Change.

Change.

This word can pack a punch. It can be the good, the bad, or the just plain ugly. We [in the public education profession] especially tend to be resistent to this word.

Change has been a very personal word to me over the past 9 months. My wife and I welcomed a son into the world. That has changed us. This school year I changed my job, and an no longer in the classroom. I have been busy and have not blogged in almost nine months... and that was a change for me.

While on my blogging hiatus, I have not stopped reading. I continue to read David Warlick, Shelly Blake-Plock, and my all time fav, Chris Lehmann. I have also done a lot of self-reflection and thinking about "change".

This thinking mostly stems from my new (quazi-admin) role in the public school system. I have had lots of conversations about change over the past couple of months. In some cases, small change and in others, epic change. And - as I often am - I am left with a question(s)?

As we all begin this new school year...

What are you going to change?

Why are you going to change?

What led to these changes you will make?

How will you affect change in others?

Will these changes make a difference in the lives of those you serve?

(I am bias, but...) I think that these are good questions. Good questions to start off the new school year and a new journey in the education of others. I think that we need to make change a good thing - a word that we do not shudder in fear at - but rather embrace and put to work for the good of our schools.

Have an amazing school year. I promise to write more... way more. That is one of the changes I will make in the lives of others.

Damn it feels good to be a blogga'.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M.Ed.

mike.meechin@gmail.com

twitter.com/innovateed

How to Hire: An Open Letter to Educational Leaders

Dear Educational Leaders:

I was speaking not too long ago with a former principal of mine. He is now an area superintendent of a large urban school district. Like many school districts we discussed the issues regarding teacher hiring and retention.

He told me that his district had adopted a system where new hires must teach a lesson prior to signing a contract and setting foot in one of the districts classrooms. My thoughts - well, it's about time.

In my experience, especially in "tough to staff" schools, that we practice the "warm body phenomenon". What I mean by that is that too often the applicant pool is quite shallow. Too often we are hiring to get someone in front of those kiddies, instead of practicing a thorough interview process.

The argument that I have heard about the system that my friends district has embraced is that it is too time consuming. We just don't have the time and resources to have all of our applicants teach a lesson in front of interviewers (or better yet, real live students). I ask - why not!?

Time and resources are not a valid argument against this process. Adopting a "teach first, then hire" system will allow us to save time and resources on the back end. We will not longer have to worry about ineffective teachers (as much). We will no longer have to continue to commit time, money, and resources to educators who - well, aren't educators and never will be.

Doctors serve a residency. No licensing board would allow a doc to practice medicine on them without it. However, state education boards allow people to practice education without one. Thanks for the transcripts and your $150 application fee. And POOF... you're a teacher. We need educators coming into the profession to endure a scrutinization (not a word) that we can only dream of before we allow them to teach. (Side note: we need to also re-scrutinize some of those already in the classroom.)

Whether it be a residency, mock lessons, real lessons, or teaching for an interview panel. We all - especially the "hard to staff" schools - need to make time, make resources to ensure that this happens for every what-to-be educator. It is a must.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org.

Redefining Assessment, an Online Conversation

I have been working on a project over the past 8 months or so regarding grading and assessment. Over the past few months I have been working with faculty members to redefine our grading and assessment systems. It has been a tough conversation - one that we need to have. So, I have decided to bring that conversation to the Interweb.

On February 9, 2011 at 7:00PM, join me online as I discuss the results that we found as we stepped outside of the traditional grading and assessment system.

We will be going in-depth about the 50 Point Project. The 50 Point Project, is the journey that myself and 24 other educators have been on since the beginning of this school year. Basically, the 50 Point Project uses a 50-point minimum grading scale to focus on the motivation and success of all students. In addition, we have redefined what "A" work really is by eliminating 50 points from our traditional 100-point system.

The 50 Point Project also addresses major inconsistencies that we discovered between teachers of the same subject - in the same school. I believe that this is a common issue in schools around the country, especially those with ineffective educators.

