Who's in Your PLN?!?

Social media has become quite the norm in everyday life.  How many times a day does a person check his or her Facebook status?  How many times a day do people tweet what is happening or update their Facebook status?  It is likely that most people can pinpoint what their friends are doing, where they are and who they are with by simply opening an app on their mobile devices or checking in on their computers.

Herein lies the question?  Who is in your PLN?  First the acronym, like all other acronyms in educational jargon must be defined.  A PLN is a Professional Learning Network.  The term is a spinoff of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) that has become a mainstay in educational jargon and is based on the research of Dufour, Dufour and Eaker.  But, the PLN broadens the educator's professional horizon beyond the school.  The PLN is a network of educators connected through social media sharing best practices and ideas that have improved student learning.

Currently, the PLN is most utilized on Twitter because Facebook has become more of a real-time photo album or public journal for people to share with longtime friends, family and acquaintances.  Twitter is more impersonal.  On Twitter, one can follow politicians, comedians, celebrities, athletes as well as educators across the globe!  Often times, educators on Twitter have never met in person, but simply link to each other by viewing a hashtag (#) that has been created to categorize the subjects of specific tweets.  After finding the education based hashtag, the educator can choose to follow and friend as many fellow "Tweachers" as possible.  There is no magic number, but a blog by Steven W. Anderson, a technology specialist with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, provides an excellent beginners "How To".

As Mr. Anderson states, creating a PLN can be a bit of trial and error.  Twitter is also not the only resource an educator can utilize to create a PLN, but it is a start.  Blogs, similar to this one, can also provide insights on how to best utilize the ever-changing landscape of digital education.  One rule of thumb is to start with a small group of followers that may be focused on your educational interests or subject matter and then expand based on how the conversation progresses.

Follow Me @tricorbin

Social media has changed the way we communicate.  It has changed the way our students learn.  And, it can be a powerful ally for professional development.  So, take the plunge and join your fellow Tweachers and create your own PLN.

Opening a Closed System... Alternatives

As I venture through my graduate work, I am finding many of my past paradigms are being challenged.  One of the most interesting changes in my thoughts have been on how people can enter the teaching profession.  If you had asked me about two years ago, I would have told you that only people go through an accredited four year training program are truly effective educators.  I stood staunchly against lateral entry programs and other alternative programs like Teach for America.  Now, having worked with people who have been certified through alternative tracks and seeing how they are incredibly effective educators, I have had a complete paradigm shift.

Rep. John Faircloth

Back in February, the Guilford County Association of Educators hosted a Legislative Breakfast for state and local politicians.  I spoke at length with Representative Faircloth about teacher certification programs.  He referred to the teacher certification program as a formally closed system.  After he retired from his businesses, he wanted to go into the teaching profession as a Career and Technical educator, but he could not get a position due to the fact he was not certified through a four year institution.  Finally, he was able to acquire a position at UNCG teaching in the Bryan School of Business.  While at Bryan, he worked as an instructor and with students working towards their undergrad and graduate degrees in business.  Rep. Faircloth was a successful businessperson in the private sector and it would have been interesting to see how he would have imparted his experience to students at the high school level.  The only issue was that at the time he wanted to enter K-12 public education, there was not an alternative route.

Enter North Carolina Senate Bill 1115.  This bill required universities, school systems and community colleges to develop alternative licensure programs.  One could deduce that SB 1115 opened. the doors for programs such as Teach for America, an alternative licensure program that was born of the floor of an apartment and has had a positive impact on rural and urban hard to staff schools across America.  After the passage of SB 1115, persons from the private and public sector could enter public education by going through these alternative licensure programs.  Initially resistant, I began to see teachers who possessed untraditional and innovative methods.  They became leaders in the school using their unique experiences to innovate and seek out interesting opportunities for the students and schools.

