Saturday, August 3, 2013

As Usual, Learning More than I Teach

In my last post I mentioned that my latest tech obsession has been the development of an open iTunes U course.  It has evolved every day, but the working title remains, Becoming a Digital Administrator.

I have been startled by two aspects of this experience.  First, I have been amazed by the generous responses from individuals I basically approached with a "cold call".  Consequently the course is being shaped by a greater since of collaborating than I anticipated.  And of course, I have terrifically strengthened my PLN (personal learning network), a best practice advocated in the course.

As a career teacher I should not have been surprised by the second development, because this has always been true for my classroom teaching: I have learned so very much by creating a course.  I never supposed that I knew everything about digital practices as a building administrator. However, I thought I at least new the topics I should include in my course.

Wrong.

The course has been been rearranged by the outside of the box thinking I have encountered.  In the last couple of days I have seen how Spike Cook has enriched his professional learning and his blog with Skype interviews.  I have listened to Melinda Miller's "flipped faculty meeting" podcast for the opening of school.  And I have been totally blown away by the many ways that Trang Lai has become a paperless principal.

These are new professional friends and teachers from New Jersey, Missouri and California who I'd never had met if I had not become a digital administrator.  I am anxious to share my collection and hope to publish in three weeks or so.

Home page of Trang Lai's Robert C. Fisler School 
Hope page of Melinda Miller's Willard East Elementary 


Home page of Dr. Spike Cook's R.M. Bacon Elementary

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