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In my opinion one of the most important roles in any school is that of Media Specialist. Over the years I have longed to create a position that would serve a multi-faceted role of librarian, media specialist, and educational technologist. The challenge for me though was that Shannon Miller's, Joyce Valenza's, and Gwyneth Jones's don't grow on trees.  This mere challenge did not deter me in my search in the least bit as I had my eyes set on one such individual that fit this mold perfectly.  That person was Laura Fleming, who in her own right has been blazing a trail in the transmedia world for the past couple of years.  Once I knew I had this position available the courting process began.  



Luckily for me, but more importantly my students and staff, Laura jumped on the opportunity to become a part of the transformation that has been occurring at New Milford High School the past couple of years. Upon hiring Laura I challenged her right off the bat to embrace her new role as an innovative change agent in a space that is extremely outdated and to collaborate with staff in order to push their boundaries to authentically engage students.  Our vision for her was to provide meaningful learning opportunities for our students while supporting teachers in the process of effective technology and media literacy integration. I told her to only come to me with solutions to problems and not excuses as to why something could not be done or implemented.  

I write this post extremely proud that Laura has run with the autonomy she has been granted and has joined a cadre of NMHS educators and students who are constantly redefining what education should look like in the digital age.  She has become a pillar of sustainable change.  Here are a few highlights from her short tenure thus far:

• Created a digital badge platform to recognize informal learning being undertaken by NMHS staff.  Check out this great article from the School Library Journal on this project. Currently she is now working on a similar program for students here. 
• Collaborated with Mrs. Westbrook in the English Department on the school's first virtual film festival.  Students filmed documentaries based on the New York Times One in 8 Million film project.  The film festival took place both in person and on Twitter.  Student films were tweeted to #knightatthemoviesfall and as the films were viewed, students tweeted film reviews.   Students were taught how to effectively tweet a film review and were encouraged to be smart, be positive, and to focus on content and technique.  View the Storify here, which includes all films and tweets related to this festival.  
• Facilitated a #mysteryskpe with a school in Georgia.  Numerous NMHS teachers participated in this educational game. The aim of the game was to guess the location of the other classroom by asking each other questions. This involved using online maps and doing some research.  The purpose of this Skype was to expose teachers to a wonderful educational tool that they can use with their classes.  
• Collaborated with business teacher Mrs. Vicari and her students on developing apps for their small businesses using iBuildApp.  Students were introduced to the concept of mCommerce and how it can be used to leverage the marketing and promotion of their products in this digital age. 
• Collaborated with special education teacher Mrs. Mackey and her students in beta-testing a new writing platform called Paperlet.  Paperlet is an online participatory publishing platform that takes the existing traditional writing process a decisive step further by bringing the readers into the creative process too.  Writers and readers come together in a uniquely combined effort. Writers gather feedback on their writing from readers and are then able to refine their stories based on this feedback.  Paperlet guides students through the process of expanding their writing into this new media form.  
• Created a Makerspace in the media center. Check out this nice article by the Center of Digital Education on the space that Laura has created.
• Collaborated with English teachers Mrs. Groff and Mrs. Westbrook on a research project related to CNN Everyday Heroes.  Students researched heroes, curated their research using Pinterest and cited their sources using the online citation maker, EasyBib. 
• Worked with the IT department to develop a procedure to sign out Chromebooks for any student to use throughout the school day as part of our BYOD initiative. 

Change in education seems to be as illusive as the Loch Ness Monster.  Everyone seems to be talking about it, but little action leading to meaningful results seems to be the mainstay in many schools.   Through my work over the years as a teacher, educational administrator,  and learner through I have identified common roadblocks to the change process.   If identified and addressed appropriately these roadblocks can be overcome.   


1 - It is too hard:  News flash, CHANGE IS NOT EASY!  Please keep this in mind as I continue this post. There is more talk about change in the field of education than actual change.  If it were easy we would see innovative programs, authentic learning experiences, successful integration of technology, and students yearning to arrive at school each day.  The fact of the matter is that nothing in life comes easy, let alone transformation change in education.  Educators must be willing to take risks, learn from mistakes, and put in the time.  Realize going in that it is going to be a difficult process, but rewarding in the end.

2 - I do not have the time for this: Ah, the old time excuse.  This is probably the most common excuse given when educators and the thought or sight of change come together.  We are in a profession to make a difference in the life of a child, leave a lasting impact, motivate students to achieve, instill a sense of life-long learning, and prepare them for success once they leave our schools.  If someone says they don't have time to work towards change that helps to achieve these goals then they should question why they are in the field of education.  Dedicated educators make the time because it is their job!  You ask any child who had a teacher that turned their life around and they will tell you that the time spent was priceless!

3- Lack of collaboration:  The field of education has been moving from a profession that hoarded ideas, lessons, and successful strategies to one that is openly willing to share this bounty with as many passionate educators as possible.  Innovation and change is a collective process and schools that get this concept have personnel who routinely collaborate amongst each other and with those outside of their schools.  "Together we are better," is the motto that change agents abide by.

