Digital citizenship Who's Job is it??

"No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form." J.P. Morgan

"'Sexting' by teens a punishable offense" was the headline of last Saturday's paper. I can't help but think about how we must get a handle on this as soon as we can. What are we doing, letting our children run amuck with no guidance on how to be good digital citizens? Parents are buying their children digital phones with cameras, they are texting nude photos of themselves to others. Oh my! Where is the problem and who is going to take care of the children? Sexual exploitation of a child means sending and receiving seually explicit photos of anyone under 18. We need to be teaching our kids this....at home, at school, any chance we get. We can't afford to let our children ruin their lives just because we don't know how to lead them in this new era of digital tools. This job belongs to all of us!!!!

Balanced leading

Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - Gandhi

My former superintendent, once told me that technology only gives the illusion of saving time because we quickly fill the time we save with new tasks resulting in our professional lives being even busier than before. In many ways I think his perception is true. It as if we have this empty void we are all trying to fill. We are all looking for that sense of purpose in knowing what we are doing will matter in the end. It is the struggle of balancing the tension of change- wanting change, realizing that something different is needed and yet being terrified of losing something valuable in the long run. As school leaders in this digital world we must help students and staff learn to keep a balance in what we do with our time. Our ultimate goal is to focus on student learning and engaging students in appropriate projects to help them develop careers for their future. In order to do this, we must come to know our own place and role in this digital environment. As teachers we are leaders, as administrators we are leaders, but we are also teachers, and we have the responsibility to teach our community to take responsibility for the needs of the students?.even if we have to go beyond our comfort zone.

Creative Leaders

Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there's no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done. - Rudolph Flesch

The changes required for the future of our students in these hard economic times requires visionary and dedicated school leaders. What traits set these leaders apart in this digital learning environment in these economic times.
1. Dedication to learning and a focus on empowering teachers to learn and grow for and with their students.
2. Investment in time, resources, data, collaboration, and professional development to sustain efforts for the future needs.
3. A whole system approach to improving learning for all with long ranged planning and shared vision.
4. Continually learning new ways of motivating students and staff and building a culture of trust so teachers are willing to try new methods and new resources that go beyond tradition.
5. Are in the middle of learning new things themselves, and willing to take risks and try new ways of administering and using new technologies to understand the needs of the digital learner.
6. Dedicated to building digital citizenship in themselves, their community, their staff, and their students.
7. Understand that these economic times are an opportunity for change and the elimination of out of date traditions that are no longer needed.