I'm a tall person and from my earliest years was drafted into the world of basketball. I had a fair amount of success on the court ranging from high school and college teams to various tournaments and Men's leagues. I've coached at the HS level and when my children were born, I was privileged to coach their tyro teams and as they got older, their AAU clubs.

When kids are young and learning to shoot basketballs in their driveways they have to generate a lot of motion and energy to get the ball up to the hoop which is 10 feet high. After all, they're little, and that's pretty far up. They grip the ball with two hands and heave it over and over again. Eventually, the ball starts to rattle into the basket. After lot's of this kind of repetitive practice they get pretty good at shooting this way. It serves them well when they are playing alone or just shooting around for fun.

Then comes the day they want to take themselves to the next level. They want to play the game of basketball. They want to play on a team competitively. It's here that they run into a coach like me.

One of the first things I do with these young players is to teach them to shoot more effectively. I let them know that the two handed set shot that they have perfected is not going to serve them as they move up the ladder in the basketball world. It's too easy for a defender to block the shot. It takes too much time to shoot it. Watch any high school, college, or pro game and you will see players using the 'one-handed' jumper, not the 'two-handed' set shot.

So, I take the time to teach them and have them practice this new and more effective method of shooting. For them it feels clumsy and wrong. They clank shot after shot off the backboard. They can't seem to get it near the basket. They get discouraged. When I look out of the corner of my eye (when they think I'm not paying attention), I can see them shooting their two-handed set shots and swishing them in. It feels good to them. It has brought them success to this point. I know what their thinking, "If I can make the shot with two hands, why change?"

Some of them get the message that they need to learn to master this new way of doing things, others don't. Some work through the discomfort of abandoning something familiar and practice the new and uncomfortable way of doing it. Over time it becomes embedded in their muscle memory. It becomes their new normal. They are more prepared to compete at a higher level than they were before. Their commitment and practice pays off.

Others, for whatever reason, stick with the old and familiar ways and are not successful at the more competitive levels and, in time, drop off the team and leave basketball completely.

I believe there is a lesson here for leaders.

Most of us are self-taught. We use what we know and what talents we have to succeed. One day we are promoted, or we run into a difficult individual, a dysfunctional organization, or a challenge that requires us to move to a new level. We need to up our game. We need new competencies to succeed. For some of us, it's just too uncomfortable to change our old behaviors. We like our two handed set-shot. The first few times we try some new leadership behaviors they flop, like the kids' first one-handed shots clanking off the backboard. We may decide that the problems aren't with us, it's with the folks who are giving us the problems. They're the ones that need to change.

A few of us, stick with it, realizing that the challenges that vex us are calls for us to abandon the behaviors that are not serving us anymore. They are calls to learn and practice new behaviors that will allow us to succeed as the game gets more competitive. We may find a leadership coach to help us perfect our 'one-hander'. We may find a friend who can support us as we deal with the discomfort of mastering something new. It can be daunting at times; but one day we find ourselves leading effectively and the one-handed shots are raining in from all over the court.

So, are you going to keep shooting the "two-hander", or move on?

pete

Cross-posted at Ed Tech Journeys

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

When I am asked to help districts save money or financially justify the paradigm shift to One to One computing, one of the first things I suggest they do is audit their technology energy use. Shifting from traditional desktop PC's to laptops, netbooks, or thin clients can save significant amounts of money, to say nothing of it being the environmentally correct thing to do.

A typical desktop computer uses between 65w-250w of electricity. A typical CRT monitor uses 80w and an LCD monitor 35w of electricity. You can get the actual amount of energy usage by checking the label on the specific device, or you can use a watt-meter to measure real energy consumption.

So, if we use 158w as an average for desktops and 58w as an average for monitors our total energy use is 216w per computer.

Let's compute the energy cost of running just ONE computer for a typical school year.

Assumptions:

1. The computer is in use 6hrs per day. (6hrs x 216w = 1296w)

2. The computer is left in power saver mode over night. (18hrs x 35w = 630w)

3. The computer is in use 200 days per year. (200 days x (1296w+630w) = 385,000w)

4. The computer is in power saver mode on weekends and holidays, approximately 100 days. (24hrs x 35w = 840w) x 100 days = 84,000w)

5. The computer uses no energy 65 days of the year.

Estimated yearly cost for ONE computer @ .17 per kw hour = $80.

Energy cost for ONE computer over a (5) year lifespan = $400.

Total annual energy cost for ONE THOUSAND computers = $79,730.

Total energy cost of ONE THOUSAND computers over (5) years = $398,650.

Now, lets look at alternatives to the energy hungry desktop PC approach that is so prevalent in our schools today.

A laptop or netbook averages about 30w, most of it related to the display.

A thin client and display also averages about 30w.

Thus replacing a standard desktop with a laptop, netbook, or thin client device theoretically produces an 86% reduction in energy consumption.

