School has started, or is soon to start, across the country.  Hopefully, your school has moved forward in embracing bootleg technology.  If not, don’t give up.  Bootleg technology represents a significant and positive shift in education culture. It is a shift away from the illusion of absolute adult control and the role of the adult as the source of knowledge that has driven American schools for generations.  This shift will not occur overnight and will not always be smooth.  But as the innovators and early adopters share their successes, the majority will follow.  If you are one of these people (innovator and early adopter), teach, advocate and help you fellow educators.  Much sooner that you realize, sheer peer pressure will force the laggards among us join the 21st century. Even if they do so kicking and screaming.  Have a great 2012 / 2013 school year!

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter.  If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us.  To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of August 19, 2012.

1. With grades, you have to ask yourself, “What am I measuring? Who got it first? Or, who got it?” 99% of schools measure the wrong thing.

2. If you want to count student formative assessment as a test grade, you either have missed the point or we don’t share a common vocabulary.

3. Promising meeting with my teachers on the Fundamental Five. Why would we NOT use these strategies? Can’t wait for PowerWalks! (By @GloffMona)

4. Talked PowerWalks with faculty today. Touted its benefits as a coaching assessment. Transparency, with data. Goal of 400 by Christmas. (By @blitzkrieg607)

5. Tired of people picking on school districts whose people elected to build facilities for their children/community to use for years to come. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

6. To the guy who is mad because I caught him reading a magazine during my presentation. Thanks for demonstrating the power of the Power Zone.

7. Traditional homework and parents working with their children at home have as much in common as hot dogs and warm puppies. (By @txschoolsupe)

8. ‪So, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) is the best book on instructional practices… What’s #2 on your list? (By @mike_metz)

9. PowerWalks are a fundamental leadership practice. The Instructional Leader’s, ‘Power Zone!’

10. Best introduction I’ve had in a long time, “He’s not Rich Allen. But he’s a pretty good second place.”

Think. Work. Achieve. Your turn…

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote), Advancing Improvement in Education Conference (Multiple Presentations), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation