Why NYSCATE?

The first of a two part post on the NYSCATE conference I am attending this week. I have had the opportunity the last three years I believe to attend NYSCATE here in Rochester. NYSCATE stands for the New York State Computers and Technology in Education group that is an affiliate of ISTE. Lots of acronyms for sure but NYSCATE is the conference that provides to be my north in educational technology. Conference attendees tend to be primarily teachers and technology coordinators/directors of NYS districts with some administrators, board members, students, and other groups mixed in. I am continually exposed to the ever expanding technology tools available for students and the adults that play a role in their learning. The theme I am hearing more this year more and more is that technology needs to serve the learning rather than the other way around. It was said in years past but more consistently given this year. It will not and should not be used to replace sound instruction but should be used as a way to help engage students in the learning in a medium students are very comfortable in using. Are we giving students a choice in the way they can demonstrate their learning? Lots of blockers to having students use technology in school like they use out of school but solutions are to be had; they just need to be discussed with all stakeholders involved. Two questions resonate with me so far. Are we including students in the conversations about technology use? Are our current policies (including technology) aligned with our district goals and core commitments?

My next post on NYSCATE will occur after the conference and synthesis of thought. There is a lot to take in and the challenge for me is to then put some of what I have learned into application, not only for myself but for the BT admins. and staff that I work with.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Ancoria Impario - Still I learn

The title sums up my approach to the field as well as my hobbies. To be a lifelong learner. I hear this a lot these days and it holds true to my belief system. Actually, it played a large role in my transition from classroom teacher to middle school administrator. Upon signing up for my first administration classes there was no grand design to be a building principal or superintendent at the time. Rather, I simply wanted the challenge of continued learning in my field and stepping outside of my teaching comfort zone. Tiring, yes, but something I felt very good by doing and very comfortable with. Lately I have had some opportunities to continue this learning. In October, a number of Bay Trail staff both attended and presented at the New York State Middle School Association conference in Rochester. Winton Buddington and I presented a session on School 2.0 for administrators. In presenting I find there is a large amount of learning and want to thank Winton for continuing to challenge me in this way. Kudos to Bay Trail staff for stepping up and showing other New York state educators the great activities planned for Bay Trail students.

I attended Bill Daggett's session on 21st century learners and left the session shaken by the changing world around us and changes New York State will be experiencing soon. It seems like education has largely remained untouched by the sweeping changes in industry and technology and with the presentation it appears things are likely to hit closer to home very soon. Soon, I will attend the New York State Technology in Education Conference coming to Rochester. This conference started me on my educational technology journey a few years ago and helps remind me of the changing world we live in. It is my hope that anyone who reads this blog (not sure if there are many) will take the time to reflect on their learning since September, plan for opportunities of new learning, and share out here what those are. I look forward to hearing and sharing your experience.

Inspirational Speech

As you can probably tell by the posting dates, work has gotten the better of my time. What I learned in my first year of administration is that that job ebbs and flows. It seems like the flow has been heavy and finding balance at work and at home is the key. When times get very busy or hard I generally turn to outside sources for motivation and perspective. Often, I think in terms of the bigger picture. My favorite inspirational speech of all time comes from Steve Jobs. Take 15 minutes to watch the video from TED's website (another favorite of mine) and your life may be changed by it like mine has.

http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

J. Goode

 (Note: name modified to protect the unorganized)

Who is J. Goode? He is a student I taught many years ago and representative of a handful of students each year. I thought of him the other day and periodically when I focus on assessing learning vs. doing in schools. J. Goode was a mess organizationally at school. This is not atypical for a middle school student. Given the poor organization and apathy for homework, J. Goode's grade suffered. Rarely did he have his homework in. His term grades ranged from the C-F range for each term based on assignments he should have been bringing to class with him. Funny thing is, J. Goode typically scored B's and A's on tests. Clearly he was learning and most likely had a sound understanding of the content. J. Goode really had me thinking about my grading policies and how a student demonstrating knowledge of the content could get such low grades. I started changing my homework policy to have less impact on the overall grade. My hw policies originated with adopting those policies of teaching team members around me. I started to take late work because I wanted to see what the student understood rather than shut the learning door. I did provide a slight late penalty but not to the extent it would deter from my understanding of student learning. J. Goode made me truly think about what exactly a grade means.

