Technology in the Classroom

What do Hewlett Packard, Google, Microsoft and Apple all have in common? Legend has it that these powerhouse tech companies all started in garages. However, at least in this context, more important than that, none of those companies had a significant presence in the traditional K-12 classroom as recently as 10 years ago. Today, Google can be properly used as both a noun and as a verb! 

The use of technology in the classroom is not a passing fad - it will not go away. The children of today have grown up with technology, some studies have indicated that our students average over 7 hours per day using entertainment media - primarily outside of the classroom. As such, those students expect technology to be a part of their learning experience. 

Our conversation needs to quickly shift from "if" we will embrace, (and fund) technology in the K-12 environment o "how" we can integrate technology in ways that will promote broader and deeper learning for our students. This cannot be a topic for future discussion - the time is now. 

Educational consultant and author Chris Lehman says it best, "Technology should be like oxygen; Ubiquitous, necessary and invisible." 

The Zingermans 5-90-5 Rule

Virtually everyone who lives near or travels through Ann Arbor has heard of Zingermans. Not only is Zingermans famous for their outstanding food, they have developed a well-earned reputation for outstanding service as well.

One of Zingermans founding partners, Ari Weinzweig has written a book called "Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service" and one of the concepts Ari discusses is the 5-90-5 rule. Simply stated, Ari believes if he hires 100 employees, 5 will naturally give great service. In addition, 5 will likely be inclined to give relatively poor service. At Zingerman's, Ari elects to spend the majority of his time with the 90 in the middle - those individuals who are likely to "go with the flow." He says, "our job as leaders is to create an organizational structure that makes it much easier and more rewarding for them to give great service than not." 

While our focus is not selling food, Saline Area Schools also strives to provide great service. We strive to hire people naturally inclined to do so and to create a culture and climate where this is easy to do. We want to provide our students, our parents and our community with the same type of world-class service Zingerman's provides their customers! 

Best Practice or Creative Excellence

If you have ever flown on an airplane, you have no doubt heard a flight attendant reciting the pre-flight announcement telling passengers to place their seat backs in the upright position, to fasten their safety belts, turn off all personal electronic devices, stow all luggage properly in the overhead bins, etc. In my experience, just about everyone on the plane pays little attention.

I recently had an opportunity to watch a flight attendant on Southwest Airlines take a rather creative approach to the mandatory pre-flight announcement - to view the video click here

Whether or not this announcement was real or staged, it did cause me to reflect upon how we do business in education. When we identify someone who gets better results than anyone else, (whether a district, school or an individual teacher) we refer to their method as a "best practice" and then rush to find ways to duplicate their efforts. The problem is, not everyone has the same strengths and talents. As a result, mandating that others duplicate something as creative and unique as the flight attendant's rap announcement would be a recipe for failure for most. So too is it in the classroom - asking others to duplicate the unique strengths and talents is also often a recipe for failure.

Instead we need to outline the expectations and material to be covered, (just as the highly regulated Federal Aviation Administration does for the pre-flight announcement) and then create an atmosphere where the use of every individuals strengths and talents can result in unique and powerful results. Assuming a fundamental level of competency, it is not what we do but rather HOW we do it that often makes the difference!

It's Not Too Late To Answer The Saline Area Schools Holiday Challenge!

Back on December 18th I asked people to spend just 5 minutes of time to share with me one positive story of a Saline Area Schools employee demonstrating their care, compassion, commitment, competence, communication and dedication toward the children we serve. The story can be about a teacher, a bus driver, a food service employee, a coach, a custodian, an administrator, etc. - any employee of Saline Area Schools. Please include the name of the employee you are describing, a brief description of the positive contribution they made, (or what makes them special), when it happened and your name, (optional). Send your positive stories to me via e-mail at ellisc@salineschools.org

While I have received some wonderful stories, the response thus far has been much smaller than I had anticipated. As a result, I am extending the deadline to Friday, January 10th. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts!

My Holiday Challenge to You Saline Area Schools Community!

In 2000 a young Haley Joel Osment starred along with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey in the hit motion picture Pay it Forward. The movie's plot centered around Trevor, (Osment) who is challenged by his 7th grade social studies teacher, (Spacey) to create and implement a plan that that will make the world a better place. Trevor creates a tiered system of goodwill he calls, "Pay It Forward."

Fast forward almost 14 years and I am issuing each member of the Saline Area Schools community a similar Holiday challenge. I am asking you to spend just 5 minutes of your time during the next two weeks to share with me one positive story of a Saline Area Schools employee demonstrating their care, compassion, commitment, competence, communication and dedication toward the children we serve. Your story can be about a teacher, a bus driver, a food service employee, a coach, a custodian, an administrator, etc. - any employee of Saline Area Schools. Please include the name of the employee you are describing, a brief description of the positive contribution they made, (or what makes them special), when it happened and your name, (optional). Send your positive stories to me via e-mail at elliscur@salineschools.org no later than January 5, 2014.

I will compile the stories and share them with our staff as a gift to them when we return in 2014. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season!

Happy Thanksgiving

Over the past several weeks, I have seen story after story and show after show recounting November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. While I was not yet born, like many Americans I have always been somewhat fascinated by John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy family and their legacy in American politics.

However, this week it isn't the 50th anniversary of his assassination that I found myself focused upon, rather it was a quote by JFK that I stumbled upon that struck a chord with me. Kennedy said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, please take a moment to reflect upon President Kennedy's quote and remember that actions speak louder than words.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

You Are Going to Get Wet...

If you grew up in the Great Lakes State, chances are at one point or another you took swimming lessons. In my case, I've been involved in the process of learning to swim twice in my life - first as a youngster and then later in life as a parent.  As a child, I can remember my dad taking me for my first lessons at the local YMCA pool. While I was never fearful of the water, sometime during my development from a Polliwog to a Guppy to a Minnow I do vividly recall feeling like a sinking rock when I first jumped off the diving board in the deep end of the pool at Bentley HS. Many years later, my wife and I enrolled our own kids in swim lessons here at the Rec Center. Fortunately, they were not fearful of the water either, but both struggled at times to learn new water skills such as laying on their backs or putting their faces in the water for the first time.

Obviously my perspective as a child was much different than it was as a parent. As a child, I was intent on keeping my head above the water and learning new skills, and I placed an enormous amount of trust in my dad to provide support and encouragement. As a parent, I had no concern about my ability to keep my head above water and I knew my wife and I would support and encourage our kids. The instructor's role was and is to provide the information and expertise necessary for all parties to be successful. However, I am keenly aware that in both situations, everyone involved in the process gets wet! The kids get wet. The parents who are there to provide support and encouragement get wet and even the instructor, the expert with all the information gets wet in the process. For most if not all, learning to swim is an experiential process. No amount of reading, studying, talking, watching videos, etc. can replace time spent in the water.

I think about this process when I see a new concept or idea struggling to get off the ground. The natural inclination is often to read, study and discuss an issue from all angles before taking action. Said another way, there is an effort to create the ability to swim before ever hitting the water. However, implementing a new idea or concept is much like learning to swim - the participants must understand the need and be willing to learn, people need to provide support and encouragement and instructors and experts need to be present to provide the information and guidance necessary for success. And, perhaps most importantly, everyone involved needs to be willing to get wet!