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Example of Problem Based Learning Simulation

ameadows — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:53:01 CST

Folks, it was good to see all of you at the institute a couple of weeks ago, I am looking forward to March. As we agreed, I have attached an example below of a Problem Based Learning Simulation for you to see. If each of you can come up with one in a similar format and length that would be great. Keep in mind that it can be about anything that you are encountering in your school that you feel would be helpful to the group. I would ask that you bring your PBL Simulation (with copies for everyone) to our training in March.

Let me know if you have any questions-

Regards,

Steve

PROBLEM BASED LEARNING SIMULATION

The Task:

Read the simulation individually
Make notes on the various conflicts involved in this case
At your tables discuss the case and determine a course of action
- How will you resolve each conflict?
- Could this situation have been prevented?
- At what points could the severity of this situation be minimized and how?
Record your discussions and be prepared to report out

The Players:

Mr. Johnson, the Special Education Coordinator
Mr. Andrews, the 10th grade Algebra teacher (25 year veteran teacher)
Andrea, the 10th grade Algebra student; receives Special Education services for reading and language arts. Andrea has had no behavioral incidents and is currently a “C” student in Algebra.
Mrs. Laparde, mother of Andrea. She is a parent who is moderately involved in Andrea’s education attending all requested school meetings regarding Andrea.

The Background: While administering an Algebra test to Andrea’s class Mr. Andrews believes that he observes Andrea looking at another student’s test answers. Upon seeing this, Mr. Andrews shouts out in front of the class, “Andrea, you’re cheating.” He then walks to Andrea’s desk, picks up her exam, tears it in half, and throws it into the garbage. Andrea responds, “I wasn’t cheating.” Mr. Andrews says, “I have no intentions of discussing it,” and sends Andrea to Mr. Johnson’s office. Once at his office, Andrea is clearly distraught; she explains from her perspective what took place in the class, and unequivocally states that she was not cheating. Mr. Johnson indicates to Andrea that he needs to meet with Mr. Andrews to hear his version of what took place. After speaking to Mr. Andrews, he tells Andrea that he will get back to her. Mr. Johnson speaks to Mr. Andrews during his planning period, who stands by his story that Andrea was cheating. He further states that as a result of her cheating, she will receive a zero on her test. Mr. Johnson asks Mr. Andrews for some verification that Andrea was cheating, such as a comparison of the two students’ tests. Mr. Andrews perceives the request as a direct challenge to his professional judgment as a teacher. When he comes back from looking for the test, he states that he can’t find it. Unbeknownst to Mr. Johnson, during this time, Andrea has contacted her mother, who appears at school at the close of the day and calmly but firmly requests to meet with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Andrews immediately. Mr. Johnson agrees to honor the request; he seats Andrea and Mrs. Laparde in his office, and seeks out Mr. Andrews. Privately, Mr. Johnson tells Mr. Andrews that he will be going to the office to meet with the parent and the student, and recommends that Mr. Andrews remain calm and in control throughout the meeting. Mr. Johnson further states to Mr. Andrews that both sides will have an opportunity to be heard at the meeting.

The Meeting: When Mr. Andrews arrives to Mr. Johnson’s office, Mr. Johnson introduces Mr. Andrews to Mrs. Laparde, and the two shake hands. Mr. Andrews acknowledges Andrea with a nod. Everyone sits around the table, and the meeting begins with Mr. Johnson asking Mr. Andrews to explain what took place with Andrea in math class today. Mr. Andrews opens with “I am not trained to work with Special Education students and your daughter was cheating.” Mrs. Laparde stands up and points her finger in Mr. Andrews’ face, and calls Mr. Andrews a liar and a lousy math teacher. Mr. Johnson immediately escorts Mr. Andrews out of the meeting…

Greg Webb

gtwebb — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:12:49 CST

It is not a new concept, but to be a instructional leader you need to be able to manage your time wisely. One of the keys to this is willing to allow others to take on more responsibilities.

To me, this is probably the key to staying fresh and not burning out. I really have a problem with releasing (delegating) other responsibilities to individuals. First, this is my second year at this school and I feel I need to know the abilities of the staff.

Secondly, I am finding out that what I do relinquish control of it seems that the same individuals are taking on all the extra assignments. Every staff member needs to take an active role in bettering the school. Ownership is very hard in getting an older staff to accept.

