In just a few hours, I will have the privilege of addressing our high school learners at the Central York High School Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2015. 

I chose to speak to our graduates about the idea of taking the road less traveled.  To encourage them to consider the possibility that even if the less-traveled path leads them to a dead end, or a fall or a failure … they may be better off for the journey.

As I prepared my remarks – and searched for the right combination of inspiration and levity – I could not help but realize the parallels between my speech and the efforts of those transforming our world through innovation.  We stay within the well-worn grooves of our one-lane road so often because it is far easier and safer to stick with what we know … at work … in education … in life. Yet all around us, there are examples of the magic that can happen when we ignore that fear of the unknown and choose the road less traveled.

Take the  Internet of Things,  for example. The Internet of Things is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity to enable it to achieve greater value and service by exchanging data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices. 
Ordinary things are made “magical” through innovation, experimentation, trying new roads … failing, starting over and refusing to accept that fear of the unknown trumps the magic of possibility.  (Check out this New York Times video for some amazing examples.)

One HBR article reviewed examples of this change to include:

·      Joy Global – Mining machinery that can change on the fly for better efficiency

·      Tesla Automobile – Automatically call for a corrective software download

·      Ralph Lauren – Polo Tech Shirt that can monitor health vitals

·      The Nest – A smart thermostat that can save you money automatically

While all of these revolutionary changes are taking place, public schools are still mired in debate about changing the way we do business. There is so much resistance to changing the way it’s always been, our reliance on the 1892 formula, that it’s tempting to ignore the possibility of another way, another path.

For those of you pushing back against technology, or its place in education today, we understand. It is not what you or I experienced in our educational past.

The resistance to embracing technology and its powerful role in customizing everything – including education – is nothing new.  History has shown us that people have rarely met innovation or change with confidence and enthusiasm. Consider the reaction to the pencil, which scholars like Plato thought would have a negative impact on our memory.  Or  the advent of the printing press, when Erasmus cautioned against producing books and suggested the growth in printing books would be linked to a rise in barbarism.

What if we had all listened to those fearful people shouting to be heard over the innovators?

What if we are content to let fear of failure or the unknown bind us to an educational past despite the innovations – a device and the Internet – that give us not just two roads from which to choose, but dozens?

Tonight, when I conclude my address to our graduating seniors, I will encourage them to not give in to fear when they stand at a fork in the road in the future.  I will urge them to consider that great, extraordinary things can happen when we challenge ourselves to try something new or different.

These are the same lessons public educators need to remember today.

We are at a fork in the road. It is time for us to see that fork, let go of our fears and consider the magic that could happen when we take the road less traveled.

When you were a student, what was the school library like for you?  What do you remember? 

I can remember visiting my school library and the absolute thrill I would feel being able to select one or two books to take home and immerse myself in.  I always loved flipping to the back of the book immediately to see who else had signed out “my” book. Sometimes I would even see my older brother had picked the same one.
 
I can also remember the need to be as quiet as possible … and to not interact with my classmates or friends while thumbing through books that caught my eye.  And, of course, being fascinated with the rows upon rows of encyclopedias … our version of “Google” in those days.

Today, sadly, school districts are cutting the position of librarian as a means to balance budgets. 

Several of us, however, contend it is time to redefine the position and the space. 

Instead of only seeking answers, the library should also be a place to ask questions, collaborate, communicate and create.  Our secondary libraries are now called library-learning hubs (or just – the hub) and take the structure in a new direction. 
 

•  Ask Questions – the library-learning hub is about more than seeking answers, it is about inquiry and asking questions. The space and technology enable our learners to ask questions of local businesses and those around the world.  
  
•  Communicate/Collaborate – We encourage learners to talk in the library, with others in the space and around the globe.  We have created collaboration rooms that are outfitted with a conference table, television and connections for all learners to display their work and projects (think of a business conference room and a presentation from a colleague).  
  
•  Create/Produce – the hub is a space to create using all the information and resources at hand, which no longer rely solely on printed material.  Those resources still include those from our educational past, as well as a device that provides the sum of all human knowledge and access to fellow classmates here and anywhere.  Our secondary hubs are also equipped with a one-touch studio that enables learners to quickly record themselves and created a videocast… with one-touch.  The green screen allows the video to be edited and dropped into any movie or screen that fits the need or assignment. 
  

