Sara Ernstmeyer
Prep:25min. Bake:30 min. + cooling Yield: 20 servings
2 c. water
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. canola oil
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. flour
1/3 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
FROSTING:
2-2/3 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/3 c. caramel ice cream topping (sugar-free works well)
3 T. butter, softened
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3-6 T. fat-free milk
1.In a large mixing bowl, beat the first six ingredients until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended.
2.Pour into a 13”x9”x2” baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake @ 350 for 28-32 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3.For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, combine the frosting ingredients to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost cake – store in the refrigerator.
(1 piece = 259 calories, 6g fat (1 sat. fat), 5mg cholesterol, 277 mg sodium, 50g carb. 1g fiber, 2g protein.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Where we are, where we go from here?
This was taken during a presentation in Second Life. But, the message is still clear, the left hand side states where we are, and the right hand side tells us where we should be in the world of schooling. I wonder if people agree with this or disagree.
Friday, May 9, 2008
What Resources are out there for me with no budget to use?
Administrator Role in Technology It is meant for small Lutheran Schools, but all of the resources that are mention could be used by anyone.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Example of Negative Reactions to Authority
At my previous school we had a teacher and principal who were good friends. They would call each other “boss” and the teacher thought she deserved to be the “next boss”. The teacher did her own thing and did not care who stood in her way. Even when the principal would state something, if the teacher did not agree, she did not follow. The principal would never reprimand her and she just gave in. This lead me to have negative reactions to Authority, the principal. I did not feel safe or welcome to go to her with my concerns. I would go over her head when I had an issue with her buddy and went to the chair of the board of education. I knew if I told the principal it would get back to the teacher and the teacher would talk about me badly in front of her students, which she has previously done with any teacher that questions anything she does. It divided the school, with most of the teachers feeling like I did. This situation also played into my decision to change schools. I did not want to be in that type of environment. It was not good for me. It drained me and stressed me out immensely. In this case it looked ugly and as much as I tried to stay positive in front of the children I am sure they knew bad air flew through the classrooms. There were many different ways for this problem to be solved. My leaving was how I solved the problem for me personally. If the principal stepped up and became a leader, that would have solved the problem as well. As mentioned the dangers are that students overhear and find out about the situation, and that is the worst problem of all. Resentment and anger follows through the years and are irremovable. I am just happy I took the chance to escape to save my own physical and spiritual health.
Journal Review "Leadership and the effective use of power" (I hate how I can't just copy it from MS Word)
Fuqua, Jr., H, Payne, K, & Cangemi, J. Leadership and the effective use of power. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, 17-E, no. 4, Retrieved March 29, 2008, from http://www.nationalforum.com/TOCeas.html.
Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi states, “the currency of leadership, essential to influencing others, involves eight factors; support system, information, credibility, visibility, legitimacy, persuasiveness, charisma, and agenda setting.” They focus on the successful ways leaders influence their followers to produce an effect. They believe each of the factors when used correctly and efficiently produces the best type of leadership or authority. The journal states how an effective leader becomes more powerful and uses that new power. According to Max Depree (http://tinyurl.com/34npeq), “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” Does what Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi state what a leader needs for power contradicts or fall in line with Depree? Lets find out.
The first essential factor Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi state is a support system. No matter what you are doing, you need people who will back you up and support you. As a basketball coach this year, never coaching basketball before, I used a support system of fellow coaches and friends that I can trust and that I knew supported me in trying something new. It paid off because every girl improved from the beginning of the year, we had fun, and we were successful. Someone who is struggling with alcohol will say that their support system is what helps them succeed. A support system can help you define what is realistic and what is just off the wall.
The next essential factor is information. Fuqua and etcetera say, “knowing where to find information and obtain it quickly,” is the key aspect of information. It is humanly impossible for anyone to know the answer to every question their employee might ask, but they should sure know where to find the answer. When I was teaching seventh and eighth grade Science and Social Studies, unfortunately I did not know the answer to some of the problems or when they asked something that was a little off task. Luckily though, I know how to find the answer, and with the World Wide Web, this is very easily done. The act of responding to someone quickly with the correct information they were looking for will show that you care about what your employees are asking.