I will continue to research on how to create change in my school. All administrators wants whats best for their school. But changes need to be made on hiring and firing practices so that it is easier to remove non-productive staff members.

Changes need to be made in the attendance laws to where students and parents are held accountable for poor attendance. Drastic changes in these areas need to come about to aide in school-wide reforms.

New administrators need to be creative thinkers, willing to take risks. Training needs to incorporate an apprenticeship segment so that new administrators know what is requiredwhen they first take the job, not on the job training.

Final Wiki

kvsmith — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:03:47 CST

Folks: Based on the limited responses throughout this activity, I am asking that the following individuals summarize their findings for one of the topic areas. For those who have not responded, I will leave it up to you if you choose to select one of your choice for summary. The assignments are as follows:

Topic One: lbolton
Topic Two: tmelkins
Topic Three: Eschbacher
Topic Four: kvsmith
Topic Five: ppotter
Topic Six: OPEN TO ANYONE

Use the "Easy Edit" button at the top of the page, then scroll down to locate the designated space in which to write the summary for your assigned topic. The area for your summary may not be visible on-screen - keep scrolling toward the bottom of the page until you find it. Include in your narrative a summary of the assigned reading and insights gained from the readings, the ensuing discussion, and any additional resources suggested by participants. Feel free to write as much as you need, since there is no limit to the number of characters or the length of the page. Click on the "Save" to save the page and preserve your work.

Thanks,
Steve

Topic One Summary
Priorities and barriers in high school leadership: A summary of findings, which can be found at the following web address: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4002/is_200112/ai_n9016067.

Topic Two Summary
"Trends in School Leadership" by Larry Lashway. The address for this article is:
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest162.html

Topic Three Summary
Article #1: "Improving Personal Productivity" by Denise Landers. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/personal-productivity.html
Article #2: "Time Management Tip: Schedule Time for Interruptions" by Eric Plantenberg. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/time%20management%20tip.html
Article #3: "Work Productivity: Traps to Avoid" by Claire Tompkins. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/work-productivity-traps-to-avoid.html

Topic Four Summary Article Four Summary: For several decades, educational reform has been a top priority of any country hoping to become a player in the globalization of world economics. Because globalization is multifaceted and in a constant state of change, successful leaders must possess the skills to not only guide an organization’s direction, but create an adaptable environment that embraces change. Globalization has redefined the role of educational leaders as well. While at one time a principal’s skills acquired as a classroom teacher were considered sufficient training for the role of principal, principals now are expected to possess those skills plus the latest technology skills and the leadership skills of a modern corporate leader. Dr. Edwards discusses nine skill areas referred to as “reality leadership”. Reality leaders know that vision is the basis for school-wide change and improvement. The vision is created and propagated by building ownership and empowering members of the learning community. Reality leaders are authentic, seeing their efforts as having a lasting impact on individual students and the communities they are a part of now and in the future. This authenticity drives reality leaders to make decisions based on a set of core values creating a high degree of trust among their followers. Reality leaders communicate frequently and effectively to the members of their educational community. Effective communication helps to keep an organization focused on the mission and vision instead of the misinformation and ancillary issues. Open lines of communication afford reality leaders the opportunity to quell conflicts early and quickly. Reality leaders are transformational. Leaders adjust to change with quick precision, always mindful of the organization’s mission and vision. Reality leaders believe in distributive leadership. Empowering and developing leaders within the school community allows for shared decision making and responsibility. Ultimately distributive leadership creates a healthy school environment and prepares the organization for succession of leadership. Reality leaders know how their schools functions within the context of each school’s community. Educational leaders must be cognizant that their personal and professional experiences will affect their adaptability to an individual school and community. Reality leaders are entrepreneurial, seeking new opportunities for their schools. Theses opportunities are fostered by building networks of relationships within the school organization and the supporting community. Reality leaders constantly challenge themselves to improve. Reflective practice allows leaders to examine why some of their efforts were failures and others great successes. Based on this reflective practice, reality leaders seek opportunities to enhance their professional growth. Reality leaders have a transitional leadership plan. Good leaders develop the leadership potential within their organization, allowing for relatively seamless transitions of power.