Therefore, after much internal reflection and public debate at a national level on the floor of the NEA-RA, I have concluded that through support and mentoring lateral entry teachers can and are just, and even more effective, at times than their traditionally certified counterparts.  I am not saying that the traditional process be shoved under the carpet by any means, but I am asking what is the traditional method lacking at present?  Especially with the large focus of education moving towards a STEM model, how does the traditional model best prepare future educators to work in an inquiry-based environment?  I will say that one of the original alternative licensure programs located in Guilford County continues to produce highly effective lateral entry educators, perhaps if traditional institutions would look into the methods employed by GCS-ACT and Teach for America the persons playing the political game with education would consider it to be opening to unending possibilities of change?

Do we still need a Union?

I must first begin stating that in some way shape and form I have been a highly active member of my state and local association.  I currently serve on the Board of Directors at the state level. But, as I have started on my path towards becoming an administrator I have begun to find myself questioning the motives of the union.  There is a constant outcry from the NEA and the state association over the reformers who may be wishing to privatize education, institute vouchers and expand the reach of charter schools.  Another sacred cow that has come under attack in recent years is teacher tenure.

North Carolina is a right to work state and teachers are the only professionals who work a certain number of years and then are deemed untouchable.  This is not entirely true, a teacher who has tenure can be released, but after extensive paperwork and investigation.  Let me be clear, I am not calling for the willy-nilly firing of educators, but I am saying that human resources and administrators should have the ability to release an educator if he/she is not meeting performance expectations without having to cut through massive amounts of red tape.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel

Back to the point at hand, does the education profession still need a union?  What, honestly is the actual purpose of the union?  According to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, we are essential towards developing a stronger profession.  Recently, NEA developed a 3-Point plan for positive reform.  This plan is the first actual step that focuses the NEA on enhancing education.  Before this plan, many could attest that the job of the NEA was to only protect its members despite its vision of "Great Public Schools for Every Child".


This is an issue I personally have been struggling with.  On the state level, the association seems to reacting instead of leading.  The General Assembly will write a bill and NCAE with react because it strikes a blow at one of our sacred cows that we have become comfortable having; be it tenure, longevity or advanced degree pay.  I have yet to see NCAE produce any point plan that states how they will enhance education reform in North Carolina.  All too often, it seems like the association is rallying against the General Assembly fighting for educators' jobs and not attempting to define how we will lead education in the 21st Century.  

This leaves me at an empasse.  We have been working towards building schools that work as collective organisms working as Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and yet have standards and assessments that could have been created by persons who know nothing about authentic learning and assessments.  Therefore, it places education in the hotbed of a politically infused system.  


This is why I am left perplexed.  I am working in a school that is attempting to integrate and become a full-fledged PLC and attempting to break the traditionally fragmented and lone ranger vision of the teaching profession.  Yet, the collective voice that I choose to pay dues to seems to be lacking in the vision of how we will lead the profession.  It has provided excellent professional development for developing better teaching practices, but does not have a clear, defined vision of a "Great Public School for Every Child".  


There has been a mass exodus from the union over the past ten years because of various reasons.  This exodus has caused political players to question NEA's relevance in today's political arena. 

Could this be the new NEA?

 I suppose the conclusion I have reached is that educators should work collectively as one voice, but the guise of a "Great Public School for Every Child" should be back up with a true plan.  We should also be willing to reevaluate our once entitled sacred cows if we are to move education forward in the 21st Century.  This may be a complete reframing and restructuring of the association and a hardline look at what we, as an association value, and stick by that instead of saying one thing and really focusing only on the dollars and cents of health care plans and salary.  (This is not to say that there is not a need to completely restore the epic cuts to public education.)  But, if I am to continue willing give my money to my professional organization I want to see an A-B-C plan that completely lays out the Five W's of our educational reform policy instead of simply waving slogans around, reacting to negative policies and lashing out at those who strive to silence us.  In other words, give those people a reason to listen to the association again.  Otherwise, there will be no union or need for a union.  It will continue to be the child placed in the corner of the room due to his inability to work cooperatively with others.


                                           

We're All Wrong and Its OK!

We have all had that one class where we simply cannot figure out the material.  It is as if the professor or teacher is simply speaking another language.  We study as best we can for the test or write what we think to be our most prolific term paper and it comes back looking like this: 

From that moment on we have labeled ourselves as a failure!  Our teachers and classmates begin to view us as the troublemaker or lazy student because for some reason or another we cannot produce passing results.  This paradigm, simply put, is an absolute tragedy!  The system has created a student who now believes that they are a failure and do not understand that it is actually a wonderful opportunity.  Education has also created a system where students care more about the grade and less about the process of learning.  What we have forgotten is that failure is absolutely 100% OK!  In fact, there is a saying among the acting community that states fail and FAIL BIG!

