As we know with our students, visuals can help understanding, sustain focus, and sharpen goals. I will constantly refer back to this chart of the 4 Cs to reflect on my growth, as this begins to shape what kind of educational leader I aim to be.

image courtesy of zulama.com

Developing my leadership philosophy and school vision with the 4Cs in mind. New to me, through this class, they make focusing easier. I hope to find technology pieces, like those used in EDG 646 that coordinate with growth I hope to achieve in these domains.
This is not to be confused with the 5 Cs discussed in Lisa Nielsen's blog. http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-cs-to-developing-your-p...

Notice the web-like design on the image. It reminds me that I'm not alone. Life guards are rescuers, not school administrators. There is help out there. Use it! Chances are, someone already blogged about the problem you're facing. Though I've never blogged before, I will be using it as a resource henceforth.

http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effecti...

The Wallace Foundation has a good read to help guide me as I think about being a leader in the 21st Century.

Through this class I've also found some tools I will definitely be using as technology becomes a part of my vision.
*Blogger
*Twitter
*storyboardthat
*eduCanon
*MyHistro
*(and of course) HaikuDeck

These could be used with schools, teachers, students and/or the community.

Many school leaders have analyzed and disaggregated data. Then what?

Well, what if I used a tool like Backchannel to collaborate with other schools in my district?Through this class, I've realized using tools to reach someone you thought unreachable expands the wealth of knowledge you are able to work with. I hope to use backchannel and encourage my staff to be part of those conversations, even if they cannot be there.

My district is moving to the distributed leadership model. This 21st Century idea will help me see first hand how effective a group tackling a project can be. As an internship opportunity, I would like to get involved in the process and help build a networking tool for those in the group to be able to share with each other, as well as those choosing not to be part of that committee.

As the facilitator of dialogue, I need to keep in mind the message I want to send and how I can best get that across.


image courtesy of indevjobs.org

Although I will still NOT use facebook, I have found the Blogger and Twitter tools very helpful. I've upped the number of people I follow each day. It's neat how catching one post can lead you to others that may help even more. It's like exponential growth of knowledge. And even though I'm not published, or even an administrator yet, I have knowledge to give.

image courtesy of www.socialmediaexaminer.com

In our country's early days education was important. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set aside 1:36 proportion of land to be used strictly for education. It stated, "...morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."

Not that I'm able to purchase land, but the philosophy behind their deeds is commendable. I hope to be a leader who brings the school to the forefront of the community. Without social media, we can't be seen. It's time to embrace, not ignore!

Of all the pieces of 21st century learning, technology probably helps most here. Imagine a school where teachers never worked together. Even worse, what if students never worked together? The tools provided in EDG 646, Blogger, Twitter, Google Docs, Evernote, etc., give a plethora of options to a school leader. There is no reason one person should be doing all the work. Distributed leadership, whether by name or practice, needs to be incorporated.

image courtesy of guardianlv.com

If I have successfully modeled teamwork through leadership, I'd hope that my staff would begin to notice that Together Everyone Achieves More! Don't be afraid to step out of your local focus. I haven't seen a site touting the virtues of 21st Century skills without mentioning "collaboration."

I will let my staff know...
It is OK to reach for the stars and fail. Along the way we've passed the Aurora and touched the moon. At the same time, it's imperative that they've communicated their efforts to me and I've supported them along the way. If they've failed for lack of my effort, that is unacceptable.


image courtesy of linkedin.com

The link below takes you to a google.books site for page 10 of Transforming School Leadership With ISLLC and ELCC. The entire page is worth the read, but I believe an important piece is found in this quote. "The school leader is the creator of the dream and the driving force that moves the dream forward."

https://books.google.com/books?id=leRFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT28&lpg=PT28&dq=school+l...

To move that dream forward, I need to combine the first 3Cs to be sure I'm not the only one on the train!
Start small, get some wins, and begin that cycle of success!

Not having been a principal yet, I perused the web for ideas on this topic. A skill I will undoubtedly need. Rather quickly I found information, but more importantly I found a blog that I immediately added to my favorites. Let's look at Tim Elmore's blog post about communicating your vision as a leader. He has some simple steps to help you: Expose, Explore, Explain, Experiment. His section on "Gaining a Yes Vote," is also pertinent. You may want to bookmark it as well.

http://growingleaders.com/blog/how-to-communicate-your-vision/

The following ed. gov piece is an easy read. It does a great job summarizing 6 reasons for bringing technology into schools. My vision HAS to have technology as a component. It is ironic that a government site notes, "...educators argue that schools have a responsibility to give students--and especially students from low-income homes--the confidence and skills in using such technology that they will need after graduation."
Responsibility. Dr. Monos' analogy between teachers and other professionals comes to mind. How responsible would a doctor be if they learned of a highly effective new treatment for a disease, yet they chose to do it the "old way." If we are professionals, then we are professionals always.

https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/reasons.html

Through EDG 646 project, I've talked about the kind of leader I hope, or dream, to be. I've explained why technology fits into my goals and vision. I've talked about how the tools I've gathered here have affected my philosophy on being a 21st Century school administrator. So what are the next steps?
For me, I'd like to take the pieces I'm currently comfortable with and begin to institute them in my professional career (as well as my personal life), using them more often to build confidence. I'd also like to begin dabbling in those pieces I'm not as at ease with. If I'm nurturing failure as a means for growth, I have to work with that technology to be a good model. Constantly growing and working towards that clear vision because there are people that will be counting on me...

...these guys!

I hope you have enjoyed my presentation and have a better understanding of how EDG646 has helped me as I begin my journey into educational leadership!



image courtesy of katrinabauer.blogspot.com