Technically Yours Teamann — Page 53 — my version of transparent, collaborative leadership…with a Teamann twist

Quick ways to model “Digital Leadership” #leadershipday14

August 15, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

This year I am choosing to take part in Scott McLeod’s Leadership Day 2014. He challenged us all to write about any digital topic that spoke to our heart. Having led the inaugural Digital Fluency Academy for Region X this summer, I think there are easy fluid ways to easily embed technology into your admin day.

1. Find a digital way to share campus news.

Whether it be a Smore, a YouTube video, or a blog, try sharing your Friday Focus or campus news in a digital fashion. There are too many free & easy tools out there for you to be sending out a word document to your staff each week!

2. Utilize Remind with your teachers.

Instead of a flyer, or a callout, try sharing reminders with your teachers via Remind. We have seen a lot of success with using this with our staff. We got them all in with jeans pass bribes, 🙂 and then used it to send intentional timely reminders. From grade book lock down to potluck lunch reminders…these easy texts were SO much more effective. Did you know that 90% of text messages are read in the first three minutes they are sent? 99% of text messages are read, period. Take advantage and get that important info out there! Utilizing my favorite techie trick from Erin Klein, I plan on taking pictures all throughout our staff development next week, creating an animoto, and then sharing the video via Remind on our last training day. (An easy creative tool for our teachers to then use in their classrooms!!)

3. Google Drive, Google Drive, Google Drive!

There’s always a question I need answered, or a form I need access too…google drive is the answer! Create a form in minutes, collaborate with team leaders, track RTI data…all in a form that doesn’t have to be downloaded, updated, re-uploaded and then reshared. Why take 9 steps when you can do it in one? My digital bestie, Kasey Bell, has a Google handout for you that you can use, or share. She is amazing!

4. Instead of a notepad, keep your notes in Evernote.

I’ve created a checklist for walk throughs to utilize. I’ve also created a shared document with each of them that will serve as a running record of all of my visits. I plan on adding pictures, documenting our PLC progress, as well as any “above & beyonds” that happen throughout the year. As the instructional leader, I want to see a longitudinal “glimpse” into the classroom each time I visit. This shared doc holds us both accountable!

5. Techno Tuesdays

One of our campus improvement plan goals was to increase staff members comfort and familiarity with technology in the classroom. As a way to help them see how seamless it truly can be, I am going to hold monthly “Techno Tuesday’s” where on the first Tuesday of the month I’ll have a short & sweet mini tutorial on a different tool and show, K-4, how it can happen in the classroom. We know that teaching is already hard enough without having to feel like we are struggling in the classroom with something we aren’t familiar with. I want my teachers to be able to come and ask me how to use something, or know that I am giving them the time & space to figure it out. No pressure! I hope to ask our awesome learning specialists, and fabulous instructional tech guru, to host some sessions, as well as some of our more techie teachers. To better educate our kids, we need to first better educate their educators! These integration strategies aren’t difficult but teachers need to SEE and PLAY before they are going to be willing to use it in front of their students.

I struggle with being the “that girl” as Justin Tarte as articulated recently. The problem is, in order to really see a relevant, 21st century authentic learning environment, there is going to have to be a technology integration component. If we as the campus leaders aren’t the ones modeling and showing our teachers the way to make that happen, who will? Our students deserve it!

Technology isn’t something that just “adds” to your plate. It genuinely isn’t an extra. Tom Whitby had a great post about the separation of the tech world and the academia world. Angela Watson talked about the ponds of fishie fishs that we are all swimming in. I think as long as keep we keep separating pedagogy from technology integration, it’s never going to be seamless. Hopefully these tools will allow you to do something differently in your world! You are a LEADER. Use your power for good!

Leadershiply,

Amber

Theory X vs Theory Y leading

August 13, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

In my summer reading pile of fun, 🙂 I have recently started “6 Habits of Highly Effective Bosses” and thus far have been fascinated by how easily leadership styles can be “sorted”.

45 years ago Douglas McGregor coined his clarification of organizational management into Theory X and Theory Y. As you begin your new school year, take some time to see which of these styles apply to you, and which you feel you most want to emulate. I see direct parallels to the classroom.

