21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020

Last night I read and posted the clip on '21 Things That Became Obsolete in the Last Decade'. Well, just for kicks, I put together my own list of '21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020'.

1. Desks
The 21st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your students. Allow the network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21st century learning.

2. Language Labs
Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.

3. Computers
Ok, so this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: 'Our concept of what a computer is'. Because computing is going mobile and over the next decade we're going to see the full fury of individualized computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can't wait.

4. Homework
The 21st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear. And despite whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don't need kids to 'go to school' more; we need them to 'learn' more. And this will be done 24/7 and on the move (see #3).

5. The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions
The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn't far behind. Over the next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor in college admissions.

6. Differentiated Instruction as the Sign of a Distinguished Teacher
The 21st century is customizable. In ten years, the teacher who hasn't yet figured out how to use tech to personalize learning will be the teacher out of a job. Differentiation won't make you 'distinguished'; it'll just be a natural part of your work.

7. Fear of Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the greatest democratizing force in the world right now. If you are afraid of letting your students peruse it, it's time you get over yourself.

8. Paperbacks
Books were nice. In ten years' time, all reading will be via digital means. And yes, I know, you like the 'feel' of paper. Well, in ten years' time you'll hardly tell the difference as 'paper' itself becomes digitized.

9. Attendance Offices
Bio scans. 'Nuff said.

10. Lockers.
A coat-check, maybe.

11. IT Departments
Ok, so this is another trick answer. More subtly put: IT Departments as we currently know them. Cloud computing and a decade's worth of increased wifi and satellite access will make some of the traditional roles of IT -- software, security, and connectivity -- a thing of the past. What will IT professionals do with all their free time? Innovate. Look to tech departments to instigate real change in the function of schools over the next twenty years.

12. Centralized Institutions
School buildings are going to become 'homebases' of learning, not the institutions where all learning happens. Buildings will get smaller and greener, student and teacher schedules will change to allow less people on campus at any one time, and more teachers and students will be going out into their communities to engage in experiential learning.

13. Organization of Educational Services by Grade
Education over the next ten years will become more individualized, leaving the bulk of grade-based learning in the past. Students will form peer groups by interest and these interest groups will petition for specialized learning. The structure of K-12 will be fundamentally altered.

14. Education School Classes that Fail to Integrate Social Technology
This is actually one that could occur over the next five years. Education Schools have to realize that if they are to remain relevant, they are going to have to demand that 21st century tech integration be modelled by the very professors who are supposed to be preparing our teachers.

15. Paid/Outsourced Professional Development
No one knows your school as well as you. With the power of a PLN in their backpockets, teachers will rise up to replace peripatetic professional development gurus as the source of schoolwide prof dev programs. This is already happening.

16. Current Curricular Norms
There is no reason why every student needs to take however many credits in the same course of study as every other student. The root of curricular change will be the shift in middle schools to a role as foundational content providers and high schools as places for specialized learning.

17. Parent-Teacher Conference Night
Ongoing parent-teacher relations in virtual reality will make parent-teacher conference nights seem quaint. Over the next ten years, parents and teachers will become closer than ever as a result of virtual communication opportunities. And parents will drive schools to become ever more tech integrated.

18. Typical Cafeteria Food
Nutrition information + handhelds + cost comparison = the end of $3.00 bowls of microwaved mac and cheese. At least, I so hope so.

19. Outsourced Graphic Design and Webmastering
You need a website/brochure/promo/etc.? Well, for goodness sake just let your kids do it. By the end of the decade -- in the best of schools -- they will be.

20. High School Algebra I
Within the decade, it will either become the norm to teach this course in middle school or we'll have finally woken up to the fact that there's no reason to give algebra weight over statistics and IT in high school for non-math majors (and they will have all taken it in middle school anyway).

21. Paper
In ten years' time, schools will decrease their paper consumption by no less than 90%. And the printing industry and the copier industry and the paper industry itself will either adjust or perish.

What's My Sentence?

http://vimeo.com/8480171

Math and English apps help students study

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/12/13/1564473/math-and-english-apps-help-students.html

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us...

It's worth the ten minutes it takes to watch this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

Technology with Intention

Interesting article about how to use technology in the classroom. It is worth the small amount of time to read.

http://www.billingsmiddleschool.org/beta/2010/11/26/technology-with-intention/

Wikis in the Classroom

Are Your Students Using Wikis to Strengthen Vocabulary Skills?

