Note: This article originally appeared in Volume E5, Issue 1 of the Big6 eNewsletter.Source: http://goo.gl/rTa6oP"Most professional development is so boring," shared an administrator. "When I wake up in the morning, I jump out of bed and I can’t wait to get to work. I love solving problems, wrestling with the issues. But, if I have to attend a principals meeting, go to professional development session at Central Office, I can barely drag myself up out of bed and I tap the snooze button at least twice before getting up."If you have worked in K-12 education, then you have been subjected to this type of energy-sapping professional development. During a workshop, Jennifer Green, a middle school principal, confesses, "I can’t wait for my mobile phone to ring. And, if they don’t call me, I call them as I walk out pretending that I’ve received an all-important rescue-us 911 call from my campus." At the end of the workshop session, teachers and administrators stagger out the door. Even technology facilitators are finding that, as familiarity with technology grows, it is not enough — if it ever was — to put administrators on the computer to produce some multimedia product.Read the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) and No Child Left Behind legislation, and it is evident that students are expected to become critical thinkers, familiar with information problem-solving. For some districts, the process that students should follow is pre-selected (e.g., Big6) or left up to individual teachers. But this process never finds it way from the classroom to the office of the person who needs information problem-solving processes the most — the campus administrator.A Process of RevitalizationBig6-enhanced professional development sessions can revitalize not only the adult learners that are required to attend them, but also those who deliver them. Big6 is a transformational approach that revitalizes the design of professional development, requiring the facilitator to shift roles. Shift roles from a know-it-all trainer smug in her knowledge of the content, impatient for her audience to see the light, to explorer and map-maker.Like a child playing an online action game, principals roll from problem to problem, guns blazing, with little time for reflection. This can create a major challenge for a person tasked with delivering training to administrators and helping them re-think the way they approach everyday information problems. Use these 5 Big6-related actions to transform principals’ arcade-style moment-to-moment problem elimination to reflective, collaborative problem-solving.Laying the FoundationAchieving a reflective process can be done using the Big6. As the facilitator, you are already familiar with the Big6. Introducing it to administrators can be as easy as making connections with problem-solving processes they already know. Yet, you can approach the process of developing the flow of information problem-solving using the Big6-related actions. Within the Big6-related actions, you can introduce the Big6 process to administrators as a powerful tool that will help them achieve greater collaboration.Action 1 — Select a Problem and Brainstorm an Idea to Explore Its Potential (Task Definition)As a training facilitator, you must create a transformative experience that fully engages your audience. Your first step involves mapping out what information needs to be acquired and put into practice. Using the Inspiration software — or whiteboard if you prefer — respond to these questions:What do we really want them to learn?Why is it important that they learn this?What problems or issues should they be able to resolve with the information?What process could facilitate their information problem-solving?Walking through these questions will help you plan your training to meet the administrators’ needs.Brainstorming with a visual aid allows you to consider the breadth of the issues involved and the stakeholders impacted from various perspectives. You should demonstrate this strategy for your trainees, as administrators need to learn to see problems from different points of view, allowing them to better resolve conflicts with other stakeholders.More importantly, using a visual aid allows administrators to see the big picture rather than floating from problem to problem. As in the graphic organizer [not available] below, you can also use this as a pre-planning to identify what you really want administrators to learn about. In the example below, the focus is on Instructional Technology issues.Action 2—Engage Adult Learners in the Real Life Problem (Task Definition)Every crisis we face in schools depends on some critical piece of the puzzle that is missing. Why is a student misbehaving? Why is the parent yelling at the paraprofessional and threatening to sue her? Why are the experienced teachers shunning the new teacher despite the principal’s best efforts to get her included? How can we help teachers resolve their own student-teacher, parent-teacher, teacher-teacher issues? The following strategy will help you train your administrators to fill in missing pieces of the puzzle by thinking strategically.This action - writing a story problem - builds a blueprint for inquiry and the investigative process the administrator will need to follow. As the facilitator, you need to identify key information acquisition goals and work forward from those to pose an engaging introduction or story.You are not writing a fiction story exactly. You are writing a story that encapsulates the issues and stakeholders in a way that grabs your learners. From the author’s perspective, the writing of the story problem is the most exciting of all the steps. But, it doesn’t have to be a written problem. You only write it if you lack another medium to use and want to remain consistent. You could use radio, television, video or use a skit to introduce the problem elements.Another important point to remember as you model writing a story problem is to ensure that you have a "real life" person affected. That does not mean that you put someone you know in the story, but to make sure your main character is the one who has to solve the real life problem. Whether it is a principal, a teacher, a parent or student, it should be someone who will best come alive for your adult learners. For a group of principals, the protagonist should be a principal. For a group of parents, it should be a parent or child. You can always shift the focus of the story so long as the key elements that you want them to learn are present.As in real life, your adult learners must use the inquiry process and reason to solve the problem. The narrative should reflect problems or issues that campus administrators deal with every day. While this will capture their attention, it will not retain it unless you suggest an approach that re-frames the problem. Simply, helps them see it in a new way. It is at this time that the Big6 can be introduced.Earlier this morning, Jerry Johnson approached you. Jerry is the superintendent’s right-hand man. "Felice, we need your help. Over the last few years, the state has poured money into your campus for technology. The school board president, whose daughter goes to your school, mentioned that her child isn’t using technology. She even asked the superintendent what the district was encouraging campuses to do to prepare teachers and students to use technology."At this point, there are several issues that are inherent within the problem narrative above. The narrative, rather than being several pages long, is quite short. Yet, before administrators begin to tear the problem apart, you should provide a process for them to follow. Naturally, the Big6 makes the problem-solving process easier for them as they struggle through it.Action 3—Focus Inquiry and Investigation (Task Definition to Information Seeking Strategy, Location & Access and Use of Information)Once adult learners are engaged in the problem, you can guide them through a simple information seeking strategy. First, ask the workshop participants to read the problem. Then, inquire, "What hunches do you have about this problem?" Explain that "Hunches are intuitive guesses we have about the problem. They are what we think may occur or be the motivations for some of the stakeholders in the introduction." After you jot down these hunches on another whiteboard (although you can easily use a word processor, flip chart, or in Inspiration software), adult learners are ready for the next piece.Before moving on, step back out of your facilitative role and point out that their guesses had hit on the main issues in the problem. This is an important piece because it tells you as problem-designer that the story engaged adult learners in the desired manner.The next thing is to write down everything participants know for certain in the problem. For example, you might phrase it this way, "What do we know for certain about the problem?" This is a wonderful approach because, now that the hunches are out of the way, participants are ready to focus in on the problem. No guesses or hunches are allowed. Participant statements spring strictly from within "the text." These are the facts of the matter and are critical to solving the problem.After nailing down the facts, you ask, "What questions can we ask that will get us the information we need to help the protagonist solve the problem?" Of course, one never says protagonist. By this time, everyone is using the protagonist’s first name. A list of questions is produced. An exciting activity, the question generation shows how engaged your audience is. It is often the "proof" that those reluctant to use this professional development technique need to experience to see its efficacy. Before you move on to the final activity, be sure to prioritize -- with the group --the most important questions.The final activity in facilitating the problem-solving is to have your trainees identify all the potential stakeholders. This last piece allows them to see the big picture, not just try to solve problems from a narrow point of view. It fosters empathy, and being able to view a problem from multiple perspectives. At the end of this activity, you have a list of potential stakeholders. Using the stakeholders as a guide, divide the class into stakeholder groups. It is from these perspectives that the class will explore the