“Own It, Activate It, Engage With It”Innovation in Public Education

May 3, 2013

CHRIS KENNEDYSuperintendent of Schools, West Vancouver School District

BCCPAC 2013 Spring Conference and AGM

Richmond, BC

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

AWESOME OR NOT!?

Your High School Experience?

Your Perception of Schools Today?

The Relevance of What Kids Learn?

Why?

SELF-RELIANCE

CRITICAL THINKING

INQUIRY

CREATIVITY

PROBLEM-SOLVING

INNOVATION

TEAMWORK

COLLABORATION

CROSS-CULTURAL

TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY

CONNECT

ACROSS TOPIC AREAS

Credit: Scott McLeod – danngerouslyirrelevent.org

Our kids have tasted the honey

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

Learning powered

by technology

GOAL:Personaliz

ed learning for every student

What does innovation look like in your school / school district??

Assumptions for the next

5 years

Learning, not technology, is the driver

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY CAN CHANGE LEARNING

GOOD WRITING STILL MATTERS

USING SOCIAL MEDIA NEEDS TO

BE TAUGHT

NETWORKS ARE ESSENTIAL

THE REAL WORLD IS ADDICTIVE

Personalization

We need to narrow the framework

Digital literacy

What should change in schools over the next five years??

What we

would do

This is not a pilot project

Assessment for Learning

Professional Development

Staff

Collaboration

Technology to support learning

Support teachers

Teachers will always push the boundaries

Develop a personally-owned devices strategy

For all students, on any device, from anywhere

Communication and collaborationAt home and at school

Teachers help students manage the learningTasks, homework, assignments

Personalized web spacesDon’t want social tool – kids want to stay focused

Key Staff

Contacts

Teacher-Librarians

Administrators

“Just-in-time” solution

What we

WOULDN’T do

Something for everyone

TRENDS

Teachers

Schools

Districts

Governments

• 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

Overpromise

Under deliver

NEXTCHALLENGE

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 –SD45

Where you can find me:

ckennedy@sd45.bc.ca

604-202-4379

@chrkennedy

Chris Kennedy

cultureofyes.ca

www.sd45.bc.ca