4- Directive approach:  Ok, I have been guilty of this when trying to get my staff to utilize Skype.  Thankfully I learned from this mistake and have found that change occurs through shared-decision making, consensus, collaboration (see #3), and modeling.  As a leader, I had better be able to effectively model what I want my teachers to implement if I have any hopes of seeing the idea succeed and be sustainable.  In education you can't just tell someone to do something because you are mesmerized by a piece of technology, read the latest book on innovative practices, or heard a great speaker discuss PLC's.  You need to get each and every stakeholder involved in the process (see #3), properly model the strategy, and put the time forth to ensure successful implementation (see # 1 and 2).


5- Hierarchy in schools: The hierarchical structure in many schools is most often a deterrent to innovation and change.  This results in #4 being prevalent and no chance of #3 because ideas have to go through so many layers and red tape to even be considered.  Schools that have moved away from this structure support learning cultures that are innovative.  Educators need to be placed in environments where flexibility and freedom to take risks and try out new ideas and initiatives without fear of repercussion are actively fostered.

6- Lack of support:  As leaders how can we expect teachers to be innovative and move towards change if we don't support them 100% of the time? Support can come in many forms, such as release time, supplies/equipment, professional development opportunities, feedback, and just god old fashioned listening.

7- Fear of change:  This is a given, so it had better be expected.  If numbers 1-5 are addressed this will help to alleviate this feeling.  Passion for helping kids succeed on the part of administrators and teachers will always work to one's advantage when trying to subdue the fear a group might experience when trying to initiate new ideas.  Passion is what drives us!  Use it to your advantage.

8- The naysayers,  antagonists, and "self-proclaimed" experts:  Well you should have known this was coming.  Some people will never get on board with the change process for a variety of reasons (none of which we agree with).  Then there are those individuals that do not even work in schools that think they have all the answers to everything and will immediately shoot down ideas that have the potential to enhance learning just because they personally don't like them.  Those that embrace change and experience success should be celebrated, honored, and commended.  This is the best way to motivate others and inspire them to willingly become part of the process.  Ideas that work in one school might not work in another and that's OK.

9- Ineffective professional development:  How many times have we sat through training sessions that were boring, meaningless, and didn't provide any practical implementation ideas?  Professional development has to be relevant to educators, contain numerous choices, and be hands-on.  More often than not this can be done with teacher leaders present in all buildings.  If money is going to be spent make sure it is on a vetted, well-respected presenter where you will get your monies worth.

10 - Frivolous purchases:  Money does not equate into innovation and change.  Just because you purchase the latest technology doesn't mean everyone will use it correctly or productively.  Professional development (see #9) is key.

Sustainable change leading to a cultural transformation does not have to be an illusive or long, drawn out process.  Begin by identifying your own potential roadblocks that may or may not be mentioned above and focus on developing solutions instead of excuses through consensus with a variety of stakeholders.  Be a transformational leader and take people where they need to be!

I have been fortunate over the past few days to have attended the Authorspeak Conference.  This experience has allowed me to listen to and connect with some of the best minds in education (i.e. Robert Marzano, Rick DuFour, Carol Tomlinson, Doug Reeves, Will Richardson).  Additionally,  I have been able to network with other amazing educators from all over the world and actively share how we are transforming the culture at New Milford High School.

During the second day of the conference I presented on Communicating and Connecting With Social Media with my co-authors Bill Ferriter and Jason Ramsden.  Throughout the 45 minute presentation we shared proven strategies to harness the power inherent within social media tools to enhance communications, establish the foundation for a positive public relations platform, connect with other educators to learn, and create policies to ensure effective use.  I believe our session went very well and attendees left with a vision and strategies to begin integrating social media tools into their professional practice.  For a brief summary check out the synopsis by Nick Provezano at The Nerdy Teacher blog.

However, after reflecting on the session and speaking with some of the attendees, it is apparent that the embracement of social media in schools and by educators will continue to be an uphill battle.  For those educators and schools that are either resistant to or unsure about using social media I pose these questions to you:

• Why would educators and schools not want to use free social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate important information (student honors, staff accomplishments, meetings, emergency information) to stakeholders in real-time? 
• Who would not want to take control of their public relations and produce a constant stream of positive news?  If we don't share our story someone else will and we then run the chance that it will not be positive.
• Why should establishing a brand presence be restricted to the business world when schools and districts now have the tools at their fingertips to do this in a cost-effective manner?
• What educator would not want to connect with experts and peers across the globe to grow professionally through knowledge acquisition, resource sharing, engaged discussion, and to receive feedback?
• Why do many schools refuse to allow educators to use free social media tools to engage learners, unleash their creativity, and enhance learning?
• Why are schools missing the opportunity and failing students by not teaching digital responsibility/citizenship through the effective use of social media?
• Who would not want to tap into countless opportunities that arise through conversations and transparency in online spaces?
• When will the profession of education catch up to society?