issues, locating and accessing information through research.As you move forward, this is the step when you can take advantage of technological tools the administrators might use in a real-life situation. You can use treasure hunt or subject sampler type activities (Check out http://www.ozline.com) to organize the resources for your learners. You can take advantage of online resources such as ProQuest, Gale Resources, Electronic Policy Analysis Archives for access to research, or a digital video distribution system. Whatever resources--books, newspapers, online—the point is that they have to find the most effective way of doing their research.Action 4—Support Problem Resolution (Synthesis)As adult learners in your session gather information filtered through the lens of the respective stakeholder they have assumed, they need to share information with each other. A successful approach is to encourage them to suggest a solution to the problem that considers the various points of view of all stakeholders.There are different ways of expressing the solution. That solution may be expressed as a multimedia presentation, a document to be shared, or, School Board presentation. Each group will develop its own solution. This is an excellent opportunity to remind others that parallel problem-solving is a real life skill—we may all arrive at similar solutions for a problem, but sometimes these solutions are unique. By working collaboratively—within and between groups—we can achieve the synergy needed as administrators.In considering the solutions presented, it helps to have a common rubric. At minimum, the whole group should decide 1) What the solution strategy will be, 2) the advantages and disadvantages of the solution from the perspectives of different stakeholders, and, of course, 3) the consequences. This information could easily be arranged in a table or a series of slides (if using Powerpoint). Finally, a fourth component can be a powerful antiphon. This last component, either as a narrative or a skit, can quickly sum up the solution’s main points. Whether skit or narrative, it should capture the essence of the solution. These narratives will differ on their quality and perspective. For example, one such solution narrative for Felice is written as follows:As her Hyundai Santa Fe pulled into the afternoon traffic rush, the events of the last month raced through Felice’s mind. What a wonderful experience it had been to meet with the Campus Leadership Team and share the need for a comprehensive needs assessment process. She had trusted to the process and the commitment of her staff and she sought simply to facilitate the process. When John had stood up to present the State’s needs assessment tools, as well as the Levels of Technology Implementation (LOTI) that they had found online, there had been an immediate response. The Framework focused the CLT in a way that she had not imagined earlier. The week prior to the meeting, the District Technology Director had provided links to the LOTI Framework and that had proved itself a useful observational tool. She and the Technology Director had done the "LOTIwalk." It allowed them to gauge the Level of Technology Implementation for the various products and classroom instructional activities.After the needs assessment had been completed, addressing several key areas such as teaching and learning, infrastructure, and administrative support, she had begun walking the campus with the LOTI Framework in hand. This framework gave her, her campus leadership team the information to make decisions about technology use in schools. Using the LOTI had also allowed her to tailor specific technology-integrated professional development for her teachers, correlate weekend computer camps for students to target technology levels, which by the way corresponded to higher levels on Bloom’s Taxonomy.As she pulled into the Central Office parking lot for the School Board meeting, she waved at the Board president, who was walking towards the Board Room. Her smile and a quick wave signaled her acknowledgement. She had also played a significant role as a member of the campus technology committee. Her clamoring for newer technology, her advocacy with the superintendent, had focused the laser beam on technology and its appropriateness in schools. "You know," Michael the Technology Director had shared at one late evening meeting, "I’m grateful to you for bringing us all together. Without you, Felice, and without the Board president being such an advocate, we might have faced serious budget cuts. Those would have been catastrophic for our children, especially now when NCLB calls for information and technology literacy."Action 5—Facilitate Problem Debriefing (Evaluation)After solving the problem, a key piece of Big6 enhanced professional development is to reflect on the solution. Did the solutions participants developed really address the issues in the problem? Encourage administrators to be blunt and up front about their solutions. To simplify the process, ask them to first develop criteria for what would be an effective solution as a group, and remind them to consider the needs of all stakeholders. Use this criteria to assess the