To learn more about the 50 Point Project, our journey, and some of our results... mark your calendar and join us for this online conversation to attempt to discover what is best for all students that we serve.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011 7:00PM
Join Us Here: http://www.bigmarker.com/mmeechin/50point

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org.

Hiatus.

Well it's been almost two months since my last entry. I wanted to take a moment to explain my hiatus.

On December 05, my wife and I welcomed a son into the world - and since then it has been busy to say the least. Juggling life, work, and parenting - well, blogging got moved to the back burner.

I am happy to say that things have now slowed down and gotten back to normal. I will be contributing to my blog again beginning this week. I have some things that have been on my mind over the past two months and I can not wait to share.

Happy New Year!

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

The Truth.

The truth?

You can't handle the truth!

I am sure the visions of the courtroom scene between a young Tom Cruise and the ageless Jack Nicholson reverberate through your mind - as they do mine.

However, this time it is public education on trial. The truth is tough to handle. You don't have what it takes to be an educator - period. I believe that this needs to be the new mindset of the education reform grassroots movement.

The time has come to lift the level of the teacher profession to a new status. Stop telling people that you can teach, stop promoting career change programs into education. I mean, I want to be a doctor - where is the teachers to doctors program? If this is not an acceptable practice, then why do we assume that if you can't do anything else... you should teach.

Our new mantra must be... You do not have what is takes to be an educator.

We need to be recruiting new, young talent into the ranks (how we do that is another discussion) of education right from the start. Stop funneling those who do not want to "do" their career or could not choose a major in college into our classrooms. We are doing damage to the system that is beyond repair.

The truth hurts. We need to be having tough conversations with potential candidates and (unfortunately) those already in the classroom and telling them - you do not have what it takes to be an educator.

To close - check out Taylor Mali's "What Teachers Make".

Disclaimer:
I understand that their are some career changers that are the most solid teachers in our student's classrooms. But, this post is for poopy teachers - no matter how you got there. However, society's belief is that teaching is easy and that anyone can do it... and this could not be farther from the truth.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M.Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

Giving Thanks.

I am thankful for family (a new baby in the next few days), thankful for opportunities, thankful for good health as well. But, for the sake of this post I want to focus on this...

I am thankful to be an educator.

The past two months have been some of the busiest of my life. I finished grad school (again) and my wife and I are expecting our first baby shortly. But, when I have some down time I have been keeping up with reading the work of so many passionate about public education in this country.

I also have been thinking about what to say for the Blogging for Real Reform challenge. And... I already realized that is what I have been blogging about for the past year. It makes me feel great to know that there are grassroots educators out there fighting the good fight.

I hope that you will read through some of my posts and see what I have to offer to the discussion.

I also encourage you to read the work of other educators that I am thankful for:

• Chris Lehmann
• David Warlick

These are the guys that inspire me to write and continue to fight for what is best for my students - always. I am so thankful for their wisdom and musings. Whatever you think that you can do for this movement - do it. Write, read, blog, debate, discuss, teach, serve, just do it.

I am thankful to be an educator.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M.Ed.

mike.meechin@gmail.com

twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org.

Priorities.

A month and a half. That is how long it has been since I last wrote.

I have had a lot on the plate with a myriad of professional developments, a baby on the way, and the homestretch of graduate school. And with the close of Education Nation timed with my last blog post - I have had lots on my mind.

I read a lot. Blog posts that is. My Google Reader is slammed packed each and every day with the passionate musings of those in the edublogosphere. I just have not had time to empty my brain.

Over the past few months it seems as though the debate about education reform has heated up. I disagree, I just believe that it has been brought to the mainstream as of late. Whether in my grad classes, talking to colleagues, or surfing the Web... I have had many discussions centered around what needs to change in schools NOW.

The answer is simple. The educator.

The public educational system in the United States needs to "clean house". I do not care about the tenure debate. The fact of the matter is that across this country right now there are educators in front of students that do not belong. In fact I will say that they are doing more harm than they do good... period.

