The 21st Century Principal

 "I have heard some say that we need to 'meet the kids where they are'--that is, to accept their world of chatter and multiple electronic devices. I see, instead, a need to offer them something that they don't already have, so that they may see more possibilities." Diana Senechal, Republic of Noise: The Loss of Solitude in Schools and Culture

As a long time high school English teacher, I often heard the notion described by Senechal that I needed "to meet the kids where they are." Those early years I did just that. I used modern cultural artifacts such as popular movies, popular music to try to teach my students the "curriculum." At some point, this idea of "meet" students where they were did involve "accepting their world of chatter and multiple electronic devices." We as teachers were simply to give up teaching students about the worlds of possibility that did not include "Silicon-Valley-Invented Devices." But with this giving up, we really caused students much greater harm, because in doing that, we were failing to show students the possibilities of life beyond the reach of technology.  And there is a world where we can thrive and exist among these, our devices but live with and beyond them.

As an educator, you can begin to lead the way by doing simple things like "turning off your notifications in the evenings." This is living by example. As I write this, my phone sits like a paperweight. It is dead. It does not vibrate, chirp or beep, and I will not allow it until tomorrow morning when I walk into my office. As far as my Apple watch goes, I turned off permanently text, email, and any other notifications that have the potential to rudely intrude in my life. This is one world of possibility I would introduce students to today: a world where they can control tech and keep tech from controlling them. Such a world gives me time to sit, meditate, reflect, and read. The reading I do in these times are substantial works of literature and philosophy as well as science, social science, and world religions, not social media posts.

In addition to turning off notifications, and transforming my phone into a paperweight, I also do not allow social media in rudely intrude in my life throughout the day. I don't even have these social media apps on my phone. There was a time, evident by my Twitter account, that I spent a great deal of time using it. Facebook as well. But I have arrived at a point in life where I refuse to allow social media to intrude in my thoughts and life unless I want to read it. I have turned off all notifications of these too.  I have rid myself of the rude, boisterous call social media makes throughout the day reminding me that something in it needs my attention, when it really doesn't need my attention. This is another world of possibility, a world of freedom, that exists beyond technology too.

Instead of listening to the tech company marketing and the educational tech evangelists who want us to center the lives of students around their products, perhaps it is time for educators to show kids glimpses of a world that exists beyond the technology, where they can find time for themselves, uninterrupted by the intrusions of vibrating, beeping, and chirping devices.

If anyone has noticed, I have subtly changed the byline of this blog, for it once stated:

"Technology, Teaching, and Public School Advocate"

and now it simply states,

"Thoughts on Education, Literature, Politics, and Philosophy of Education."

Not that many even I feel I have to explain myself. Why the change? I lost my religion, or stated differently: I have increasingly began to feel as if "Technology" already has enough advocates and needs more critics.

While I am sure no one really pays attention to such things,  I have increasingly felt that the "Ed Tech" evangelists have become less critical of technology, and in some ways have come to believe that it alone offers the "salvation of education" and our students. I myself could so be judged from my various blather on this blog as one of the "technology-faithful." Yet, time, experience, and thought has cost me my own uncritical faith in the power of the PC (or the Mac) to lead to educational paradise.

Neil Postman, that powerful critic of technology himself, perhaps had in mind the malady that inflicts the current "Ed Tech" world and education when described something called "Technopoly." He stated that "technopoly is a state of mind," and that it consists in the "deification of technology, finds its satisfactions in technology, and takes it orders from technology." It also causes the "development of a new social order," leads to the "rapid dissolution of much associated with traditional beliefs," and sees technical progress as our "supreme achievement" as well as the means by which all our problems will be solved. To me, it would seem that Postman was actually describing the basic tenants of the current "Ed Tech" religion that in some appellations appears to be a "fundamentalist religion."

Don't get me wrong, I still embrace my iPhone and PC, for they allow me to do things that make life richer, easier, and efficient. I am no Luddite. But I have become a heretic of sorts when it comes to all this uncritical promotion of everything tech in education. The tenants of "ED Tech" fundamentalism should be questioned, and every time some educator, keynote speaker, tech salesman begins to sell their wares or promote their ideas, it is time lay aside our personal enthusiasm, or friendships, and our techno-enthusiasm and ask the heretical questions of whether what is said is really truth of dogma.

