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Welcome back everyone to the School on a Mission podcast. My name is Andrew McPeak and co-hosting along with me is, of course, the incredible, the wise guru, Gina Wath. Wise guru. Don't you love it? Yes. Well, folks, if you believe that school should be more than just essays and GPAs, if you believe that EQs are as important as IQs, and if you expect amazing things from the next generation, then you are in the right place because we believe that too. In fact,

We believe in it so much that today we're going to dive into the innovative ideas and practical tips that are creating future-ready classrooms. I'm so excited to be here and join this conversation today. We know our world today is evolving rapidly, probably way too fast. Very fast. For all of our minds to even catch up to. But our classrooms need to keep pace. I'm looking forward to sharing practical strategies that our educators who are listening can implement right away and ensure that their students are truly

future ready. But before we do, it's time for our opening question. I love it. Hit me. All right. So imagine you are in charge of creating the ultimate learning experience. What would it look like? And don't be afraid to go wild. I feel like I don't even need to tell you that, but. You know I could go wild. I know. So I mean, I've thought of all kinds of things like trips and all of that. But I honestly like some of my favorite learning environments I've ever been in are just spaces where the space is open.

and there are lots of tools and materials available, whether that's physical materials like wood scraps and all that kind of stuff, or digital materials, you know, like I've got high quality computers that you can do coding on or model something in 3D or whatever, or even like electronic parts for robotics and all of that kind of stuff. It's amazing, you're in that room, open space, and then to ask students a simple question like,

how would you solve this problem? And just letting them think, explore, all of that. I love those kinds of environments. A couple times I've gotten to be in them, I just feel like, isn't this how education is supposed to be? I just find myself asking questions like that. That's really good. Part of me just wants to say, yes, same, move on. But I think one of the things that I would add to what you said, because I really do agree that that would be an ideal learning environment, is I think sometimes when we hear stuff like that,

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because you were saying like the wood pieces on the wall and maybe it's like 3D printers and it's all different types of things that you can get your hands on. And then we say solve a problem. I think a lot of times people's minds go to like traditional things like, that would make sense for an engineering classroom or science or something where you have to use those types of tools. And my background is human development. And I would argue that I would love to have taught in a classroom like that.

have people express themselves in creative ways to help solve problems that might be more internal but could be expressed externally using creativity in that way. think we can, sky's the limit on how we use space and resources and tools to solve all types of problems. This is totally off the beaten path, but years ago I was learning about different project-based learning models and...

I heard about a project or a school where they combine disciplines. like one of the things they did was like, okay, all the group of students had to write their own play. So you're learning about literature and plays and all of this, including having to read a bunch of stuff to get ready for it. But they also had to build their own sets.

for their play. they're learning the like woodworking and about engineering and structural design and all of that at the same time. I just thought what a perfect picture of exactly what you're talking about. I love it. Why can it not be a multi-discipline approach? Okay, we were way off the beaten path. I know, but it was good. I love this. So who knows, maybe one of our listeners is already doing this, already working on something just like this. But okay, so speaking of the future, we've been talking about all kinds of things. We are excited about today's conversation.

because of today's guest, Jed Stefanowicz. He said we got to say it like banana wits, okay? So that's how we remember it. Jed Stefanowicz. Jed is an expert in using digital tools and innovative practices in classrooms. And he is going to show us how we can prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of them. Like I said, he's an expert in utilizing technology in the classroom. But what I appreciated so much about this conversation is that he does it with a lot of wisdom and a whole lot of insight. We're going to get a lot of that today.

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Yes, Jed is remarkable. We really can't wait for all of you to meet Jed. But with 30 years as an educator, a coach, a speaker, an author, he was also Massachusetts Teach Plus Policy Fellow. This man is just passionate. He's passionately integrating technology to enhance teaching and learning. This creates engaging, equitable digital environments that inspire innovation. Currently, he is the Director of Digital Learning and Innovation at Neshoba.

regional school district in Massachusetts. His goal is to boost digital learning for staff and students, focusing on teaching methods over products. Even as a teacher, Jed was known for his unique, innovative approaches. Well, first, thank you, Andrew McPeak. As another person with a unique name, I'm glad to use it, but I'm even more glad to be here. So thank you for the invitation. So this is year 30 for me in the business. started

as a third grade teacher for 22 years here in Massachusetts, and then moved into the role of a digital learning coach for teachers and faculty. And now I'm a district administrator in the role of director of digital learning and innovation for Neshoba Regional School District here in Massachusetts. So if you think back 30 years before Y2K, before, and you remember what that was like, I can tell by the color of our beards, right?