The next essential factor is credibility. The Leadership Development Center says, “Credibility is the basic foundation of effective leadership. It makes a significant difference in your ability to influence others in your organization.” (http://tinyurl.com/yqz3rk). A man is only as good as his word. Credibility builds trust. Trust builds respect. Once you are respected by someone, they will follow your lead to the brink of death. Recently the University of Michigan football team lost their Head coach for more than a decade, Lloyd Carr. His last few years of coaching were under fire for not being able to beat Ohio State University. If you ask any of his players they would do anything for him. He might not have been the best coach winning every game and even losing a few games that he should have won. However, his players respected him and his credibility was phenomenal. He remembered every player that ever played for him and they most certainly remember him. Players have left Michigan since the coaching change because they believe the family values have eroded and the credibility of the coaching staff is gone.
The next essential factor is visibility. It says a lot to a team when their leader takes on a challenge and knows they can succeed. This is similar to when an athlete makes a guaranteed win. Two things are happening, sometimes at the same time. One view of a guaranteed win is that the athlete is so confident that his team is better than the other that it is just a statement of truth. Another view is the individual who is making the claim knows that his team is capable of doing such a feat and is trying to inspire the team and make the team work harder. Sadly, another view is that the athlete making the claim is just out of their mind. In Education, administrators need to set the bar high for their staff. When the leader helps the staff meet those standards, his stock goes up with the staff. They see that he will ask for the best and will work hard to get them there.
The next essential factor is legitimacy. Think of it as is your running for office and the president of the United States endorses you. My wife is a radiological technologist and she is pretty good at what she does. It is always nice when her supervisors come up to her and say that the radiologist was very impressed with her work.
The next essential factor is persuasiveness. This can come in the form of coerciveness, fear, or respect. A leader needs to be able to win a debate on any topic of any side or in layman’s terms, “sell ice to an Eskimo.”
The next essential factor is charisma. Dan Reiland, Vice President of Leadership Development of INJOY asked, “How can you have charisma?” then answered, “Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you.” John C. Maxwell writes about charisma in his book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, where he states that a leader needs to have charisma because the first impression can seal the deal. He goes on to say that to become more charismatic you need to love life, put a “10” on every person’s head (expect the best out of others), give people hope, and share yourself (Maxwell, p8-11).
The last essential factor is agenda setting. Fuqua states that we should know when meetings will be held and know when to add to the agenda in just the right spot to get the maximum out of our staff. Staff meetings are where I believe an administrator shines or falls. If it is too long or too boring, no one wants to be there. It has to be just right and the agenda has to be perfect.
I believe if you follow the eight factors Fuqua has set up you will meet Depree’s simple definition of what a leader is. Fuqua doesn’t touch on servant hood directly, which is Depree’s main goal of a leader, but I believe you will be a servant by acting proficiently on each of the factors. Become the powerful leader you can by achieving your own personal power style. Remember that in any situation you may need to have your authority be forced, come from tradition, or earn it. The most influential way to earn respect is to treat others as you want to be treated.
Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi states, “the currency of leadership, essential to influencing others, involves eight factors; support system, information, credibility, visibility, legitimacy, persuasiveness, charisma, and agenda setting.” They focus on the successful ways leaders influence their followers to produce an effect. They believe each of the factors when used correctly and efficiently produces the best type of leadership or authority. The journal states how an effective leader becomes more powerful and uses that new power. According to Max Depree (http://tinyurl.com/34npeq), “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” Does what Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi state what a leader needs for power contradicts or fall in line with Depree? Lets find out.
The first essential factor Fuqua, Payne, and Cangemi state is a support system. No matter what you are doing, you need people who will back you up and support you. As a basketball coach this year, never coaching basketball before, I used a support system of fellow coaches and friends that I can trust and that I knew supported me in trying something new. It paid off because every girl improved from the beginning of the year, we had fun, and we were successful. Someone who is struggling with alcohol will say that their support system is what helps them succeed. A support system can help you define what is realistic and what is just off the wall.
The next essential factor is information. Fuqua and etcetera say, “knowing where to find information and obtain it quickly,” is the key aspect of information. It is humanly impossible for anyone to know the answer to every question their employee might ask, but they should sure know where to find the answer. When I was teaching seventh and eighth grade Science and Social Studies, unfortunately I did not know the answer to some of the problems or when they asked something that was a little off task. Luckily though, I know how to find the answer, and with the World Wide Web, this is very easily done. The act of responding to someone quickly with the correct information they were looking for will show that you care about what your employees are asking.