By Patrick Ledesma on November 8, 2010 6:47 PM | No Comments | No Recommendations

Think about all the ways you promote content vocabulary in your classroom.

Got that bulletin board? Got that word wall? Got a few posters with pictures and words around your classroom? Do students keep a notebook, graphic organizers, or flashcards of important words?

What about wikis?

Yes, wikis.

A wiki is a website of one or more pages that allows people to add and edit content. The most famous wiki is Wikipedia, that online encyclopedia that anyone can add and edit content. While the issue of using Wikipedia for research may be controversial, my focus here is creating your own wikis so students can generate their own content for classroom purposes.

If your district doesn't provide a place to create wikis, lots of educators create wikis on websites such as PBWorks and Wikispaces.

Wikis are a powerful instructional tool for students to develop and practice vocabulary.

Why? When I learned about wikis a few years ago, as a school based technology specialist, I needed to find a way to highlight the instructional value of using wikis so I could convince other teachers to try this new technology.

During that time, building vocabulary using Marzano's research was a major focus in my district. Although technology was not always included in the strategies, using wikis fit almost all of the strategies to promote vocabulary.

What if the students collaboratively developed a class wiki for their content vocabulary?

This is how it works. You assign each student a word or group of words to research. After they have completed their research, they create a page for each word in the class wiki. When students are finished, the class will have their own wiki showing their classroom vocabulary.

It's like a "mini Wikipedia" of content vocabulary for your class that can grow throughout the year!

Here are some of Marzano's vocabulary strategies and why wikis are very useful.

1) Students restate the explanation of the new terms in their own words.

Wiki application: Give the student a vocabulary word(s) and instruct them to research and write their word(s) in a way that is understandable to their friends. This encourages them to restate their explanation in their own words.

2) Students create a non-linguistic representation of the term.

Wiki application: Tell your students that they have to include a picture that illustrates their word. A picture is non-linguistic! (This is terrific for geometry!)

3) Students periodically do activities that help them add to their knowledge and vocabulary terms. Activities can include comparing similarities and differences, classifying, metaphors, and analogies.

Wiki application: Tell your students to give both examples and non examples of their vocabulary word. Or, they can use analogies or metaphors if your subject allows it. (Advanced user tip: using the "Tags" feature in a wiki for each definition is actually requiring students to classify their words. Neat!)

4) Students discuss the terms with one another.

Wiki Application: Here is where things get fun. Since it's a wiki, students can edit each other's definitions. With your guidance, after students have completed their own words, you can have them look up each other's words, analyze what is written, and edit to improve the definition.

Think about the higher level skills students learn and practice as they build on what their classmates have published.

5) Students are involved with games that allow them to play with the terms.

Wiki Application: When your students have finished creating the wiki, you now have a permanent and readily accessible online resource for content vocabulary. What kinds of activities for review, remediation, or enrichment can you create that will encourage your students to access their wiki regularly throughout the year? Lots of possibilities!

And just imagine how useful these wikis will be when you start reviewing for those standardized tests. Your students and parents will have all their important words for the year all in one place.

Using Graphic Organizers to Structure and Format that Wiki

You can use graphic organizers to help students with their research and note-taking. One helpful graphic organizer that I like is the Frayer Model, which requires students to write the definition, characteristics, examples, and non examples. Here are a bunch of Frayer Model examples.

Or, create/edit your own version of the Frayer model using the Marzano strategies you find helpful.

Yes, the Frayer model has been around since the 70's, but it's still terrific for keeping students focused, and it will ensure that all students have the same type of information in their definitions. When you have students do the research, they should fill out their information either electronically or on paper using the good 'ol Frayer format before they edit their wiki pages. This will provide consistency in the structure, format, and content of the definitions.

So, developing vocabulary is in one instructional meaningful way to use wikis.

If you teach a subject that uses vocabulary, add wikis to your arsenal of vocabulary activities!

