Laura Varlas wrote an interesting piece in ASCD “Caught in the Middle” July 2010 | Volume 52 | Number 7 Called- Looking Within: Teachers Leading Their Own Learning She had me at her opening line, “The most powerful and ample resource for change in education is teachers’ own expertise. Yet, teachers are regularly overstepped when it comes to leading school improvement.” What’s not to love? Teachers developing expertise and leadership by using their voice in areas that impact them most, areas such as, profess.

A good friend told me that he heard another friend whining about how he wished educational bloggers would get back to blogging from the heart. It struck a cord with me. While I am anything but a Chicken Soup for the Soul kind of blogger– (more emotion than substance in posts) I do think there is a place for emotional intelligence when addressing educational reform and change. Michael Jansen, the first black person to serve as dean of the University of Pretoria in South Africa outlines seven themes that I think encompass leadership with a hear.

Yesterday was fun. I was asked to be one of the presenters at the TIE/ISTE Leadership Bootcamp. More importantly I was also allowed to be one of the learners. During the facilitated round table discussions we had a process activity that I participated in as a learner. It was a 4 step writing process.  Which I think is really important. One of the downfalls of ISTE is that there is so much experiencing and so little time to reflect. Most deep reflection happens after folks go home. Even now as I write this I am feeling like I am missing out on .

I am driving home from NYC and while I know I should be devoting my time to the PLP communities, I couldn’t help myself- I had to come here first and reflect. It is such a rare thing when I have a chance to attend an event as a learner only and at TEDxNYED I was just that “learner only.” Don’t get me wrong,  I learn a great deal while I am presenting and engaging  audiences in the workshops and keynotes I am invited to give, however, it is rare that I am ever able to attend an event with no pressure to perform-where I.

I had an epiphany today. For most of you who lead change, run a company or ministry this is probably obvious. But for me– not so much. I was listening to John Maxwell on TV today and he shared something I had never considered. My mission, my purpose in all the work I do, whether keynoting, conferences, working with for profits like Intel or Microsoft or non profits like the EETT grant work and especially in the building of PLP, has to be about adding value to the lives of others. I know..I know.. for you guys it is a no brainer, but for.

What do you think of when you try and define the concept leadership? I surveyed my Twitter community recently and was struck with the diversity represented as they grappled with the idea. Most of the definitions spoke to leadership belonging to a group broader than individual leaders.  Which is a shift from the dictionary definition: lead⋅er⋅ship 1. the position or function of a leader: He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition. 2. ability to lead: She displayed leadership potential. 3. a.

Definitions of smart on the Web: showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness chic: elegant and stylish; “chic elegance”; “a smart new dress”; “a suit of voguish cut” bright: characterized by quickness and ease in learning; “some children are brighter in one subject than another”; “smart children talk earlier than the average” fresh: improperly forward or bold; “don’t be fresh with me”; “impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup”; ̶.

In education we do not get to see the fruit of our labor until many years have gone past. But when it happens it always makes a profound impact. Today was just such a day. As many of you know I worked with the Alabama Best Practices Center for four years in Alabama with schools across the state on a 21st Century Learners project. We worked with schools  on reconceptualizing their teaching, classrooms, schools and districts in ways that would meet the needs of the networked learner. We pushed hard for reculturing and a shift in curriculum towa.

Photo credit: http://thenewpostliterate.blogspot.com/2009/01/dr-john-m-bennetts-solo-and.html In the PLPNetbooks community (Australia work) this blog post surfaced after my interview with Steve Hargadon on The Future of Education The Title of the post is the same as mine.. Why Are We Here? It follows: Ok … Now I’ve got your attention I’ve just finished listening to the lastest episode of the “Ed Tech Live” podcast in which Steve Hargadon interviewed our very own community leader Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. This is a .

I have been thinking a lot about how to manage the needed change process in education. Looks like a lot of folks have been playing with that idea as well. ISTE released their new NETS for ADMIN framing it as having the potential for - Transforming Education- Administrators play a pivotal role in determining how well technology is used in our schools. The NETS for Administrators enable us to define what administrators need to know and be able to do in order to discharge their responsibility as leaders in the effective use of technology in ou.