No matter what reforms we discuss, no matter what programs we implement, no matter how great our edtech ideas are... these educators will never have a handle on one of the toughest professions there is. I do not care what your passion is with regard to education - this must become our priority. This must become our national priority.

Without this "clean house" approach - nothing else matters.

This is what I have been thinking about. I would also beckon all others with a voice to call for the same. Take a break from your other blogging topics and speak on this.

This is "our" priority.

More to come (soon)...

Mike Meechin, M.Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org.


Image Source: add1sun

If Not Us - Who?

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions stemming from watching NBC's coverage of Education Nation, having tough conversations with colleagues, reading the blogs of others, and also living out a career in a "turnaround" model school.

I am fearful of the demise of public education in this country. I believe that even with all of the circus with Education Nation this past week - that education will once again fall by the wayside. But, the honest truth is that it can't. If it does public education will be in a state of peril.

You see, I work is a school that is in trouble. We are not in a downtown urban setting, but rather in one of the biggest tourist destination in the country. We are a school that has adopted one of the federal differentiated accountability models, also known as a "turnaround". But, I fear that the focus is not on the  dire need to reform what we are doing in these schools. We talk charters all the time - but, with 2000 students at our school, where are these students going to go. We must educate these students in these buildings. However, reform is not the correct option - we need to "blow it up" and begin all over again with the design of these schools.

It must begin with a topic discussed this week - tenure. The need to eliminate the educators who do nothing for our students is crucial to the success of these schools. We have them - others have them, and they need to go. We need to put quality educators in these classrooms and use some of the models that are working. Models like SLA, and so may others. Designing institutions that focus on student learning - nothing else - must be our mission. We need to flood these schools with resources including technology.

I know that this post is all over the place - but that is where my mind is right now.

The time for talking is over... action is what is needed now. I am doing my part and will graduate in December with my administrator certification - putting myself in a position to begin to influence the system. It is time for all of us, educators to stand up and take control of the system. While this will not happen overnight, it needs to happen.

It is our job to make sure that these schools and this system do not fail. I will pose a question to you as well. If not us - who?

What are you going to do?

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org.

Cheat, Cheat - Never Beat

Today in class, as I often do, caught a student copying work for another class. It got me to thinking...

What are our students getting from the work that we assign them?

Assignments that can be copied and done in a few minutes during the class period prior to being turned in have zero affect on student learning. The student not only missed instruction in my classroom, but also got nothing from the assigned work.

The bigger question is whether we should give homework that is "copiable".

I understand that there may be the occasional assignment or subject where this may be unavoidable. However, homework assignments that can simply be copied are not effective. Students need to be creating original work that requires them to think at high levels. This concept is really tough for some to grasp.

Some educators may argue the point that the student is cheating and should be penalized. These same educators would give no thought to the assessment itself and whether it was a valid assignment to begin with. The truth is that if we give "copiable" assignments we are just as guilty as the student. They are cheating - but we too are cheating. We are cheating students of learning - and you know what they say...

Cheat, cheat - never beat.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org.

Now Hiring... Instructional Leaders

I am banishing the word administrator from my vocabulary with regard to public education.

Now hiring... instructional leaders.

The day and age of the instructional leader (the leader formerly known as the principal) sitting in an office and dealing with finances and other decision making alone are over. Today's educators and educational institutions are in need of innovative instructional leaders. Those who leave one foot in the classroom not matter how far removed they may actually be.

We (public education) need instructional leaders who are collaborating with teachers and students in their buildings to make the best decisions for the students. We often tote around the company line of "do it for the kids" - an empty goal that in turn goes ignored when decisions are made at the district, state, or federal level. The time for leaders with stagnant ideas who occupy the big chair for years on end are over - as in done.

Now hiring... instructional leaders.

Educators need leaders in their schools (especially the lowest performing schools) that model what to do, not dictate what to do. I have often wondered how many leaders charged with turning around or leading schools can outperform me in the classroom. The answer is probably far too low. That is what I want - in fact, it is what we must have. Instructional leaders that can instruct, develop, and nurture teacher and students alike are what we need.