REALITY LEADERSHIP:

THE FOUNDATION OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

By: Steven W. Edwards PhD

Rebecca Edwards, MA

(Refer to Topic Four page for the complete text)

Topic Five Summary
Principals Offer Practical, Timely "Time Management" Tips
Web Address: http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin/admin436.shtml

Topic Six Summary
"Leading and Leadership: Goals", which can be found at the following web address:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadled.html

Culminating Activity

ameadows — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:32:26 CST

Participant: Click the add a new page link in the Navigation panel on the left or the Add a new page button in the Page Toolbox on the right. Enter your first and last name as the page title. It is not necessary to enter keywords. Select a Blank page template from the displayed list. Once the page is created, use the Easy Edit button at the top of the page to respond to the reflection questions below questions:

What knowledge have you gained from the area of focus?

What are your areas of interest for further research?

What are the implications for leadership?

You may write as much as you like, since there is no limit to the length of the page. You can develop your narrative in a word processor, then paste the final copy into your page if you prefer.

Topic Six

ameadows — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:15:43 CST

Subtopic: Setting Goals

Assignment: Read the article, "Leading and Leadership: Goals", which can be found at the following web address:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadled.html

Questions:
Please reflect on your own goal-setting skills. Discuss how you set, monitor, and evaluate goals that you set as a principal. Also discuss how this skill has either helped or hindered you in practice.

**Remember that you must be prepared to submit a summary of your work through this web-based training to your superintendent as part of your evaluation. This is our last week for this training, and it would be great to have everyone respond. I look forward to seeing all of you in December.**

Topic Four

ameadows — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 06:35:43 CST

Assignment: Read the following article:REALITY LEADERSHIP: THE FOUNDATION OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, which is below. After reading the article, select one of the concepts highlighted in the article and discuss how that skill applies to your situation and how it fits into your list of priorities as a principal.

Article:

REALITY LEADERSHIP:

THE FOUNDATION OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

By: Steven W. Edwards PhD

Rebecca Edwards, MA

Reform efforts in public education have been at the forefront of the international agenda for decades. With increased globalization and the realities of the digital age, the world has become a smaller place. These changes present new challenges and new opportunities both for leaders as well as for those responsible for training leaders. The world is constantly changing and all systems—including education—are impacted by change. Living and leading in a world in flux requires evolving skills for school leaders.

Although much of the educational reform effort over the last fifty years has focused on students, the one area that can impact school improvement and student achievement the most is leadership training for principals. The principalship is the single most influential position in public education (March, 2000); without improvements in leadership training for school principals, schools are unlikely to see significant or sustainable results.

In years past, the best teachers became the principals. However today’s global economy dictates that school leaders possess skills that extend far beyond classroom experience. It requires a new style of leader who understands the dynamics of building a learning community to educate children who will live and work in a global society. To meet the needs of children in the future, principals need to be viewed first as leaders, and second as principals.

“Reality leadership” reflects the essential skills, talents and knowledge necessary for principals to be effective school leaders in our ever-changing world. Reality leaders are:
· Visionaries
· Authentic
· Effective Communicators
· Transformational
· Entrepreneurial
· Capable of distributing leadership
· Aware of and understand the context of their environment
· Evolving and reflective
· Able to create a succession plan

A reality leader blends these skills so that one skill complements the next. These skills do not operate in isolation; they assist leaders in moving from vision to results.

Reality Leaders are Visionaries

Much has been written and discussed about the importance of a focused educational vision. Reality leaders craft a compelling vision that challenges the school to focus its activities and learning outcomes on supporting and achieving that unified vision. For a reality leader, vision is the cornerstone of change and improvement that drives the decision-making, policies, procedures, and structure of the school. Reality leaders effectively share the vision and allow others to shape the activities that contribute to the school’s progression to that ideal end state.

A reality leader builds ownership and empowers stakeholders within the school to see how their actions contribute to achieving the vision. Reality leaders understand that the whole is the sum of its parts, and that each part must understand its role in achieving the school’s vision.

Schools without visionary leaders lack focus and direction. Far too often in schools, vision statements are empty documents with no substance or ownership. They are merely words on paper, not the driving force behind continuous improvement. Visionary leaders design a learning community where all parties filter their work through the lens of the school’s vision. They ensure that stakeholders understand that their efforts are essential for the school to improve.

Reality Leaders are Authentic

Reality leaders see a deep purpose to their efforts. They understand that their work has a long lasting impact on the students in their schools and on society as well. Fullan (2003) refers to this as “moral purpose”. There are core values that drive the reality leader, and those core values contribute to building a better society.