solutions that are brought forth, as well as what process they followed in information problem solving. This feedback is important for adult learners and allows them to fine-tune the solutions they develop.ConclusionA tremendous amount of work has been accomplished in this session. Now, you will notice the benefits of this approach among your adult learners. Not one of them is falling asleep. All are self-engaged, almost driven, to solve the difficult, complex problem that emerged from the mapping activity in Action 1. Using the Big6, they are able to move from Task Definition to Location & Access to Synthesis and Evaluation smoothly. More importantly, they have the meta-cognitive language to describe the process they are using to develop a solution.Make sure that your adult learners ask themselves how the Big6 process they are using changed their approach to the problem, as well as how they explain the problem solving process to others. During debriefing, they can use this feedback to evaluate their problem solving effectiveness.Using these five actions to Big6 Enhanced Professional Development enables district facilitators of professional development to revitalize their workshop sessions. It also provides campus administrators participating in the session with essential tools that may employ technology as an information management tool used in the context of information problem solving. Identifying the missing information, locating it, synthesizing it, and evaluating their process can transform how administrators approach their jobs.The wonder of using the Big6 approach with adult learners is that they will not perceive your workshop as a long, boring exploration of a topic at the periphery of consciousness. They will not sit in your class problem solving the real life challenges they face, or will encounter, back at their campus. Instead, you will have tapped into their creative energies, engaging them, making them feel as if they, not you, had planned out the experience.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Note: These are my take-aways from Carol Collier Kuhlthau's Guided Inquiry: School Libraries in the 21st Century. from January 2010. Read it online.Thanks to my Twitter PLN--especially Carolyn Foote (@technolibrary), Leslie Maniotes (@lesliemaniotes), and Jennifer LaGarde (@jenniferlagarde), as well as Dee Dee Davenport (@deelibcoord) for introducing me to Information Search Process (ISP) and Guided Inquiry. DeeDee was kind enough to send me A Model Third Grade Guided Inquiry Unit. (I'll have to check that out in more detail!)Source: http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/docs/websiteGIDFramework.pdf as cited by NEISDReflectionsThis article was written in 2010, based on research the author conducted even farther back; to be blunt, there is nothing here that is "earth-shattering" and new. However, there is comfort in that fact...it means ideas have certainly taken in hold somewhere, if not in practice.In the article, the author suggests that the partnership involve the teacher-librarian.  One idea that suggests itself is that an edtech coach could certainly play a significant role in this process.I love the simple 3-step process. A lot of work has been done around these 3 steps, and it's tough to imagine they could be so easily accomplished. To gain systemic support (step 1), it seems essential to have an awesome team of leaders committed to building support...a PLC, perhaps. An implementation plan and timeline will have to take into consideration a variety of factors. The network required for sharing, well, Twitter or social media can play a part.Again, how this gets implemented is key.MyNotesA new way of learning is needed that prepares students for living and working in a complex information environment. Mobile devices provide instantaneous communication any time and any place. Multifunctional hand-held devices are ubiquitous around the world from cosmopolitan urban centers to remote rural outposts. Web 2.0 tools help us interact, connect and collaborate in new ways. Technological tools that have become part of our everyday life have great benefit for people across the world.  We need to move beyond teaching how to use technology tools to teaching technology in use for creativity and meaning.Learning all of the bells and whistles of a new device isn’t the hard part of information technology use. The hard part is learning to use the technologies for creativity and enlightenment.Inquiry is a way of learning new skills and knowledge for understanding and creating in the midst of rapid technological change.The underlying concept is considering a question or problem that prompts extensive investigation on the part of the student.Inquiry that is guided by an instructional team to enable students to gain a depth of understanding and a personal perspective through a wide range of sources of information is called Guided Inquiry (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007). Guided Inquiry equips students with abilities and competencies to meet the challenges of an uncertain, changing world.  