mouse Videos for Cats?

I won't should on you if you don't should on me!

Jim Collins famously states: "Good is the enemy of great" and "Few people attain great lives, in large parts as it is just so easy to settle for a good life". In this blog post I would like to explore that it might not be just 'good' that is the enemy here, but that 'should' is equally capable of getting in the way of great. Let me explain...

On Saturday night my husband and I saw "The Darkest Hour' - a brilliant movie and one I wholeheartedly recommend. Being careful not to spoil the film for those who have yet to see it, it is safe to say that it tells the story of the time between Churchill becoming Prime Minister and his famous 'we shall fight them on the beaches' speech. What occurred in this space was the battle in the war cabinet about whether the right thing to do was to enter into peace talks with Hitler, (we should do this to save the lives of our men trapped at Dunkirk) or continuing to fight to save Britain's nationhood, (we could fight Hitler and think of a different way to save the troops). Interestingly Churchill only decided on his course of action when he stopped listening to the loud and demanding voices of his war cabinet and sought the voice of the people whom he served.

As the credits rolled I began to think about the place of 'should' and 'could' in our society today.

Looking back over education's recent past I see times when 'should' has definitely overshadowed the 'could'. When NCEA was first conceived I don't think it was ever the intent of the creators that the assessment tasks would become the prescription for what teachers should teach. My secondary colleagues have told me that the assessment tasks were originally conceived to support the many things that students could learn. But the reality of accountability measures left most schools too afraid to do anything but to use the assessment tasks as the dictate of what they should teach.

I also don't believe that those who introduced National Standards set out to remove the joy and wonder of teaching and learning; however in shifting the expectation of the system to one where teachers should focus heavily on numeracy and literacy for our at-risk learners, instead of what teachers could do to engage these students in meaningful learning experiences they did just that.

I am guessing that bowing down to 'should' doesn't just happens in education. Why is it that humans find following other people's 'shoulds' so much easier than advocating for their own 'coulds'? In my experience it is the fear of what might happen if I don't follow the loud and commanding voices of 'should' that motivates me to ignore my internal voice of possibility and come into line with the 'should' majority. Our society has become a place where 'should' is way easier to do than could. But is that what we really want?

Obviously there are aspects of our lives when we should come into line' - there is a reason for traffic laws, and for keeping food in the fridge; but the 'shoulds' that I am talking about are to do with the things that get in the way of the passions each of us hold. We are given passion for a reason and it is my belief that when you live out your passion you discover your purpose in life; and more often than not your passion and purpose are the very reason that you should not settle for anything less than what you could do.

Coming back to The Darkest Hour, Churchill found his 'could' when he went back to the people he served. How often do we go back to those whom we serve and find out what it is that they want or in many cases need us to be? As teachers how often do we go back to our students, as nurses to our patients, as retailers to our customers, as consultants to our clients? Our 'coulds' are fuelled by truly understanding the needs of those we serve.

Someone once said to me: "I won't should on you if you don't should me"! As we begin our new working year let's not should on each other nor on ourselves; instead let's take the time to explore each other's 'coulds' as well as bravely standing up for our own, and in doing so create a much better world in which we all live. As Collins reminds us it is 'just so easy to settle for a good life'; I'm not sure about you but I want to settle for nothing less than great!

Making 2018 the best year yet

As the 2018 working year begins to gather momentum it is the opportune time to think about what it is we can do to make sure that 2018 is the best year yet. Late last year, as I reflected on how I might make this happen, I read two articles which I found both challenging and insightful.

The first article was How to think like Leonardo da Vinci to unlock your creative potential. It detailed seven da Vincian (I bet you didn't even know that word existed!) principles which are essential elements of a genius. Now while I don't aspire nor claim to be a genius I am always on the lookout for things that might improve who I am and what I achieve. The principle that stood out to me was Arte/Scienza.

"Developing the balance between science and art, logic and imagination. Balancing apparent opposites gives us a more complete view of the world and allows us to think with our whole mind rather than just a portion of it."

The article went on to explain that Nobel laureates are 2.8 times more likely to have an artistic pursuit that the average person. So what are my artistic pursuits?

I use to have 'artistic pursuits' - that was before I became pre-occupied with education, technology, the future, social media and Netflix. Visitors to our home look at the intricate embroideries that adorn our walls and enquire as to where they came from. My husband delights in telling them "Carolyn did them in a former life". 