MOVIE

An 11 minute movie clip from Sir Ken Robinson that could challenge your thinking about education, take a look:

http://bit.ly/RSArobinson

Message for Parents

Helping Your Child Succeed at School

Ron Mirr, Iowa Parent Resource Information Center, www.iowaparents.org

The Iowa PIRC staff has adapted and prioritized 12 ideas for parents to consider to help their children succeed in school. We have put them in order based on what we are finding from various research studies. Feel free to reproduce this and share with students’ parents. You are your child’s best teacher! Research shows that children whose parents are engaged in their education are more likely to achieve academic success. Use the following checklist to plan how you can best help your child learn. As you organize your efforts, make sure to start at the top of the list and work your way down. It’s okay if you can’t do all of the things on this list! If you only have time to do one thing, work on the first item. As you have more time to work with your child, keep heading down the list in order. It is essential to be as positive as possible as you support your child. Don’t forget, these ideas are effective for children in all grades PreK‐12!

1. Have high expectations for your children. Kids rise to a challenge. Make sure your children understand the clear expectations you have for them and how well they should do in school. Talk to your children about your expectation that they will continue their education after they graduate from high school. Encourage your students to talk with their counselor and their teachers about their options

after high school. While it’s OK to reward your children for successes, as your children get older it is important to help them develop an

internal desire to do well in school that doesn’t require rewards.

2. Talk to your child about school. Ask specific questions to draw out your child. Instead of asking “yes” or “no” questions, ask “How do you think you did on the math test?” or “What is something funny that happened at school today?” or “What did you do during PE?” It is very important as you talk with your child about school to help him/her believe in him/herself and have the confidence to know that s/he can succeed. (See Questions to Ask Your Children Besides “How Was Your Day” at (http://bit.ly/9N81ND.)

3. Get “connected” with your child’s teachers. Teachers and parents should be equal partners. This doesn’t mean you have the same role, but you are both equally important players in supporting the success of your child. Ask teachers about their expectations. What are students expected to master by the end of the year in each class? How will each teacher be gauging your child’s progress toward these goals? Ask about the best way to get in touch if you have questions. Ask what you can do at home to support what is going on in the classroom.

4. Make sure your child has a quiet place to study and to learn at home. Find an area in your home that is free of distraction where your child can concentrate on homework and other learning without being disturbed by other distractions. Listening to music while doing homework is not the best way for all students to focus on their homework. Be available to offer suggestions if your child has a question. Make sure your child spends enough time learning at home. A commonly accepted rule is 10 minutes of learning at home per school night per grade level (e.g., 3rd grade = 30 minutes, 6th grade = 60 minutes, 9th grade = 90 minutes, 12th grade = 120 minutes). Students should spend time learning at home every night even if they don’t have specific homework.

5. Get your child “connected” to the school. Students who feel “connected” to adults and other students at school do better academically. Encourage your child to join a club, participate in intramural activities, go out for a sport, or join a music group. If what your child is interested in isn’t offered as a school club or activity, work with the school to start one.

6. Check your child’s homework, but don’t do it. Offer to check math problems, proofread written papers and look over spelling words. If you find a mistake, point it out to your child and help him/her figure out the correct answer. Remember to also point out what your child did well in his/her homework, too. If your child is having trouble encourage him/her to contact his/her peers or look for an online resource. Also encourage your child to ask for help from the teacher. Remember to help your child practice how to ask for help in a

positive way. (See Homework at http://bit.ly/cdaU5p.)

7. Find out about homework assignments and school tests. Use your district’s online computer system or teacher’s webpage to monitor homework assignments and get in the habit of checking it regularly. If you can’t find the information you need about upcoming classroom assignments, contact your child’s teachers and ask them to post when there’s an important project or test coming up. If you feel like you need more information, contact your child’s teacher(s) and ask them to post more information that can help you know how your child is doing and how you can support him/her at home.

8. Talk about your own learning. Discuss with your child how you plan, solve problems and think about the future.

9. Post a family calendar in a central place. Write down important school dates, including due dates for projects and tests. Encourage your child to add to the calendar and to check it daily. Help your child learn to plan and prepare ahead. As your child gets older, help your child take the lead for regulating and organizing homework and study time with you as their coach.

10. Go to school meetings and events. Attending concerts, plays, assemblies, meetings, and other activities is a good way to become familiar with your child’s school community and develop relationships with other parents.

11. Volunteer to chaperone school dances and drive kids to school competitions. You’ll meet other parents, school staff, and your child’s classmates. In this way you can also develop a network of other parents with whom you can share information and discuss ideas.

12. Find a way to make your voice heard. If you have the time and the desire, ask to be part of school committees. Attend PTA/PTO meetings. Many schools now have parent and school teams that share ways to further build a family-school partnership for student learning. Ask to form or join such a team. Adapted from “10 Tips for Middle School Parents” found at www.schoolfamily.com and including the work of Karen Mapp, Anne Henderson and K

Virtual Schools

Ohio School District To Replace Snow Days With Online Learning – CBS News

Filed under: cyber school,education,high school,iNACOL,news,virtual school — mkbnl @ 9:28 am
Tags: cyber school, education, high school, virtual school, news, iNACOL

This was posted in one of the iNACOL forums yesterday.

Oct. 25, 2010
Some Snowed-in Ohio Students To Learn Online
In Experiment, Ohio School District To Replace Snow Days With Online Learning

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/25/…in6989040.shtml

(AP) COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – When bad weather hits this winter, students in a rural western Ohio school district will hit their home computers as part of an experiment.

With the Ohio Department of Education looking on, the Mississinawa Valley Schools in Darke County will try to replace days off for snow and other inclement weather with online learning.

Department officials say the test could help the state determine the future of calamity days.

School districts are allowed to declare only three this year, down from the previous five. Schools that go over must make up the days on scheduled days off or at the end of the school year.

Mississinawa Superintendent Lisa Wendel tells The Columbus Dispatch the experience in online education will help students in college, where those classes are more common.
___

Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

APL Training (Staff Professional Development)

The Armstrong-Ringsted CSD has elected to bring in the APL & Associates for teacher professional development this year. We have completed 2 full days of APL training as to date. In regards to the implementation of this program, the goal is to create classroom management consistency within the District. The APL Program, once effectively implemented will enable the staff of the Armstrong-Ringsted CSD to instill in our students the 21st century skills that are most needed when our students graduate and leave us.

The 21st century skills that we are infusing into our students are:

Employability, the ability to work with others and collaborate.

Communication Skills, written and oral.

Professionalism, and Work Ethic.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills.

(Taken from the APL & Associates)

Teaching is both an art and a science. As an art, a teacher's personality, ideas, aptitude and experiences shape the attitude and particular approaches taken within the classroom. However, as a science the Armstrong-Ringsted CSD recognize that certain strategies and skills, if consistently practiced, create successes for both the teacher and the students in pursuit of the mission statement - building a foundation for lifelong learning. Those strategies and skills fall under a teacher effectiveness program called APL.

The APL teacher effectiveness program serves as three major attributes: organizational tool, communication tool, and behavioral guidance tool. In each case, the characteristic applies to both the teacher and the student. From APL implementation, greater understanding results that promotes learning; a more positive relationship between teacher and student, and a stronger learning environment is created.

There are two power words that are important in our thinking of teaching. They are consistency and specificity. Consistency throughout the district in every classroom lowers the level of concern for students. How we do business is not a mystery to teachers or students. Specificity simply means the elimination of vague directions, expectations and learning content. Clearer communication and stronger focus results in making the teacher/student relationship a more positive one.

These newly learned APL strategies are now an integral part of our school culture. Teachers are encouraged to practice and master these skills and strategies, so that throughout the district a common learning culture is established in which teachers and students are successful.

Why Twitter @ School?

5 Real Examples of Using Twitter for Education

One of the best reasons to set up a Twitter account is because you have a real reason to share timely information with a real audience. For me, I have a Twitter account because I want to share with others when I have new blog posts and I want to read about when those I follow have new information to share. I also enjoy Twitter because my Twitter network always has lots of great ideas and advice to share and I also find that I have a lot of ideas and advice to contribute about educating innovatively with my Twitter network. Additionally, I find it to be a terrific tool for connecting with folks at conferences. Once the tag is set I can Tweet ideas with the tags and have others respond resulting in terrific conversations and deeper, more connected learning.

However many innovative educators want more than ideas. They want concrete people, ideas, examples, of those who are using Twitter and how it is being used in ways that appeal to them. So here are some ideas for those who need some Twitter mentors.