Estimated yearly cost for ONE device @ .17 per kw hour = $11 (Savings =$69)

Energy cost of ONE device over a (5) year lifespan = $55 (Savings =$345)

Total annual energy cost of ONE THOUSAND computers = $11,000 (Savings=$68,530)

Total energy cost of ONE THOUSAND computers over (5) years = $56,000 (Savings=$342,650)

Even if we take the 'best case' desktop scenario: a 65w computer and 35w display, the energy savings for shifting to laptop, netbook, or thin client devices is 54% resulting in a savings of $227,230.

In One to One implementations, if students use battery power during the day and are required to charge their devices at home, the energy savings can be more than 95% and a cost savings of $378,717.

The yearly $68,530 savings in energy costs (ONE THOUSAND computers) can purchase:

An additional (228) netbooks, or thin clients per year. (@$300 per device)

Over (5) years a school can DOUBLE the number of devices available to students (1140) based on energy savings generated by switching to netbooks or thin clients.

If you are more interested in the traditional route you can purchase laptops and add an additional (86) devices per year (@$800 per laptop) and increase your network by (430) devices over (5) years.

It's time to shift our technology energy paradigm.

pete

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Each of us has a professional identity. You may think you are looked upon as a hard working educational leader; but your identity, what others think of you, may be very different.

For example, I know a few dedicated folks who feel they are going ‘over and above’ to do their jobs and that people recognize their effort. In fact, their identity among their professional colleagues is that they are folks who can’t be relied on. Why do people feel that way about them? They don’t return phone calls or e-mails consistently. This inconsistency leaves people hanging, and after a while they lose faith in them.

There are those that attend various meetings and commit to doing things and then get so busy with their ‘real’ jobs that they don’t have time to follow through. It’s not the end of the world to do this once; but because these leaders repeat the pattern, they become known as ‘all talk’.

There are leaders I know who have identities of ’self promoters’. At meetings with their colleagues they have all the answers. They talk a lot about how wonderful things are in their districts; and rarely listen to what others have to say. It’s all about them.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those technology leaders with the ‘I can’t win’ identity. As their budgets shrink and their aged computers age even further, they see no correlation with their own ineffectiveness as leaders. However, their colleagues do. Whatever their image is of themselves, these folks are seen as negative and weak. They are often sarcastic, “Sure, my teachers can’t wait to use technology.” Their signature responses to suggestions from others are things like, “I’ve tried that.” “You don’t understand, that won’t work with my (insert group here: teachers, administrators, superintendent, principal, board of education).”

I know leaders who have the reputation of having great ideas; but little follow through.

There are those who are known as ‘control freaks’. Everything has to go through them. Every request, every issue, every piece of information must pass through their filters. They control the flow of information to their superintendents, administrators, and teachers. They are guardians of the gate.

Their are those that deal in ‘drama’. They’re involved in conflicts where ever they go. They are well-known among their colleagues because they are always talking about some other colleague (usually negatively) when they aren’t around.

It is a good idea to give some thought to what identities we have created for ourselves. We need a good mirror because what we think our identity is may be very different from how others see us.

A practice that I employ before meetings is to ask myself, “What identity do I want to have with the others in this meeting?” My identity for a specific meeting, depending on the situation, might be:

a trusted adviser, a team player, a good listener, someone with specific expertise, someone that is organized, a strong leader, an individual with vision, an individual with experience, etc.

Of course, there are leaders that have earned positive identities and sometimes we can have both positive and negative identities simutaneously. As leaders we are called upon to take an honest look at where we need to improve and to adopt practices that strengthen our ability to lead effectively.

Focusing on our identity is not play-acting or being manipulative.

It is simply being deliberate about the actions we take in the world and doing our best to be more effective in our jobs.

pete

Ed Tech Journeys

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

From a teaching and learning perspective providing every student with some type of computer device makes complete sense and the positive results of this approach have been well researched and documented.

More widespread access to computers makes it possible for students and teachers in schools to transition from occasional, supplemental use of computers for instruction to more frequent, integral use of technology across a multitude of settings (Roschelle & Pea, 2002). Ubiquitous, 24/7 access to computers makes it possible for students to access a wider array of resources to support their learning, to communicate with peers and their teachers, to become fluent in their use of the technological tools of the 21st century workplace. When students are also able to take computers home, the enhanced access further facilitates students keeping their work organized and makes the computer amore “personal” device (Vahey & Crawford, 2002).

The 21st Century Skills of initiative, self-direction, flexibility, user responsibility, collaboration, and leadership; skills that are fundamental to our children’s future success, are undermined by the technology deployment models that are presently in use in most schools.

Our present approach to deploying technology in small pods of 3-4 computers and/or one computer classrooms puts a tremendous classroom management burden on teachers and disempower students by creating a ‘many watching one’ or ‘shared pencil environment’. Computer labs may empower students by allowing them to have their own devices; but access to labs is limited and generally not part of the core classroom experience.

Example of a “shared pencil” deployment.

Example of a “many watching one” deployment.

We need a new technology deployment paradigm that empowers students and teachers and serves as a catalyst for transforming classrooms into environments that model the key 21st Century Skills that are so desirable in the work-place.

So why don't we provide every student with a computer device?

The fact of the matter is that if money were no obstacle most of us would take steps to expand our computer inventory so that access to learning technologies was ubiquitous. It is the economics of providing a computer device for each student that seems so daunting.