So here is one of my resolutions for 2018 - that I will make space for my artistic self.

First resolution is also the first challenge - how do you make a resolution stick? This brings me to the second article.

I have been a follower of the Conscious Leadership Group for quite a few years now. I love that their posts are both affirming yet challenging. Their December post Find your What and Maximise Your Impact in 2018  provided me with my second challenging insight:

"To maximise impact, you need to shift your attention from making resolutions to being the resolution" 

So my resolution is not about making space for my artistic self, it is about me being the educational leader who makes room for her artistic self.

What are your resolutions for 2018 and what do they look like when you transition from making resolutions to becoming the resolution? From "This year I am going to go to the gym four times a week" to "I am the leader who invests in her health by going to the gym four times a week"; from "I will listen more and speak less" to "I am the colleague who delights more in listening to others than having their opinion heard."

Now is the time to set up 2018 to be the best year yet. Join me in thinking about what we need to do differently in order to let our genius flow and to become everything that our lives allow us to be.

When magic happens

Tuesday at ISTE started with a wonderful keynote from Jennie Mageria, chief innovation officer at Des Plaines School District and author of the book Courageous Edventures - navigating obstacles to discover classroom innovation. She spoke about education's untold stories of self-image, identity, our inner selves, the road to innovation and shattering the single story. Jennie reminded us that being a teacher isn't something you do, it is who you are.

Jennie works at the district level supporting schools' use of digital technology. She advised us that when someone is pushing back against you stand back and listen to their problems and be KIND - this will turn them from a fierce dragon into a friendly one.

Of most interest to me was Jennie's narrative around the danger of the single story. She told the story behind This isn't Chiraq, a YouTube created by some students in a neighbourhood that had been nicknamed 'Terror Town' because of all the murders and violence that were occurring, Media ever only portrayed the 'single story' of this town and so the students decided to fix this. They created the video This isn't Chiraq to tell their story of living in that neighbourhood. They sent it to news media outlets and it created a positive news sensation. Jennie believes that technology should enhance our connection to each other and that students can be empowered by telling their stories through video.

Jeannie's keynote was magic. At the end the audience gave her a standing ovation and she wept. I have to confess that there were quite a few of us shedding tears at the sheer passion and reminder of who we are as teachers.

The other bit of magic that happened to me yesterday started unexpectedly with a notification from the ISTE organisers that there was a fire at the adjacent mall. The ripple effect of this was 21,000 people trying to find lunch when the majority of restaurants had been evacuated! San Antonio has this stunning river walk with restaurants on either side. Like most I headed away from the mall and down the river walk. As you passed each restaurant you were told the wait-time for a table which ranged from 60 to 90 minutes. I was just about to give up on the idea of lunch when this lovely group of educators from Ipswich Public Schools in Ipswich Massachusetts called out to me to join them at their table. We had a wonderful lunch over stimulating conversation and I was so grateful that they were so inclusive and kind to a fellow educator from the other side of the world.

I started my foray into the Expo Hall and five hours and 16,000 steps later there is still more to explore. Tuesday finished with a workshop about VR and AR. It was the most future focussed experience I have had at ISTE. And in my bag I now have some Google cardboard...

The things we share

ISTE is huge. 19,000 educators, 3,000 exhibitors, and an Expo Hall the size of eight football fields.

I sat in the auditorium for the opening keynote last night with around 6,500 others and then there were the thousands seated in the overflow areas above the main auditorium. It is really difficult to communicate the hugeness of this event.

This morning I attended an 'invite-only' event with the ISTE board members and it was wonderful to connect with people from the ISTE professional learning networks that up until today I had only known by thread post. The ISTE board are keen to strengthen the 'I for International' part of their name and I talked with some people about how we could get a greater ISTE presence on the ground in New Zealand. Watch this space...

And yet amidst the hugeness of ISTE it would seem that educators across the planet are all grappling with the same wicked problems.

This afternoon I participated in a workshop exploring what are the shifts, leaders in the 21st century needed to make. On my left sat a young science teacher from the Bronx in New York, who was just beginning to explore using problem-based learning with his senior chemistry students. On my right a teacher coach from Columbia. Both had come to the workshop to get ideas to try to shift the thinking of the administrators at their school. In front of me and behind were two highly experienced, wise, and pragmatic principals. They had come to explore new strategies for their leadership.