Collaborations with teachers in a team can create the necessary climate for students to inquire, participate, create and learn in an information environment. If we think of the student’s world outside of school and the student‘s cumulative knowledge and experience as first space and we think of the curriculum as second space, the question arises of how to make these two very separate spaces intersect. When first space and second space overlap third space is created. Third space is where the most meaningful, lasting learning takes place. The teacher’s main challenge is to create third space as often as possible.Inquiry provides the opportunity to create third space and Guided Inquiry enables students to make their own connections within the inquiry process that motivates learning and builds ownership and expertise.Guided Inquiry recommends a three member core team that plans and supervises the inquiry with an extended team of other experts joining in when most needed. Although two member collaborations between a school librarian and a teacher are common, three member teams provide a synergy of ideas for developing inquiry learning. Three member teams also provide the additional professional guidance and ongoing support student inquiry requires. The third member joining the librarian and the subject area teacher may be second classroom or subject area teacher or any of the other specialists in the school, such as a teacher specializing in reading, technology, music, art, or dramaThe SLIM Student Learning Inquiry Measure (http://cissl.scils.rutgers.edu/) provides assessment throughout the stages of the inquiry process.Five kinds of learning are accomplished through inquiry (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007, p. 9): information literacy - "the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information." Five criteria for evaluating information--expertise, accuracy, currency, perspective, and quality--are applied for making good choices in inquiry learning.learning how to learn - Guided Inquiry enables students to learn how to learn by becoming aware of their learning process. Each time they work through the stages of the Information Search Process (ISP)-- initiating, selecting, exploring, focusing, collecting and presenting--they learn the process of inquiry as well as how they personally interact within that process. Guidance is provided at critical intervention points to teach strategies for learning from a variety of sources of information. Inquiry is a fundamental way of learning in the information environment of the ‚real world‛ where everyday tasks require learning from information. Through guidance students personalize the inquiry process recognizing that ‚this is my process, this is the way I learn.‛ curriculum content - Four common themes in subject area standards are fundamental to Guided Inquiry: constructivist approach to teaching and learning; information explosion-too much to learn it all; focus on broad themes and big ideas; and meaningful instruction through integration and problem solving (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007)literacy competence - Students need to go beyond learning to read, to reading to learn. They need to be able to comprehend informational texts as well as understand stories in fiction. Determining importance in informational texts is an essential skill in the information environment in which they live and learn. The basic skills of literacy, reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and presenting are enhanced through inquiry learning.social skills  - Students gain the ability to interact with others in situations that require cooperating and collaborating. Organizing small work groups is a strategy applied in Guided Inquiry called inquiry circles (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007). Adapted from Daniels’ (1994) literature circles, inquiry circles are structured work groups with each student assigned a different job. Jobs are rotated to give students an opportunity to practice each task independently. In Guided Inquiry each task represents one aspect of inquiry that students need to learn. Eight jobs essential to inquiry recommended in Guided Inquiry are: word hunter (finds key words and definitions); evaluator (evaluates the source); messenger (summarizes big ideas and main points); quiz kid (raises questions); connector (makes connections between self, texts and the world; note taker (takes specific notes on content); image maker (creates visual scheme of ideas); and interpreter (asks, ‚What does it mean?‚ and ‚Why is it important?