Two things happened last week that convinces me that you must speed up the implementation of bootleg technology in your classroom and on your campus.
The first was the announcement that Newsweek will cease publishing a paper version of its magazine at the end of this year. Starting in 2013, the easiest to read Newsweek will be on some bootleg technology device. This isn’t the tip of the iceberg, this is the tipping point.
The second was a conversation I had with a LYS principal, who is by all accounts one of the top-five high school principals in Texas. This principal told me, as a statement of fact, that in three years, his campus will no longer issue textbooks to students. Instead, the campus will issue an e-reader of some sort. Unless the student already owns such a device, which most of them currently do. In that case, they will just give the student access to the required texts and resources. He’s not worried about the cost, because he estimates that as of right now, this plan is revenue neutral. In three years, the plan will represent a significant cost savings, allowing the plan to fund itself. Again, this isn’t the tip of the iceberg, this is the tipping point.
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 October 14, 2012.
1. Homework is an equity issue. Students without adequate support at home will not be able to complete it. (By @jackson_carrie)
2. If your students keep making the same mistakes, at some point you have to change the mode and content of the instruction.
3. It’s funny how many “good things” we do in schools that get in the way of student learning. (By @jaredpeters23)
4. The 1-yr student suspension has nothing to do with restorative discipline and teaching and everything to do with the adult need for revenge.
5. Instead of accountability loopholes that lower the floor for low SES students, how about step-ups that raise the ceiling for high SES kids?
6. Frequent Small Group Purposeful Talk builds academic language by fostering academic interactions and fortifying academic output…are your students talking or are you? (By @brandyjbaker)
7. Cain, awesome presentation today at the AIE Conference. They should have given you a longer session (By @PrincipalAlton)
8. Does credit recovery cheapen a high school diploma? Short answer – Yes. Complicated answer – Yes, but it doesn’t matter.
9. Best presentation at the AIE Conference, The Fundamental 5 by Cain. Need to have them next year. (By @PrincipalAlton)
10. Voucher proponents are all about “School Choice”. As a believer in the sanctity of public schools, I am “Pro School”.
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), 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