The next essential factor is credibility. The Leadership Development Center says, “Credibility is the basic foundation of effective leadership. It makes a significant difference in your ability to influence others in your organization.” (http://tinyurl.com/yqz3rk). A man is only as good as his word. Credibility builds trust. Trust builds respect. Once you are respected by someone, they will follow your lead to the brink of death. Recently the University of Michigan football team lost their Head coach for more than a decade, Lloyd Carr. His last few years of coaching were under fire for not being able to beat Ohio State University. If you ask any of his players they would do anything for him. He might not have been the best coach winning every game and even losing a few games that he should have won. However, his players respected him and his credibility was phenomenal. He remembered every player that ever played for him and they most certainly remember him. Players have left Michigan since the coaching change because they believe the family values have eroded and the credibility of the coaching staff is gone.
The next essential factor is visibility. It says a lot to a team when their leader takes on a challenge and knows they can succeed. This is similar to when an athlete makes a guaranteed win. Two things are happening, sometimes at the same time. One view of a guaranteed win is that the athlete is so confident that his team is better than the other that it is just a statement of truth. Another view is the individual who is making the claim knows that his team is capable of doing such a feat and is trying to inspire the team and make the team work harder. Sadly, another view is that the athlete making the claim is just out of their mind. In Education, administrators need to set the bar high for their staff. When the leader helps the staff meet those standards, his stock goes up with the staff. They see that he will ask for the best and will work hard to get them there.
The next essential factor is legitimacy. Think of it as is your running for office and the president of the United States endorses you. My wife is a radiological technologist and she is pretty good at what she does. It is always nice when her supervisors come up to her and say that the radiologist was very impressed with her work.
The next essential factor is persuasiveness. This can come in the form of coerciveness, fear, or respect. A leader needs to be able to win a debate on any topic of any side or in layman’s terms, “sell ice to an Eskimo.”
The next essential factor is charisma. Dan Reiland, Vice President of Leadership Development of INJOY asked, “How can you have charisma?” then answered, “Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you.” John C. Maxwell writes about charisma in his book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, where he states that a leader needs to have charisma because the first impression can seal the deal. He goes on to say that to become more charismatic you need to love life, put a “10” on every person’s head (expect the best out of others), give people hope, and share yourself (Maxwell, p8-11).
The last essential factor is agenda setting. Fuqua states that we should know when meetings will be held and know when to add to the agenda in just the right spot to get the maximum out of our staff. Staff meetings are where I believe an administrator shines or falls. If it is too long or too boring, no one wants to be there. It has to be just right and the agenda has to be perfect.
I believe if you follow the eight factors Fuqua has set up you will meet Depree’s simple definition of what a leader is. Fuqua doesn’t touch on servant hood directly, which is Depree’s main goal of a leader, but I believe you will be a servant by acting proficiently on each of the factors. Become the powerful leader you can by achieving your own personal power style. Remember that in any situation you may need to have your authority be forced, come from tradition, or earn it. The most influential way to earn respect is to treat others as you want to be treated.
Case Study #30
Case Study # 30
Analyze the Case
#1) I have ranked the concerns from most important to least important. I would want to fix the higher ranked issues first and foremost.
1. Many teachers considered the leaders to be pawns of the principal, since the leaders were rarely switched year after year.
2. The SLT members were handpicked by the principal rather than selected by each team.
3. Those teachers who were more adamant and convincing often received more money out of the school budget for supplies and programs.
4. A few representatives, including Principal Botts, dominated the decision-making process.
5. Some teams left voting entirely up to the representative.
6. The SLT leaders felt that more tasks were delegated to them as time passed.
7. Several teams rarely met because the representative’s notes were passed around.
8. Teachers requesting admittance to the Wednesday meetings felt hesitant and intimidated.
#2) The role of each team leader in each group could be very easily consistent throughout the teams if they all followed the same guidelines and manual. They should have a checklist of responsibilities and stay on track. The role of each team leader needs to be that as a listening voice. They should reflect only what the group has decided and voted on. They should only make a decision if there is a split between the rest of the group. They should be organized and efficient communicators. They should report everything that is discussed at the leader meetings. They should follow three simple rules, 1. Be respectful, 2. Be honest, and 3. Be responsible.
#3) Principal Botts will have to refocus the selection process of his team leaders. I would suggest giving more power to the staff. Have the staff vote on who they want to represent them. I believe she should not force anything onto this group as they are spending extra time for the bigger cause. I believe she should also be an active listening voice. She should only make a decision if there is a split between the rest of the leaders. She should also follow the three simple rules of life; respect, honesty, and responsibility.
Discuss the Larger Issues
#1) I believe the easiest and best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative leadership program is to ask the non-leaders in each group. Twice a year a formal evaluation should be taken asking how they perceive the group is working and if they feel their concerns and items are being dealt with in a timely fashion. They should take into consideration whether or not their leader listens to them and informs them as to what they need to know. The committee that issues the evaluations should be made up of a few non-leaders, leaders, and the principal. The results should be calculated and given to the leaders to inform their group.
#3) As mentioned before, being a listening voice and following the three rules, any principal can fit into the puzzle just as any other piece. They are that final piece of the puzzle. They need to watch and see how others are reacting to the shared leadership decisions.
Be a Problem Solver
Dear Staff,
It has come to my attention that I have been a little off base and missed the boat on my thinking of what is going on. I would like to apologize and reassure you that this will be fixed. As the administrator, I have decided to make a few changes that I think you will find most pleasing. At the beginning of each school year and half way through, we will vote for our department leaders. Each department will decide who they would like to represent them. The voted on member must gree that they will and can take on this responsibility. Some feel that those who participate more receive extra money out of the school budget. We do have a strict policy to follow when it comes to the budget and we must stick to that. If any of you feel you need more or less money for supplies, please let me know and I will bring this matter forward to the budget committee. My job is to listen first and only be called on to make a decision if there is a split decision among the leaders. I will also override any decision that is just impractical or deters away from our handbooks. Please be aware that your leaders have the same responsibility as I do. They are there to be a listening voice. They may provide input and help lead the discussion but only make the finial decision if there is a split among your department. Everyone has a specific job to do and we need everyone to be on board to be fair and just to the students and ourselves. Depending on the time of year, the leaders will have more or less responsibilities to overcome. I understand time is very important and I thank all of my leaders for the extra time it takes to do what they do. As mentioned before, each meeting is very important and each week I urge you to meet to discuss within your departments what is good, what is bad, and what is going on. If any of you felt hesitant or intimidated about coming to a Wednesday meeting, I am truly sorry. Please stop by any time we even have coffee and donuts once in a while. I hope this has helped eased your fears about our leadership team. I truly believe we will be moving in the right direction once again. If you have any questions about the changes or still have fears, please talk with your leader or myself. My door is always open for you. I will leave you with three words that we must all live by: respect, honesty, and responsibility.
Dr. Botts
Investigate Further
Being in a private Lutheran school, I don’t really have a school district. Although I am not part of the group, I know that every principal in our synod district (Pacific Southwest) meet once a month. They discuss what is going on in their schools and discuss issues each of them are having at their own schools. They build each other up by giving examples as to how they solve similar problems. More recently, something I am part of is our S.T.A.T (School Technology Advisory Team) online group. http://psdstat.ning.com/. Alan Lutz of St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Orange, California who is the chairman of STAT says, “We are mainly teachers helping teachers throughout the Pacific Southwest District of the Lutheran Church with anything technology.” We discuss anything about technology and how our schools can utilize and promote. If we have a question we can post a question online and it will be answered usually with in days, sometimes minutes. Alan created this group to expand STAT but got the idea from Rob Jacklin of St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, MO. He created a national version of Alan’s site with discussion about technology in the Lutheran schools throughout the nation (http://techls.ning.com/). Some of the ideas that have been discussed on techls.ning.com is being utilized by changing the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net.
Analyze the Case
#1) I have ranked the concerns from most important to least important. I would want to fix the higher ranked issues first and foremost.
1. Many teachers considered the leaders to be pawns of the principal, since the leaders were rarely switched year after year.
2. The SLT members were handpicked by the principal rather than selected by each team.
3. Those teachers who were more adamant and convincing often received more money out of the school budget for supplies and programs.
4. A few representatives, including Principal Botts, dominated the decision-making process.
5. Some teams left voting entirely up to the representative.
6. The SLT leaders felt that more tasks were delegated to them as time passed.
7. Several teams rarely met because the representative’s notes were passed around.
8. Teachers requesting admittance to the Wednesday meetings felt hesitant and intimidated.
#2) The role of each team leader in each group could be very easily consistent throughout the teams if they all followed the same guidelines and manual. They should have a checklist of responsibilities and stay on track. The role of each team leader needs to be that as a listening voice. They should reflect only what the group has decided and voted on. They should only make a decision if there is a split between the rest of the group. They should be organized and efficient communicators. They should report everything that is discussed at the leader meetings. They should follow three simple rules, 1. Be respectful, 2. Be honest, and 3. Be responsible.
#3) Principal Botts will have to refocus the selection process of his team leaders. I would suggest giving more power to the staff. Have the staff vote on who they want to represent them. I believe she should not force anything onto this group as they are spending extra time for the bigger cause. I believe she should also be an active listening voice. She should only make a decision if there is a split between the rest of the leaders. She should also follow the three simple rules of life; respect, honesty, and responsibility.
Discuss the Larger Issues
#1) I believe the easiest and best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative leadership program is to ask the non-leaders in each group. Twice a year a formal evaluation should be taken asking how they perceive the group is working and if they feel their concerns and items are being dealt with in a timely fashion. They should take into consideration whether or not their leader listens to them and informs them as to what they need to know. The committee that issues the evaluations should be made up of a few non-leaders, leaders, and the principal. The results should be calculated and given to the leaders to inform their group.
#3) As mentioned before, being a listening voice and following the three rules, any principal can fit into the puzzle just as any other piece. They are that final piece of the puzzle. They need to watch and see how others are reacting to the shared leadership decisions.
Be a Problem Solver
Dear Staff,
It has come to my attention that I have been a little off base and missed the boat on my thinking of what is going on. I would like to apologize and reassure you that this will be fixed. As the administrator, I have decided to make a few changes that I think you will find most pleasing. At the beginning of each school year and half way through, we will vote for our department leaders. Each department will decide who they would like to represent them. The voted on member must gree that they will and can take on this responsibility. Some feel that those who participate more receive extra money out of the school budget. We do have a strict policy to follow when it comes to the budget and we must stick to that. If any of you feel you need more or less money for supplies, please let me know and I will bring this matter forward to the budget committee. My job is to listen first and only be called on to make a decision if there is a split decision among the leaders. I will also override any decision that is just impractical or deters away from our handbooks. Please be aware that your leaders have the same responsibility as I do. They are there to be a listening voice. They may provide input and help lead the discussion but only make the finial decision if there is a split among your department. Everyone has a specific job to do and we need everyone to be on board to be fair and just to the students and ourselves. Depending on the time of year, the leaders will have more or less responsibilities to overcome. I understand time is very important and I thank all of my leaders for the extra time it takes to do what they do. As mentioned before, each meeting is very important and each week I urge you to meet to discuss within your departments what is good, what is bad, and what is going on. If any of you felt hesitant or intimidated about coming to a Wednesday meeting, I am truly sorry. Please stop by any time we even have coffee and donuts once in a while. I hope this has helped eased your fears about our leadership team. I truly believe we will be moving in the right direction once again. If you have any questions about the changes or still have fears, please talk with your leader or myself. My door is always open for you. I will leave you with three words that we must all live by: respect, honesty, and responsibility.
Dr. Botts
Investigate Further
Being in a private Lutheran school, I don’t really have a school district. Although I am not part of the group, I know that every principal in our synod district (Pacific Southwest) meet once a month. They discuss what is going on in their schools and discuss issues each of them are having at their own schools. They build each other up by giving examples as to how they solve similar problems. More recently, something I am part of is our S.T.A.T (School Technology Advisory Team) online group. http://psdstat.ning.com/. Alan Lutz of St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Orange, California who is the chairman of STAT says, “We are mainly teachers helping teachers throughout the Pacific Southwest District of the Lutheran Church with anything technology.” We discuss anything about technology and how our schools can utilize and promote. If we have a question we can post a question online and it will be answered usually with in days, sometimes minutes. Alan created this group to expand STAT but got the idea from Rob Jacklin of St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, MO. He created a national version of Alan’s site with discussion about technology in the Lutheran schools throughout the nation (http://techls.ning.com/). Some of the ideas that have been discussed on techls.ning.com is being utilized by changing the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Path-Goal Theory, Good Leader, and Lack of Acceptance Post.