I no longer adhere to the doctrine that "deifies" technology as the answer to all our educational problems. I also no longer think that "disruption" and "innovation" with technology is always a good thing. Are we really trying to improve our students' education or are we simply trying to promote technology for its own sake. Perhaps we are also only using technology to promote ourselves instead of what is truly beneficial for our students. Do we really think more and better technology is going to finally educate all our students?

Dropping the "Technology advocate" part of my byline was important to me. Technology needs no advocate but our students do. There's enough commercial and tech industry salespersons and techno-fundamentalists out there advocating for the technology. What is sorely needed are us techno-heretics, who have a sober view of technology, and who are willing to question the tenants of Ed Tech fundamentalism.

Technology can either be tools that we use to enhance our lives and the education of our students, or they can become that which directs our lives. I choose the former.

Postman, N. (1993). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. Vintage: New York, NY.

“For the first time in the history of education, the teacher, the student, and the content do not need to be in the same place at the same time.” Ian Jukes, Windows on the Future

How we handle the details of designing our “learning spaces” ultimately determines what happens in our classrooms. As Jukes points out, for the first time in history students and teachers do not even have to be in the same place when learning. Also, the content is no longer confined to textbooks. Still, our schools’ classrooms are designed for “imparting knowledge” not engaging in authentic learning. I would bet if you look at any recent plan drawn up for a new school, the spaces are still designed for traditional factory model learning. The classrooms are arranged like so many pods with desks sitting in rows with a teacher desk placed at the front of the room with a whiteboard located behind. What many still do not quite understand is  a simple principle of classroom design: How you plan the learning space ultimately determines the kinds of learning that happens in that space. Even the furniture selections can impact the learning that happens.

Take the student desk as an example (like the illustration above). These desks are still everywhere in our schools. When new schools are built, hundreds of these are ordered and then placed in neat rows in classrooms. But this particular desk is problematic if we are looking to create learning spaces where students collaborate and engage in active learning. These desks are designed to be placed in rows and to actually restrict the movement of the student sitting in it. Have you ever complained about how hard it is to move and get out of these things? But in a factory era school, student movement is discouraged and what better way to do it than by designing a desk that minimizes the movement of students? These desks are perhaps a symbol of what’s amiss about so-called 21st century education today. We still think of learning spaces as ways to control students rather than ways to engage them in real learning.

I have no way of knowing whether those who designed the first student desks in this manner really had the goal of making a desk that restricted movement, but the fact that so many of these still exist in our classrooms is symptomatic of a greater problem: We just can’t let go of the idea that schools are factories whose job is to churn out students who have been declared educated through testing and credentialing. “Get’em through the system like widgets and declare them graduated and educated if they make through the hurdles and tests.” In our classroom learning spaces we still buy furniture whose purposes is to control and attempt to make learning fit into neat orderly boxes, when those of us who’ve been teachers for some time know real learning is messy and not always subject to the controls we place on it. We keep arranging our schools’ classrooms for teacher-directed instruction instead of designing them for student-directed and inquiry learning which we know is how most of our students want to learn. In a word, for all our talk, we are trying to fit 21st century learning into classrooms designed for factory-model education systems.

Obviously, my point is obviously not to get you to throw out all the student desks in your buildings. But, the question is, how can we re-envision our learning spaces to make authentic, engaging learning happen for our students? We can begin by looking at our current classrooms and see how we can transform them from places to control to places to explore and engage learning. This doesn’t really cost us very much either.

Knowmia is a website and an iPad app that allows teachers to create, share, and view instructional videos for students. It might be just the perfect solution for the teacher looking for a tool to help them implement “Flipped Classroom” instruction.

Recently, Knowmia has been working on three knew features to add to their product. I think teachers and students will find these enhancements useful.

Showcase a Teacher Profile
Teachers can create a profile and endorse other Knowmia teachers. Profiles will be used to describe you to all students and other teachers who are using Knowmia. It’s also a way for the Knowmia community to see all of the great lessons teachers have created. Click here to learn more: Knowmia Blog

Build Interactive Assignments
Teachers can use the Assignment Wizard to create assignments that include video lessons, slides and questions for your students. Most importantly, they can monitor your students’ progress in real-time, assess comprehension and provide them with feedback. Click here to learn more: Knowmia Blog

Empower Students to Benefit from Our Free ToolsStudents can now use the free Knowmia Teach iPad app to create video projects and demonstrate what they’ve learned. Student lessons are completely private and secure. Click here to learn more about student content:Knowmia Blog



Coming soon! Students will be able to register for an account without an email address. Click here to learn more:http://www.knowmia.com/blog/?p=307