Media: Guiding the Future Innovators

Five hundred years ago a young German monk walked from his monastery to the door of a church castle to nail a poster with ninety-five statements. The door of the church acted as a kind of public bulletin board. Luther's ideas spread across Europe, speeded by the recently invented printing press. Luther inspired many people longing for change. Changes in society are often accelerated by individuals who use technology to create inspiring passionate content, communicate effectively, think critically and in collaboration with others. These are the same skills we must develop in our students if they are going to be effective in making changes in the civil rights movements of our time.

During my childhood my friends and I met at the park to shoot hoops, wrote letters to pen pals, and occasionally chatted over a good old fashion phone. My cousin lived 100 miles away. To keep in touch we created mix tapes. I'd spend hours recording short clips of our favorite music combined with our investigative reporting of our mysterious neighbor whom we nicknamed Mr. Jolly Rancher or a nighttime journey deep into the Green Mist of Chino Hills. Those tapes took a long time to make and took awhile to deliver. Due to the cost of postage we usually waited till we saw each other during the holidays to exchange tapes.


Today technology is ubiquitous. As I write this blog my daughter is Facetimig with her cousin. An instant connection. Facetime and other videotelephony technologies provide an instant connection with the world around us. In business, meeting room reservations are no longer needed, coordinating around travel time and other hassles are eliminated. These technologies bring many opportunities, but also many challenges. Our students and staff need to develop new skills to navigate this digital world.

This graphic, commonly referred to as the "Turtle" is an excellent visualization of how the California English Language Development Standards and the California Common Core State Standards are integrated and interdependent. The visual also speaks to the importance of us as educators to develop the 21st century communication skills of our students. Guiding our students to make meaning, effective expression are essential skills for college, career and civic life in our global society must be our passion if we are to survive as a society.

In "The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity" George Curos uses O2 video (below) to illustrate how a decision can lead to innovation. A line from the video states "look at the world it's amazing. We have the world at outlet fingertips, the ability to connect and create with people around the world through so many different mediums." Curos contrasts schools who make the choice to focus on all the things students can't do with technology: cyber bullying and digital safety instead of all the things are students can do with technology (connect the world).

What is the culture of your school or district? What decisions will you make tomorrow that will impact lives and change futures for years to come?

Experience The Difference

Today I visited Superior Pool Supplies in Chino to pick up some Silca sand for my sand filter. This was my first time at the store.  I was having a very casual morning, not a lot planned for the day. After a quick glance at some of the pool equipment I grabbed my spot in the checkout line. The cashier immediately looked up at me and as he simultaneously continued to ring up the customer in front of him said, "Good morning, I'm sorry for the wait, I'll be with you in just a moment." I was a startled. I hadn't even been waiting for a moment and didn't think I gave the impression I was in any rush. As I waited I glanced up at a large banner strung out over the cashier that said, "Experience The Difference." I didn't give the sign much more thought at the time. In a matter of moments I was to the front of the line. Eric, said "Welcome to Superior, please help yourself to a free drink," as he pointed to the fountain drink machine on a nearby counter. I explained my need for Silca sand and he processed the order. After finishing up he again offered the free drinks and let me know he'd bring the sand out to my car. "Out to my car and a free drink?", I thought. Wow that's quite generous. Eric was treating me like I was CEO of a large company. At Home Depot I need to haul it out to my truck on my own with no drink offer. Since he offered a second time, I figured I might as well take him up on his offer for a free drink. Filling up my drink I noticed a picture of a guy holding the "Experience The Difference" banner at the top of a mountain. I couldn't help to think back to the way Eric made me feel like I was a CEO. Eric hustled to the back room to grab the bag and met me at my truck just as I arrived with my soda. As Eric rolled up, I pulled down my tailgate for him to lift the bag in. When he was done I gathered the nerve to ask him for some more details about the banner and Experience The Difference Brand. Eric shrugged and explained it was part of the company culture to make each interaction with guest the best experience possible. I also discovered he is an accomplished underground musician. He composes his own music and publishes on sound cloud. Check out his stuff here: https://m.soundcloud.com/phantomdog/temptationEbec Sound Cloud

The visit to Superior Pool Supply inspired me to reflect on how our department can create an amazing  experience for the staff, parents and community we serve.