Why is it so important that we must feel as if we are always right?  It seems as if everyone is clamoring with the right idea for how to reform education.  What if the right idea is to create an environment where students can be free to fail without feeling like they are less than?  Wasn't it Thomas Edison who said, "I have not failed. I have just found 1000 ways that won't work."  The irony is that we have created an educational culture that has to be always right!

It is time for educational leaders to look into what students can learn from being wrong.  Real learning happens when we allow students to boldly fail and be OK in the failure.  Once students are comfortable with failure true growth will happen.  What is being wrong?  It is knowing that we live in a world of ever-changing uncertainties and that it is better to know that growth will occur when we allow ourselves and our students to be wrong instead of living in the fear of always having to be right!

DomainDouglas: Summer Geekdom

DomainDouglas: Summer Geekdom: The students and faculty have left the hallways silent and still.  Occasionally the phone rings, but I am not even in my office to hear it.

Education Then and Now...Changing Paradigms.

Factory Work

American education has been based on the factory model.  Students would enter school around the age of 5 and would be grouped together simply by age.  Throughout their educational journey, these students would learn basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills that would best suit them to work along a factory line.  The raising of standards in public education has seen an increase in standardized testing.  Simply put, standardized testing is creating a module that evaluates all students on the same level.  This assists students in the Henry Ford model of education because they learn how to properly bubble in the "best answer" to a basic question.  Let me be very clear before continuing with this line of thought, in no way shape, shape or form am I stating that there is not a need for factories or the men and women that work within them.  I am simply stating that in today's fast paced world students need to be able to think more individually within the collective versus thinking only as a collective.

Factory Prep

Enter 21st Century Education

The 21st education movement has been touted since the late 1990's and now it is 2012 and we are still trying to grasp what 21st education looks like.  One constant all the research agrees on is that it must focus on ingenuity, collaboration and critical thinking.  Dr. Tony Wagner a professor in education at Harvard University recently wrote about the gap between America and the rest of the world when it came to education.  His book is entitled The Global Achievement Gap.  Dr. Wagner has 7 skills that he has developed through extensive research and discussions with cooperate CEOs. 

Wagner discovered that student do need a base of knowledge, but CEOs are looking for his "7 Survival Skills".

The 7 Survival Skills

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Collaboration across networks and Leading by Influence
• Agility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Ingenuity 
• Effective Oral and Written Communication
• Accessing and Analyzing Information
• Curiosity and Imagination

The challenge to educators is how will we move from teaching in a standardized model towards a collaborative, creative model.  Today's world has not become "how much do you know?" but rather "what can you do with the information you find?".  There are several new modules and modalities being created in the classroom that are attempting to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century student and workforce, they work towards helping students better utilize the 7 Survival Skills, but currently education is play catch up with the ever changing world.

Against All Odds

The reform movement that has swept the nation has left many educators in the classroom grasping for straws.  The nation has been digging itself out of the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression and there just seems to be no money left.  State budgets have been balanced on the backs of public education for the past several years.  Educators have been asked to do more with less each year.  The federal government provided one time relief in 2010 with the EduJobs Act.  Many state governments and local education agencies took this money and spread it out over the past two years.  Now the EduJobs well has run dry and once again state governments are forced to make drastic cuts in order to balance their budgets.  

In North Carolina, and across the country, partisan politics have left all children behind.  Currently, North Carolina ranks in the low 40s in per pupil spending; it is now behind Mississppi!  Last year, Governor Perdue wanted to extended the penny sales tax in order to restore the cuts to education, but the newly elected GOP General Assembly stated that no taxes would be extended.  This year Gov. Perdue proposed a 3/4 of a penny sales tax to restore the cuts, but again partisan politics won over education.