It was, you know, I kind of those first, I had an Apple IIe and then an LC2 and then first dial up. it was, you know, I was that teacher who was excited about stuff, but I was also that teacher who would go to conferences and bring back ideas or have some of the first devices or really look to bring innovative practices in. Which meant that I became that teacher that was doing unique or fun or innovative things, sometimes with or without permission or, you know, that big forgiveness, not permission. Now I'm on the other side of it where I'm

suddenly the enforcer. But as a result, that kind of naturally evolved into a coaching role, having at that point, 22 years of experience behind me to share practices with other faculty and teachers and administrators within and then beyond my district as well. So that's kind of the background. And then what had really brought me into it, and you you've heard this expression as much as I have, the idea of shifting students from being content consumers to content creators. And I don't know who said it first.

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But I will say was at a local conference that it really was a transformational idea for me, a transformational mindset of just the flow, the direction. what it did was it named what I had been trying to do for a long time. And it named and articulated the difference between where some folks have trepidation about technology integration and others are going a million miles an hour, whether it's through curriculum design or instructional practice. So that led to me really

diving in wholeheartedly into the coaching role and then an admin role, and then into presenting at local and national conferences, and then to writing. So my newest book, my third book, is called Beyond the Bulletin Board, Crafting a Culture of Content Creation. And you'll notice it doesn't include the word technology or digital resources in the title, but that's really what it's all about. I was super grateful to have Matt Miller.

write the foreword for it because as you know, he's kind of one of those voices, a trusted voice, and he's been talking about it for a long time too. So the work that I try to do within my district and then the work that I try to present beyond my district is all about ways to think about really building that culture. And you and I were talking a little bit ahead of time, it's more than just working one-on-one with teachers, even though usually that transfer is pretty personal and incremental.

But it's how are you building that culture where you're reimagining, you know, traditional practices and rethinking what it means even just to publish in your classroom. So hopefully a title like Beyond the Bulletin Board kind of says what the whole book and my work is really about. It's not about tearing down bulletin boards, but it's sometimes asking teachers, I see what you've been doing for 10, 15, 20 years. There's a reason it's great. And I'm not saying replace it, but I might ask.

How do we increase its audience? How do we add some dimension and some depth to that to really maximize, especially the tools that are in our hand, either to expand the audience or expand the reach to the diversity of learners in a space? Very long answer to a very short question. I apologize. This is so great. One thing I notice a lot, when I'm in schools is that when a teacher adopts technology, one, it's typically forced, right?

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But there's this an external factor that forces that change.

Of course, a great example of that is what happened with COVID. Nobody wants to lead a digital classroom and then all of sudden we're all responsible for leading a digital classroom. That's typically how technology rolls out. But the other approach is for teachers to do it or take it on when they see the benefit for themselves and it feels like he's really good at helping them see that. Absolutely. One of the things Jed is doing is helping teachers move beyond seeing digital tools as just a way to save time for themselves or make something easier for themselves for their own sake.

and instead start to think about some of these things as methodologies that they can use to better improve student engagement, student outcomes, and some of those types of things. I love what he had to say about adoption versus integration through an activity that he had us do. I think if every person listening could get involved with us, if you can, if you can safely, unless you're driving, but if you can safely, grab four pieces of paper or post-its and participate.

You'll see exactly why we loved him so much in this activity so much. So pause, grab your paper if you need to, and then let's dive in. Yeah, you you talked about use the word adoption, right? Adopting something which seems pretty external, something you didn't have and now it's something you have, something you're adding, something that's new or different versus a real integration approach, which is respects and honors the pedagogy of that classroom teacher.