And if you think this happens only during the day, you are wrong.  Resources, such as online databases, are available to our learners 24/7.  It is no longer a destination that you visit only when your teacher takes the whole class.  Our learners can take their lunch to the hub and continue work there as opposed to the cafeteria.

If you are looking for a world-class example of this new learning space, we visited Penn State’s Knowledge Commons:  https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/kc.html.  Another excellent example of this redefinition of our libraries is the Makerspace Movement:  http://spaces.makerspace.com  I’d also invite you to take a look at our Library and Learning Hub located in our Central York Middle School.  

It is time to rethink our approach to information, content, its availability and the structure formally known only as the library.  

This classic question, which dates back to my days as a child riding alongside my brother and sister in the back of our mother’s wood-paneled station wagon, continues to generate some time-honored responses. I can remember dreading that question and usually offering my mother no more than a quick “I don’t know” or a “Nothing.”

Clearly, these were not the answers she hoped to obtain, as they gave her no insight into my activities during the school day that could possibly yield any meaningful dialogue. And she could forget learning anything about my schoolwork or studies that would empower her to assist me with areas in which I struggled with activities at home.

In my school days, parents were left with little recourse other than to continue to question … or interrogate … as their children continued to stonewall and avoid giving up any information about what happened during their school day.

Today’s learners are still giving these classic responses to their parents and guardians. The difference is that, today, technology offers us an opportunity to break down the barrier between school and home when it comes to this topic.

Our challenge is how to leverage technology to provide parents and guardians better access to what we are teaching – and what their children are learning.  

How much longer will it take for all learners, K-12, to have a learning plan that provides a clear roadmap for success? Further, how much longer will it take for us to provide parents/guardians a way to engage with this plan as true partners who can not only see where their children are now, but where they might go – or need or want to go – next.

You see this today at the secondary school level with the ability for parents/guardians to monitor grades online.  However, what if they could access the same learning map that their children use throughout each day?  What if, upon entry at home, a parent could immediately talk about and support his child’s work in science class?  What if they also had access to resources to assist their child?

Leveraging technology to empower parents/guardians requires two things:

• Creation of Learning Progression and Learning Maps – A Learning Progression illustrates the learning experience over a student’s 13-year progression in a school district. A Learning Map clearly articulates what a learner has to know and be able to do, provide links to resources, and provide projects/activities to demonstrate mastery.
  

• Access to ePortfolios – A simple interface that enables access to anyone with a password to a learner’s journey and the learning maps (often called a learning management system).
  

 We must create ways for parents/guardians to engage with their children in the learning process, and we must provide parents/guardians access to information that empowers them to support their learners from start to finish along this 13-year journey we call school. Learning Maps and ePortfolios are a start.

Imagine the power of parents/guardians being able to know watch closely and support their child’s learning … to become true partners in the learning experience.

The days of “What Did You Learn Today” being a big mystery must come to an end. You can track your child via GPS … why can’t you do the same with her 4th grade studies?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who was part of your “personal learning network” during your childhood and school days? Mine included my teachers, parents/guardians and neighborhood friends who maybe joined me at the kitchen table as I completed my homework each night.  Maybe yours included friends from Scouts, Little League, Church or your Family Reunions. These people all formed a network for you and I that helped shape our perspective of the world and taught us about life and learning from our earliest years.  

The human element was essential then, as it is today.

Now, imagine a personal learning network for today’s children. One in which they can include all of those people who helped us learn and grow, but expand it – and their learning – with another addition: The World.

Will Richardson often describes the power of the Internet and a device in expanding the personal learning network for today’s youth.  Like Richardson, I believe that technology has opened the doors to our youth to unparalleled personal learning resources that provide real world, real life information to make learning more meaningful.  

Imagine a world where our youngest learners are expected to build a personal learning network starting in kindergarten:

·      Post work twice a day they complete,

·      Contribute to the class Twitter account or blog,

·      Evaluate their work for what is the best and meets the standard,

·      Expect feedback from others,

·      Expect to provide feedback to others.