‛) Getting Started and Sustaining Change - 3 steps:First, you need to gain systemic support.Second, you need to develop an implementation plan. You will need a plan with a timeline for implementing an inquiry approach. You can begin by organizing one three member team to collaborate on an inquiry project with one group of students as an example of how it works. This can form the basis for implementing a flexible team approach in your school. Third, you will need to create a network for sharing stories of success and problems you encounterEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Are you a CTO, technical support or Instructional Technologist in Texas schools? Then you'll want to attend the inexpensive TCEA Technology Education Coordinators Special Interest Group (TEC-SIG) meeting taking place October 8 and 9, 2015!View the agenda online...TEC-SIG Fall Meeting AgendaThursday-Friday, October 8-9, 2015Link to this document: http://bit.ly/TECSIGfall20158:00-8:45 Registration & Breakfast8:45-9:00 Welcome & TECSIG Announcements9:00-9:45  Keynote Session "Transforming Learning....One Voice at a Time" by Shannon Miller9:45 - 10:00 Break & Get Connected10:00-11:50 Breakout SessionsInspiration AInspiration BInnovationDedicationSession 1 - 10:00 - 10:50amCode.orgPresenter: Hal Speed & Kim GarciaHacked PDPresenter: Joel AdkinsManaging Your Classroom with Atlas LearningPresenter: Kristi Hinze & Tom SpallGet Down with the Best Google Add-ons for EducatorsPresenter: Amy MayerSession 2 - 11:00 - 11:50amHour of CodePresenter: Kellie LaheyDigital Signage Using Google Sign BuilderPresenter: Kim StraussGoogle Sys AdminPresenter: Mike WallaceBringing a New "Voice" To Schools, Libraries and Education Through MakerspacesPresenter: Shannon Miller12:00-1:00 LunchInspiration AInspiration BInnovationDedicationSession 3 - 1:00 - 1:50 PMIf They Make It, They Will Learn: Makey Makey/ScratchPresenter: Juan OrozcoAmazing DIGITAL Tools and Apps That Will Engage Your Students & Promote CreativityPresenter: Shannon MillerGoogle Console and/or Chromebook implementation (panel discussion)Facilitator: Mike WallaceCollegial Coaching for Technology IntegrationPresenters: Dr. Dawn Wilson and Dr. Katie AlanizSession 4 - 2:00 - 2:50 PMBasic Google Apps ScriptsPresenter: Richard LombardoThe Changing Role of Instructional Technology SpecialistsPresenter: Elizabeth Langer & Doug ShuddeTBDEnhancing Efficiency with APQC ProcessesPresenter: Mark Gabehart2:50 - 3:10 Break sponsored by Atlas Learning3:10-3:30 Legislative Update - Jennifer Bergland3:30 -3:45 Dinner Plans & Door Prizes3:45-5:45 Free time5:45-9:00 Dinner Sponsored by ARCFriday, 8/9/20158:00-8:40 Breakfast & Networking8:40 - 8:45 TEC-SIG Treasurer’s Report & Discussion about Spring Meeting8:45 - 9:00  TCEA Update9:00 - 9:45 Featured Speakers: IBM Watson Project Design Team9:45 - 10:00 Break10:00 - 10:30 TEA Update10:30 - 11:00 eRate Update11:00 - 11:15 Closing & Door PrizesEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Note that Miguel Guhlin is currently vice-president/president-elect of TCEA TEC-SIG organization, a non-profit focused on helping educational technology staff support PreK-16 students and staff learn with technology. Read Full Disclosure

Jack Wallen shares his story about he got into GNU/Linux, How learning Linux Jumpstarted my Career:My introduction to Linux, and all that came from it, was thanks to an insatiable curiosity and an inordinate frustration brought on by Windows. What was yours?As I think back to my first experiences with GNU/Linux, which take me back down the trail of years (wow, 12!) when I imagined myself quite content with my Mac and Windows skills...but GNU/Linux remained a mystery I had to explore. It didn't quite materialize until I found myself needing to connect my Windows only scanner to the only computer I had, a bondi iMac. Thanks to YellowDogLinux, it was possible. Later, I graduated to UbuntuLinux, and a host of other distributions.What GNU/Linux gave me was choice. My knowledge enabled me to use Moodle, Wordpress, setup UbuntuLinux-based servers and earn more for my family.And, it remains a worthwhile choice.Image Sourcehttp://iamsimplyblessed.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/1new-beginnings.jpgEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

What a sense of relief, right? I bet that's what all the edtech evangelists are saying now. I mean, when the truth comes out, you aren't worried about maintaining the lie, right?Investing heavily in school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils' performance, says a global study from the OECD.frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results.education systems which have invested heavily in information and communications technology have seen "no noticeable improvement" in Pisa test results for reading, mathematics or science."Those students who use tablets and computers very often tend to do worse than those who use them moderately."Students who use computers very frequently at school get worse resultsThe results show "no appreciable improvements" in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in information technologyHigh achieving school systems such as South Korea and Shanghai in China have lower levels of computer use in schoolmaking sure that all children have a good grasp of reading and maths is a more effective way to close the gap than "access to hi-tech devices".what we can do as a teaching profession is to start thinking very carefully about what we really need it for.Source: BBC's Computers Do Not Improve Pupil ResultsEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Technology and Instruction - Fairy Dust (Image Source)In my tongue in cheek post yesterday, The Secret Is Out, I briefly shared the results of a new study claiming that "school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils' performance." That