And I was looking to expand it. So yeah, I definitely a holistic approach, but there's a challenge in there that if a teacher, for example, wants to say, or a school administrator or a principal or a district leader wants to say, okay, this year we're going to really focus on digital literacy and digital learning in a holistic way, that's too big. And it's really hard to break that into actionable work.

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So before we started rolling, asked you to grab four index cards or four sticky notes. So I'm going to ask you to do, because what I really like to do, and this is a framework, it's the bones of my design for digital literacy, DDL framework. So I'm going to ask you on those four slips of paper, just write these words. On one, write instruction. On two, write operation. On three, write creativity. And on four, write wellness. So.

My view is that when it comes to digital literacy, when it comes to real, honest, and authentic integration, not just adopting the device that we had to for COVID or that your district needs for testing or whatever, when it really comes to integration, whatever is going to be asked of a classroom teacher or the teacher wants to do is going to fall within one of those four domains. So these are what I call the four domains of digital literacy, instruction, operation, creativity, and wellness.

So the instruction is kind of, those are the pedagogical shifts, right? Whether it's sometimes big or small. Operation, that's the functional capacity. What does a teacher need to grow and know in order to use the technology that's there effectively and authentically? Creativity, like you said, what are the different modes? And that's like a UDL view where there's a natural connection, a UDL connection with the modes of expression, the modes of engagement, the modes.

of representation, real demonstrations of learning. That's like the operationalized flip from content consumption to creation. And then the fourth one is wellness. that's, you know, wellness sometimes has a limited view of digital citizenship. would really blow it out to include a true behavioral, cognitive, and social-emotional view. So then it's instead of, okay, who's doing the common sense lessons for digital citizenship?

It becomes a conversation of students and families and relationships and connections and online presence and kind of their real world when they walk out our doors at three o'clock. It's not preparing students for their future. It's preparing them for after school. So you've got those four slips of paper and this is what I like to do either for a workshop or a conference. So I'm going to make you do it. Number one, when you visit schools in your work as a curriculum

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designer, leader, presenter, where do you see the urgency? Right now, when you visit a school, I would ask you to prioritize those. literally stack them in order of your first order of magnitude, where do you want to start working? And I'm not going to ask you to reveal them so you can be as honest as you want. What I find when I ask either teachers or administrators or colleagues to do this activity, it's not usually the first card that's the hardest.

It's the last one. And I wonder if you had kind of that experience because you don't want to put something, say, not prioritized, but it gets hard to really break apart those four domains. It's helpful, I think, to articulate and find, you know, what are the action steps and what are the strategic planning in order to lift that literacy. So then I would ask you, if you are a teacher, if you are an administrator, to reshuffle them.

in order of where you think district urgency is right now. And sometimes it gets a big groan because they don't always match. Right? So then the next step would be, would ask you which of those four, and this one I will ask you to reveal, which of those four is probably your wheelhouse? If you had to sub in one of your kids' classrooms this week, or if you had to, your town suddenly doubled in size and you had to sub, what would be your...

wheelhouse, which where would you feel most confident? Okay, so Jed asked a question. He was asking us about which of the four is where we operate live in. So for me, it's actually, I would say operation is where I kind of find myself living. And just a reminder, operational, operation is that functional capacity. It's like where the teacher needs to grow and know in order to use technology that is effective and authentic experience for them. What about you?

Well, naturally, just because I've spent so much time thinking about this, my brain goes right to the wellness area, right? So it's about mental wellness, even our emotional and social wellness as well. So that's the one that comes to mind pretty easily, which I talked with Jed about this, and he had some really great things to say about it. That is often because that is not one that is often people's wheelhouse. Not because, well, it's probably their urgency and it's oftentimes.

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the lower when it comes to district urgency in their own personal skill set. And I'm going to talk about skill set in a minute because there's a connection there. And then I won't ask you to reveal, but I do ask in a workshop, which of these is your roadblock? And that's a really important thing to say, okay, I have to pick one, which is the one that I would need to build out. So that is a really interesting reflective piece. And then the last piece I would do is add across all four cards, say picking number one to 10.

You know, just kind of rate yourself. Where is your readiness? And by readiness, that means if you, you know, where would you feel comfortable either presenting teaching or talking or growing, designing a unit, a lesson curriculum for a district. And then, you know, if it's a four, if it's a seven, what do you need to raise that by just one point? And then I think you've got some actionable goals that are reasonable and realistic. So that's the idea of those four cards. It's not a huge task.