Year after year, educators have been asked to do more with less.  As the years pass it seems as if educators have been blamed for the financial crisis that has crippled the economy.  Year after year, students still enter schoolhouses believing that someone will be there to steward their futures. 


Over the past several weeks, high schools across the country have celebrated their graduation ceremonies.  Students have been paraded in front of friends and families celebrating thirteen years of a system that hopefully prepared them for the coming obstacles.  These newly minted graduates looked to their haggard educators to consistently hit home-runs for them.  They counted on their teachers to prepare them for the Flat World they are now entering.  State governments have let them down pandering to special interests, but their teachers daily struggled to prepare them for success.  As the class of 2012 exits and the class of 2013 begins their march towards the future educators are now in the bottom of the ninth with two strikes and can barely hold onto their bats, but know that they must continue to produce magic because the each student is counting on them despite the lack of funding provided.  Will they once again hit one out of the park?

The Educational Reformation

There are periods throughout history where we as a people know that what we are doing and what we have done is no longer in alignment with our core values and beliefs.  This was true during the mid to late 1500's when priests and theologians broke away from the Roman Catholic Church.  The Roman Catholic Church during this time was not only an entity where people chose to worship and celebrate their faith, but it was a larger political body that enforced what some believed were unjust laws in order to keep people continually indebted to the church.  Bishops, Cardinals and the Pope himself all possessed great amounts of political clout and would force the commoner to release their earnings so that he might gain favor in the eyes of God.  Certain members of the church saw threw the corruption and political pandering and chose to break away.  Perhaps the most popular member of the reformation is monk Martin Luther who nailed his tenants of faith to the door of the monastery after denouncing the Roman Catholic Church.  As a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), I am more inclined to follow the teachings, or pillars of Calvinism.  We, as Presbyterians, hold at the very core of our belief structure, as Calvin did, that we are the church always reforming and never stagnant.  It is our mission to constantly grow and challenge what we believe and how our faith will continue to grow.


Jumping ahead nearly 500 years later we find ourselves at the beginnings of another politically charged reformation: "The Educational Reformation".  For nearly a decade education has be inundated with the reform to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that is now known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  ESEA was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson because he fully believed that every American citizen should have the right to an education.  ESEA gave state governments autonomy over the school's in their states.  During the late 1970's and early 1980's a decline in student achievement and graduation had been occurring.  The Department of Education began a task force that published A Nation at Risk that clearly stated what measures where needed to raise the achievement of students.  Many educational leaders today continue to reference this report as the template for true educational reform.  

Enter: No Child Left Behind, or Every Test Dumbed Down.  Thus began the standards movement in America.  Students would take a standardized "High Stakes" test in order to show achievement and schools would be rated by these tests.  The kicker is that these tests are cheap to produce and students have to learn a narrow curriculum and merely be able to bubble in the correct answer.  This has passed for critical thinking.  


The system has subsisted off of this mockery for over a decade and we not seeing gains in achievement, but schools that have been labeled as failing.  When a school is labeled failing for more than three years it is put on a turnaround plan.  Essentially the administration is fired along with about 50% of the staff.  The staff can reapply for their jobs, but most do not and seek out other schools or even systems to work.  The irony is that this is considered reform; but in truth it is... well corporate reform.  This model is similar to the model used by the once giant in electronics Circuit City and we all know how successful that plan worked.


The old statement, "It is too big to fail" blindsided Circuit City and it currently laughing in the face of the educational system.  Once again the answer does lie how much money is the nation willing to spend?  Is the nation ready to do the real work and focus on a system that is constantly in need of reformation? Is education system in American truly in a state of disrepair?  


Contrary to what certain news outlets have been clamoring, I do not think the system is beyond repair.   As stated in the picture of John Calvin, "Unconditional Change".  I do believe it is going to force us all to change our educational paradigms that we have developed over nearly a hundred years and it will take a great deal of collaboration on all sides to reform an ever reforming system. There are reformers who are beginning to unlock the key to what education has been and what it will be.  They are not afraid to trample on the sacred cow of standardized tests.  One of my personal favorites is Sir Ken Robinson and his belief structure on education greatly matches my own core values during this educational reformation.




(http://www.youtube.com, 2012)