By the time they reach the intermediate grades, our learners are reaching out to NASA and local businesses to gather information and assistance in completing projects.  In middle school and high school, our learners are rethinking traditional classes and connecting with those outside our four walls to provide meaning, relevance, and context to assignments. 

For many, the suggestion that our youngest learners begin to create a social/digital footprint is scary.  There are many things to be wary of on the Internet.  But pretending you can shelter your child, our learner, from them is a false notion and not an approach we, as educators or parents/guardians, have taken when it comes to other areas.

Consider how we approach water safety/swimming with elementary children … ensuring they learn how to enjoy the pleasure of time spent in pools while keeping themselves safe and acting responsible. What about young drivers? We teach driver’s education, where we prepare our learners with safety tips and resources before we empower them to travel the road behind the wheel.

Wishing away a personal learning network, the Internet or devices won’t make it so.

We do not deny our children the ability to swim or drive because we are afraid of the risks. We acknowledge the risks and teach them how to best navigate the water and the road. We need to apply this same approach when it comes to our learners using technology and exploring the World online.

Helping children responsibly create a personal learning network and navigate their online world is a life skill that educators and parents/guardians alike have a duty to teach and nurture now. 

So now that we call them learners … what kind of work should they do on the road less traveled?
 
Lately, everywhere you go, it seems educators are buzzing about the importance of the “4 Cs”  in defining meaningful learner work. They are: 

1.     Creativity
2.     Critical thinking
3.     Communication
4.     Collaboration

The 4 Cs are the center of Learner Work. Imagine a school system that promotes the opportunity to communicate, collaborate, create and think critically on a routine basis. Imagine a classroom that requires this and learning beyond the four walls to include parents, the community and the world.  How might one determine if this is taking place in a classroom? Watch what our learners do. Are they in neat rows, answering questions with neat answers?  Or are they engaging with messy problems and projects for which their are no right answers?

Let’s look at each of the 4 Cs and imagine the possibilities:

• Creativity – Might a learner be able to suggest multiple ways to achieve the standard and do so with a personal flair or interest?  Perhaps a learner is enamored with the arts and can find suitable content there.

• Critical Thinking – Might a learner be able to challenge the status quo, write a letter to persuade, and rethink a design or product and receive credit for it?  

• Communication – Might a learner embrace the notion that the world is flat and communicate with others around the world in an effort to complete a project?  NASA, government officials, industry leaders and authors are there for the asking. Isn’t that what we do in the real world?  It is called networking and something our youngest learners are already doing.   

• Collaboration – Working together to solve a problem is another real world requirement.  But where in our schools are there spaces designed to foster collaboration, teamwork and the ability to conduct a virtual meeting?  For an example of what this looks like, check out Penn State University’s space.
  

The 4 Cs offer a world of possibilities to our learners and offer us a chance to truly raise the bar when it comes to learner work. Yet there are 3 Cs that continue to hold us back from what could be possible with our learner’s work in a customized learning environment.  And no one likes to “buzz” about these. They are:

1.     Content
2.     Control
3.     Comfort

If we are honest, and willing to poke fun at ourselves, we can admit to holding on to teaching curriculum that we are familiar with and have taught for years (think dinosaurs in 3rd grade even though we moved that to 4th grade two years ago, or the history teacher lovingly spending an extra week on the American Revolution because George Washington was his boyhood hero). 

There will always be content that we, as educators, need to teach our learners.  However, content – coupled with comfort and control – is what led to the well-worn path of the industrial model of education.  It’s human nature to desire comfort (think of your favorite pair of jeans) and control (think of your day) … until it threatens your future and you still refuse to see the need to change.

But how will our learners uncover, discover and really connect with all that they must learn if we don’t set aside those 3 Cs and embrace the 4 Cs … and more?  The 4 Cs hold promise as a framework to move forward, not hold on to our educational past.

If you are still confused, simply ask a learner how is this best learned … and listen.

 

Is the Industrial Age notion of “Instruction” a sacred cow?