But I think it can be a really illustrative activity to do because it takes that holistic view that we feel and we know, but it turns it in a way that is a little more manageable and packageable to be able to talk about and develop some goals, whether they're smart goals for a teacher or strategic goals for a district. This is brilliant. I've so appreciated hearing from him because, and I love that activity because of course it's very practical, But it also provides such a very clear picture, right?

Especially when you ask, which one do I think is most important? Which one is my district prioritized? Where do I feel equipped versus unequipped? Those kinds of questions really isolate the value that technology is bringing or the ways in which I've ignored the value that it could bring. It really is a great activity. Like you said, it brings that clarity that we all need. I hope our listeners can follow along or do the activity to learn more about it.

Jed mentioned that wellness wasn't typically at the top of the list. So we also asked him what some of the strengths are that are more towards the top of the list and which ones are towards the bottom of the list. He gave us some great advice. really varies and it's less by region, less by conference. And I think it's more by role because you have and it's also not as much as you might predict by age. You know, there's always this kind of unfair expectation that a digital native who might have the operational expertise

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There's this unfair expectation that they will have some sort of instructional expertise. So there's a piece of advice I like to give there of like, you know, build those teams that are really cross-generational because you will have those who are, but to kind of come back, it really depends on the role, I think. So my advice is to have these conversations beyond just classroom teachers. know, think about your broader faculty, your broader staff, who are the secret weapons in your building who have that

functional capacity as well as the instructional expertise. And then don't forget to pull all those other roles that are really strengthening the wellness in your building, who oftentimes don't get that time to intersect with the classroom teachers and others as well. Ultimately, it seems like it's about taking inventory, right, of the tools you have, the strengths you have in the school building, and then figuring out how we can pair off people or call on people when that specific need presents itself.

Right, you've got to tap into resources already in your building because more often than not, they are right there. For years, many educators have been experimenting with innovative practices quietly or they've been hesitant to share out of fear of getting those sideways glances from colleagues for trying something outside the norm. But the truth is, these fresh approaches could really enhance their teaching methods. It's time to bring those ideas out into the open. Yes, it is. So, speaking of bringing those ideas out to the open,

We mentioned earlier that Jed is an author. In fact, he's worked on several books, but his most recent one, which is called Beyond the Bulletin Board, talks about our subject for today, which is technology. But it also talks about the idea of crafting a culture of content creation. Ultimately, this book really opens up a mindset shift from simply decorating walls or bulletin boards like many of us do, which is not a bad thing, right? But it helps us shift our perspective.

instead of thinking more about or focusing more on meaningful learning that's happening with those students inside of classrooms. Yeah, sometimes it begins with those kind of provocative questions that I mean provocative in a way that just challenges some thinking. Like you said, are you decorating walls or is it what is it that's going on those bulletin boards? Is it the same thing for 20 years? Is it 20 of the same thing? And you know, I was an elementary teacher, which is why there's a great acronym, the DDL.

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And then the alliteration of crafting a culture of content creation. But it's, if you want 1001 strategies to try for practical classroom integration, it's there. But if you want kind of the thought partnering on why, that's really what the book is intended to do. So the first part is really those practical strategies for leveraging the tools in our spaces and emerging technology to really transform what teaching and learning looks like. Not to replace past practices.

but to really just expand them. You know, through my role as a classroom teacher and a coach and now in the district way, I think there's a lot of traction in honoring, right, the practices that are long held practices or projects. But instead of just that cardboard trifold, what is it that that's intending to do and are there different tools for that? And if you really love that cardboard trifold, great. Maybe could we add a QR code to it? Maybe could we think about recording and then just sharing it out?

Sometimes it's really just a matter of taking that very analog presentation, but then adding it to an audience, or sometimes taking that content and increasing. Second part of the book is that design for digital literacy framework. We began with those, looking at those four domains. And then the third part is really just that broken down list of strategies aligned with either ISTE strategies or state standards as well.

and making those connections between what are the academic outcomes and matching them with the right tool for the job. And, you know, that could be technology that's been around for 20, 30 years. It could be technology that's brand new now, like AI. You know, you can't go to a conference right now and throw a rock without hitting an AI session. So I kind of take the same approach to whatever tool it is, whether it's a programmable robot.

whether it's an AI platform or whether it's a piece of software, I would kind of overlay that four domains framework over it and say, okay, what is the instructional value? What's the operational need? Where is the wellness impact? And then where is the creative output? So applying that lens to it is just a different dimension that hopefully takes picks up where same are left off and really thinks about evaluating tools from a practitioner's point of view. So.

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Like I said, let's use AI as an example because you really can't go to a conference without a million AI workshops. And in a lot of those workshops, it feels like either a speed dating or a wine tasting where have you heard of Magic School? Have you heard of School AI? Have you heard of Diffit? And it's great. It becomes a sampler of all those things. What I've tried to do is build workshops within my district and then at conferences that takes the wine tasting.

And it moves it toward a wine pairing. Then you're talking about use cases. Then you're talking about curriculum integration. And then it's about the teaching and learning. It's not about the tool and it's not about training. The tool and the training, you need them, but it's very superficial if that's where it ends. If you lead with the learning, you know, if you lead with the use case, is it that you just want to translate a document? it that you want to adjust a lexile or is it that you want to differentiate or you really want to build out?

instead of a three day unit into a three week larger unit. And you want to bring in that AI tool as a way to kind of thought partner, not in a generative way, but as that thought partner piece to really build out pieces that reach every learner in your space. seriously can't wait to read his book. Yeah, it's so good. I actually ordered my copy already. It reminded me years ago, the kind of hip thing that lots of organizations like ours were doing was to get an app.

So we saw lots of people had gotten an application and we got connected with this major company. It's a nationally recognized brand. In fact, their app has way over a million downloads at this point. And we asked them, we sat down to talk with them through like, hey, what are the ins and outs of making an app? Should we do it? Should we not do it? What do we need to know? What are we not thinking about? And the number one piece of advice we got from this guy who runs this app is said, if you don't actually need an app, please, please, please don't get an app.

The first step, think, in the adoption of any new technology is to ask the question, is this the actual technology that I need to get the outcome I'm going for? Or do I just like the sound of what it sounds like to say, I'm in an organization that has an app, right? It just feels like the same way that in a school, right, they're saying things like, we've got an AI chat bot or whatever it is that they've got going on. But the question is for what, right? For what purpose? And I think...

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Jed is so good at challenging us in those kinds of ways, right? To go, are we investing in technology that makes the most sense for us to invest in? We've got to start asking those bigger questions. We started off talking about pace and how fast things are changing, but the important part about the schools being on pace with change, to your point, we don't take time to pause and reflect and figure out for what. Yes.

For what? Like, why are we saying yes to things? Is it because so-and-so has it and we have to be in competition with them? And sometimes that's true, but sometimes we just need to stop and think about the for what. Yeah, so I, yeah, I really am feeling you on that. One big question we explored with Jed was how to balance creative freedom and structure when creating engaging classroom environments. Jed is a pretty creative guy, but of course, education has to have structure, right? So there have to be some things that are a part of that.

And what is that that makes it interesting and memorable? mean, that's the craft. That's what makes it interesting. And that's what makes a memorable classroom experience. So I always try to either as a classroom teacher or as a leader, kind of create those learning experiences that are memorable, but they're also meaningful and measurable. There's your alliteration too. So the balance is trying to maximize that student engagement, trying to maximize

the involvement, activating the instruction so that students are engaged, all students, but also really meeting your instructional objectives too. And that can be the part that's overlooked when the next cool flashy thing comes along is where is the curricular tie-in and then where's the, what's the instructional benefit to learning as well. So I think, you know, when you can have those moments, when you can build those experiences that are meaningful, memorable and measurable.

That's the craft. that's why I think the most effective administrators and leaders have had classroom experience as well, because they know it when they see it, they feel it. And that is, as my friend Anne Kaufman Frederick says, that's the choreography of the classroom. Sometimes it's loud, but that's OK. I love that. I love that term, the choreography of the classroom. And then those three M's, meaningful, memorable, measurable. So good.