I aspire to become one of these leaders and I know that they are out there already leading some great schools. If you are one of them - share your message and skills with others. We are not looking for leaders who are not interested in "doing it for the kids".

Now hiring... instructional leaders.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org

Tweet, Tweet!

I am making a solid push to grow my PLN (personal learning network) and Twitter is going to be my vehicle for sure.

I also wanted to let you know that I will be reaching out to collaborate on assignments for my students from time to time. I will be looking for some higher level, provocative questions for my students to blog about. The concept is not mine, I have to attribute that to Shelly Blake-Plock, the man behind the curtain over at TeachPaperless. So, of your not PLNing, or your not on Twitter - join in the conversation now. I promise that you will thank me for it.

Tweet, tweet.

For more on the power of the PLN, check out my post from last month. If you want to follow me you can find me in the Twittersphere @innovateed.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org


Twitter Birdie icon by Arrioch

The Write Thing to Do.

My wife and I were out to dinner the other evening and we did what we always do... and discussed work.

You see, my wife and I are both educators. As most educators will tell you it is tough to not talk shop when around other educators. This night's conversation was the same as always - shooting around ideas about how to improve our practice to benefit our students. So, as dinner (and discussion) progressed we came to a conclusion...

We are going to do the write thing.

We (my wife and I) are going to begin work on a book. We both teach secondary and notice the lack of resources for teachers at this level... other than the myriad of work published by an amazing community of educators on the Interweb. However, educators need a "gateway" to get there. So, we are going to write a guide for secondary teachers - somewhere along the lines of a field manual for educators.

The rest of 2010 is going to be action packed here at Innovate Education. We look forward serving educators with quality professional development, developing a mini conference in Central Florida (inspired by the work of Chris Lehmann), and working to publish a book.

I also hope to contribute more meaningful musings to this blog.

More to come...

Michael Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to the Innovate Education, LLC. blog!

We are one year old this month. I am so happy to say that I am beginning to grow an audience on this blog. You have no idea how privileged I feel to be able to write for others in the education community.

I wrote a post back in February about a bad habit that I had - checking Clustr Maps on my blog WAY too often. Back in February I had gained 366 readers in 6 months...

Six months later, I am proud to say the almost 1,000 people have visited the blog. I look forward to the next 1,000 very much! Thanks for your support.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed


For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org

What's Our "Company Line"?

What is our [public education's] company line?

I know in my experience it has always been: "It's about the kids."

Is it really though? You know, about the kids? We are a week deep this school year, and I have tell you that I love this job. However, I am realizing how much demand is really on the educators in my school. From extensive professional development to detailed lesson plans, the demands and requirements are intense. So, where do the kids fit?

I am realizing that even with all the demands that do not directly impact the interaction between myself and my students, I am going to focus on my students first. The rest of the "stuff" will come later.

"It's about the kids."

Actually, it is bigger that just that. I am going to take the company line further than ever this year. I am going to answer the company line of the people that should be running the company. You know, Chris Lehmann, called for action earlier this summer. We need more people like Chris to tow the company line.

You know Chris actually believes in the company line; "It's about the kids."

Lehmann is the principal of SLA in Philly, and travels the country speaking about school 2.0. Chris' idea of being about the kids is to totally redesign schooling to be about the kids. Schools today are not designed to be about the kids. We are too caught up in the system - failing schools, less qualified teachers, standardized testing, narrowing the curriculum - for "it" to be about the kids.

When Chris made the call for action I wasn't sure if I could do anything. But, you know what - I can. I want to organize an Educon of my own, answering Chris's call. I advise others to do the same. It is important... in fact more important than anything else that we [educators] can do right now.

To make it about the kids, it will require a grassroots effort. Excellent educators that call on others and take charge of making change in their communities. Making it "about the kids."

I am going to take the next month to think about how I can make change. I will keep you updated of my thoughts, ideas, and questions here. I also want to leave you with one question...

What's your company line going to be?

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org

The Power of the PLN

So, with tomorrow marking the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, I wanted to take a moment to thank my PLN [Personal Learning Network]. And... to tell you that if you don't have one - get one.

I am really looking forward to this school year and putting the changes that were inspired by my PLN into practice. I will tell you that the changes, ideas, and inspirations that I gained from reading, writing, and collaborating were more than I could have receive in ten summers of professional development workshops.

Below I am going to list a few of the changes that will be seen in my classes and then I will discuss the people that you should add to your PLN... now!

My class will see:

• Crowd-sourced syllabi and student expectations
• Student blogging
• Twitter student network
• Parent hub using Google Sites
• Student instructional cell phone use
• Wikis for fast information
• Revamped assessments/grading policy

All of these ideas evolved from the ideas from my PLN. Now I will tell you that I did not do as good a job as I should have. In fact, my PLN was rather one-sided. This school year I look forward to opening up the conversation from both sides and offering contributions to the PLN. 

Today, through the use of Twitter, blogs, and many more social technologies you can connect with educators all over the world in seconds.

The personal learning network has forced me to grow as an educator more than any other outside force that I have encountered. I encourage you to get involved in the conversation now - the power of the PLN will take you and your students far. This school year I will also be pushing my colleagues to get involved in the conversation. This will only make us better educators, and have a direct impact on our students.

Okay, now for those of you who are going to get started... here are the people that I would recommend. These educators are contributing so much to the conversation. Now, it is your turn to get involved in the conversation.

• David Warlick (@dwarlick)
• Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne)
• Shelly Blake-Plock (@TeachPaperless)
• Karl Fisch
• Chris Lehmann (@chrislehmann)
• Lee Kolbert (@TeachaKidd)
• Joe Bower (@joe_bower)

I hope that you take some time out as we all begin to head back to school and that you join the conversation. I look forward to collaborating with you there.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.

mike.meechin@gmail.com

twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit:www.innovateedu.org

Tough Conversations... Have Them! Part II

Man oh man!

This weekend I stumbled upon Joe Bower and his blog. The man is doing some mind altering educational reforms within his classroom walls in Canada. He has some amazing ideas and methodologies that will create a neuron party inside your head.

Are you ready for this?

You had better sit down...

Joe Bower wants us to abolish grading! That's right - abolish grading... period. Talk about reform.

Now pedagogy that calls for the removal of the grading system from education may at first seem - oh, I don't know... insane! But, if you give Mr. Bower's site a read - he will dazzle you with some food for thought. For those who read this blog, you know I am beginning a journey of research with the 50 Point Project. But this abolition of grading is just blowing the doors off of my concept - man oh man!

He forces us to rethink assessment...

When assessment becomes more about covering your own ass in fear of being held accountable and less about student learning, we fail our children in more ways than we would like to ever admit.

Now I am not saying that I agree with Joe's work or his philosophy, nor am I saying that I do not. What I do know is that Joe has inspired me to have more of the tough conversations with my colleagues this upcoming school year.

We are the leaders of tomorrow's schools and if we do not have these tough conversations, who will?

Without these conversations, public education will continue on the path of the status quo. Thanks to Joe Bower and other reformers in the movement - thanks so much. Thanks so much for forcing me to have these tough conversations that will make me a better educator.

More (conversations) to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org

Tough Conversations... Have Them!

The Dangerously Irrelevant author, Scott McLeod called upon edubloggers to write for Leadership Day 2010. To be honest, I almost didn't write this blog post because things have been so busy throughout July, hence the lack of blog posts.

But, the ideas, concepts, and motivations of the thousands involved in the School 2.0 movement are too important to ignore. So, I write.

This past week I had the opportunity to get the ear of the superintendent of my school district. This is a very rare feat, as I work for a school district serving about 70,000 students. The topic of instructional technology came up, and I was encouraged.

