Courageous Serenity: The Digital Era of Instructional Innovation

 The first week of reopening school went really well.  It seemed like a long, short week.  It was a first in my 20+ years in education in the fact that we had two 1^st days of school.  Students and staff complied with mask requirements and we worked through all hiccups as a team.  The night before we opened school, we sent a video out to staff that we made entitled “What It’s About!”.  The video gave the answer from administration as to the “why” of all the changes we had last school year and what we are about to face.  In all that we do in education, we serve a purpose much larger than we could ever fathom.  The music in the video was from the “Courageous” soundtrack, which was fitting in what our staff and students were about to do in reopening school.  Courageous not only referred to the potential safety concerns, but also courageous in changing the way we do instruction and finding a way to reach all children. Moving into the digital age of instructional innovation is scary to many teachers and principals.  While we know technology will never replace a great teacher, technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational and almost magical in engaging students regardless of location.  One of the things we reminded everyone of plenty is patience and support.  Teachers don’t fear change, but everyone fears change without support.  It’s important that administration supports teachers, teachers support each other, and we all support parents and students. 

  In the weeks leading up to reopening school, we focused on the things we could control in our preparation.  The Bible talks about serenity in multiple verses.  One of the first ones that come to mind is Proverbs 3:5-6 that says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Many times, people want to make excuses or come up with reasons for failure. Serenity tells us to focus on the things we control.  Hattie’s Visible Learning calls this often disruption in focus “The Politics of Distraction”.  We can’t lose focus of the task at hand and make excuses because failure is not an option, students and parents are counting on us to keep students safe and provide the best possible learning outcomes.  As we focus on what we control, we realize that we have the power to win in keeping students safe in school and transforming teaching and learning. 

            “The Digital Era of Instructional Innovation” began this week and I was very impressed by the work of our staff and how they’ve embraced virtual, blended, and digital learning.   This fundamental shift in how we facilitate instruction and take accountability for results is a strategic mindset.   Principals, who should be the instructional leaders of the school, should embrace this mindset and model the way for the rest of the staff.  Several years ago, as part of the NCDPI School Turnaround program, I was blessed to have worked with Eric Sheninger and get a million ideas about digital learning and especially digital leadership.  Sheninger says digital leadership and learning “takes into account recent changes such as ubiquitous connectivity, open-source technology, mobile devices, and personalization to dramatically shift how schools have been run and structured for over a century.  Leading in education becomes exponentially powerful when using technology to your advantage.”  Eric Sheninger, aka"Principal Twitter” shared his Pillars of Digital Leadership for principals that  includes the following: 

 

·         Transform school culture by initiating sustainable change

·         Use free social media tools to improve communication, enhance public relations, and create a positive brand presence 

·         Integrate digital tools into the classroom to increase student engagement and achievement

·         Facilitate professional learning and access new opportunities and resources

 

One the great things about this shift we are currently experiencing is that we determine how successful we are and determine our learning outcomes.  We know this isn’t going to be perfect on Day #1, but a school should be a learning organization that continuously grows and improves.  
            Whether you are a district office administrator, building level administrator, or teacher, the time is now to boldly move schools forward in the digital age.  We are in the middle of the storm of instructional innovation and this is a fun process in reinventing teaching and learning through virtual and blended learning, technology integration, and being connected educators.  This requires us to be courageous in being willing to embrace change and also requires serenity in focusing on the factors within our locus of control.