Central to the conversations seemed to be an over-riding theme of trying to navigate the path between system expectations, externally imposed change strategies, and providing students with a '2017 relevant' learning experience.  And administrators all over the world are grappling with managing highly competent teachers amidst those who should possibly be considering other careers. I reflected on how grateful I feel that I served my principalship in a system of self-managing schools, which while having challenges, has far more permissiveness built in than other systems represented in the room this afternoon. We must always protect and preserve this.

Tomorrow I am going to make a serious attempt on the Expo Hall so stand by for tomorrow's blog post full of pictures and new ideas.

The universality of education

It is the drawing close to the end of my first day at ISTE 2017 and as I sit writing this post I am in a hall with 6,500 others waiting for the offical opening and first keynote. I spent a lot of the day at the Teach Meet. (For the uninitiated a Teach Meet is a group of educators sharing their great ideas with each other). If you are interested in ISTE 2017's Teacher Meet here is the Collaborative Note Doc

So what did I learn? Lots but the highlights were...

• creating twitter profiles for the characters out of Romeo and Juliet and then getting students to tweet as those characters is a cool way to get kids to really understand Shakespeare

• people in the US are as concerned about the digital divide as we are. Jay Eitner, an awesome superintendent from New Jersey was compelled to act the day he went into McDonalds and saw lots of kids from his district in there not for the food but for the wireless. The kids were hanging out at McDonalds in order to complete their homework. Providing people know to apply for it (and here's the thing they generally don't), families that qualify for free or partially subsidised school lunches can get a wireless connection in their homes and an affordable device through the federal programme Everyone On. The connection costs 25 cents a month. Imagine if we could get a deal like that in NZ. What would that mean for our tamariki.

• Google Voyager has made huge improvements in it interface and educators are using it to 'take' students to places they can't afford to travel to.

But the thing I learnt the most today was actually a reminder about the universality of education. No matter where I went or who I talked to we all care about the same thing, we are all struggling with the same wicked problems, and we all want to make a difference to students, their learning and ultimately their lives. 

When disruption goes mainstream

Late yesterday afternoon I landed in San Antonio. My mind was a bit foggy which is quite normally, and even more so after three flights, multiple time zones and not a lot of sleep 😪. As I walked to collect my bag I was tossing up what would be the easiest way to get from the airport to my hotel. I decided that I would use a cab, my familiar mode of transport from past trips to the US, as I was not sure how or even if Uber worked from US airports.

Having collected my bag I looked up and saw this sign:

I wasn't too sure what Rideshare meant but had a hunch it might be code for Uber. So I pulled the Uber App up on my phone and sure enough Rideshare was confirmed as the way to find an Uber from my current location. Still a little undecided I looked around for a cab. There were none in sight. In fact 'Ground Transport' was behind me and around a corner towards another terminal.

So I requested an Uber, and there was one three minutes away. It told me to meet at Pick-Up 20 which was just outside the door of the terminal and really easy to find. My Uber arrived and we headed off.

Ironically I had had a long conversation about Uber with the taxi driver who dropped me off at Wellington airport at the start of my journey. He was on the Co-op taxi board and they are quite understandably grappling with how to compete and manage the looming threat of Uber. We talked about why people did and didn't catch Ubers and where taxis still had an advantage. 

I reflected that for me the best bit about catching a taxi was the pick up - no standing on the street, hoping your Uber will arrive soon and the ' 3 minutes away' really is three minutes not 10, phone out looking for the right number plate, or frantic phone calls with the driver trying to locate exactly where each other is. But with a taxi it is a known address, and a specified time. I also reflected that the best bit about catching an Uber was getting out at the end of the ride without the having to muck around with a payment, and of course Ubers are cheaper.

My Uber experience yesterday though has brought home to me that here in San Antonio the disruption called Uber is now mainstream. In fact it was easier to catch an Uber at the airport than a taxi. They seem to have addressed the 'unfair advantages' that taxis have enjoyed until now. In fact upon reflection I have yet to see a cab on the street. The transport disruption called 'Rideshare' has well and truly gone mainstream. 

I am in San Antonio to attend ISTE, the conference where digital meets education. I am curious about the potential disruptions to education that I am going to see over the next few days. I am also going to be thinking about what it will take to make these educative disruptions mainstreams, and then together we'll discuss if this change is helpful for children and their learning.

Watch this space!!!