4 Time to socialize?

I'm on a journey to find my voice. In my last blog post, I explored the idea that I am moving through phases in my journey as a TLL (Technology Language Learner) and a LLL (Leadership Language Learner). As part of my learning journey, I have begun again (after my transitional silent phase) to use my blog as a learning and reflecting tool. To this end I have found myself stumbling over a very important question: Should I schedule time during my work hours to use social network and blogging platforms to further my connections and reflections?

As a TLL, I need to continue to expand my use of twitter and blogging as a tool for my job for connection and reflection purposes. Those in Ed Tech recognize how important these tools are in developing and maintaining current practices for students. As a LLL, I need to work on finding my voice and being a model of my expectations to others. Considering these two arguments then, shouldn't I be able to schedule time to tweet and blog during my work time?

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0 Observing and Learning: TLL and LLL

I've been quiet. I should have been posting to my blog all these months but I've realized, I'm in my "quiet phase". You know, just like the ELL students in your classes. I changed jobs in March this year, from PYP Curriculum Coordinator in elementary school to Director of Educational Technology across the whole school. I recognize now that I am a TLL (Technology Language Learner) and a LLL (Leadership Language Learner) and am replicating similar steps as ELL students.

According to Judie Haynes at EverythingESL, there are five phases of ESL acquisition: Preproduction, Early Production, Speech Emergence, Intermediate Fluency, and Advanced Fluency. I am in my Intermediate Fluency phase as a TLL since I "use strategies from [my] native language to learn content in [technology]," meaning that I am able to take my background in curriculum and translate that through technology. I have the ability to put the two together in exciting, relevant and challenging ways.

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3 Too Many Hats?

I'm writing this blog post as a response to the many different references to "wearing many hats" in the introduction section of my current online course that I am teaching.  Nearly every participant in the introductory module mentioned that they had many different roles and responsibilities within the context of their school or educational environment.

This has me thinking... while I understand the need to give various roles to the same person as a way to preserve management and money in a school, I wonder what is the impact of having all those different hats?  Is there a point of "too many hats"?  Is "many hats" a positive situation or a negative one?

According to Karen Susman in her blog post on blanace, she points out that balance is the key in everything we do in our personal and educational lives.  This, of course, I believe in deeply as it is one of the attributes of the learner profile that we use in the PYP curiculum.  But how do we achieve balance especially when wearing many hats is a necessary part of the job we have been assigned?  

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2 What Makes a 21st Century Leader?

I asked and you delivered! About a week ago I worked on a project with my Headmistress to help her create a presentation for an upcoming IB conference.  She was asked to speak to the Heads Council on leadership and she wanted to know how the IB Learner Profile fit with leadership in the 21st Century.  So, who better to ask than the Twitterverse to find out if the qualities of the profile really reflected the components of successful leadership in the 21st century?

The results are fascinating! First, I want to thank everyone from my PLN who answered the survey and retweeted it so that we could get a more extensive picture of what leadership in the 21st century looks like around the world.  While we could always get more answers, we did get a fair amount and we were able to make some interesting conclusions.

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3 EdCamp Santiago... Professional Learning in Practice!

Well, I've been a big fan of the edcamp movement for some time and have even had the courage to contact a few edcampers in the last few months (thanks @dancalahan !) for some advice.  But, I didn't have the "guts" yet to pull the trigger and get it started.  Thankfully, there are other members of my PLN out there who do have the "guts" (or fill in any other word you prefer) to get out there and go for it.  Thanks to @profesortbaker we've now gotten the ball rolling!

Do I have any idea what I am doing ? NO. Do I know if this will work in Santiago? NO. Do we even know how to get this started? NO. But, as with all things in the PYP framework and 21st Century learning, we're going to inquire, collaborate virtually and in person, search for resources, ask for help from our PLNs and create a product that will be amazing, even to us!  

There are only a few of us in the movement thus far but it is slowly picking up speed.  To get to know each other and for others to get to know us, a website has been created to promote our edcamp:  Edcamp Santiago  I've also put my interview below so that those of you who read this blog can know more about me and what I've been involved in. 

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3 A Steve Jobs Moment Ahead?

We've all been affected by the loss of Steve Jobs and the hole in the creativity universe today.  Like many of you, I've been looking at websites and reading more about him and his life and, most importantly, his leadership of one of the most well known companies in the world.

What I've learned from many sites like wikipedia, the Wall Street Journal and All About Steve Jobs is that he was more than a leader; he was a visionary.  We all knew that but once you start reading, you realise just how deep that really went. What stuck me in particular is that he made mistakes along the way ( the infamous firing from Apple) and was able to reinvent himself to make one of the greatest come backs in business history.

After months of reflecting on my performance here at my school I feel like perhaps I need a "Steve Jobs Moment" myself.  I've been struggling with the realisation that I am not the leader that I thought or hoped I would be.  I have only been in a coordinator position for 3 years but as I have been reflecting, that road hasn't been what I wanted.

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2 Developing Passion Based Teachers: Midwifing?

I've been reflecting a lot lately on leadership, change and passion based teaching as is evident in the various blog posts over the last month.  Precisely, I'm in the midst of reflecting on what I can do to be a better leader for the teachers that I help; where can I let go and where can I lead.  Luckily, every once in a while, something comes along that gives you that little push that you need to get up and get going on a new path.  Thanks to @ktenkely and her latest blog post I received that passion-filled push that I was requiring!

On her post she placed the video that I also posted above.  While the message of creativity and passion are resoundingly clear, it was the part at the 12:00 mark that peaked my interest.  I encourage you to watch the entire video on this amazing school called High Tech High, but would ask that you pay particular attention to the final few minutes.

Here's a list of the points/quotes that I'm interested in with respect to leading my teachers toward becoming passion filled educators:

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1 Passion for Change?

I'm visiting my family for North American summer and talking to my father this morning was quite an interesting experience.  One thing that I love more than anything else is when everything you've been reading or learning about suddenly shows up all around you in your life!  A "zeitgeist moment", if you will!

So that is exactly what happened this morning as my father argued with me about eating breakfast.  According to him, he knows perfectly well that it is healthier to eat in the morning than to not.  He knows that it helps give you energy all day and that it jump starts his metabolism (which he's worried about as he gets older). So, I asked him plain and simple "So why don't you eat breakfast in the morning if you know it's healthier for you?" His answer was also plain and simple, "I'm lazy. As soon as I can afford a maid to make me breakfast every morning, I'll eat it!"

What does that have to do with education you ask? After listening to the #ISTE11 talk #yeahbut by @willrich45 and @Robmancabelli I was reminded of the talk I had heard earlier this year at the ASCD conference in San Francisco by @chipheath on his book Switch. My father is just like the people in those books that are told that they must change their health or they will die, and they don't.

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