When educators talk about customizing curriculum, revamping assessment, infusing technology into our schools and classrooms, you see heads nodding in agreement and can feel the consensus and excitement. Yet when we bring up the topic of rethinking instruction, envisioning new roles for students and teachers … changing how we view “Instruction” … the mood changes.

Consider these questions in the context of digital age learning:
 
·      Is “instruction” about what the teacher does somewhere in the “front” of the classroom, while students sit passively, consuming information?
·      Or should we shift the focus from what the teacher is doing to how the student is responding, engaging with the instruction?

Taking the road less traveled challenges all of us to redefine how we think about instruction.  And the key to this, in a mass customized education environment, is to redefine not just the teacher’s role, but also the student’s.

In our school district, we started with a language change (inspired by Chuck Schwahn and Bea McGarvey's Inevitable) that, while seemingly simple, continuously forces us to be mindful of the importance of these newly defined roles in the customized Central environment. 

·      LEARNERS: You will notice I used the word student as I referenced sitting passively in neat rows listening to the teacher.  Today’s digital age requires schools to recognize that we are not just teaching passive students but active, engaged learners. Learners are required to produce and create products their learning facilitator (formerly known as teacher) design for them.

·      LEARNING FACILITATORS:  No longer will our learning facilitators stand and deliver lecture after lecture and impart knowledge.  According to Merriam-Webster, a facilitator is one who brings about an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance or supervision (most of us use a smart phone to look up a definition these days and not a dictionary on a shelf somewhere).   Learning facilitators will create learning opportunities and serve as guides through our curricula (think shepherding – thanks to Jon Landis from Apple for that reference!).  By the way, if you think I am advocating for technology to replace the human element, you are wrong.  A future post will detail the human element impact in this exciting time. 

Beyond this language and mindset shift, we continue to discuss the way learning itself has changed in today’s world. We are kidding ourselves if we continue to believe that learning only occurs in a school or classroom at the direction of a learning facilitator.

Instructions, videos and expert commentaries are only a click away from our learners' fingertips and not reserved to some destination and a 48-minute class period. Today’s learners interact with their friends, community and the world in a 24/7 fashion and often learn in a self-directed manner and "just in time" (credit again to David Price and Open).  When was the last time you read a manual vs. searching YouTube to fix that leaky faucet?  I still have a “Better Homes and Garden” volume that helps with the faucet …but there are only pictures as opposed to over 10 videos that explain every step in the process.

When you provide every learner with a device and Internet connectivity, you disrupt the instructional delivery model that has existed since the one-room schoolhouse.
 
The real question for public education now and in the future is this ... if we keep doing what we have always done, while everyone and everything around us changes ...  will they choose us?

When most of us reflect on our high school education, we recall what David Price, in the book “Open,” calls just-in-case learning or what I would call, simply, “coverage.”  Coverage is defined by “seat time” and moving from one grade to the next … whether we know the material or not.

Today’s learners need more than just-in-case learning or coverage to succeed in a post-secondary world. In a customized learning environment, we need to foster an experience where our learners move from coverage of content to mastering content.  

They need voice and choice in how they learn and demonstrate content mastery. And our assessment practices need to catch up and become customized to ensure our learners are mastering what they learn, not just retaining enough information to move from one grade to the next.

Consider a world where we put an end to one-size-fits all projects. No more tri-fold boards and show-and-tell assignments that parents sometimes assist with or flat out complete for their children (Think about those late-night trips to the craft store when your child told you at 8PM Thursday his project was due at 7AM Friday). 

What if each unit in our learners’ 13-year progression included a clearly communicated project or two they could complete to demonstrate mastery of the subject? What if our learners had voice and choice and were able to suggest another project to equally demonstrate mastery of content?  If the learning facilitator accepted the project, it would become a permanent choice for future students.

Imagine the rigor demonstrated by a learner who clearly has reviewed the unit map (all the content and skills involved, standards and suggested activities) and can clearly articulate another project that would meet the standards?  Customized assessment – and a shift from just-in-case learning to content mastery – means the possibilities for our learners and our learning facilitators will continue to grow.  Consider a world in which our learners think about new ways to meet or exceed the standards.

Mastery learning and customized assessments can happen …if we take the road less traveled.