Congratulations to Michael King, Patrick Larkin, and Eric Sheninger on receiving the NASSP’s first ever Digital Principal Award. These three educators are great role models for educators who are working to engage the digital learners who are currently sitting in our classrooms across America.
Current educators have the huge responsibility of creating digitally literate learners. For educators, saying current with new technology can be challenging and overwhelming on so many levels.
1. Teachers & students need access to technology. Technology resources are limited in many schools and districts. Additionally, each school has a different commitment level to technology and software. However, whatever resources are available, educators need to discover the best way to engage their students. If there is limited technology in a school, perhaps the students can gain access at home or at the local town library.
2. Teachers need professional development. Teachers cannot simply jump into technology without the training, knowledge, or expertise to teach 21st century skills effectively. For example, twitter is a great educational tool for connecting with other teachers and students around the world. However, learning to use twitter effectively and efficiently can be very time-consuming and long process.
Personally, I have been using twitter for the past few months and I still feel like I am learning so many new things everyday.
3. Teachers need support and guidance from administration. Many school leaders face the same challenges as teachers when trying to learn and model 21st century teaching tools and skills. Not every school system has individuals as engaged, knowledgeable, and skilled as the three school leaders selected for this impressive award.
The good news is individual educators can access these skills in a variety of ways. You can connect with these three leaders through social media such as twitter – @bhsprincipal, @digitalsandbox1, @NMHS_Principal. Connect with the educational leaders. Spend 20 – 30 minutes a day noticing how they are using technology. Read their blogs and the blogs they recommend.
21st century skills are a requirement for success today, why not learn from the best?
The following biographies were taken directly from the NASSP website, which is another great resource for educators. Congratulations to Michael, Patrick, and Eric on this great honor.
“Michael King, Principal, Dodge City (KS) Middle School
http://digitalsandbox.weebly.com/
During Mike King’s 32 years in education, his schools have been recognized with an Oklahoma Medal of Excellence and National Blue Ribbon, among other honors. He has also been individually recognized as the 2005 finalist for the Oklahoma Medal of Excellence Award Educational Administration and was a finalist for the 2005 Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators Foundation Award in Educational Administration. This success is inseparable from his commitment to advancing learning with technology and his firm belief that digital tools can help students unleash their creativity and construct knowledge. This belief provides the foundation for the Creating the Classrooms without Walls program, in which students participate in a universal learning experience, utilizing mobile tools to continually access and create multidimensional patterns of explanations of the world around them.
Patrick Larkin, Principal, Burlington (MA) High School
www.patrickmlarkin.com
The hallmark of Patrick Larkin’s success as a principal is his commitment to sharing learning, and he has created numerous platforms for that sharing that have caught on across the globe. He is a cofounder of the Connected Principals blog, a group blog that promotes discussion among school leaders, and the corresponding #cpchat hashtag on Twitter. He has also directed the EdCamp Admin unconference to gather school leaders in person to discuss the use of digital tools. Larkin conducts regular Parent Tech Nights to assist parents in working with their students to maintain a healthy online profile. In 2012, he led the launch of a 1-to-1 iPad initiative, the journey of which can be found on his blog.
Eric Sheninger, Principal, New Milford (NJ) High School
www.ericsheninger.com
Eric Sheninger is a rockstar among educators on Twitter, with more than 17,000 followers in his professional learning network. On that network, he shares a passion for fostering learning environments that are student-centered, collaborative, flexible, and prepare all learners to succeed in the 21st Century. Sheninger has emerged as an innovative leader in the use of social media and web 2.0 technology as tools to engage students, improve communications with stakeholders, and help educators grow professionally. Named one of the “20 to Watch” by the National School Boards Association, Sheninger is coauthor of Communicating and Connecting With Social Media: Essentials for Principals, and he blogs regularly at Huffington Post, Connected Principals, and A Principal’s Reflections. A current focus of Sheninger’s efforts is a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiative at New Milford High School.”
Best of luck learning how to engage our digital learners. I hope this was useful!