Bill George (2005) states that authentic leaders lead not only with their heads, but with their hearts, as well. These leaders communicate their core values everyday in their actions and their deeds; they are true to themselves first, since it is only possible to be true to others when one is first true to himself. The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Posner, 2002) identifies honesty as the most admired quality in a leader. The integrity of a leader is essential to cultivating a culture of trust, and according to The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002), trust is a critical component of a healthy organization.

The authentic component of reality leadership is absolutely essential for the mental health and well-being of a school; without authenticity, the culture of a school will be marginalized, and the learning community negatively impacted (Evans, 2000).

Reality Leaders Communicate Effectively

In a rapidly-changing world, the need for effective communication is pertinent. Leaders who communicate effectively build trust, create a sense of community, and contribute to a school’s effectiveness in meeting challenges and dealing with the unexpected. Reality leaders understand that communication is much more complex than simply “telling” or “hearing” the information; these leaders share information and listen carefully to what is being shared with them. They over-communicate in order to engage stakeholders and increase ownership. A culture of communication develops a high level of trust among staff and administration; likewise, leaders who do not engage staff with frequent communication foster a culture of mistrust. Listening to what other say allows leaders to gauge the pulse of the organization and to foresee potential challenges.

Reality leaders understand that students and parents are customers. As with any business, leaders who are successful maintain a disciplined focus on the customer. When leaders over-communicate, it is less likely to be caught off-guard by unanticipated conflict. Too often, leaders only see the value of communication after a conflict has occurred. Similarly, leaders of unhealthy organizations who fail to communicate information even after a conflict has occurred contribute to a culture of rumors, speculation, and mistrust. School leaders need to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders using multiple venues. The reality leader understands how communication flows, and builds a structure for a communication system that exceeds the needs of a school and community.

Reality Leaders are Transformational

Reality leaders adjust to conditions that arise and manage them expertly. They understand the change process and adapt to a changing landscape. Successful leaders realize that the external environment is in a constant state of change, and schools as learning communities must adapt to these changes and transform accordingly.

In many countries government legislation has had a significant impact on education. Reality leaders can transform themselves and their school to meet the increased levels of accountability. Transformational leaders constantly reinvent themselves to adjust to both internal and external demands that impact student achievement. However, transformational leaders never lose sight of the vision or moral purpose. They do not change to chase the latest educational fad; rather they change to remain the same. In other words, transformational leaders make accommodations in their leadership in order to remain fixed on the overall vision of the school. These leaders see that structures are in place that allows the organization to achieve its vision. Transformational leadership is not about changing for the sake of change; rather it is about changing for a purpose, and purposeful change translates into purposeful results.

Reality Leaders Distribute Leadership

The essential role of reality leaders is not to create more followers, but to create more leaders. Reality leaders empower others to lead. They create an environment that fosters the development of new leaders by allowing individuals to try new ideas, take risks, and assume greater responsibility. Reality leaders offer individuals and teams opportunities to share in the decision making process in order to build a culture of shared ownership.

Distributive leaders organize the learning community into teams and create a structure where teams have the opportunity to meet on a regular basis to examine student data and make informed decisions. When reality leaders provide teachers and their peers time to examine, share, and reflect on data, and encourage them to make adjustments based on this reflective process, the learning community is improved (Eaker, 2002).

Distributive leadership extends beyond the teachers; all stakeholders within the school (support staff, custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers, and students) need to have leadership opportunities. Leaders in many schools omit these groups from leadership positions, which only fragments the organization. Each stakeholder group within the school must experience authentic, meaningful, and purposeful opportunities to lead. When this happens, a true learning community can be established.

Some mistakenly view distributing leadership as “giving up control.” Leaders who distribute leadership tend to possess a high level of self-confidence. Leaders who lack self-confidence will rarely distribute leadership, which often contributes to a culture of control and micromanagement. However, when reality leaders empower others, they foster a healthy school culture and climate that contributes to a seamless transition in times of succession.

Reality Leaders Understand Context

When reality leaders immerse themselves into the culture of their school’s community, they understand the norms of the community and can adapt accordingly. Each community, and therefore each school, is unique; understanding and embracing that uniqueness is an essential skill for a principal (Johnson, 2000). Having solid leadership and management skills alone does not ensure that the leader will be successful. A principal who does not have an understanding of and appreciation for the norms of the community will face significant challenges.

