Characteristics of School Culture Ready to Change

David Jakes, a school district technology coordinator during a conference keynote address described the following characteristics of a school culture that are required for an innovation to become seamless and transparent:

1. There must be a high degree of organizational readiness for the innovation.

2. The innovation must have multiple entry points for a spectrum of usership; each of these entry points must support effective use by teachers and students.

3. The innovation must clearly address an instructional need, with benefits for both teachers and students.

4. The innovation must add value to an instructional practice.

5. There must be visible and tangible results indicating that the innovation improves student learning.

6. The technology has been taken out of the technology or innovation.

7. the teacher has become a confident, active, and visible user; use becomes seamless and tranparent.

--excerpt from the book Web 2.0, New Tools New Schools (Solomon & Schrum, 2007)

Reporting to Parents

Interesting to note that the K-5 teachers meet last week to discuss the report cards. In this discussion there was the overwhelming assumption that what we are doing, have been doing, will be doing is assessing student growth and development as a set of acquired skills.

The group NEVER contemplated the idea of reporting to parents skills that represent new sets of skills. At one point I even asked a group if they were going to add ITL (Information Technology Literacy) skills into their report card. I was told flat out NO.

If we are to lead in a new direction, these are the forums for these discussions.

Classroom Comparison

The following was pulled from the website www.21stcenturyschools.com

A Comparison Chart - which one describes your classroom or school?

20th Century Classrooms vs. 21st Century Classrooms

1. Time-Based Vs Outcome-based

2. Focus on memorization of discrete facts vs. Focus on what students KNOW, CAN DO

and ARE LIKE after all the details are forgotten

3. Lessons focus on lower level of Bloom's Taxonomy--knowledge, comprehension and

application vs. Learning is designed on upper levels of Bloom's--synthesis, analysis and evaluation

4. Textbook-driven vs. Research-driven

5. Learners work in isolation-- classroom within 4 walls vs. Learners work collaboratively with classmates and

others around the world--the global classroom

6. Teacher-centered: Teacher is center of attention and provider of information vs. Student-centered: teacher is facilitator/coach

7. Little or no student freedom vs. Great deal of student freedom

8. "Discipline problems"--educators do not trust students and vice versa. No student motivation. vs. No "discipline problems".--students and teacher have mutually respectful relationship as co-learners; Students are motivated.

9. Fragmented curriculum vs. Integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum

10. Grades averaged vs. Grades are based on what was learned

11. Low Expectations vs High Expectations--"If it isn't good, it isn't done" We expect, and ensure, that all students succeed in learning

at high levels. Some may go higher--we get out of their

way to let them do that.

12. Teacher is judge. No one else sees student work vs Self, peer and other assessments. Public audience,

authentic assessments.

13. Curriculum/School is irrelevant and meaningless to the student vs. Curriculum is connected to students' interests, experiences

talents and the real world

14. Print is the primary vehicle of learning and assessment vs. Performances, projects, and multiple forms of media are used

for learning and assessment

15. Diversity in students is ignored vs. Curriculum and instruction address student diversity

16. Literacy is the 3 R's--Reading, writing and math vs. Multiple literacies of the 21st century--aligned to living and

working in a globalized new millennium.