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Writings from Dr. John Hendron, director of innovation & strategy
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Jul 31 2013

Leading Through Example

I’ve always believed that we can each lead through the choices we make. And those in leadership positions, whether they like it or not, are viewed especially by the choices they make. This came to light yesterday during a conversation during the audit of our Google Apps for Education Audit (GAFE).

Drive

The audit told us a lot about how we use Google Apps in our division. We learned who the biggest Google Docs user is (ahem, it was me), and who used up the most storage (hmm, Peter!). But that was really just trivia. We saw interesting things when you looked at things a different way. As it turns out, and our consultants echoed this for us, when building administrators embrace the tool and use it, teachers tend to follow.

It takes bravery to try and adopt a new tool. At first, I myself had a hard time launching a browser instead of a Word or Pages icon in the dock. But I’ve now been living so much in the “Google ecosystem” with cloud-based doc creation, that it simply has become habit. I know if I’m going to share something with someone, I now start “in the cloud.” And the think is, I like it now. I’ve always been in love with desktop applications — but I’ve come to realize the trade-offs are worth it, when you have the power of collaboration as the biggest feature. Part of this has been shown to me working through my doctoral program with colleagues from Henrico. Just last night we edited over 50 pages together in a Google Hangout using Google Drive. At one point I had to sit back and take stock, I could see and hear my colleagues in real time, and we were all editing the same documents simultaneously.

Our teachers in grades 3-5 at GES this year will be adopting new tools and pedagogies. I’m their biggest fans right now, and think they’re going to accomplish great things with our iPad initiative. I know Google Apps will be one of the tools they’ll come to rely upon. They’ll be leading with the choice of tools they adopt with kids.

I’d like to remind my colleagues wide, near, and far, that the simple choices you make can have an effect on what happens in a classroom. Things as simple as the choices of tools we use can inspire a teacher to use the same ones. And the effect can be a profound difference when it comes to the impact on instruction. Writing in Word and writing collaboratively in a Google Doc aren’t the same thing. It takes courage to make the change I am optimistic we can do it together.

By John Hendron • General News • • Tags: change, drive, google, leadership, values

Jun 27 2012

ISTE Reflections

I often hear folks talk of going on a “vacation” to re-charge, and I can understand taking some days off to not think about work. But I always really feel “recharged” when I am inspired.

I had the great opportunity to hear a second time Professor Yong Zhao from the University of Oregon, keynote on Tuesday at ISTE 2012. If you advanced the following YouTube video in about an hour, you too can view his presentation.

I think the experience was kind of like an outstanding TED Talk, where you’re shown something so incredible that you almost tear up the message or accomplishment approaches a profound level. Here, Zhao advocates for focusing our efforts on creativity and authentic student passion over only focusing on standards.

Our own state Standards of Learning and now the Common Core Standards in focus in many other states are not all bad. I can view the impact standards have had on education in Virginia over the past ten years. But as Zhao so comically pokes fun at former President Bush’s national goal on reading, the place for standards are in the role of a foundation. I really believe this. Literacy and numeracy are core concepts students must master to be competent citizens. Zhao and thinkers like him however do not believe that all students must know all the same content, throughout their school careers. Instead, we can make education engaging by focusing students’ learning opportunities around things that really matter to them.

I’ve never felt more dedicated towards doing the right thing for students. I also heard from Sir Kenneth Robinson, Dr. Gary Stager, Dr. Willie Smits, Marc Prensky, and actress/neurobiologist Dr. Mayim Bialik. It seemed to me a set of common themes were laid at this conference that set for me a multi-year agenda of where we can focus locally, at the state level, and nationally.

One of the key pair of themes I heard was on empathy and making global connections. Alan November joined the two concepts together in his call for developing global empathy.

I believe public education still has room for us to really engage students. There are so many buzzwords that fit into the picture of how we accomplish this, from computational thinking to product and procedural-based learning to the aforementioned global empathy.

G21 was but one means by which we can begin to improve learning opportunities in Goochland. But the inspiration I received from hearing so many speakers goes beyond the tools to which we have access.