J. Goode moved out of the district the year after I taught him. It is funny I remember him so well. Part of that reason is every year we get students like J. Goode. I am involved in conversations frequently about students like him.. Often, students like this are still getting those poor grades and bring up the question of learning vs. doing. How much of a role or weight should homework play in an overall grade? Should we accept late work? Should schools have a set homework policy for all teachers that might include items like accepting late work? What about those students opposite J. Goode who depend on the homework to get a passing grade? To me, it focuses on assessing the learning and a topic that comes up in schools across the country.I see the learning conversation becoming more important in this century. Great conversations, no easy answers, and certainly a challenge to traditional schooling.

Thanks Jason for challenging my beliefs. I hope you are doing well.Something tells me you are fine.

The Blogging Challenge

With students arriving back to school this week, I was reminded of the challenge ahead of me with posting weekly updates on the blog? Where does it fall on the priority list and where does the time come from? Given the list of items that need immediate attention with the job, the blog falls to the middle of the list (at best). The time will have to be on weekends such as Sunday mornings like now. With that said, I feel like it is a worthwhile endeavor and needs to be done. Not for the sake of earth shattering importance of what I am saying but the notion of online communication and setting the directions for where I want to go with 2.0 technologies in the future. Twitter falls into this same category as I have been letting the school based tweets slip a bit but want to post a couple on a daily basis describing what I am seeing around the school. Tweets can be accessed at

http://twitter.com/JBurkeBT


I went into some classrooms this week and saw some good things happening. Lots of positive interactions between teachers and students. This week I will be going into classrooms to give students a presentation on the ABC's of Bay Trail and review behavioral expectations. Parents, please review these expectations with your child. These are in the front of the student planner.

Student Orientations

The 6B student orientations took place yesterday for a couple hours. It was the first time in seven weeks or so that a large number of students were back in the building. In thinking on the event I thought of the following:

1. Working with students is very tiring. I came home much more tired than I have for most of the summer. Part of this is due to walking around most of the day. The other part is in being there for students. This requires concentrated focus much of the time and answering many, many questions. To me, this separates school jobs from private sector jobs. Being there for students means you are always on, even when you are not teaching or have scheduled breaks.

2. Students make schools come alive. I saw it at the orientation. Bay Trail halls look great all summer but are fairly quiet. 120 students changed that. The halls came to life, the way they should. I sensed the excitement and nervousness of starting a new school year. Eighth grade students took on leadership roles in helping the sixth graders. They were eager to do so and this was genuine.

3. Penfield students are fantastic. Working with the new students, I thought how well adjusted the students seemed to be. Every now and then I hear some negative talk about students in the school. Do not believe it.
By and large, the students are courteous, respectful, and here to learn. Being middle schoolers, they need some reminders from time to time but this is typical given the age. I am impressed with what I see from students on a daily basis.Take it from someone who works with them each day.

4. Custodial staff earns their money. The school looks great and this is not by accident. The summer is their busy season and I have seen them bust it for a couple months. Having a clean, safe environment makes learning that much easier as it eliminates distractions.

Two weeks and counting until the start of school. Enjoy the last days of unofficial summer.

What's in an interview?

One task administrators perform over the summer months is to take part in staff interviews. It is a task I really enjoy as I realize the importance of bringing in the right people. A collection of right or wrong choices can make or break a school. The interview team typically consists of two to five people for most teaching positions. What do I look for in a middle school candidate? Many items sometimes weighing differently depending on the position we are hiring for. Enthusiasm for the middle school student is a must. Yes, I want them to know the content well but can they teach middle schoolers? Do they understand students developmentally at this age? Do they have the attitude, desire, passion, commitment to make a difference in the lives of kids? Can I pick up on these items in an interview? I believe so. Love of their content and ways to make it interesting to students is important for me to hear. How are students going to be actively engaged during lessons? Will technology tools be used to help engage students and enhance learning? The ability to work with others weighs heavily in my decision. The profession has very much moved to collaborative based and it is critical new teachers are willing to work with staff members including administrators. I want to hear a candidate talk about individualizing the learning and trying to meet the learning needs for each students. This involves using multiple data points. Do I think the candidate will be flexible? They need to be as the profession will test their flexibility and inflexible persons often struggle at this level. I look for candidates I think will not just meet the expectations but will exceed them and be leaders in the future. This means being willing to continue to learn. Will they communicate well with staff members, students, parents? The need to as communication is critical. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? 

Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference -

Are you willing to be part of the conversation?

