Leadership: From Lincoln to LinkedIn

There is a sea-change happening in the realm of educational leadership. I feel that Cohort 21 is a big part of that change. Sarah McKibbon’s article in ASCD’s publications is entitled “Following Lincoln’s Lead“, and it resonates with many of the actions that I, and others, are taking in their schools towards a more open…
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Returning to Blogging – Grade 9 experience

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLTZv2NFkLI[/youtube]   “This is me in Grade 9 Baby, yeah, this is me in Grade 9” – great lyrics from a great band. But they make me think about what we do, as grown-ups, to help us find out who we are. This song is about a picture, but it leads to memories. Memories of…
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Digital Literacy: Getting Ready for the 2013-2014 Year

As the month of August continues to march forward, the dawn of a new school year lies ahead. This year, one of my personal goals is to really push the envelope with digital literacy. So, naturally, I’ve been doing some 21st century research: looking at YouTube, visiting blogs, and looking at infographics. I’ve stumbled upon…
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Vizify-ing your Digital Footprint

In preparing for my final professional development presentation, I stumbled upon “Vizify” where you can create a personal, professional visual resume that aggragates your social media to create a beautiful representation of your work online.     It’s a great tool to see what you talk about and when you talk about them. It’s also…
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Where did it all lead?

It is the time of year to begin doing some deeper reflections on where I’ve gone in my journey this year. You may recall that I set out to explore the concepts of educational leadership in the 21st century, as well as trying to create a culture of blogging at the school. In many ways,…
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Where is the Research?

After a long February and very well deserved March Break for all of us at Cohort 21, I have been thinking about some of the great posts that I’ve been reading. In particular, Jesse Denison, Celeste Kirsh, Derek Doucet, Jen Bibby and Ruth McArthur; they have published some thoughtful reflections, but also reflections that have…
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Dear Cohort 21 Members: Congrats, your exhausted!

I wanted to write this post as an inspiration to all my fellow Cohort 21 members as we head into March and towards the end of our energy and capacity for the year! I just read this great article on leadership by Workplace Mojo entitled “13 Thoughts for Discouraged Leaders“. Despite its title, it actually…
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Advising in a Personalized Learning Era

I have continued to make good successes in engaging students on their blogs. Currently, I have 98% of grade 7, 8 and 9 students on blogs, and 100% of advisers are blogging. But more importantly, we are discussing the struggles with the students that are reticent to blog, and with the whys and hows of…
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What’s Missing from MOOCs?

I find myself looking more and more at the impact of MOOCs on education, and in particular, on the notion of personalized learning. Reading the blog “Hack Education” and following this movement in Edutopia have spurred interest. In his article from Edutopia, Matt Levinson, argues that: Unfortunately, for many learners, MOOCs lack the possibility of…
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The Adviser Role…

Sir Ken Robinson‘s interview at The Blue School is one to watch. I have found that it speaks strongly to the role that the Adviser plays in personalized learningĀ at Greenwood. In it, Sir Ken Robinson speaks of knowing the students, when to push and challenge, and when to calm and support. He likens master teachers…
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