Theory X think people have an inherent dislike of work, that they avoid working when they can, and need to be controlled. They think employees prefer to be directed, dislike responsibility, and prefer the security of their role more than anything else.

This is the manager who feels employees (or students!) can’t ever be trusted, and need to be watched at all times. They need to be given explicit instruction, down to the very last detail, because there is an assumption that it won’t be done, or done correctly. Theory X leaders can mildly be described as micro managers; they feel that employees don’t care about the company’s interests in the long run. Formal rules, clearly laid out in black and white, and structures have to be in place to define clearly what WILL happen when employees don’t do things correctly…because obviously, they won’t.

In contrast, Theory Y believes people need to be inspired and empowered. They assume that control and punishment are not the only ways to make people work, and that employees (or students!) will actually direct themselves if they are committed to the work. If people are not ALL IN, then what they do becomes a job, versus their passion, versus something they are fully committed in seeing become successful. Theory Y sees people as assets that can be nurtured for the talent that they bring to the organization.

This directly correlates to the culture eats strategy for breakfast mindset. Or as Ron Willingham, author and chairman of the consulting firm Integrity Systems says, “People are important than processes.” Managers should base their success on team accomplishments. Maslow (yes, THAT Maslow) even suggests that managers that are comfortable with interpersonal negotiation , mediation, teamwork, and staff empowerment are more likely to be “successful” than “power kick” managers. Let go of some of that control and recognize that if people understand the why, they’ll be able to handle the how without being micromanaged.

As you kick off your school year, consider taking more time to build relationships than establishing the “rules” and the consequences of your world, whether it be your classroom or your campus. Student choice, student voice, and allowing our students to have a say in what they do can make a difference!

theory Y hopeN,

Amber

Social media & strategy

August 11, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

It’s easy to get excited at this time of year. There’s all the back to school supplies, new back to school outfits, and all those fresh new faces! This also is the time new initiatives are rolled out on campuses state wide. From district ideas to campus thoughts…everyone’s excited in August!

I participated in #ptcamp this summer, which was both overwhelming and energizing. There were so many great thoughts share…and as usual, social media was discussed quite a bot. Even if it wasn’t directly referred to as “social media”, the words twitter, facebook, and instagram were talked about. Just like any other new initiative if you’re deciding to get serious with your social media presence, albeit for your classroom or your campus, I challenge you to BE INTENTIONAL.

Regardless of your own personal stance on using social media, you can’t deny the ever increasing use of it in our students lives. To not take advantage of a tool that your students and families are already utilizing is missing a huge opportunity to truly CONNECT. (<—My word for 2014-2015!) If your opinion is that what you’ve been doing is fine, and that you have no need for MORE connections with your students & community, call me. 😉

Building relationships is what we do! Utilizing some form of SM to help facilitate those relationships makes sense. You don’t have to do them all, pick one, that you’re comfortable with, and then BE INTENTIONAL.

Decide what you’re going to share. How often you’re going to share. When you’re going to share. The challenge, just like with any other form of communication, is to maintain your presence to help ensure the validity of your communications. Don’t do all the heavy lifting of getting your parents invested and then in October forget to post anything. It will be next to impossible to get them to commit to something else in the future.

Need some data to help back up my social media “claims”?

72% of all internet users are now active on social media
18-29 year olds have an 89% usage
The 30-49 bracket sits at 72%
60 percent of 50 to 60 year olds are active on social media
In the 65 plus bracket, 43% are using social media
Time spent on Facebook per hour spent online by country. USA citizens get the top gong at 16% followed by the Aussies at 14 minutes and the Brits at 13 minutes.
71% of users access social media from a mobile device.

Establishing your SYSTEM for back to school…

August 2, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

This week we had our C&I administrative retreat to help kick off our back to school season.

Our superintendent began with an illustration and an explanation.

The green zone is an area in Baghdad. It is heavily fortified and known as the “safe place” for any journalists, travelers, and US citizens. The Green Zone is completely surrounded by high concrete blast walls, T-Walls and barbed wire fences with access only available through a handful of entry control points, and has been referred to as “the bubble.” He went on to say that if civilians ventured out of the “green zone”, military support couldn’t guarantee your safety.

