Horn kicked off NBOA's 2014–2015 Webinar Series last week, and his thought leadership is every bit as forceful today as it was in 2011. In many ways, education technology has changed dramatically, he noted. "Online communication platforms are better, online content is more motivating and interesting to learners, and ‘blended' learning experiences are mapping more effectively to traditional ‘brick and mortar' programs."
In other ways, however, much has not changed. In too many cases, our rhetoric and aspirations have not kept pace with the ways we are delivering education. Here are some of Horn's ideas that can serve as inspiration for what is possible in our schools.
The innovations we dismiss out of hand are usually those that become game-changers. How many times did you hear (or say or think) "nobody will ever pay $4 for coffee," or "social media is for kids" or—to our point—"technology can never deliver education as well as the in-person classroom experience"? Like pumpkin spice lattes and corporate messaging on Twitter, online education is here to stay. Rather than resisting technology as inferior to face-to-face teaching, explore how it can enhance your classroom experience, augment your programming and bring ideas to life for your students.
True innovation is too often either rejected or co-opted by our business models. When someone says, "That's not the way we do things at our school," they are often suggesting that the idea they're rejecting is one that doesn't "fit" their school's processes or norms. As my friend and colleague Grant Lichtman likes to say, "Change isn't hard, it's uncomfortable." To that end, the next time your idea is rejected, be persistent and don't give up. Even better, think about how your school's business processes can be an incubator of innovation.
Most importantly for schools:
There are better uses of face-to-face classroom time than lecturing students. This notion applies to integrating technology, delivering 21st century education and so much more. All schools should evaluate the best use of time between teachers and students in the classroom—time we all value so highly. Stay away from jargon (e.g., "flipped classroom," "BYOD") and instead simply consider how in-classroom educators can make the greatest impact on students.
If you missed last week's webinar, I encourage you to check it out in the NBOA webinar archive (remember: whether live or archived, webinars are free for members). Watch it with your senior leadership team, and invite faculty leaders. In 90 minutes of thought-leadership and audience interaction, Horn shares an abundance of important ideas that if you aren't already considering—you should be.