1) Tweet Shout Outs to Students and Teachers
At the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School Mr. Brown tweets frequently. During the school year his Tweets often consist of shout outs to his students and staff. He has his Tweets embedded directly on his web page which has the added benefit of making the home-school connection. Students and families are always in the know of what is being celebrated and focused on in the school.
Visit: Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School

2) Tweet What is Happening in Your Library or in Your Classroom
Do what library media specialist Tracy Karas does. Create a page for your library, lab or classroom and Tweet your latest updates out to your students/visitors/school community. Tweet what's new, what's hot, what's not.
Visit: Marta Valle High School Library Media Center

3) Tweet at Conferences
Since I started Tweeting I have gained so much more from conferences! They have moved from a isolated (despite many people) experience, to an interactive, dynamic experience. Conference session become a conversation. Just find out the conference tag i.e. ISTE, BLC10, Educon, and send your tweet. See who else is responding to you or tag. In Twitter look at your @(and your name) tweets and look in search for the Twitter tag. You're on your way to processing knowledge and having a conversation!
Visit: ISTE Tweets or 140conf Tweets

4) Tweet During Lessons
I love incorporating Twitter into my lessons for teachers. To do this I share the Twitter tag with participants and ask them to Tweet before, during or after our time together depending on the task at hand. I provide the tag for Tweeting to give my students a place and way to share their thoughts and ideas. This serves as a great way I have specific times I check out the Tweets (i.e. work time) and when I bring participants back together we build on those Tweets.
Visit: This conference session on using cells or this session on using Twitter which I update depending on topic.

5) Give School Updates
Schools can set up a Twitter account and provide all the staff with the Twitter username/password. This makes every staff member on the beat reporters able to quickly share school news with the school community and the world. Teachers can Tweet themselves or assign a daily Tweeter in their class responsible for sharing the Tweet.
Visit: http://www.martavalle.org or http://cms.schooleffects.com/esheninger
Here's How to Get Started

• Set up your account
  There are two steps to follow to get started.

1. set up a twitter account
   
2. enable texting updates from your phone

• To use twitter from your phone go to www.twitter.com and set up an account.

• You can Tweet from your phone by entering your number at http://twitter.com/devices and entering Twitter into your phone with this number: 40404. Don't worry that it is only 5 digits. Just send a text to it and it will show up in your Twitterfeed.
• Users can contribute by simply sms texting anytime/anywhere from their phone.
• Embed your Tweets
  Once you are ready to begin Tweeting you'll want to embed your Tweets into your wiki, website, or blog as you've seen in each of the previous examples. To do this you can search your site's widgets or gadgets, or embed the html code into your site if you want a specific look and feel. Here's how.
1. Visit Twitter Widgets at http://twitter.com/widgets
2. Select Widgets for "My Website"
3. Select either "Profile Widget"
4. Customize Your Profile Widget
   Next you'll click on each of the following to indicate how you want your widget to appear on your site.
• Settings
• Preferences
• Appearance
• Dimensions
5. Now grab your code and embed it into your blog, website or wiki. Here's how to do this in three commonly used spaces.
   

• Blogger
• Select "design" -> "page elements" ->"add a gadget"
• In the "basics" menu select "HTML/JavaScript"
• Paste your code and save
• Congratulations! Your code is embedded
  
• Google Sites
• Select "edit this page" -> "insert" -> "more gadgets" -> "featured gadgets" -> "embed gadgets"
• Paste your code and save
• Congratulations! Your code is embedded
  
• Wikispaces
• Select "edit this page" -> "widgets" -> "other html"
  
• Paste your code and "save" your code
  
• "Save" your page
• Congratulations! Your code is embedded
  

Once you set up Twitter on your website, blog, or wiki you've begun the conversation and are able to start connecting to your audience in ways never before possible. So what are you waiting for? Start Tweeting becauseit's all about the conversation.

White Boards

Interesting Article on Interactive White Boards:

Willingham: The unrealized promise of whiteboards

My guest today is cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?”

By Daniel Willingham
Reporter Stephanie McCrummen wrote an excellent piece in The Washington Post on Friday on whiteboards in classrooms. The story said that a view is emerging that the large amounts of money schools are spending on instructional gadgets are not necessarily improving student performance.

Perhaps in an effort to be fair, she didn’t really go far enough.

Whiteboards are one of the few recent electronic innovations that have been well studied in the classroom. There have been ample opportunities for study because Great Britain has invested heavily in them--almost every school has at least one.

The outcome of those studies echo what the chief executive of SMART Technologies (a leading Whiteboard company) said: Teachers and kids say that they like whiteboards a lot, and both say that kids are more engaged in class because of the whiteboard. In fact, this effect is quite large--pretty much everyone who is in a classroom with a whiteboard thinks it helps a lot.

But that does not translate to better classroom performance.

A recent study sheds light on part of the problem. The researchers didn’t ask kids “does the whiteboard make class more interesting?” Instead, they asked kids, “Did you like your math class this year?” without referring to the whiteboard. They posed the same question to kids in classrooms with a whiteboard and to kids without one.

Kids who had a whiteboard in their class did like math class more, but the effect was puny--much smaller than when kids were asked about the whiteboard directly.

It seems, then, that kids like whiteboards very much. There is a powerful “gee whiz” factor.

But it doesn’t do much to make kids like math more, at least as whiteboards are currently used.

More generally, liking something that happens in school is certainly good--it’s hard to imagine a pedagogical method succeeding if teachers and students uniformly hate it! But liking it is not enough to ensure that it translates into better learning.

What is perhaps most remarkable in this story is that enormous sums of money are being spent on this (and other) technologies without correspondingly thorough and thoughtful professional development.

In many districts, the technologies have simply been plopped into teachers’ classrooms with minimal or no support. Little wonder that they are not being used as effectively as they could be.

Dismal as this start was, there are thousands of teachers who have made excellent, creative use of whiteboards and other “gadgets.” Prowl the internet for an evening and you’ll find the websites where they share what they have done and are doing.

How much Race to the Top grant money would it take to identify these teachers and give them a taller podium from which to broadcast their findings, and perhaps release time to conduct professional development for their peers?

Yes, yes, I know that these methods would be unproven in controlled studies. And sure, those studies ought to be done. But in the meantime, there the whiteboards sit in classrooms.

If the London bookmakers are interested, I’d like to put five dollars on home-grown professional development for whiteboards versus merit pay.

-0-

Follow my blog all day, every day by bookmarkingwashingtonpost.com/answersheet. And for admissions advice, college news and links to campus papers, please check out our new Higher Education page at washingtonpost.com/higher-ed Bookmark it!

By Valerie Strauss | June 14, 2010; 11:55 AM ET
Categories: Daniel Willingham , Guest Bloggers , Technology | Tags: educational technology, smart boards, technology in schools,whiteboards

QZAB Summer Construction Video Updates

Main Hallway Student Lockers Under Construction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcEYPfEC_Mg

Student Lockers by Mr. Waldstein's Room Under Construction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N93bdlPen9Q

Family and Consumer Science Room Under Construction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5ByoAZKd8

Science Lab Under Construction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOJYRzNafLI

Lunchroom Under Construction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7EGQNQqrnk

What Chief Executives Really Want.

by Frank Kern
Wednesday, May 19, 2010

provided by

A survey from IBM's Institute for Business Value shows that CEOs value one leadership competency above all others. Can you guess what it is?

What do chief executive officers really want? The answer bears important consequences for management as well as companies' customers and shareholders. The qualities that a CEO values most in the company team set a standard that affects everything from product development and sales to the long-term success of an enterprise.

More fromBusinessWeek.com: • Inspire Your Employees Now • The 7 Essentials of High-Growth Companies • Bad Bosses: What Kind Are You?

There is compelling new evidence that CEOs' priorities in this area are changing in important ways. According to a new survey of 1,500 chief executives conducted by IBM's Institute for Business Value (NYSE: IBM -News), CEOs identify "creativity" as the most important leadership competency for the successful enterprise of the future.

That's creativity—not operational effectiveness, influence, or even dedication. Coming out of the worst economic downturn in their professional lifetimes, when managerial discipline and rigor ruled the day, this indicates a remarkable shift in attitude. It is consistent with the study's other major finding: Global complexity is the foremost issue confronting these CEOs and their enterprises. The chief executives see a large gap between the level of complexity coming at them and their confidence that their enterprises are equipped to deal with it.

Until now creativity has generally been viewed as fuel for the engines of research or product development, not the essential leadership asset that must permeate an enterprise.