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Mm-hmm. He just dropped so many dimes. Yes, he did. And they're always in alliteration format. Yep, yep. A man after my own heart, Because he said Gina is listening and she needs to remember it. So they're all going to be alliterations. But this next one might be a favorite of mine. Jed shared an example of an innovative digital tool that has transformed the learning experience in his district in particular, from which I'm confident others can learn. Well, I think, you know, before we started, you and I, we got a little bit...

We started talking too interestingly, so you had to press record, but we were talking about portrait of a graduate, right? And when districts work to articulate what are the learner competencies, it's not about the tool, right? Lead with the learning and let the tool follow, but it's really about what are the experiences and then what are the real life skills we're asking of our students. And I think oftentimes the structure of articulating a portrait of a graduate ends up with a really nice poster.

And it ends up with a really well articulated system. And it runs the risk of that being the finish line rather than the starting point. So I think it's a great starting point. And what I've really enjoyed doing now in my new district is helping to operationalize some of those articulated goals and competencies. So what does it really mean to bring a learner's mindset into the classroom? I think when you can begin to operationalize and think about

All right, what does, you know, what each of what is creativity, what is wellness, whether it's the four domains that I talk about or seven competencies or six or so. However many competencies a district chooses to have on their portrait of a graduate, thinking about ways to really build transferable opportunities for students to demonstrate that learning in real life ways. That's when they become authentic and that's when they become meaningful for students, for families.

And then how do you curate the learning? How are students demonstrating those skills in practice and then how are they collected? So one of the pieces I've really enjoyed building is the beginning of a digital portfolio for our district. then, you know, portfolios are nothing new, but the mechanisms we have to build those portfolios are continuing to just improve and evolve. So a reflective piece can be, you know, a written reflection. could be an audio reflection. It could be students.

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you know, sharing a piece, you know, it doesn't have to be during the school day, but if they think about, this is a great demonstration of me being a culturally competent learner, or this is a great example of resilience, for example, you know, when students can articulate that, but then really reflect and talk about it rather than just tag it. I think when it becomes tagged, again, you run the risk of it just being a scrapbook versus a real expression of their learning that they are then

proud of and want to share either at a college application or as part of a senior showcase, for example. So I think, you know, regardless of the tool or the device in play, having students really know what they're using, why they're using it, having teachers on board through each of those four domains builds those moments and experiences that are going to last over time and only grow.

That's such a powerful point. think a lot of educators listening right now are probably thinking, yes, we need to shift toward more meaningful outcomes. Whether you're a teacher, a principal, or even a district leader, understanding how to start can feel overwhelming, especially when technology is involved. So if you're maybe feeling hesitant, maybe you're not tech savvy or unsure where to begin, like myself, Jed recommends a first step toward integrating these practices into our classrooms and schools.

That's what begins to change the conversation. You know, starting with the why and really talking about the teaching and learning in authentic ways, whether it's by assessment, whether it's teaching, you know, and looking at pacing guides in your instructional practice, or you're even looking at what's the content, doesn't need to be adjusted. Having those conversations is the start and having people brave enough to have those conversations and say, all right, we've been doing this this way for a really long time. And this goes back to your original question of like,

How do I begin that work? It's really just encouraging administrators and educators to broaden that mindset because a mindset builds a skillset. And if you can kind of expand that mindset, there's no way you're not going to also expand that skillset. Yep. A hundred percent. And what is the value add? You know, it's interesting. just, speaking of AI, we'll deviate just for a minute, but I just, in the past two days built four different quick chat bots and I won't even promote the tool that I used it, even though it's free.

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But what I did was four of our schools are named after local residents, historical figures, not presidents, but people who have specific import. And they weren't easy to research. But I built each one in less than three minutes with information. fed the model and then just giving parameters for the tool, built this chat bot for students to have a conversation with each of those characters who then represent different time periods.

So the value add there, it's not just to learn about that person. It's for students to learn about how to engage with AI, whether it's the type of language, whether it's the safe environment. And it is a tool that's a completely safe environment, because I'm super stingy with putting any students in front of any AI tool. But that idea of have a conversation with Luther Burbank, have a conversation with Mary Rollinson, find out who they were, and then begin to compare what is your daily life as compared to theirs.

