In every session, we discussed how to help educators and improve education, and in virtually every one, a speaker or panelist said that doing so will take more than filling schools with more technology— it will take changing the culture of schools. The message grew into a mantra: In order for our product or service to be used effectively, we must change the culture.  We know what is good for schools; we can help change the culture. Heads would nod around the room: Changing the culture is difficult, but it must be done. Then a question began to nag at me: What does “change the culture” mean? From what to what?

What Fletcher pulls out of this conversation for his readers is

Simply put, it involves giving students more control of gathering information, working in small groups to solve problems, and displaying their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of ways.

Yes, I’m sure this audience would agree that this is what we are striving for.  This is why we use blogs, and why many (and more each day) are finding blogs and wikis, etc. so successful with students. 

I have to wonder just what these companies would say we need to do- using their product of course.  Not meant as a put-down.  I would love to have the industry’s expertice- I just see dollar signs and every new thing seems to be received with scepticism.  (Maybe that’s where a good technology director comes in.)  I recently had training on a Promethean Board.  It was great, and the trainers were former teachers, administrators and tech administrators.  They really knew education, planning, teaching and were Grant Wiggins-UbD advocates.  Schools just can’t take a chance on every ed tech product out there.  That’s why the read/write Web has the power!  Even if it’s free school culture and leadership have everything to do with success…

Finally, Fletcher offers a to do list:

-Change No Child Left Behind when it comes up for reauthorization in the next couple of years
-Change the way states administer education
-Change the way states and districts adopt textbooks/content.
-Change colleges of education.Provide extensive professional development to all teachers, and especially school leaders.

I sure don’t argue with the list, but my focus is my school and district so the last point hits home for me.  We just interviewed for a new principal and I wanted to include the question, ” What technology do you use in your daily life?”  I thought that would tell me a lot, but when limited to 10 questions they need to be more open ended.  enough….

With a new principal I’m looking forward to a change in our school culture.  We’ll see what he thinks about blogging!