We discussed the importance of what Chris Lehmann always speaks about... making technology like oxygen - invisible. I discussed with him the need to not just implement technology, rather make it an everyday piece of what we "do". Conversations entailed topics about our student's use of technology - from cell phones to ipods to ipads to netbooks. I discussed with him that our students need access to the technologies that they are exposed to outside of school. (Something that our district blocks - Internet censorship from GoogleDocs to Facebook, no cell phones, etc...)

I discussed what I believe is our responsibility to educate these students on the technologies they use. Students misuse these technologies because there is no room in the curriculum for us to teach and incorporate the appropriate use of these tools. Something that I told the superintendent is vital to the success of creating the 21st C. citizen.

So, on Leadership Day 2010, I had a conversation with my leader. Just as Scott McLeod did, I encourage you to have these conversations with your leaders. The movement begins with us. Initiate change.

Happy Leadership Day 2010!

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

For more information about Mike Meechin and Innovate Education, LLC. professional development please visit: www.innovateedu.org

Best of...

Innovate Education has quite a few new readers these days. You have no idea how much I appreciate the audience, and also how you all enable me to live in my educational dream.

Since the pick up in other educators interest... I thought that I would post some of my oldies. In my opinion, these are some of my best pieces... ones that I am proud of. As I reflect, I have seen how my writing has changed, and I want to get back to the "oldie" style. I have used these pieces as a source of self-reflection - I hope you will use them to tell someone else about this blog, or be inspired to begin you own.

Being the "D"

What Are We Doing?

Chivalry is Dead.

Respect.

Delivering Meaning

Standardi-Nation

Getting Left in the Chalk Dust

Hitting Refresh

Enjoy.

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

Textbooks Schmextbooks

Been working some math lately. (Yes I have a headache.)

I am going for an interview later this week for a curriculum position at the district level. The job is overseeing the curriculum for social studies in middle and secondary schools in my district. Our district is fairly large, serving about 53,000 students.

In my interview prep, I wanted to be able to drop some bombs with regard to reforms in the interview. My big point is going to be about textbooks... getting rid of them. That's right I said it. Stop social studies textbook adoptions immediately and focus on bringing SS classrooms to a one to one. Here is my math that I have been using.

We enroll just over 24k (24,104) students in middle and high school. If we purchase textbooks for all of these students (we actually purchase more, since many students are enrolled in more than one SS classes) it would run the district about...

$1.6 million... based on a $70 textbook.

I say, textbooks schmextbooks!

We purchase texts for social studies every five years. Why? In the district's 163 social studies classrooms we could go one to one with netbooks for about...

$1.2 million... based on a $300 netbook. This is the bomb I am going to drop in my interview. We should stop textbook adoptions and put the capital into technology and professional development to implement that technology. The craziest part is that it would shave about $400k from the district budget.

Wow.

Any thoughts? Or any other ideas for the interview?

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed

Real World Education

So, it's been a while... again. Trying not to make this a habit.

Have been working the past two weeks with a group of high schoolers, taking them on trips to local colleges and universities in the Central Florida area. This past Thursday we visited Full Sail University, a college for entertainment, media and arts. Their motto is powerful, yet simple.

Full Sail. Real World Education.

Their motto has inspired this post. The school is simple from the outside, basically looks like a large office building. But inside, the school is built for real world education. The interior of building, depending on whether you're in the film, music or animation production areas is an eclectic mix of wood and steel. Amazing designs are present throughout, Full Sail is after all an "art" school. Students find recording studios, a working backlot, concert venue, television studios and sound stages... all mixed among classrooms.

Why can't we replicate what Full Sail has, but in a high school setting? I am not talking the specifics, but the openness of the design of the school. Students work to help other programs, a true cross curricular learning environment. It is not about money, its about taking the time to demand a quality design for schools. Our schools already cost extraordinary amounts of money, but with not originality in design. (In fact, my current school district has built the last three high schools from the same plans. Ha!)

Full Sail has a lot to teach us about school design, openness and student driven learning. I will keep this in mind when I reach the big chair, hopefully in a role to design a new school.

Thanks Full Sail!

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M. Ed.

mike.meechin@gmail.com

twitter.com/innovateed