Transformative Principal

Shawn is a principal in British Columbia and is doing some amazing things with technology at his school, including having kindergartners use iPads to create amazing projects. In this interview, we discuss the following:

• What Shawn is most excited about relating to technology in his school.
• Why do we use technology in schools?
• Learning as scaffolding and focusing on learning first, and technology second.
• Blended learning as having digital and physical tools in front of the student at the same time.
• Powerful for learning are situations that capture what a student is thinking.
• Shawn’s role as principal to teachers regarding technology in the school: Permission to try, permission to fail.
• How to gain trust from your faculty. We are in a relationship business.
• They need me to support them when they need support and challenge them when they need to be challenged.
• Reflecting in front of your teachers and being vulnerable in front of them.
• H/T to @ChrisWejr about 5 things to roar about blog posts.
• Positive blog posts went from no big deal to students finding those positive events in the school.
• Key elements to 5 things to roar about posts: celebrate success (student and staff successes) and give parents an idea of what learning looks like in our school.
• What can we do to be a transformative principal? Mindset, tell the story of your school and do it wherever you are comfortable.
• What reminds him about why he is doing this great work? For his own kids.

Sponsor: Sanebox

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• Simplify and streamline technology
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• Improve student performance on state assessments