claim--supported by research--should come as no surprise to anyone in educational technology, much less schools. I'm reminded of that shocking moment when an area superintendent for a large urban school district said something along the lines of, "Technology needs to be like magic fairy dust...it needs to raise scores in math and science by 10 points." Flabbergasted, I simply stood mute, as if I'd been hit with a dark spell of silence.This old-fashioned idea that technology is going to raise test scores, improving student achievement on standardized, high stakes assessments needs to die. The heyday of this idea was during drill-n-practice, tutorial software commonly known as "integrated learning systems." These expensive, high-powered systems would assess students then prescribe a learning solution. My favorite part of the "diagnosis" was that it was always 2 levels below where students were really at...that way, the ILS could show that it was working since students improved dramatically in a short time. Smoke and mirrors.Real change is hard work, involves differentiating content, process and products, empowers students to have more autonomy over what and when they learn, focuses on inquiry, is process oriented and supports evaluative reflection. Children can't be plopped in front of technology and then we all stand around waiting for the magic to happen. But what should we be doing instead?That's the fun question.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Earlier today, I was wondering, "What should a principal look for when checking to see if technology is properly implemented and supported on their campus?" The question is one I haven't asked myself in awhile, but is definitely worth checking.What are your thoughts in regards to the following points? What would you remove or add? "Tear it up!" Feel free to share your own checklist (if you have one).Campus Learning with Technology Checklist1-How is technology impacting instruction?___ a. Campus professional learning is aligned to Clarity Survey data.___ b. Technology use is aligned to district initiatives - literacy, math and problem-solving.___ c. All teachers and instructional leaders understand the technology component of the District Learning Walk.___ d. Teachers have weekly opportunities to instructional technology coaching.___ e. All staff are effectively employing GoogleApps for Education--including Classroom, Drive, and productivity tools--to enhance higher-order thinking, collaboration at a distance.___ f. Campus blended learning opportunities are available for students and staff. ___ g. Campus students, staff, and community are aware of the joint Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) initiative at your campus.2-How is technology supported effectively?___ a. Campus has low number of work orders.___ b. Campus and classroom web sites enjoy sufficient web support and guidance.___ c. The District Technology HelpDesk provides excellent support and assistance.___ d. Everyone knows how to ask for technical support from on-campus staff and, if necessary, how to submit work orders.___ e. Campus staff effectively safeguard sensitive data in print or digital format.3-How has connectivity been enabled for anytime, anywhere learning?___ a. Every learning space (e.g. classroom, library, cafeteria, gym) has ample wireless signal (WiFi) (can support up to 60 devices, either BYOT or district-owned).___ b. Each classroom has 6 network drops.___ c. Each classroom has access to a working digital projector, document camera (or iPad with document camera stand), a laptop/desktop computer for teacher use.___ d. Each classroom has access to a network printer.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Get ready for the 2015 K12 Online Conference: The best FREE video-based professional development you'll never have to pay for! All sessions are asynchronous so you can watch at your leisure.Our 2015 keynote speakers include Don Wettrick @DonWettrick, Alan Levine@cogdog, Stephanie Chang @MakerEdOrg, Scott McLeod @mcleod, andKaren Bosch @karlyb. Our full lineup of presentations and presenters is available on our 2015 Schedule.A few invitations and updates:This is the 10th year of the K12 Online Conference! Again we'll bring you an inspiring pre-conference keynote, 4 fantastic keynotes in 4 strands, and over 40 presentations by inspiring and innovative educators around the world... all shared via videos posted to YouTube & iTunesU starting October 12th.Plan to join our Classroom 2.0 Live Webinar this Saturday, September 19that noon Eastern / 11 am Central / 10 am Mountain / 9 am Pacific. Our organizer team will preview the conference and share more about what to expect. Visit live.classroom20.com for more details.Help us spread the word by adding our 2015 conference badge to your blog or other website!Share the conference and join the conversations on Twitter using our#k12online15 hashtag.Please forward this email to at least 1 other educator you know who hasn't participated previously in the K12 Online Conference. We're looking forward to another awesome year of inspiring ideas from amazing educators. Together, we're "Virtually Unstoppable!"Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Over the last few weeks, I've been exploring Evernote alternatives. Of course, my experiences with Evernote are legion and they bedevil me every time I seek salvation from its clutches. The features I'm looking for include the following:AES-256 encryption (ok, Evernote doesn't have this but it does have encryption options)Send notes in via emailCollaboration option or a way of quickly sharing notes with others.Tag notes with the ability to search tagsGUI editor like TinyMCE to get to bold, italics, etc.Twitter login authenticationAbility to attach files to notes (great for attaching scanned images, small license files, etc.)Image insertionCross-platform app that allows for easy adding/editing notes on the goListsDrop-dead simple to useThese may be unreasonable expectations, but you can't blame me. While my Evernote account houses everything but the kitchen sink in it, there have to be some worthwhile alternatives to it. And, let's be honest, as a writer, I'm also looking for a simple interface to work in that enables me to work anytime, anywhere.MAMMOTH HQA short time ago, I played around with MammothHQ, a rich, full-featured mobile and web app. Unfortunately, I hit the wall with it. Some of the things I didn't like included its inability to edit notes on the go (a feature they promise is coming to their mobile app), the silly idea that ONE Board could house everything about a subject you could want (it might be great for photographers, but not for note-takers)how clumsy it is to add content.But on the plus size, MammothHQ (pun intended) does allow GUI editing, lists, emailing in content, web clipping, and file attachments. In time, MammothHQ may be the right solution.  But right now, it's not quite ready. I have hope.SIMPLENOTESo, what else is available? SimpleNote.com came to my attention, and it IS simple. In fact, I'd say that I like the interface a LOT more than Mammoth's pinterest-like board, and it whips Evernote's interface in ease of use.Even if SimpleNote lacks a GUI editor, it does provide Markdown support, AND a feature Evernote killed off--RSS feeds!!! You can also publish notes, like this one where I share my suggestions for improvement.There is also Dropbox support possible...you can backup your notes (or download them as a zipped file) as well as use popular text editors to create and save to Dropbox that end up in SimpleNote, synced on all your devices!SimpleNote also comes with a Mac app...how neat is that, it doesn't just live on the web and on your phone, it's a Mac app.;-)The SimpleNote app also has Premium features...that are provided at no-charge, apparently! For how long it will remain, who knows. After a brief twitter exchange with @simplenoteapp, followed by a few emails, they were kind enough to grant me a 12 month Premium account...you can see the features shown right.It's also easy to make "lists" in SimpleNote, a feature demonstrated by this:If you're looking for a simple interface, then SimpleNote may be the app for you...here's what one of my notes looks like on my iPhone:For those of you who also worry about data privacy and security (ha, like we have any), I urge you to use ParanoiaWorks Text Encryption, which is available for every platform except Chromebooks...that includes iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and GNU/Linux. Find out more here about these free encryption tools! PTE will allow you to encrypt/decrypt your notes while on the go (copy-n-paste required) because your notes are NOT encrypted while at rest. They are encrypted in transit (https) but...well...not encrypting data while at rest is problematic. Still, don't put anything on the web, or in the cloud, that is private and lacks encryption.Ok, before I get TOO excited, I'm going to keep kicking the tires.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

www.cloudhq.netSince I have TONS of content in Evernote, I wanted to find an easy way to backup content there. Some of the supported services include:I imagined being able to put all my notes into Dropbox--along with encrypted attachments--but doing so would take...well...forever. CloudHQ.net takes care of this for me!Note: Did you know about CloudHQ's Chrome browser add-on? It enables Gmail users to share gmail labels. Watch a video online!While there are other ways to accomplish this, CloudHQ.net offers one the opportunity to have a 15-day free trial. You can use this 15-day trial to move content from one cloud service to another. In my case, I decided to export all my content in Evernote to Dropbox.Sync options - Evernote to Dropbox files, folders, and attachmentsThe process was fairly painless and resulted in a copy of all my Evernote content in a Dropbox folder I'd created right before starting. Kudos to CloudHQ.net for making it easy to copy/move content from one service to another!Try CloudHQ yourself online!Full Disclosure: This blog entry features CloudHQ.net because they are an awesome product, not because they were kind enough to grant one year free Premium Plan to my account and add me to their "ambassador" list! Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure