My colleague had warned me, when I asked if I could simply create a Google site for the work, that the technology wasn’t readily available to do so and that I should come prepared with paper handouts and a flash key drive.

I struggled with the message that I was hearing: in spite of my role in helping schools to transition into 21st century learning environments, I should enable them to continue doing things in an expensive, time-consuming manner. I made a risky decision…I uploaded all documents onto a Google site and sent an email asking them to bring a laptop or iPad if available.

The first morning was dicey…one person had to take the documents from my flash key and run to the office to print them off. I started to question my doggedness. When we moved to the computer lab later in the day, I started to feel some hope.

By the second morning, however, everyone brought a device or borrowed a netbook from the cart that had been sitting in the room the entire time (!) The transformation was amazing…people were actively adjusting slides and adding notes as I was presenting. By the end of the day, they had finished products ready to use. My favorite moment came as I listened to two colleagues talk about their upcoming presentation:

“Should we provide handouts, you think?”

“No, (gesturing to her own pile of papers) it’ll just end up on a shelf somewhere. Let’s get them on the Google site and give them tools they can use right away.”

I’ve said this before…I love my job

Ever since I began paying attention to “21st century” learning and using the many tools and resources available to teachers and students, I have followed wonderful blog posts and Tweets from this mentor. I’ve learned everything from simple trouble-shooting tips to seeing exciting and dynamic examples of relevant and engaging instruction. This mentor is personable, funny, smart, and I am so glad that he is doing the good work that he is.

And yet…

Having been raised in – and having left – a society where racism, sexism, and bigotry are still very much an accepted part of daily life, I find that my patience with these viewpoints is scarce. Hatred, even in its mildest form of exclusion, has no place in our society in 2011, even especially when it comes under the thin guise of “tradition,” “beliefs,” or “culture.” We live in a multi-faceted, global society where NO ONE should be excluded from pursuing their life’s calling because of their race, gender, or sexual preference.

And so…I unsubscribed from my mentor’s blog, unfollowed his Tweets. A part of me wonders if this very act is also a form of exclusion and if I’m now guilty of hypocrisy. The message I wish to send, however, is the same message I wish we sent to politicians, musicians, sports stars, and anyone else to whom others look for guidance, entertainment, or inspiration: you cannot expect me to join your fan club for the good work you do while turning a blind eye to something as despicable as bigotry.

Close-up of comet Wild 2's nucleus. Credit: NASA/JPL

The dates are July 6 – 15, 2011 and participants will receive at $1200 stipend for participating in the pilot.

The deadline has been extended to May 16. For more information, click here.

Fast forward to 2011 – WOW! What a difference a few years makes. We were able to create virtual schedules of sessions we wanted to attend and exhibitors we wanted to see, several of the sessions (including my iPad session) provided free wireless for participants, our handouts were uploaded electronically, and there were MANY sessions that focused on the use of modern tools and educational ideas. What was really telling was the constant flow of tweets using the hashtag #ascd11. Not only does it seem that ASCD has undergone lots of change internally, externally they are attracting the very audience who is focused on transforming our schools into engaging and dynamic learning environments.

I was also extremely impressed with the involvement of upper management in the conference. The Chief Program Development Officer passing out umbrella bags as participants enter the conference center? That speaks volumes….all good.

Kuddos, ASCD. I can’t wait to attend the next one.

I still have that little publication from 2000 and came across it the other day. In re-reading my article, I noted several things. One, it’s where I see my first musings that would later lead me to getting a Master’s in Information & Learning Technologies, focusing on 21st century classrooms, incorporating modern tools into my instruction…everything that led me to where I am today.

I also noted, with frustration, that we are still having the same conversations eleven years later. Does this mean that I’m going to come across one of my more recent publications in the year 2022 and see the same issues? I most certainly hope not.

In the meantime, here is the article as published in November of 2000. To put this year in perspective: I had just purchased my first cell phone and laptop that summer. The three computers I had in my classroom were the Apple “candy” colored desktops. No one had ever heard of an iPod, a PLN, or wikis. I see imperfections in some of my thinking, but I can also see seeds of what would grow into my love of networking with other educators and helping students to think deeply rather than look up facts. (You can also see evidence that I was really into Jared Diamond’s work at the time.)

Montessori for the 21st Century: The Changing Face of Montessori

by Elizabeth A. Ross

It’s common knowledge when discussing the development of a species…

It’s often a driving statement behind the restructuring of a business…

It is true of any machine, life form, or philosophy…

That which does not evolve eventually dies.

Many Montessorians, as of late, have had to struggle with this phenomenon. In this age of research, technology, and more quickly changing societies, when students are having to learn more information at an increasing speed, we find ourselves sometimes having to make tough decisions. Should I focus more on keyboarding skills? How much time should I spend teaching test-taking strategies? How soon should children be proficient at using a CD-ROM and the Web? With an already-full curriculum, what are we willing to sacrifice for these added units?

I guiltily find myself asking: Is knowledge of facts now as important as being able to independently find the answers when needed? I seems that, as some point, one has to stop memorizing and begin learning reference material.

Life coach Martha Beck recently wrote in the September issue of Real Simple magazine: “Consider…that there’s more information in one daily edition of The New York Times than the average 18-century person would have consumed in a lifetime.”

Not only is there more to know now, but the profile of a typical Montessori student has shifted incredibly since its beginning. Maria Montessori shaped her philosophy and materials based upon observations of inner-city, underprivileged children in the 1800s. While children share many commonalities throughout ages, cultures, and socioeconomic circumstances, most children educated in the Montessori tradition today come from middle- to upper-class homes. They have been reared by well-educated parents. They have been entertained by TV, the Web, and various electronics. They are generally well-traveled and have a vast knowledge of the world at a very early age. Can we compete and hold these children’s interest with traditional Montessori? (Incidentally, many Charter Schools and Head Start programs are thankfully making Montessori available to children of all backgrounds. Montessorians are so grateful to finally see such a wonderful program offered to everyone.)

Even within my own 6-9 classroom, I’m seeing changes. By the third grade, gone is the interest in using the Stamp Game or learning plant nomenclature. The children make mental leaps earlier and earlier with each passing year. Sadly, things that glitter and move hold much more of an interest than those beloved green, blue, and red tiles. A child will not necessarily get exposure to every wonderful material Montessori has to offer. Now, to keep from boring the learner, I have to quickly move on once a concept is understood.

What’s a Montessorian to do? I believe the first step is finding others who are sharing these frustrations. Knowledge that others are feeling torn between what we were taught as fundamental in our training and answering the twenty-first century’s educational demands would be a great relief. From that point, sharing ideas is a must. Montessori must undergo some changes, but we need to be able to also hold on to what makes Montessori education the beauty that it is. This also filters into training centers: do they keep the training pure or must they, too, revolutionize? How many changes are too many changes? When is Montessori no longer Montessori?

This book, unlike Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, allowed us to have a little more creative license as we imagined four possible scenarios of what education could look like in the year 2020. It was a fascinating process of identifying current trends (or “certainties”), then finding the two critical uncertainties that would most affect us as an organization. I think any school or district could benefit from this process. The book is intended for educators to imagine their role in all four of these scenarios and the book includes tools to help them do so.

For more information, visit Solution Tree’s website.