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I have been engaged recently in numerous conversations regarding teacher effectiveness, motivation, peer mentoring, and pride in student achievement.  As many professional educators I can come up with a variety of strategies to employ with the ultimate goal of improving and building upon these areas.  This is not the point of my post however. 

Shortly after one lengthy discussion on the above topics took place I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with one of my teachers where he presented the single most important influential factor necessary for change in those listed areas.  Our brief conversation in the hallway centered on how proud I was to witness his growth this year as an educator.  This teacher is one of New Milford High School’s best and has been for many years.  He expects a great deal from all of his students and they deliver (I wish I had him as a teacher in high school).

 This year saw him gradually move away from his comfort zone and begin to embrace the vision that has been set forth and modeled by my Administrative team.  He is still a fantastic teacher, but he has begun to integrate technology in subtle ways using Google Sites to spark student discussion, reflection, and inquiry outside of the classroom.   I was so impressed by his growth that I asked him to present to the staff why he decided to embark on this journey as I figured it would leave a more lasting impact coming from a direct peer.  He humbly replied that it doesn’t matter what he or anyone else for that matter says and that each individual must genuinely want to change from within.  A point that we all must remember and do our best to foster in our schools. 

So my question to all of you is how do we promote a change from within approach in order to improve teaching and learning?

Forming partnerships are an extremely important aspect of educational leadership.  A few weeks ago Schoology, an educational technology company based in New York City, approached me and wanted to hear my views on technology.  After the conversation we threw around the idea about possibly collaborating in the future.  The end result has translated into an educational technology conference being held at New Milford High School, which is set for 10/2/10.  After throwing around numerous options we decided to call this event the Tri-State Educational Technology Conference (TSETC).  So why is this a big deal? Well, for starters we have a vision to host a free event for any teacher unlike anything they have ever experienced (at least that is our goal).  

It seems like my area in particular is saturated with traditional forms of professional development and that teachers are craving to learn about exciting, innovative practices that effectively integrate technology.   Here is a great example.  The other day I was talking to a friend of mine who teaches in another part of New Jersey.  I was telling him about how excited I was to co-host this conference with Schoology and proceeded to tell him about some of the potential presentations on web 2.0.  He had no idea what I was talking about, but was really eager to learn more.  Our conversation also validated my point made earlier that educators want fresh forms of professional development that are meaningful, multi-faceted, and cost-effective.  This is exactly what we are setting up to accomplish.

The event is still in the early development stages and there will eventually be a website for registration as well as an array of promotional materials.  Overall the objective is simple.  Provide any educator that wants to attend a variety of free learning experiences complete with applicable strategies and ideas that can be used either as a teacher, administrator, or parent.  We also want to make this event look and feel like a real conference, but without the cost!  The following are some strands for workshops and sessions we are currently throwing around: School Improvement, Digital Age Learning Experiences, Professional Growth & Leadership Best Practices, and Technical Support & Infrastructure.  It doesn’t get any better than this!  All I have to do now is keep my fingers crossed that this endeavor is a success and sustainable in the future.  We really hope that this conference becomes a yearly event attracting immense numbers of passionate educators.  I am also excited to announce that Project ABLE, a subsidiary of The Madison Institute, will be helping to sponsor the conference.  Here are some other little tidbits that we plan on including:

Virtual Learning Lab: Attendees can experience and explore the latest tools in EdTech

Bring Your Own Laptop (optional, not required): My school has a wireless infrastructure
Official Twitter hashtag: #TSETC
Live Video Feed: We plan to stream all major sessions on the internet for virtual attendees.

If you are a local educator who would be interested in presenting please let me know.  We are also looking for potential sponsors for the event to join those that have already pledged support and anyone else that has an interest in getting involved.  Please keep your eyes open for future updates and announcements. For more information on the evolution of the TSETC check out this post by Schoology.

In case I didn't mention, TSETC is FREE and will be open to ANY/ALL EDUCATORS!!!!! Mark your calendars now for Saturday October 2, 2010 and join us in New Milford, NJ.