Matching principals to specific school communities is also important, as not all individuals adapt equally well to different environments. It is rare that a principal will have equal strengths working in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Leading schools in communities with high levels of poverty and crime differs from leading schools in wealthy, affluent communities. Each situation is unique; one is not better or worse than the other, but the school leader who understands the specific contexts will be better prepared to lead the school. Schools are just a microcosm of the greater society—if it exists in the community, it will exist within the school. Therefore, prospective principals and hiring committees need to reflect on the needs of the school and community and strengths of the candidates.

Educators teach based on their own life experiences. The same applies to principals, who have also accumulated a life of personal and professional experiences. Those experiences can impact a leader’s adaptability to a particular school and community. A reality leader will understand that his/her life experiences may differ from those within a school and community, and will therefore do what is necessary to truly understand the norms of those who are served by the school.

Reality Leaders are Entrepreneurial

Reality leaders take risks, seek opportunities, and see the value in building internal and external networks of individuals and organizations. They realize the importance that relationships and personalization play in effective leadership. Risk taking is the hallmark of a reality leader. Here, the principal understands that doing things the way they have always been done will net the same results. Attempting new ideas and strategies that are grounded in research and best practices are fundamental to the reality leader who is entrepreneurial.

Leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit seek out and create opportunities that support the school and the students. Within every community, there are untapped opportunities, organizations, and individuals that are willing to support schools. Establishing a network within the community helps students appreciate the world beyond the school walls, especially in communities with high poverty. Students here are often socially isolated and not afforded the opportunities available to other students.

Being an entrepreneurial leader also required strong relationship-building skills. Reality leaders understand the power of building relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and they seek opportunities to cultivate these relationships for the benefit of their customers: the students.

Reality Leaders are Evolving and Reflective

The evolving leader challenges himself to constantly improve. This type of leader understands that there is always more to learn, and takes advantage of life experiences and professional opportunities to shape his or her leadership abilities and skills. Reality leaders are highly reflective; they take time each day to reflect on their practice and challenge themselves to improve. They seek others’ input and seriously reflect on it. Reflective practice is essential to personal growth and development (Murphy, 1996), and leads to constant improvement in personal and professional practice.

Reality leaders design a personal professional development strategy to enrichment and growth. They regularly confer with peers to share ideas, experiences, and strategies. Leaders at this level don’t plateau; they constantly reinvent themselves to adapt to new challenges and a changing landscape. Individuals who are skilled at reflection can step back from a situation, event, or challenge and depersonalize it in order to think logically. They take time each day to reflect on their professional practice, and analyze ways to improve. They look for input from others and reflect on that input. Reflective practice is essential to personal growth and development (Murphy, 1996). Individuals who take the time to reflect improve not only their personal and professional practice, but the health and wellbeing of the organizations they lead.

Reality Leaders Have a Succession Plan

A true visionary has a plan for the future well beyond their time with the organization. Reality leaders are those leaders who a plan of succession for when they are gone. The mark of leadership is as much about what happens after the leader leaves as it is about what s/he does during her/his tenure. Too often, organizations suffer when the leaders leave. The reality leader understands that transitions of leadership are challenging times for organizations and the succession-minded leader put structures in place so there will be a seamless transition during a change in leadership (Hargreaves and Fink, 2006).

The leadership qualities discussed thus far contribute to an effective transition in leadership. The visionary leader understands that all members of the organization contribute to achieving the vision, and as principal of a school, ensuring that the pursuit of the vision continues is paramount. An authentic leader who nurtures a culture of shared responsibility and moral purpose perpetuates the success of the school.

The true reality leader has distributed leadership and responsibility to stakeholders throughout the building, who are highly functional even in the principal’s absence. In schools, teams of teachers operate as a decision-making body that is a visionary group linked to the overall school purpose. They understand how their subsystems complement a bigger system for the benefit of the learning community.

Evolving and reflective leaders create other evolving and reflective leaders. Leaders who plan for succession create independent thinkers who collaborate, focus on the needs of the learners, and move the school closer to its vision. Principals who embed a culture of collaborative and shared leadership within a school create more opportunities for students to succeed.

Hargraves and Fink (2006) state that constant turnover in a school is disruptive to the health of the school. Turnover in key leadership positions such as the principalship impacts all facets of the school. For a reality leader to institutionalize change and build a structure that is embedded in the school culture takes time. Without consistency and stability in leadership establishing a strong foundation is impossible.