It's not an AI lesson, right? So a lesson about comparing their daily life and learning about specific time periods and really a social studies lens to it. And yes, there is a layer of learning, implicitly learning about the tool they're using, but for the purpose of social studies piece there. I never liked whether it's kindergartners using, you know, B-bots or high schoolers using interactive tools and databases. I never liked the idea of

while they're secretly learning something else at the same time. We students should know exactly what they're using, why they're using it, so that it's not like, they're learning to code without realizing it. Well, a few things. One that we already talked about was really lead with the learning, let the tool follow. It's so misguided to begin with the tool or the device and say, how are we going to integrate iPads? How are we going to integrate whatever it is, whether it's Flip or Jamboard, both of which are disappearing next month.

If you attach yourself to the tool, there's going to be a problem down the line. But if you're beginning with what is it the students you want them experiencing, doing, remembering, collecting, how are they expressing, you know, lead with the learning, then let the tool follow. That goes along with, I guess, my second piece, which would be building instructional practice by design, not by device. Same kind of idea, because you can, you don't necessarily need one-to-one. Don't let me say that out loud, but it also again is not about the technology.

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Right. And sometimes, you know, technology can be the accelerator. It can be the accelerator of good practice, but it also can be the accelerator of bad practices too. And then, you know, I would say shamelessly plugging. I would say begin by moving beyond the bulletin board as, as the book says, and not replacing what you're already doing, but looking at what you're doing and asking, going back to that question of why is it, are you printing the winter poetry bulletin board that you make every year? Okay. If you are.

Take that winter poetry board and then, you know, think, and I use that as an example because poems are meant to be presented, recorded, recited. It's such an easy lift to think about, all right, I've got the tool right here in my hand to record it. Or students can record in there on their Chromebooks or whatever their device is, and you can take what was a very two-dimensional and a very momentary bulletin board. And by the way, who is it for? Students looking at each other's work? it?

truly decorating halls and walls. But that idea of publishing, know, then students can use tools like Book Creator or like whatever it is to then have their own voice captured, have their own expression, performance of a winter poem. You can build a virtual poetry night. You can then have parents participate and join without having to come into the building. They can send it to grandparents and it's saved forever. I mean, it's

It's not a brand new idea, the idea of recording and capturing. The tools might be brand new, but that idea of moving beyond the bulletin board, but why? And it's to really build that content creation piece. You know, if students are building a construction paper, this is literally one that I did with a second grade teacher where I walked by her room and there was a winter creation, you know, make, design your snowman. And we took them down. said, do me a favor, have them go into

this tool and I won't, I won't say which tool, but because I think I already did. But you know, what they did was instead of a very two dimensional construction paper snowman with two sentences and they all look very similar. Suddenly you heard the difference. You heard the thinking, well, this is my guy. This is how I designed him. You had the oral practice of them reading their sentence, but then you had a whole extra component, which was what was their thinking and you're capturing the thinking.

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that isn't captured on just a finished product that's a printed product or a cut and pasted. And it doesn't mean it was digitally created, right? She has the same product that goes home to, hopefully makes it home to a parent's fridge. But now you have this layer on top of it that captures their thinking. It captures how they named it. It captures their voice. And every single student is engaged and they're showcasing their thinking.

rather than having their product hung out in the wall and a really momentary short snapshot. So that's just, those are kind of two examples, but I think they, they get to what you asked. I would challenge teachers, challenge principals, challenge leaders to say, is what you're building either perpetuating or promoting a, a compliance curriculum, or is it really working toward that culture of

content creation and really demonstrating thinking and understanding. So whether it's, know, bulletin board work, whether it's traditional assessments, whether it's even our assessment and reporting, how, you know, how can we shift from those compliance checklists that are reinforcing a compliance curriculum to really building a report card of tomorrow, a classroom of tomorrow, instructional design of tomorrow. And by tomorrow, I don't mean 20 years, I mean tomorrow.