In the past five years I have been at three schools and with three completely different administrators. My current principal meets every aspect which a principal should meet. For me, my current administration is close to perfection. My principal uses a path-goal theory. She has supported me in every personal and professional goal I have decided to pursue. She does not set me up to fail as I have had previous administrators do in the past. She guides me along the way giving help when help is needed and pushing me to find a way to do what is best for the school and students. She works with the teacher to overcome specific challenges with students or parents. I believe this is the best method for our school and we are fortunate that this is how our administrator operates.
Groups can be formed for numerous reasons and contain many different types of people. You can have a few members or many members. No matter what type of group you have, you need a good leader to facilitate the group. The leader of this group is not necessarily a dictator. They must make each person feel welcome and part of the group. They need to listen to the group. The leader needs to be organized and follow an objected outline. The group must agree that they are all working toward the same goals. The leader needs to allow each group member to insert as much input as needed and required. I would compare a group to any sports team. The leader is the coach and the group members are the players. It is the coach’s job to direct and motivate the team. The team’s job is to do a lot of the hard work that the outsiders see. The coach/leader job is a little more non-public but it is very important. It should be a fun experience as long as things get done. According to http://effectivemeetings.com a team leader needs the following attributes, 1) Coach do not demonstrate, do not hold the groups hand. Let them learn how to do things. 2) Provide constructive criticism, use the sandwich technique. Say something nice, something they need to work on, and then something nice again. This will help ease the pain of the so called negative (bad) remark. 3) Back off, let your group do the tasks you asked them to do. 4) Try to be positive, the group will mimic the leader. Lastly, 5) Value your group’s ideas. Help develop their ideas into working productive aspects.
This year there has been only one main issue. “There is a lack of acceptance” by a few teachers that we need to be more technology sound as a school. Although we currently have a technology coordinator, I was brought in to help with the technology improvement of our school. One of the improvements I have helped implement is the use of an online grading system. Besides being easy to use after a little learning curve, it is beneficial mainly because any parent can check their child’s grade online. A few teachers do not see the need for this and the need for changing how they have done things for the last 10 years. Their reason behind this is the feeling of discouragement when there is a little setback or technology is just not working that day. Dennis Grice of St. John’s Lutheran School of Orange, CA recently discussed his frustration of when Web 2.0 tools do not work at http://tinyurl.com/3atkgy. I understand the new factor and how it could be scary. As teachers, however we have to admit to ourselves that we do not have all the answers all the time and that we will be willing to be flexible. In my past school the main problem was “inadequate group leadership, organization, and communication.” The principal checked out mentally my last year of teaching at that school. She would only communicate with one teacher, who was a personal friend for a long time. She would say we said things when we did not. She passed the buck when issues or problems came up. She would blame anyone she could in order to make herself look good. It really tore the staff into two groups. This was one of the reasons why I decided to take my current call. I am very content to be at my current school and to not have to deal with the numerous problems and issues that were at my last two placements.
Groups can be formed for numerous reasons and contain many different types of people. You can have a few members or many members. No matter what type of group you have, you need a good leader to facilitate the group. The leader of this group is not necessarily a dictator. They must make each person feel welcome and part of the group. They need to listen to the group. The leader needs to be organized and follow an objected outline. The group must agree that they are all working toward the same goals. The leader needs to allow each group member to insert as much input as needed and required. I would compare a group to any sports team. The leader is the coach and the group members are the players. It is the coach’s job to direct and motivate the team. The team’s job is to do a lot of the hard work that the outsiders see. The coach/leader job is a little more non-public but it is very important. It should be a fun experience as long as things get done. According to http://effectivemeetings.com a team leader needs the following attributes, 1) Coach do not demonstrate, do not hold the groups hand. Let them learn how to do things. 2) Provide constructive criticism, use the sandwich technique. Say something nice, something they need to work on, and then something nice again. This will help ease the pain of the so called negative (bad) remark. 3) Back off, let your group do the tasks you asked them to do. 4) Try to be positive, the group will mimic the leader. Lastly, 5) Value your group’s ideas. Help develop their ideas into working productive aspects.