Summer provides more time than the academic school year to focus on my learning and reflect on where I am in my educational journey. Last week I attended the TLT conference for a few days to take in some sessions on how certain technology tools can engage students in the classroom and assist me in my job as House Principal. I also was given the opportunity to present a session with Winton Buddington, Bay Trail Principal, on administration 2.0. We detailed our respective journeys with 2.0 to date and also discussed how we are using these tools at Bay Trail. Both the consuming and presenting portions went well and it was nice to see a number of other Bay Trail and Penfield staff there. What I have learned more than anything in going to these "technology" conferences is that it is not always about knowing the latest technology or being comfortable with it. The critical piece is to be willing to be part of the conversation about how technology tools can be used to better engage students and improve learning. So, how willing are you to be part of that conversation?

This I believe

Yesterday I attended a session with other administrators and Brian Smith from BOCES on blogging for administrators. HW was given (can you believe the nerve of Brian) to comment on what we believe about education, teaching, learning, and educational leadership. Before I start delving into the topic I wanted to discuss how these views have been shaped. My own school experience certainly plays a part. As an adult, I have spent more time on learning theory related to my own learning which has played a part. Having taught 11 years plays a large role. Being a parent plays a very big role as I have watched my children learn from infancy. Last, Liam has helped me a great deal in shaping my thoughts about learning and leading. Liam is my oldest (just turned 9), on the autism spectrum, and has some learning deficiencies that keep me awake at night. Keep in mind these are thoughts coming immediately to mind. Give me some time and I would certainly expand.

This I believe about work in education. There is no more important work you can do. The ability to impact students is incredible and we need to relish the magnitude. Dwell in possibility!

This I believe on leadership in education. Leaders need to walk the talk. Define what you believe and value. Model this because if you do not, all will be lost. Leaders communicate to others what they believe and value. Leadership is as much about asking questions as it is giving answers. I am learning the best leaders push the learning and rather than give the easy answers or decisions that people want, force people to think and act beyond their comfort zone. In this field, leaders never stop learning. Leaders get other people involved in the conversation. Leaders respond rather than react and can see the forest through the trees. Leaders work on establishing relationships with all stakeholders.

This I believe about learning. There are many different ways to learn and the trick is to find ways people learn best and adapt learning models to these ways. Learning happens in a safe environment with time given to explore. Relationships matter! In school, learning happens when there is a good relationship between teacher and student. Once they know you care, students are open for learning. Learning happens when connections are made to what you already know. Give time to synthesize information and provide opportunity to make connections.

Leaders persevere. They persist based on their values and belief in what they do. In theory, the number of bad days and truly great days cancel each other out. Attitude makes the difference on all the other days. Leaders carry their own weather with them.

Brian Smith bonus article - the 80/10 problem http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/08/we-spend-80-of-our-classroom-time-on-the-skills-needed-for-10-of-our-jobs.html

Follow the comments posted. This is 2.0 and a great conversation between many learners.

Summer learning at leadership institute

Last week Penfield administrators met at St. John Fisher for our annual retreat. Teacher leaders were invited for two of these days so the group reached upwards of 100 people. While objectives were many, primary was to get leaders together to discuss what our mission is here in Penfield, to collaborate with other leaders facilitating new learning, and then to collaboratively develop an action plans for each building going into next year. While the action plan for BT was not completely finished, it did lead to solid discussion and a blueprint was created. Our group was focused and good conversation took place on improvement goals.

What I appreciated most was the modeling of 21st century skills and we collaborated extensively, asked many questions to refine our thinking, used technology as a tool to access documents used during the training, and enjoyed the company of each other in a less stressful environment than we experience for 10 months out of the year. Kudos to Winton Buddington and Gene Mancuso for the role they played in both leading the BT conversation and the district conversation. By leading I mean facilitating rather than directing or telling. By leading I also mean not just giving the answers but encouraging the learners to find their own answers by entering the conversation. We are all leaders in this field and need to all be willing to enter the conversation about student learning and our own professional learning.

Unplugged

While vacationing with the family in Ocean City, I found it very difficult to connect to the wired world outside of my phone due to access. Outside of checking emails infrequently, my attention was turned to the ocean in front of me and my kids playing in it. It proved to be a nice respite from the constant information I seek. My wife was right when she suggested I unplug for a bit. My thoughts turned to reflection on the past school year, how big my kids are getting, my wife and our relationship, goals for the next year in the dimensions of physical, mental, spiritual, and social emotional, and hopes and dreams. My mental map is a lot more clear for the year ahead. With that said, I have enjoyed getting back to check my Google Reader for updates on some of my favorite blogs. Ancora Impario is a new one I have found to be interesting and added to my reader. School work this first week back has focused on looking through applications, sifting through English material needing to be organized, and planning in areas I am responsible for. A

First week of summer

Lots going on this week. While there are no students in the hallways, I managed to put about 30 items on my to do list for this week. Some of these range from writing letters of recommendations to staff to clearing out the piles of paper in various areas of my office. July typically is the month to catch up on all those items that escape my attention during the latter part of the school year but it requires prioritizing of this list. Vacation to DC and Ocean City next week!