Final Thoughts

With the ever-changing landscape of education, the need for reality leadership has never been greater. Schools will only improve with visionary leaders who can assist others in seeing and achieving the school’s vision. Reality leaders are authentic, and understand the impact that their schools have not only on individual students, but on society as well. Reality leaders have a high moral purpose and instill that moral purpose in the culture of their schools.

Reality leaders are communicative; they clearly articulate their message to multiple stakeholders. They use multiple venues from which to communicate their message and they realize that they will need to adapt the delivery of the message based on a specific population in the learning community or the community at large.

To continually adapt, reality leaders are entrepreneurial. They take calculated risks, forge new partnerships, and design and redesign the learning community for the benefit of their students. Reality leaders understand that they can not operate in isolation; they must develop new leaders who will share the responsibility of achieving the school’s vision. When leadership is distributed, there is greater ownership. If leadership has been effectively distributed, the school is able to maintain its focus during periods of leadership transition.

Reality leaders also understand the context of their learning environment and of the community. They are able to adjust based on the needs of the community and its residents. Reality leaders also reflect daily on their own practices. Without reflection, a leader can not evolve.

Reality leaders encompass all these skills. Acquiring these skills may be a challenge; there are a variety of training programs, leadership initiatives and professional organizations that can provide development in one or more of these skills. The task of the prospective school principal or the veteran school principal is to seek out opportunities to continue to assess, reinforce and to develop these skills. Those who make this effort create learning communities that take schools to a new level.

REFERENCES

Eaker, R. (2002). Getting Started Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington: National Educational Service.

Evans, R. (2000). The Authentic Leader. The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Wiley.

George, B. (2005). The Call for Authentic Leadership. Becoming an Effective Leader. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Fullan, M. (2003). The Moral Imperative of School Leadership. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.

Hargreaves, A, and Fink, D. (2006). Sustainable Leadership. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

Johnson, S. (2000). Looking for Leaders. The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Wiley.

Kouzer, M. and Posner, B. (2002). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Wiley.

Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Wiley: San Francisco.

Marsh, D. (2000). Educational Leadership for the Twenty-first Century: Integrating Three Essential Perspectives. The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Wiley.

Murphy, E. (1996). Leadership IQ. Wiley: New York.

Topic Five

ameadows — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 06:34:26 CST

Assignment for this week: Read the following article: Principals Offer Practical, Timely "Time Management" Tips

Web Address: http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin/admin436.shtml

After you read, apply two of the principles ot tips to your current situation. Also, you may want to note the additional resources at the end of the article for further information. PS--I did get a chance to see Leonard, Kevin, and Terry in Huntington this past Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of you in December.

Topic Three

ameadows — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 06:53:30 CDT

Assignment:
Please read the three BRIEF articles on effective time management and respond to the task listed below.

Article #1: "Improving Personal Productivity" by Denise Landers. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/personal-productivity.html
Article #2: "Time Management Tip: Schedule Time for Interruptions" by Eric Plantenberg. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/time%20management%20tip.html
Article #3: "Work Productivity: Traps to Avoid" by Claire Tompkins. Web address: http://www.sideroad.com/Time_Management/work-productivity-traps-to-avoid.html

Task:
Identify one key take-away from each article, and explain how you could apply it to your job.

Topic Two

ameadows — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:43:07 CDT

Assignment: Please read the short article "Trends in School Leadership" by Larry Lashway. The address for this article is:
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest162.html

After you read the article, repond to each question in a separate comment. Be sure to react to other people's comments, as well. Then, click on one additional article from the "resources" section. Post a comment that highlights the title, your reactions to the content, and whether or not you recommend it for others to read.

Questions:
1) What is your general reaction to the article? On a scale of 1-10, rate the article on its value to the profession and to you personally.
2) Are you familiar with the standards listed, and have you made use of them?
3) How do you distribute leadership and build leadership capacity at your school?
4) What additional article did you read, and what are your reactions to it?

Topic One

ameadows — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:43:45 CDT

Topic: 21st Century Skills
Subtopic one: Issues Impacting Principals' Productivity

Read the article, Priorities and barriers in high school leadership: A summary of findings, which can be found at the following web address: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4002/is_200112/ai_n9016067.

This article, forth in a series, examines results of a ten-year study on the principalship, and looks at how principals use their time each day, how they view their own professional development and teacher candidates, as well as their desire to lead more and manage less.

