Monthly Archives: August 2020

Is the Pandemic Bringing Us Closer to Achieving Our Moonshot or Instead Throwing Us Out of Orbit?

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As Winston Churchill was working to form the United Nations after WWII, he famously said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

So when we ponder the current situation we are in and embed this nasty little virus in the midst of our education redesign programs, can we scope the outcome we will be dealing with on the other side of the pandemic?

In this Age of Agility and the extension of (or often times seemingly an intrusion into) our lives as a result of technology, we have to take on new challenges and embrace technology as our partner in education.

The Challenges We’re Facing

Let’s discuss the challenges we are facing and the solutions that some are embracing to sculpt their redesign models, fostering safe, stable, and nurtured learning ecosystems that will invigorate us in our leadership positions.

Today there is no equation that provides a solution to the three-variable problem confronting us, namely, earning, learning, and mitigating personal risk. Whatever our choices are, they are unlikely to agree with the choices of those around us – and considering all the circumstances surrounding each of these parameters, there is no consensus. Even if there were, that would likely change tomorrow, because the ecosystem is a target that is constantly moving, while we spend time contemplating the past and the present. As we move through the different challenge genres, we face different sets of inequities which in turn become new challenges.

Redefining Excellence in Education

For many of us, it is natural to resist progress, due to comfort levels and brain conditioning. As the saying goes, “Why fix what’s working?” Redefining excellence, on the other hand, is hard work requiring resilience, patience, and tremendous effort that is grounded in design thinking. Strong leadership traits devoted to a vision, the mission, values, and goals form the foundation of the future state with the aspirations of a brave new world that is confluent and ahead of the times. This confluence is maintained through agility and by keeping the moonshot foremost in our minds. New heroes are created that take on a whole new life trajectory that is invigorating and tireless with the yearning for achievement on a level not experienced by the run-of-the-mill pioneer.

It only takes a crisis for us to re-evaluate.

If our vision, mission, and goals are robust, they will withstand the stress test brought about by a crisis; if not, it may mean back to the drawing board to repair the ship that may be losing altitude. Leadership and technology are the real rockets that will maintain your thrust on the way to the moon.

There are many school districts that had very robust plans in place and they managed to breeze through the crisis with very little upheaval in their systems. They progressed employing the futuristic plans already in place; these school districts were aspiring to embrace virtual learning long before the crisis occurred. They realized very early on that students adapt to different kinds of learning, and they also valued the opportunity with design thinking and project-based learning. This engrained design thinking allowed them to deploy the technology at once and accommodate the staff and the students with a new way of learning. For them, the plan was in place before the crisis, while most others were still squandering precious time creating the plan amid the crisis. The value of planning is completely underestimated in the world of education and is certainly underutilized. So, ask yourselves some these questions:

  • When was the last time I updated our organizational plan?
  • Do I hold an annual planning meeting and update my plan(s)?
  • Do I use design thinking as part of my planning program?
  • Do I engage experts for other industries to aid and abet us in our planning?
  • Do I have accountabilities or key performance indicators built into my plan that go beyond student education performance measures?

If we consider the steppingstones of design thinking, which of these steps did your organization confront in your redesign program?

Notice –> * Empathize –> * Define –> * Ideate –> * Prototype  –> * Test  –> * Reflect à *

In our next episode, we will continue this discussion on the crisis and leadership while drilling a little further down into the realms of technology.

What Should the Future of Learning Look Like?

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When we start talking about what the future of learning should look like, we need to consider what the future of work will look like, too. What careers are we preparing our students for? What kinds of skills will they need to succeed – not just economically but in such a way as to advance the whole of society? If we look at the big picture, we need to begin developing a generation of tech-savvy innovators who can think on their feet and examine and analyze problems – all while having the flexibility to adjust to rapidly changing needs within their occupations, their communities, and society. The current education system is woefully inadequate to meet these needs.

From Cursive Writing to Coding?

Some schools still teach cursive writing while others are fighting to return it to the curriculum. But the future of learning is centered around STEM, programming, and robotics. Rather than teach cursive, perhaps we should focus on coding. It is a concept that can be introduced on a basic level in kindergarten and built upon through each year. Coding is the language of the future.

From Static Information to Information Filtering?

Today’s students are overwhelmed with information and little time is spent teaching them the skills necessary to determine what information is factual or how to verify legitimate sources. Perhaps not everyone needs to know calculus, algebra, or mitosis. But the future of learning could include teaching students how to manage the information with which they are inundated from every source – and how to filter that information. More emphasis could be placed on analytical thinking, fact-checking, researching, and recognizing manipulation.

Financial Literacy and Economics

Most Americans are carrying higher levels of debt than that which is considered wise. The pandemic and resulting unemployment have only made this worse, and as the likelihood of a recession or a depression looms, learning to manage money more effectively becomes a critical skill. From understanding the economy and the tax system to knowing how to budget, personal finance courses are a great addition to the curriculum.

Mental and Physical Health

From mental health and mindfulness to diet and exercise, schools can take a much bigger role in teaching students how to take better care of themselves and giving them the tools to do so. Removing stigma from mental health can occur when we make emotional and mental health a part of regular conversation. Making exercise a daily habit can start in kindergarten.

Self-Guided and Independent Learning

Should our schools be working hard to put themselves out of business? While we ask this in a very tongue-in-cheek manner, by recognizing the incredible value teachers and schools have, we can begin creating lifelong learners who can continue to develop their intellectual skills long after they leave school. Teaching students to have the discipline and analytical skills essential to independent learning ensures that their K-12 education is only the beginning. Learning how to learn is possibly the most critical skill any student will gain.

Networking and Relationship Building

One of the benefits of students being forced into distance learning last spring was that most students now have a new skill that can carry over into the workplace: the ability to network and collaborate online. From Zoom calls to working with students and teachers on projects from a distance to making presentations online, these are skills used in the workplace today. Should we not be teaching our students how to build relationships, collaborate, and network – and use the tools and technology that make it possible to do so regardless of distance?

We’re at a momentous point in education and going back to what once was just doesn’t make sense. Whether your district is resuming in-person instruction, remaining online, or developing some hybrid approach, it’s time to start introducing topics that will give students the tools they need to be competitive globally as they enter a workforce that will likely look completely different than anything any of us have seen.

The Future of Learning Is Now

Here at Lumen Touch, we are committed to providing the tools that schools need to deliver this kind of future-driven education. One of our latest efforts is a partnership with VEDAMO. We are integrating the VEDAMO virtual classroom into our Bright SUITE and Bright Student™ systems. This will allow teachers to pull scheduling from our systems into VEDAMO for the virtual classrooms, then grades will be imported into our gradebook from VEDAMO quizzes and assignments. Single Sign-On (SSO) will be a part of the integration.

If you’re interested in learning how Lumen Touch can help your teachers and district be ready for the future of learning, please get in touch. We’re eager to show you how we can help you save time and money while improving student engagement.