Last Day of School

So what is it like on the last day of school for both students and teachers? If you do not work in education, it is a unique feeling given there is a clear cycle to the school year. My best description is the feeling of enormous accomplishment. Each year I run a five mile race around St. Patrick's Day.
I am not an avid runner so go through a cycle of emotions throughout the race. In the beginning, I usually think about how good I feel and smooth the race is going. The middle of the race I start to struggle a bit and feel my legs start to get more tired. Once past the four mile mark, I regain my earlier speed and upon finishing there is a feeling of exhilaration. Working in education provides a great amount of satisfaction in finishing what you set out to do to the best of your ability. I look forward to running many more races and years in education. Wishing students and staff a wonderful summer.

Thoughts on Washington D.C.

It is now a couple weeks after the eighth grade trip and I am finally getting a chance to share out on the experience. The last time I went with Bay Trail students was probably 8 or 9 years ago B.C. (before children). Now as an administrator, the experience is different. Students on my bus and overall were observed to be excellent. I watched closely our students compared to other large groups and BT stood out with their exemplary behavior. Way to go! Bay Trail staff do a wonderful job keeping the students engaged in all the sites Washington has to offer. Being so busy leads to fewer behavior problems. It is a rigorous pace, especially observable at nightly staff meetings in looking at tired faces. I have to admit, I am much more of a morning person so was probably not peaking during these meetings starting after 10. Trip directions do a wonderful job with the preparation that goes into the trip and making sure all runs smoothly while down there. It is a wonderful experience for both students and staff and hopefully one that the kids will remember for a lifetime. If interested, I posted updates on my twitter page if you would like to view at JBurkeBT@twitter.com

Professional Learning Networks (PLN)

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in an online course for administrators using Moodle. Some goals for the course were to gain familiarity with Moodle and to expand my professional learning network. The world of online learning very much suits my learning style as the work day is typically spent running from one place or meeting to another, family once home, and then when the kids go to bed I can continue my learning. I can catch up on some educational blogs that I was exposed to during the course while quickly eating my lunch.

For my final assignment I will talk about what the course meant for me. The best way to describe it is DIRECTION. In reading through many of the articles and blogs aligned with the course, I gained a much greater insight into what my blog should be. There are some really good blogs out there by administrators and with time this can become one of them. I really hope to share out on insights so the Bay Trail community can get a better sense of what I do and what I am thinking. Hopefully I can encourage viewers to comment on some of my postings. I see the blog as evolving and including more personal information. Throughout all of this my PLN will continue to expand. Stay tuned.

Board presentation reflection

Last night I was part of a team to present to the Penfield Board of Education on ELA highlights as part of a program review. One of my administrative duties is as a liaison to the middle school English department. Each level presented and really the task was to give a general overview and answer questions board members may have. Each level could have talked for a much longer time on positives happening in their buildings. Beside the typical thoughts you have after group presentations such as "I wonder how I came across", I thought about direction and a compass. One thought I have had throughout this year working with ELA is the direction the group is going in rather than focusing strictly on past data performance. In schools we tend to dive into data, look at how our school does compared to similar schools, and talk about what is not up to districts outperforming us. In looking at curriculum maps, there is plenty to be refined or added. More can be done assessing student work.
After the presentation I did not think of these things. Instead my thoughts went to how good a group the people I work with are and the direction we are headed.

Response to cyberbullying

Recently Bay Trail administrators encountered a situation where there was cyberbullying taking place outside of school via Facebook that spread into school. As a school, cyberbullying that takes place outside of school is a challenging issue. Over the last two years, a few parents have contacted me to inform me of a situation where their child has been subject to cyberbullying. My response has been that the school cannot assign disciplinary consequences to matters occurring outside the school. As parents, they have a right to contact the police if they feel harassment is taking place. Parents also can call the parent of the child who is posting these comments to discuss the situation. It is critical that parents of middle school students monitor online activity of their child. Please check internet accounts to make sure use is appropriate.

The BT admin. team discussed the most recent incident and was proactive in addressing with the students. Principal Buddington met with all grade levels the week before break in the auditorium to discuss the topic of cyberbullying. Students were respectful and listened intently. When asked about the number of students with online accounts such as Facebook, almost every hand went up. Given technology is such a large part of our lives, we need to teach how to use it responsibly. Schools play a role as do parents in this education.