After reading the article, consider the following questions:

What is your general reaction to the findings the research presented in this article?
What aspects of the article do you strongly agree/disagree with?
Would you agree with the three major responsibilities of "the job" as suggested by the research? Why or why not?
Do you agree with the two greatest impediments to focusing on the three major responsibilities? Why or why not?
What is your reaction to the four highlighted measures of success as identified by the principals?
What are your reactions to the areas that are identified as needing further study?

**Please use a separate comment to react to each question, and remember also to react to OTHER people's comments on these questions!!

Home

ameadows — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 07:00:12 CDT

- - - - WELCOME - - - - -

This wiki provides an exploration of personal and workplace productivity over several weeks.

The first week (October 1-7) will provide the participant an opportunity to explore the WetPaint environment and utilize the orientation pages to learn how to post comments and replies, edit the content of pages, and add new pages to the wiki. Please click WetPaint Orientation in the navigation panel on the left side of the page to view these short tutorials. Use the techniques for posting comments and replies at the bottom of this page as instructed.

The first topic is orientation to this site (October 1-7). You will learn how to navigate this site.

The second topic is effective time management (October 8-14). You will learn how to assess your time management skills, and also techniques on how to make the time you have more productive. Repeat as necessary for as many topics as you've selected to study.

During the course of the area of focus study, the participant is expected to:

read selected articles
visit identified web sites (optional)
complete related activities (optional)
post comments in response to reflection questions posed by the facilitator
reply to the comments of others in the group as appropriate
collaborate on a "final wiki" by summarizing an assigned area or topic. The Final Wiki will then serve as a knowledge base for others with an interest in the topic.
participate in a "culminating activity" by writing an narrative that addresses knowledge gained, plans for further research, and implications for leadership. The Culminating Activity and Final Wiki can be used to document the individual's active participation in the area of focus discussion.

- - - - - - - - - -

My name is Steve Edwards. I serve as a critical friend to you in this process. Please feel free to contact me at stevewedwards@comcast.net.

- - - - - - - - - -

Now it's your turn! Click the Post a new comment button below to tell me (and the others in the group) who you are, where you are, and why you chose "personal and workplace productivity" as your area of focus. Reply to at least one comment from a colleague.

0 - WetPaint Orientation

ameadows — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:13:28 CDT

- - - ALOHA! - - -

A wiki (wick'-e) is a a type of web site that allows anyone to add or edit content via an easy to use browser interface. For an excellent discussion of what a wiki is and how a wiki can be used to facilitate group projects, discussion groups, and knowledge repositories read "What is a Wiki (and How to Use One For Your Project") by Tom Stafford and Matt Webb at the O'Reilly Network.

WetPaint™ is a web-based application for developing a wiki. Refer to the pages in this section for instructions on using WetPaint™ to perform the various activities required during the Area of Focus discussion.

Posting comments and replies
Editing page content
Adding new pages to the wiki

Editing Pages

ameadows — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:12:52 CDT

Wikis facilitate collaboration by allowing users to freely add and edit page content without having to learn any special markup language or syntax.

To edit the contents of a page, click either the EasyEdit button
at the top of the page or the Edit the content link in the Page
Toolbox on the right side of the page.
When the editing window is displayed, the EasyEdit toolbar appears at the top of the screen and contains tools similar to those found in a word processor. The toolbar can be dragged to any position on the page.

Entering Text

Text is entered as in any type of word processing document. As with most types of web based text, it is easier to enter all the text prior to applying formatting. There appears to be no limit to the number of characters or the length of the page created.
Text can be formatted using a variety of tools:
- Use Boldface, Italics and Underline to emphasize text.
- Use Outdent and Indent to move whole paragraphs of text in and out in relationship to the left margin.
- Use Left, Center, and Right alignment to position single or selected lines of text horizontally between the margins.
- Use the SpellCheck button to check the spelling on a page. Suspect words are highlighted and remain highlighted as long as the Check Spelling dialog box is open. Click on a highlighted word to display the Suggestions dialog box from which an alternative spelling can be selected or Ignore can be chosen to leave the word as originally typed. Click Done to close the Spelling Checker.
- Use Cut, Copy, and Paste to move or copy text from one page to another or from another application (e.g., Microsoft Word) to a wiki page. You may use a word processing application to compose page text offline, but any formatting applied to text will be lost when the text is pasted into WetPaint™.
- Use Undo to reverse the last editing action and Redo to repeat the last editing action.
- Use the Normal, Header, and Subhead styles to change the size and color of whole paragraphs. To apply, click (or click and drag) in the text to be modified and select the desired style.
When editing is complete, click Save to accept the changes to the page. An optional Edit Note can be added to document the changes. Click Cancel to void the changes. The Cancel command is not confirmed; it is carried out immediately. (Save as Template is not discussed in this guide.)