The assistant superintendent then crystallized the meaning behind our district “system”. Dr. Stone walked us down memory lane, and what steps had been taken to arrive at the place where we are now. There is a system in place. It has been thought through, fought for, and put into place to help everyone within it. In the same way the walls around the green zone protect the US citizens in Baghdad, the SYSTEM we work in is designed to protect us. She held up an egg. Imagine if we, or one of our students, were this fragile egg. The day to day decisions, are like sheets of paper, dropped against that egg. They aren’t deal breakers, they aren’t enough to harm you. But big decisions? Boulder tough decisions? You need a SYSTEM to keep you safe. She brought out the most simple of illustrations, a green tool box, and inside, placed the egg. No matter what fell against that box, the egg was safe. The system keeps you safe, the system protects you. You still have freedom within that box, but are protected from the outside factors, complications or obstacles that aren’t clear.

Please note, in a year where the Dallas Morning News published an article stating that STAAR scores across the state were stagnant, ours saw an increase. Our system is working.

I had goosebumps. The concept paralleled the environment that we WANT to see at our schools. Our campuses are the green zone. Our environment, our structure, is all built around the predication that we want our students to feel “in the green zone”. We are there to keep our students safe. Not locked away from the outside, but to help them navigate through the muddled waters of life, while still holding their hands. We want them to feel backed, to feel empowered to make decisions, and know that we support them. That alone happens when they trust & believe in your system…when the fidelity is made clear. Is your system trusting and sustainable?

There are so many factors that you can’t control, especially within a school district. Choose to create your own mini system, whether it be within your classroom walls, or a building. Perhaps Angela Maiers tool kit is what you need, or Joan Young‘s ASCD Arias on Encouragement in the Classroom. Angela Watson also has written Awakened, a guide to transforming your mindset in the classroom.

system-ly safe,

Amber

Advice to the Assistant Admin

July 29, 2014 by Amber 2 Comments

I had the privilege of presenting to the new administrators from the great state of Illinois last week. Jessica Johnson and I discussed ways that administrators could use different forms of technology to make their day/professional learning more streamlined and “digital”.

I had several admin there ask me about my “role” as an assistant principal and how I balanced my responsibilities. Different campuses, districts, states, have different ways of handling leadership roles, obviously, but I think there are some parallels.

One thing to keep in mind, at least something that was helpful for me, was to always remember that the trade off of not having the full weight and responsibility of a campus hanging over my head is that my opinion isn’t the “final” one. I try really hard to offer when I am asked and to always, always, always defer to my boss on campus level decisions, 🙂

Having a comfortable, trusting relationship will go a long in establishing the climate that will allow you to disagree and discuss decisions that are made. My principal last year and I had completely different philosophies when it came to education, so I had to be very careful to answer any questions that I was asked in the way that SHE would want them answered vs what I instinctively could answer. It was an excellent experience that helped me develop and articulate my thoughts on my stance. It isn’t enough to just “make” decisions, you should be able to define and articulate why you believe what you believe.

Ask up front and know in advance what their expectations are for you and for your role. I always run my decisions and thoughts by my boss before I move forward, just to make sure that we are on the same page. You will find that if you do this a LOT in the beginning, you will slowly but surely start to feel more confident in what they’d want you to do, and you won’t have to confer with them that as often.

I think finding and learning your administrators strengths (and weaknesses!) will help you to also “see” what your role may be. It takes a team and your job to be the yin to their yang! Make sure your administrator knows YOUR strengths and weaknesses as well. Part of their role is to help mold you into the kind of leader that is ready for your own building. There are a variety of personality tests that are available…I’m a big fan of the gallup strength finder. It helps me amongst a crowd know how to balance teams as well.

Know that every opportunity, positive or negative, is developing you into the kind of leader that you will be. Even if in your role you are relegated to being test coordinators, discipline divas, and wear a textbook tiara, those are important facets if what makes a building run. You’ll want to know every nuance of those pieces for when you’re in charge of the whole puzzle!

hAPpily yours,

Amber

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/01/17/20-social-media-facts-and-statistics-you-should-know-in-2014/#VKwcE6rkAmqai71U.99