Jed is amazing. He gives such great advice. All school leaders can take any of his principles and advice and apply it right now and create these innovative schools and experiences. Absolutely. I am so thankful for Jed right now because I feel like he takes a lot of things that are complicated and he simplifies them. But I got to be honest, Gina, he gave us a lot of information. He sure did. Almost too much information. Almost too much. You might say we got TMI. And when you got TMI.

You gotta get some DMI.

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DMI of course stands for Don't Miss It. Andrea and I both will highlight the one thing from today that we think that you should pay attention to. Andrew, do want to kick us off? What was the best thing that you heard today, the thing that stood out for you? Yeah, well, I mean, we kind of hit at it a couple of different times, especially there at the end, but I feel like this is the main thing. When schools start to think about integrating technology, the first thing they do...

is attack it from a point of pride, right? I cannot tell you the number of schools I have been in that have gone, we're a one-to-one school. As if they, like, I'm supposed to put a badge on their, the front of their lapel or whatever. And what they're saying is, we are the kind of school that is investing in technology and so people should be proud of us. Whereas Jed goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Technology is a means to an end. If you have not defined the end, then you might be using the wrong technology, right? And that's why I appreciate it so much.

That to me is the first question you always ask is what are the learning outcomes that we're trying to get to? What are the skills we're trying to build that we actually think our students are going to need? Then we work backwards and go, okay, what technology could we invest in that is going to give us the best bang for our buck to get to the outcome that we need to? Sometimes that is being a one-to-one school. Sometimes it's not. But if we start from that learning outcome, then we'll make better

decisions and our point of pride won't be the the fact that all our kids have iPads It'll be that all of our kids have the skills they need in order to succeed That's a much better badge to have on your lapel by the way. That's really good. That's really good I think for me my DMI moment was you know, I think it's also the title of his book but that beyond the bulletin board I think sometimes we in any job, but I

I've seen it in education as well. It's like we get into, I don't even know if I want to say a rut, but we get into our habits, the things that like make us feel comfortable, the things that we know have worked. And bulletin boards have been a part of the way we communicate in our classrooms, with our students, with our teachers. And I think Jed's challenge to all of us is to think beyond the bulletin board and to create those memorable.

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meaningful experiences so that we can have memorable, meaningful outcomes. And young people's lives are truly transformed and changed. Because we know that once a young person is transformed, then that spreads to their families, to their communities, to their schools, and ultimately the world. And so that applies even here now, too. Yeah, if we were to ask the average teacher, why did you just make that bulletin board? Would they have an answer?

Or would it just be, well, that's what I always do. Right. And it's not even about not doing bulletin boards. That's not what we're saying. Correct. A bulletin board might be the right thing to And it's just thinking about how we even use the bulletin board to engage. So good, Thank you. That stood out for me. So I think we need to know how we can get in touch with Jed and letting our listeners know how they can get in touch with Jed or purchase his book. I know I'm getting ready to go and order it. I'm about to get it. I'm about to get it. It's stuck with me now. So let's listen in.

JedPD.com, as in Jed Professional Development, JedPD.com. You can find me, you can find info about me and links to books, including Beyond the Bulletin Board, Crafting a Culture of Content Creation. They're all on Amazon too. So if you search up by that name on Amazon, I think you will find any of my books or material as well. All right. So good. We hope you'll pick up a copy of that book, Beyond the Bulletin Board.

We want to thank you so much for joining us today on this episode of the School on a Mission podcast. But before you hit skip onto your next podcast, we've got a little challenge for you. Grab a pen, a notebook, a sticky note, or even the back of your hand and write down one action step you're going to take this week. Maybe it's something you're going to do. Maybe it's something you're going to investigate further or read more about, or perhaps it's just a person you need to meet with and talk to. Whatever it is, write it down. Got it? Perfect. Now shoot us a DM.

on social media with that action step. We cannot wait to see the awesome things that you're up to. Until next time, stay curious, stay bold, and keep leading your school on a mission. The School on a Mission podcast is produced by Growing Leaders, powered by Maxwell Leadership Foundation. You can find out more about Growing Leaders at growingleaders.com. We want to especially thank Jed Stefanowitz for joining us as a guest in today's episode. This podcast was co-produced by Angelica Oliver and...

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To find out more about the School on a Mission podcast, head over to schoolonamissionpodcast.com.