Innovation through Change – Superintendent’s Back To School Welcome to Staff

“One of the great ironies in life is that you must be acquainted with reality while not allowing your dream to be shattered.”
– John C. Maxwell, Put Your Dream to the Test

Today is Back to School Day for teachers, support staff, administrators, and adult employees of the DPS109 family. Today we kicked off our official start to the new school year with a gathering at Shepard Middle School. I’m sharing the presentation I used to start the day and to kick off our Engage, Inspire, Empower mission and vision as we begin the District’s 168th year in the business of education. Our public schools are populated with amazing students, staff, and community. We have so much about which to be proud and we have so much for which we are grateful! This year’s theme is INNOVATION and with this innovation we have much change. While our Big 5 remain constant, how we implement these Big 5 umbrella areas differs from year’s past.

I is incumbent upon us to educate for the future world our students will lead and live – not for our past. I’m embedding the presentation I used and I encourage, questions, comments, etc. I am a very lucky superintendent of schools and I am proud to share the work of our teachers and staff with the world.

Please contact me and or use the comments feature here if you have any questions or comments about the presentation or any information contained in the slides!

Leading Innovative Change

“We must look for ways to be an active force in our lives.  We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance, and truly begin to live our dreams.”
– Les Brown

Since taking the helm of a school district as the superintendent in 2010, I have made it a mission to “walk the walk” with regard to instructional and communication technologies. I’m humbled to have been nominated by a colleague as someone whose practices are worthy of recognition:

“We at EdSurge and Digital Promise are delighted to inform you that your colleagues have nominated you for consideration for the Walk the Walk Award for the first annual Digital Innovation in Learning Awards! The awards have been created by EdSurge and Digital Promise to spotlight great practices in education–and to share those practices with others. So thank you for all the great work you do!”

 As part of the application process, I produced a short video as required (password to watch  is DILA). In the video I show examples of how I use digital innovation in my daily practice of leadership to support our mission. In addition, colleagues of mine share comments about how I (WE) support the growth and progress of students and staff through digital innovation. To me the video is a great source of pride because it showcases how our community is impacted by digital innovation in support of the District motto: Engage, Inspire, Empower.

Over the years I have made it part of my personal and professional mission to Model the Way and Inspire a Shared Vision and Challenge the Process and Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart in support of innovation and progress!

Examples  of digital innovation impacted directly by my leadership  are shared through a video presentation made for the state superintendent’s association that details the initial journey in the first District I served as superintendent. In support of innovative digital leadership, I/we also support and/or use  Facebook, Twitter, my blog, use of Present.me, slideshare, Podomatic, AudioBoo, VoiceBo, and HaikuDeck. These also serve as examples of regularly integrated hands-on digital innovation and usage in “real life” in my practice of leadership as an elementary superintendent of schools.

In addition, I proudly share District implementation of digital innovation by classroom teachers – this is about which I am most proud – paying it forward and modeling that which I support and expect for all members of our learning community. The award nomination is secondary or tertiary and truly it is really for all of the teachers, administrators, students, and community members who carry the torch of educational success every day! I am but one of many (e plurbus unum) and my hope is for the spotlight to shine on everyone else and not on me!!

The long lasting impact our collective journey towards transformative communication, learning and teaching for the learners in DPS109 is also shown in professional development and those seeking us out. Some numbers that reveal the lasting impact in terms of communication reach: # of followers FB 881 DPS109 page, # of followers on @DPS109 541, District hashtag #Engage109, # of followers of @mikelubelfeld 1843, # of Subscribers to this Blog 134.

In addition, as we approach the start of school this August, we are proud of the planned transformation for all of our classrooms into 1:1 Transformative Learning Environments. This year all students in grades K-2 will receive an iPad and all students in grades 3-8 will receive a Chromebook just like we used to issue textbooks. methods for today’s learners.  Other long lasting impacts can be seen in the voluntary professional development in which our teachers have engaged this summer in anticipation of changed learning environments.  This summer we offered 17 two hour sessions. More than 110, or 38% of our (out of our 290) teachers have signed up to attend one of these voluntary “kick starter” 1:1 transformative learning environment sessions.

Our teachers are committed to the success of their own learning as well as the learning of our students. Another example, or “metric” of change impact is found in the number of teachers who already have signed up for a new (free) learning management system (LMS): 100 teachers or 34% of our teachers have already signed up for Edmodo – this is not required until school starts. Change happens when people are committed to the changes! I’m proud to share and report that our teachers are part of the solution, part of the progress, part of the change process and part of the solution! I am so proud to be part of this progressive and modern minded learning organization!

 My work encompasses the award for which I was nominated; I truly do walk the walk when it comes to digital innovation in learning! I support the notion that all children can learn and grow and they each deserve learning environments with high expectations and no limits.

Please share how you are leading innovative change, please share how you are participating in innovative change.