Chris Lehmann - We need more principals like him

Just the snippet you need after working in the digital divide! I survived the digital divide in the military, transitioning from analog to digital and digital to IP. I live in a miniscule digital divide with a parent and a child, one who discovered a love for technology later in life and one who continues to grow with technology. Both embrace technology, are willing to learn, try, ask questions, and share experiences. Lifelong learning is a part of everyday life in this household.

My mother encourages me to "Bloom where I am planted" when I become discouraged with the divide in the city that hosts the Masters Golf Tournament. The mayor has a Facebook page, yet we still have educators that do not check email and call a cell phone "just a cell phone".

Chris Lehmann's blog Practical Theory contains his blog entries as a principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadephia, PA. Mr. Lehmann's recent appearance at IgnitePhilly should be viewed by everyone, whether you are an educator, a parent, a community partner, a tax payer, students and saved as a favorite for anyone who works within the digital divide and has one of those days, weeks, or months, where you just want to run away and join the forward moving techies.

I also came across this shared presentation through Dr. Mcleod's blog, Dangerously Irrelevant and Darren Draper's blog, Drape's Takes. Through my RSS reader, I am sure I will see more links as Mr. Lehmann's video and presentation goes viral.

Thanks Chris for sharing this snippet and thanks to everyone who continues to share through their blog posts. Your posts, shared knowledge, and experiences provide the light at the end of the tunnel when one thinks about throwing in the towel and just sticking with the forward thinking techies.

Another favorite blog...

Another favorite blog I keep up to date with is the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. While I do not know Vicki Davis personally, I mentioned her blog during a job interview with the GA Department of Education. We were discussing the variety of technology and I mentioned that I wish every school could have a Cool Cat Teacher blogger, my preference would be to have one in every grade in every school. She is a committed blogger and self described "teacher, entrepreneur, edublogger, conference presenter, freelance writer, an avid reader, and a technology "geek".

From Vicki's post (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/) on 6/23/08 of sites that caught her eye: The 23 things is a fascinating way to teach teachers about these tools. Great resource for professional developers to look at. Check out http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/23Things

From the K12 Learning 2.0: Tools for 21st Century Teaching & Learning "23 Things" wiki, "This self-guided online learning adventure is designed to provide classroom teachers and other school personnel with an introductory "What's out there?" exploration of some common tools and concepts related to Web 2.0"

I conducted some computer workshops at the local library using some of the "23 Things" in this self-guided online learning adventure. Check out 23 Things: http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/

If you have never visited Vicki Davis' Cool Cat Teacher blog, check out her blog and the links to the many supplemental projects she has created or participates in: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

A little more research into the beginnings of "the 23 Things" took me to The Learning 2.0 (http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/) program which was designed by Helene Blowers, PLCMC (Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County)Technology Director, with the support and assistance of several staff and is loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things.

The design of this online program was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are freely available on the Internet. These sites include: Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, YouTube, PBWiki & Bloglines.

From Learning 2.0 comes Learning 2.1 with more "Things" as the adventure continues in a Master List of items number 24 - 60 with Wikis, Facebook, Ning, Plaxo, Google Groups and many others: http://explorediscoverplay.blogspot.com/2007/02/adventure-continues.html

Great sites whether you are new to online tools or an old school computer geek that needs to verify a skill set. Have fun and enjoy the online learning process.