This year there has been only one main issue. “There is a lack of acceptance” by a few teachers that we need to be more technology sound as a school. Although we currently have a technology coordinator, I was brought in to help with the technology improvement of our school. One of the improvements I have helped implement is the use of an online grading system. Besides being easy to use after a little learning curve, it is beneficial mainly because any parent can check their child’s grade online. A few teachers do not see the need for this and the need for changing how they have done things for the last 10 years. Their reason behind this is the feeling of discouragement when there is a little setback or technology is just not working that day. Dennis Grice of St. John’s Lutheran School of Orange, CA recently discussed his frustration of when Web 2.0 tools do not work at http://tinyurl.com/3atkgy. I understand the new factor and how it could be scary. As teachers, however we have to admit to ourselves that we do not have all the answers all the time and that we will be willing to be flexible. In my past school the main problem was “inadequate group leadership, organization, and communication.” The principal checked out mentally my last year of teaching at that school. She would only communicate with one teacher, who was a personal friend for a long time. She would say we said things when we did not. She passed the buck when issues or problems came up. She would blame anyone she could in order to make herself look good. It really tore the staff into two groups. This was one of the reasons why I decided to take my current call. I am very content to be at my current school and to not have to deal with the numerous problems and issues that were at my last two placements.
Journal Review E-Learning (Format might not copied over correctly from MS Word)
New Answers for E-LearningWikis and avatars are improving the educational experienceBy Kim ClarkPosted January 10, 2008With dorm bills and gasoline prices skyrocketing, it's no wonder 3.5 million students are now opting to stay home and take online college courses. Unfortunately, as many of those students have discovered, E-learning courses have disadvantages, too. Online courses often can be more boring and less educational than traditional classes. They also tend to have higher dropout rates and—on average—yield lower grades than regular students get.New Answers for E-Learning - US News and World Report
Clark, Kim (2008,Jan,10). New
answer for e-learning: Wikis and avatars are improving the educational experience. U.S. News,
Retrieved March 2, 2008, from http://www.usnews.com
As a teacher I would want my class to be as fun as possible
and as effective as it can be. I have used some of the suggestions made in this
article. "VoiceThread" http://www.voicethread.com
is a great tool to engage the students and to make learning fun. As an administrator
you could use VoiceThread for a staff development exercise. You could post a
picture of a situation that you have seen on your campus and ask the staff how
they would handle the situation. They can each add their own opinions and
understand where their administrator, who would tell them how the situation
should be handled, stands on each issue. You could also use this too as a way
to see which curriculum each staff member would like to use. With VoiceThread,
a teachers best e-learning web 2.0 tool is a blog. I use this even in the third
grade. My students write on different questions or topics I propose to them. I
might post a picture and they have to write a story about it. One of the best
uses of a blog I have seen from an administrator is GLS Insights & Wanderings.
The second item that is beneficial is the statement
Sierra College Student Matt Kerr makes, He was, "...immersed in research,
thinking, writing and learning," with E-Learning. As a teacher, this is
what we want and as a student this is what we should be doing. So many times
you hear the story, that a teacher is celebrating their 40th year teaching. In
reality, however, they are celebrating their first year teaching 40 times. They
never changed one word from their lesson plans. We are teaching kids for jobs
that are not created yet. This is stated in the video "Did You Know?"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xHWTLA8WecI.
It is our duty and job to change how we do things to keep students immersed.
Even if that means that we as teachers need to be immersed in research,
thinking, writing, and most importantly, learning.
I also found interesting the higher dropout rates
for E-Learners compared to that of regular students. The article states
Isolation is the most common reason. With the cohort, I would believe this will
eliminate any feelings of isolation. I do understand the statement that
students are not honest with themselves about how much time they have to
dedicate to learning. Personally, I have to cut a few things out of my life
that I enjoy doing. I need to stay up later or wake up earlier. A good support
system is what everyone needs. I am hoping the cohort will be a good support
system besides my family.
This article offers several of the best methods the
student should look for in any online learning program. I believe CUW is
meeting all the practices thus far.
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