We need a new technical paradigm to replace the client/server approach that has done well to get us where we are; but is not sufficient to bring us where we need to go.

That new paradigm is “cloud computing and virtualization”.

We need to recognize that the “shared pencil”, “many watching one” way we are deploying technology in our classrooms is not sufficient for students who need to be more “self directed”, “responsible”, “adaptable” and show more “initiative and leadership” .

That new paradigm is a classroom environment that allows each student to explore, communicate, collaborate, analyze, publish, and pursue their interests, passions, and curiosities. In order to do this they need to have “ubiquitous access” to technology.

The two paradigm shifts go hand in hand.

Without this shift we will continue to have 30+% student dropout rates and 40+% teacher dropout rates. It's the price we pay for disempowering both the learner and the teacher.

It's time to put the tools in our students hands.

pete

Pete Reilly
Ed Tech Journeys

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to admit that I watch the reality show called “Supernanny”. If you arent’t familiar with the show the concept is pretty simple: the Supernanny (a family coach)) is invited into a family by parents that are being driven nuts by their children. I began watching the program as a guilty pleasure; but soon I realized that it was an excellent tutorial on good leadership consulting

“Say again?”

Let me give a simple example. Three pre-adolescents kids are running wild, throwing toys and fighting with each other. Mom is doing her best to maintain order; but the kids are doing as they please. When she tries to discipline them two run away,; and the one who stays behind hauls off and smacks her. Her husband works long hours so she is trapped with these uncontrollable kids all day. To make matters worse, they won’t go to bed. Mom is at her wits end and driven to tears.

It may not be obvious, but many of us in positions of leadership are dealing with very similar issues, although age and professionalism generally damp down the direct defiance and outrageous displays of misbehavior (think slapping).

Over the last decade I have worked with many educational leaders who are trying to manage dysfunctional teams where members are sabotaging each other, or the leader, or the direction of the organization. They generally do this covertly, but the effect is not much different than the effect the disrespectful and misbehaving children have on their mother…the leaders get frustrated, angry, and a feel like they are ineffective.

I’ve had this feeling of helplessness myself and have to admit that when I called in a consultant to help I was really saying,

“Please, SuperNanny, fix this team! They aren’t acting the way I’d like them to act. They aren’t listening. They aren’t cooperative. They aren’t reasonable. No matter what I try to do, nothing works! FIX THEM!"

So, in comes SuperNanny!

Interestingly, she rarely begins working with the kids. The kids will come later. She almost always begins by working with the parents, the leaders. Her first order of business is to help the parents understand that they are accountable for how their children are acting. If the parents don’t like the situation, then they need to change their own behaviors, which will in turn shift the behaviors of the kids.

I have to admit, this is the last thing that I want to hear from a consultant.

“Look at how well I treat them. Now look at how bad they treat me. It is not my fault. It’s them. I can prove it. You need to fix them, not me!"

Another common reaction is, “How dare you say I’m accountable! You don’t know me, or this situation, that well. You’re a consultant that has only been here a short time. There is no way that you see the whole picture!” That one's a classic...hire a consultant and then ignore their advice.

The clip below shows two parents that accept their accountability and are open to change their behavior. Supernanny, the consultant, helps cut through their rationalizations and stories about why things are the way they are, and acts as a mirror so that the young parent leaders can see themselves and their situation more clearly. Watch the young mother come to tears when she fully internalizes what has been happening.

It is a universal truth of leadership development that until the parent/leader is ready to embrace their own accountability, SuperNanny isn’t going to get very far and there will be little significant change.

One of the best expositions of the concept of leadership accountability took place on a show where the misbehaving child was an adolescent who engaged in fierce outbursts with her father. Dad would say something and the daughter would respond angrily which got Dad even angrier. His next response would throw more fuel on the fire and soon the whole conversation would spiral out of control.

To help him see the negative pattern they were in the Nanny takes some toy bricks, one color representing Dad and one color representing his daughter. On each brick she tapes a brief snippet of their words; Dad’s on this brick and his daughter’s on the next brick. She continues to line the bricks up, while continuing to alternate colors to represent the back and forth that takes place when they fight. She asks Dad to push the first brick over. He does, and one by one each brick falls and knocks over the next successive brick until they are all down.

“That’s how your conversations spiral out of control” she explains to Dad.

“Now to change this pattern we change how YOU  behave. We can’t force your daughter to change. I want you to take the brick with your own reaction on it out of the chain of bricks. He does. Now, push the first brick.” He pushes the first brick with his daughter’s words on it and because he has removed his own ‘reaction brick’ from the sequence, his daughter’s brick falls harmlessly. All the other bricks remain standing.

“Yes, I get it now! Changing my own reaction and my own behavior changes everything!”

Ah! The first step in resolving the situation has been taken.The parent leader fully comprehends their own accountability…

Now, the Supernanny is ready to go work on Step 2 - improving the dysfunctional situation with the children.

Pete Reilly

Cross Posted at Ed Tech Journeys

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by LeaderTalk Contributor at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)