Leaders Modeling Innovative Strategies

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of learning and sharing at the ISTE Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.  Certainly a highlight of the conference was reconnecting with my research teammates, Peter Cohen and Gina Flanagan as we presented a paper on "How Superintendents Gain Acceptance on Large-Scale Technology Initiatives".  In addition to that presentation, I connected (and reconnected) with impressive educators and learn through outstanding workshops.  One of the most memorable workshops was a presentation from George Couros on leading innovation.

During George's presentation he described an important characteristic of leadership...modeling innovative strategies.  He described that leaders can learn how innovations can help kids if they first tryout the innovation.  As leaders our best attempt at fostering a connection to an initiative is when we truly understand the benefits and challenges to the initiative.  I loved George's risk taking in creating a blog to better understand how metacognitive development better helps him as a learner before he asks teachers to monitor students using a metacognitive skills.  George asked the audience, how can we understand how digital portfolios helps kids understand their own learning, if the adults in the building are not reflecting about their own learning.

His discussion of risk taking was even more relevant me as our I try to better understand benefits of digital portfolios as a metacognitive learning strategy.  While I conceptually understand the benefits of digital portfolios, I have a lot of questions about them as well.   Therefore in my pursuit to better understand digital portfolios as a learning strategy, I have decided to develop this blog to reflect upon my learning.

The goal of this blog is to document my learning as a leader, to reflect on my personal and professional growth as a high school principal and to evaluate the benefits of personal reflection as a form of digital portfolio.  Ultimately I want to come out of this experience with a new tool to explore my learning, but to also understand whether the undertaking of personal digital portfolios can have a transformative experience for all students.

Certainly as educators we focus on modeling good behavior and habits of mind for our students, but do we regularly model learning strategies with our students.  George's discussion of the leader as role model, was an important reminder for me that we need to model effective learning behaviors in order for us to share these strategies with our students.  So here I am using this blog as my resource to reflect on my learning as well as an opportunity to better understand how portfolios can be useful in helping learners reflect and analyze their learning.  While a bit nervous, I am looking forward to this new venture of blogging my learning.