I hope it’s evident why I call for change in my position as an instructional technologist. Please watch the video above. Dr. Zhao is far more articulate and august in his call for changing our focus than I have ever been. I believe in the potential of our students and want for them the best. Whatever we call the effort, or how it comes about is not important. What is important is that we come to share a vision of what we want and how we will arrive there. I look forward to working with you upon your return in August.

If you would like to leave a comment about what the video meant to you – or on ideas on how we start to move there – I’m opening up my comments on this post. Thanks for reading!

By John Hendron • Learning for Teachers • • Tags: 2012, change, iste, iste12, summer, zhao

Aug 11 2011

Convocation Keynote

I’m flattered to have been asked to deliver a keynote presentation this year at our Convocation on Monday, August 15, 2011 when all teachers return for the 2011-12 school year.

keynote_thumb_title

A copy of my slides are available in PDF format. If you have comments or questions for me, use the comments below!

Links of interest:

  • Kaiser Report: Generation M2
  • Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
  • Learning to Change video
  • Brain Rules
  • What does it mean to be educated? from Forbes Magazine
  • Education Needs a Digital Upgrade from NY Times
  • Pew Internet Report – Sleeping with Cell Phones
  • Big Questions for Educators
  • Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder
  • Internet’s Net Effect on the Brain
  • Pew Internet – Kids Getting Cell Phones at Younger Ages
  • Pew Internet – Teens and Mobile Phones
  • Screen Time for Kids: Balancing Fun, Learning, and Media Creation
  • How Technology Wires the Learning Brain
  • Video Games Fire Up Learning
  • Vision of Students Today – Video Collage
  • Are they really ready to work?
  • Are your co-workers killing you?

By John Hendron • Learning for Teachers, Resource of Interest • • Tags: 2011 g21 keynote presentation, change

Jan 21 2010

Ian Jukes comes to University of Richmond

Last evening I was invited to attend a talk given by Mr. Ian Jukes, a former educator and a “thinker” today about education, digital culture, and digital fluencies. I really have enjoyed hearing him in the past (NECC), but this time around it was great to attend this session hosted by the Region 1 superintendents here in Virginia. Both Dr. Underwood and Mr. Gretz attended, along with several of our principals and Mr. DeWeerd.

His message was clear. It was about change, and not doing our jobs just because that’s the way it has always been done. He gave a great example in the theories as to why railroad ties are spaced at a standard of a little over 4 feet. He traces the origin of this measurement to Roman times, which means we’ve been building railroads the same width for reasons that go back thousands of years. Why? That’s the width that became standardized back then because it accommodated the width of two horses in front of a chariot.

What was more impressive is that the booster rockets of the space shuttle were confined to a size not much wider than 4 feet because they had to travel by train from Utah, where they are made, to Florida. That’s right, the space shuttle program was contingent upon the measurement of the backside of two horses, side by side.

Change can happen, and then he weaved in why we need to change the ways we provide learning experience. Science, brain research, and the digital world we live in are revealing new understanding about the climate in which our students thrive. It’s a lot of what I’ve heard and professed in the past here with teachers, but everyone from Goochland who attended I think picked up on something new. I’m sure we all left inspired.

You can check out Mr. Juke’s website and blog for more information. The “important stuff” from last night’s talk can be found here.

By John Hendron • General News, Resource of Interest • • Tags: change, digital, fluency, jukes

Mar 30 2009

Working Smart

On the heels of our seven LearningHacks, I came across this video which talks about organizing schools not in a linear framework, but in cycles. It reminded me of several of our points presented Friday, including making mistakes to learn, motivation, and regular repetition. What this video shares is how we might take advantage of these hacks through project-based approaches.

By John Hendron • Resource of Interest • • Tags: change, cycles, video

About this blog…

This is the blog of John Hendron, Ed.D., director of innovation & strategy for Goochland County Public Schools. Through this blog I share information for teachers, administrators and families dealing with learning and teaching with technology.

You can contact me via e-mail! I look forward to hearing from you.

John Hendron Goochland Schools

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