Mission Accomplished?The Exciting State of our Digital Connections in BC

October 21, 2016

CHRIS KENNEDYSuperintendent of Schools, West Vancouver School District

Computer Using Educators of British Columbia Conference

Riverside Secondary, Port Coquitlam

With thanks to Bill Selak: http://www.billselak.com/2012/thingsthatsuck

AWESOME OR NOT!?

Coding as a course?

The state of social media use in schools?

The role of CUEBC in 2021?

When I think about the state of technology in BC schools, I just keep thinking of this photo.

What has changed?

RELIABLE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY

DEVICES FOR STAFF

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE PLANS

PHONES

SOCIAL MEDIA

WI-FI

UNBLOCKING

FLEXIBILITY

ACCESS

ACROSS MUCH OF THE PROVINCE

What could be

DO OLD THINGSBETTER

“Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”National Association of Teachers, 1907

DO NEW THINGSYOU COULDN’T DO AT ALL

“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me ‘A faster horse.’”

Henry Ford

5 obstaclesNo needNo moneyNo hurryNo desireNo trust

People prefer things that are easy to think about

Know what teachers want

Can I change?

Everyone benefits

The goal

It’s not technology

What many want for their children is the benefits of digital learning

Relevant, connected, unlimited

Create a new norm for how teachers and

students learn

Can’t scale and sustain without technology

TOOLS matter, because tools impact the way you interact. You don’t need to use every tool, but every tool you use you must use well – Seth Godin

AccessDirectio

n

Moving to one-to-one opportunities

What does this mean?

What about equity?

Technology can help overcome barriers of access and geography

Twitter BreakSelect a video that

highlights the promise of technology. Post it to Twitter and tag it #cuebc16

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY CAN CHANGE LEARNING

GOOD WRITING STILL MATTERSUSING SOCIAL MEDIA NEEDS TO

BE TAUGHT

NETWORKS ARE ESSENTIAL

THE REAL WORLD IS ADDICTIVE

So what are we doing

now

Google has become our got-to place and tool.

Wordpress has taken over our websites.

Digital tools like FreshGrade and Techbook are growing in popularity

Coding and Robotics have gone from nowhere to everywhere

All of the digital shifts are part of ONE story

ALL ABOUT CULTURE

“Culture Eats Strategyfor Breakfast”

Focus on a Few Things

INNOVATION IN ACTION

Letter grade free

assessment

Maker movement

iPads in elementary music class

Reggio Emilia inspired

programs

Bienalle arts projects across

schools

Passion projects

Heart rate monitors in

PE

What Does Support Look Like?CELEBRATE RISK TAKING

SHINE A LIGHT ON INNOVATION

Teachers

Schools

DistrictsGovernme

nts

• Will make it easier for students...

• Will make it easier for teachers...

• Will make it easier for schools...

• Will make it easier for districts...

To be FLEXIBLE

Yeah, but . . .

? How do you scale the work

YOU DON’T

YOU CONNECT AND BUILD NETWORKSThink diffusion not replication

Learning, not technology, is the driver

Personalization

We need to narrow the framework

Digital literacy

Redesigned Curriculum

Addresses the changing face of education Big ideas and enduring understandings Personalized learning Core competencies• Thinking• Communicating• Social/Personal

What we ARE NOT

doing

Same Things for everyone

TRENDS

Overpromise

Under deliver

PERSONALIZED=INDIVIDUALIZED

X

Luke: I can’t believe itYoda: That is why you fail

He says the problem with teachers is“What’s a kid going to learnfrom someone who decided his best option in lifewas to become a teacher?

He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s truewhat they say about teachers:

Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.

. . .

I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor.Be honest. What do you make?

This is . . .

OUR WORLD

OUR LIVES

OUR CHILDREN

OUR CURRICULUM

OUR CHALLENGE

OUR WORK

OUR ART

OUR JOY

You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder,

I make them question.

I make them criticize.I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them write.I make them read, read, read.

I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautifulover and over and over again until they will never misspelleither one of those words again.

. . .

and if someone ever tries to judge youby what you by what you make, you give them this.

. . .

Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:“

Teachers make a goddamn difference! Now what about you?“

Excerpts from poem:

What Teachers Makeby Taylor Mali

Leading in Learning

Where you can find me:

ckennedy@wvschools.ca

604-202-4379

@chrkennedy

Chris Kennedy

cultureofyes.ca

westvancouverschools.ca