Popular Stories on Yahoo!: • 20 Best Cities to Ride Out the Recession • Government Help Leaves Some Worse Off • 10 Ways You're Getting Ripped Off More from Yahoo! Finance

Needed: Creative Disruption

Much has happened in the past two years to shake the historical assumptions held by the women and men who are in charge. In addition to global recession, the century's first decade heightened awareness of the issues surrounding global climate change and the interplay between natural events and our supply chains for materials, food, and even talent. In short, CEOs have experienced the realities of global integration. The world is massively interconnected—economically, socially, and politically—and operating as a system of systems. So what does this look like at the level of customer relationships? For too many enterprises, the answer is that their customers are increasingly connected, but not to them.

Against that backdrop of interconnection, interdependency, and complexity, business leaders around the world are declaring that success requires fresh thinking and continuous innovation at all levels of the organization. As they step back and reassess, CEOs have seized upon creativity as the necessary element for enterprises that must reinvent their customer relationships and achieve greater operational dexterity. In face-to-face interviews with our consultants, they said creative leaders do the following:

Disrupt the Status Quo. Every company has legacy products that are both cash—and sacred—cows. Often the need to perpetuate the success of these products restricts innovation within the enterprise, creating a window for competitors to advance competing innovations. As CEOs tell us that fully one-fifth of revenues will have to come from new sources, they are recognizing the requirement to break with existing assumptions, methods, and best practices.

Disrupt Existing Business Models.CEOs who select creativity as a leading competency are far more likely to pursue innovation through business model change. In keeping with their view of accelerating complexity, they are breaking with traditional strategy-planning cycles in favor of continuous, rapid-fire shifts and adjustments to their business models.

Disrupt Organizational Paralysis. Creative leaders fight the institutional urge to wait for completeness, clarity, and stability before making decisions. To do this takes a combination of deeply held values, vision, and conviction—combined with the application of such tools as analytics to the historic explosion of information. These drive decisionmaking that is faster, more precise, and even more predictable.

Taken together, these recommendations describe a shift toward corporate cultures that are far more transparent and entrepreneurial. They are cultures imbued with the belief that complexity poses an opportunity, rather than a threat. They hold that risk is to be managed, not avoided, and that leaders will be rewarded for their ability to build creative enterprises with fluid business models, not absolute ones.

Something significant is afoot in the corporate world. In response to powerful external pressures and the opportunities that accompany them, CEOs are signaling a new direction. They are telling us that a world of increasing complexity will give rise to a new generation of leaders that make creativity the path forward for successful enterprises.

Frank Kern is senior vice-president of IBM Global Business Services.

Interesting article written by a New Jersey Principal.

Q: What tips do you have for administrators, advisors, and teachers getting started with using web 2.0, social media and other technologies in the classroom?

Administrators need to stop worrying about data such as standardized test scores and redirect their attention towards an emphasis on student learning. They need to realize that these technologies are not going away and will only become more prevalent in society. Administrators must remove self-imposed barriers such as filters and open their eyes to endless possibilities to reach learners in unique ways.

Teachers and advisors need to stop making excuses about not having the time to learn how to properly integrate these tools. If learning and student success are important then there is time available. Isn't this why we decided to pursue a career in education? Taking risks and utilizing a variety of instructional resources that are readily available should be supported and a part of every school's culture. Teachers must also realize that they don't have to tackle multiple technologies at once. They need to determine which few might work best in their respective courses and master them first.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Very good video about how our students and children progress through the education system. Take a look...

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Around the World with 80 Schools

Here is a link to a website that explains how schools are beginning to "link" together through the use of Skype. Classes of students from around the world are able to video conference with each other during the school day in order to better understand and simply be exposed to other cultures. Take a look...http://aroundtheworldwith80schools.net/

Industrial Technology

Here are some short video clips of our Industrial Technologies class demonstrating their catapult for the Iowa State University Catapult competition. They are the 2 time defending champions of this competition at ISU.

PE

Here is a short video of our 7th and 8th graders in their PE class using bows. Thank you to the Emmet County Conservationists and our instructor Mrs. Kinnander for helping make this event possible.

Technology in Plain English

After attending the Scott McLeod training sessions for administrators I reflected back and looked through my notes. Some of the best explanations of the new technologies out there today were video clips that were done in plain English. I have decided to attach these video clips for anyone to take a look at. They do a great job of explaining what the technology is and why you would use it.

Blogs in Plain English:

RSS Feed in Plain English

Twitter in Plain English

Online Photo Share in Plain English

Wikis in Plain English