Using Hyperlinks

To insert a hyperlink to a web page outside the wiki space, select the page text
that is to be clickable and click the Link button in the EasyEdit toolbar. In the
Add Link dialog box, type or paste the URL of the linked page.

Using Images

To insert an image, click in the text in the approximate location for the picture
and click the Image button in the EasyEdit toolbar. In the Add Image dialog
box, click the Browse button to locate the stored image on the hard drive (linking to an image on the web is not recommended.) In the Name this image: text box, enter an alternate text message that will appear when a viewer mouses over the image on the page. Click Add Image.
In the Edit Image popup box, use the – and + buttons to modify the size of the uploaded image and the layout buttons to position the image on the page. Using the Align Left and Align Right buttons will allow page text to flow around the image. Using Inline with Text forces text above and below the image. Click Done.
To resize, change the layout, or rename a previously inserted image, click on the image to select Image sizes can be manipulated manually by dragging the sizing handles that appear around the border of an image when it is selected.

Using Tables

Tables can be used to create columns for formatting text. Position the
insertion point where the table is to be, then click the Table button in the
EasyEdit toolbar. In the Add Table dialog box, enter the desired number of rows and columns, table width (in pixels or “page” size), layout (for tables that are less than page size), and border style. Click Add Table to insert the table in the page.
To add or remove rows or columns, edit the table’s properties, or delete the table completely, position the insertion point in any one of the table cells and right-click to display the Tables shortcut menu.
Columns in a table are always of equal width; there is no way to modify the width of individual columns. Cells will grow vertically as necessary to hold text. Images can be inserted in tables as in regular text.

Using Video

Videos from YouTube™ and Google™ can be inserted anywhere on a page. Refer to the WetPaint™ demo for instructions on inserting video (available from the Help menu.)

Adding Pages

ameadows — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:12:14 CDT

WetPaint™ organizes pages hierarchically. The Home page is the first page created and all added pages are subordinate (“sub-pages”) to the home page.

Navigating the Site
A hierarchical list of pages is displayed in the Navigation pane on the left side of the WetPaint™ screen. (If the contents of the Navigation list are not visible, click the triangle ► to the left of the word Navigation to expand the list.)

The Home page is always at the top; click this link to quickly return to the Home page from any page. Within the list, you can view the current page, its parent (containing) page listed above it, and all child (subordinate or sub-page) pages listed below it. In the example below, the currently displayed page (Sweet Scones) is displayed in bold. The parent of this page is the Home page (listed above it). The children (sub-pages) of this page are the two pages listed below it.

Adding a Sub-page

Select the page that will be the parent of the new sub-page. The contents of the parent page should be visible on-screen.
Click add a sub-page at the bottom of the Navigation panel
or click the Add a New Page button in the Page Toolbox.
The Add a Page dialog box will be shown.
Confirm the page location in the displayed breadcrumb trail at the top of the dialog box. Click the Change Location button if necessary to select the correct parent for the new page.
Enter a name for the new page. Each page within a site must have a unique name. Also, pages on the same level of the hierarchy are always displayed in alphabetical order. Use letters or numbers as prefixes if the order of the pages is important.
Enter optional keyword tags. Keyword tags are descriptors for page content. Clicking a keyword in the Navigation by Keyword list in the Navigation pane on the left side of the screen displays a list of pages that reference the selected keyword.
Select the template for page layout (Instructions for using and creating templates can be found in the Appendix.)
Click Add Page.

Once a page has been added, edit it as before.

Posting Comments and Replies

ameadows — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:11:43 CDT

A comment is a response to or an opinion about a page's content. A reply is a response to another's comment. Each participant is asked to author at least one comment in response to each reflection question posed by the facilitator and reply to at least one comment from a colleague.

The easiest way to post and reply to comments is through the Comments page. To access the Comments page, click the Comments link at the bottom of the page text.