Walking through the Exhibit Hall the other day we met these two teachers from Chicago. They were really excited because the girl on the right had just won a Promethean Classroom.

She was over the moon! She was so enthusiastic about winning Promethean because she was aware of the company’s all encompassing philosophy of sharing knowledge and creating rather than controlling knowledge and shutting the world out.

What an amazing site.

500 exhibitors with 50 new ones this year. It takes a day to walk and talk with even just a fraction of the exhibitors whose product is of interest.

The Conference Centre is vast here are some stats for NECC 2009 (courtesy ISTE Daily Leader).

• 10 000 particpants from 60 countries across the world.
• 62 New Zealanders are here and they have the largest contingent of International visitors.
• 6 000 danishes were served in one hour at the continental breakfast.
• 5 300 unique users are on the wireless network at any one time.
• 90 mb of bandwith is being used consistently.
• 102 wireless internet access points.
• 31 buses are running every hour between 6.30 am and 7.45 pm.
• 1 cat inhabits the exhibit hall.

This is an amazing conference and it hasn’t even started yet. The pre-conference workshops are so comprehensive and across such a wide range of areas. Which one to choose?

I don’t know much about wiki’s so did that yesterday. Now I know a whole lot more. Still only really a beginner.

Edubloggercon was on as an unconference yesterday and it was great. Kim was at the smashup (sorry) smackdown session and said it was like a religious experience. Her blog explains that.

The unconference sessions we attended explored one to one laptop use,  the use of the ipod touch as a mobile device and the educational apps for that. There is a comprehensive list of educational apps being published by Sue Wells and Lyn on Classroom 2.0 look out for it.

Google has amazing tools and apps and stuff so much more than emails and searching. I use gmail and search using Google.

After today’s session I do it so much better and am beginning to understand the depth of the functionality of Google.

And we can’t access it in its fullness through our network!!

Let’s face it  . . . for most of us it is a struggle.

At the beginning of the week Kim was lamenting being a techno moron. Deon and I were chatting when I was helping set up Macs in Kim’s room he disclosed to me that he had a Mac at home and “I know how to do heaps with Macs miss I can help”.

Kim learned stuff from the conference she went to yesterday, Today the Macs are humming along in her room. She learned stuff but Deon has been an instrumental part of her success.

Before you leave check out the Mouse Website . . .

As a school leader with well in excess of 10 years experience it is obvious the role of the school leader is becoming more and more complex. It seems like almost daily we are called upon to undertake additional administrivia drudgeries. This part of the job is not why I became a Principal. When I stepped into this role it was to be an educational Leader.

The quality of the educational leadership is pivotal to the success of a school as an effective organisation.

A successful leader focuses on student and staff learning and well being. They promote positive relationships throughout the learning community.

It is the leaders role to:

• develop a culture of shared leadership
• promote collaborative collegial relationships
• actively research and promote constructive change and innovation.

I like Tom Carroll’s view: in previous eras “schools saw themselves as organisations focused on maximising teaching effectiveness . . .

21st century schools must be communities that maximise learning effectiveness“.

 The next generation of leaders need to focus on just that.

The “c” Generation

connect, communicate, collaborate, create

The conference today was an interesting experience. The session I presented went well . . . it was a compilation of the previous few blogs. The blog was simply there as a reference point for the Case Study presented about Belmore South Primary School.

Kim presented a really good practical session, so much work and then the Internet connection let her down. At least the whole presentation is on her blog.

The venue was excellent Fairfield RSL

Everything technological seems to be synonymous with speed. The best advice possible is to take it slowly. When making critical technology decisions choose carefully the steps to take to make sure it is right for your context at the time.

Research; use  critical thinking skills: examine assumptions, gather data from many sources, envision alternative scenarios, then make an informed choice.

Technology planning must be approached intelligently to make the most of tight resources and high expectations. 

Eating-the-elephant-that-is-ict-and-eating-it-one-bite-a-time,this is a great video in support of the above.

• collectively pursue professional knowledge and skills and take on shared responsibility for the success of all students.
• engage in the reflective practice, collegial inquiry, collaborative work, and continuous innovation on which 21st century learning environments thrive
• enable teachers to refine their knowledge and skills in supportive ways and help overcome the isolation that characterizes teaching  
• structure time during the day for interaction with other teachers
• provide a comprehensive planning guide to help teachers move from collegial conversations to critical dialogue.

It is not just how much, but how time is used that matters.

But schools have become silos of isolation – classrooms isolated from other classrooms, teachers isolated from other teachers, schools isolated from the outside world.

Research reveals:

• Positive and productive relationships within and outside an organization enable it to carry out its mission more effectively.

• When people are connected and they collaborate their effect is multiplied, for communities are able to accomplish goals that would be impossible through more isolated efforts.

•  An educational community imbued with a positive culture is more likely to foster innovation and excellence.

What is school culture?

it is the “invisible but powerful meanings and mindsets” (Wagner T & Kegan R 2006) that shape the learning environment even more than the four walls of the classroom.

What kind of culture is most effective?

The answer is many.There is no single culture that suits schools; each school must determine its own blend of teaching talents, instructional approaches, and effective leadership to meet the unique learning needs of its community. 

There is a common element which unites all effective school communities:

a commitment on the part of every member to the learning of everyone, children and adults alike. . . a climate of respect and trust (Meier, D (2002) In Schools We Trust, Boston Beacon Press.

In most of our experiences it is a school, a classroom, a library for some a playing field. 

In today’s interconnected and technology-driven world it can be virtual, online, remote; in short, it doesn’t have to be a place at all.

Another way of looking at it is as support systems which serve to organize the condition in which humans learn best:

• providing for  the unique learning needs of every learner;
• promoting the positive human relationships necessary for effective learning.

Where learning is

• tailored to the needs and wants of the individual
• occurs anytime and anyplace when and where the learner desires
•  in a context of relevance
• “just in time,” rather than “just in case.”
• offering “just what I need”

–        the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills using learning strategies that are personalized

–        adapted to the learner‟s own learning styles and preferences.

An environment

• where the children know each other and know their teachers, not just academically but as people.
• where friendliness, openness, and accessibility promote cooperation and interaction.

What goes for students, goes for teachers, too.

Educators need tools and spaces that enable collaborative planning and information sharing.

An interesting read on this topic is the white paper out of the USA 21st Century Learning Environments at last someone in America is understanding what learning needs to look, sound and feel like.