What Makes You Stand out?

We find ourselves in proverbial “Rat Race” constantly running around, searching to find the best new solutions in technology, education, and life in general. In a recent article I read, there was a very simple theme that was the centerpiece-what makes you stand out? It was a fairly simple theme to interpret, but it was an extremely applicable theme to ponder. I felt this theme really summarized some of the core concepts of Branding to me.


I have taken on a potentially lofty goal and desire for a branding application project. My goal is to work with area Catholic elementary schools to develop a brand for our special education program. It is one of the areas of our branding l that I find our school lacking in the form of technology branding. Our school has a phenomenal tradition academically, athletically, spiritually, and in the community. However, one of the continuous trends is an increase in the population of our students that receive special services. Maintaining a learning environment that is adaptable to growing needs of students and promoting a brand that is unique to our school will be the challenge to project.


One of the aspects of researching branding that I found to be the most intriguing is that schools have to find a way to make themselves standout or be unique. I consistently found myself asking, how can we do that? Schools today are not cookie cutter by any means, but schools do share consistent similarities. Sure, schools that were pilots of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs were pioneers and cutting edge a few years ago. They likely would have been able to notice a quick jump in enrollment and a boost to their brand, but did that last? Catholic schools have the religious and service background that cannot be matched in many settings. Couple the religious background with traditionally rigorous standards for education, and is that enough to stand out? How does a school truly find themselves to be unique? I believe this is an idea that will always keep me constantly wondering and thinking about what makes a school unique.


Of course I am a young teacher. This is my fourth year teaching. I have been at a few different schools, and I have taught all three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. One thing that I believe would make a school unique is a family atmosphere. I am may be off kilter by saying I do not think that a family atmosphere is found at most schools. To me, that is what makes a school unique. The whole staff buys into a collective vision and mission and tirelessly pours their heart into the school to make it better. Meanwhile, the mentality is not to solely be better, but the mentality is to achieve the best for the school, students, and surrounding community. I am not sure that I have seen this type of selfless act for a school by all faculty members. I wonder if this is just one of those utopian fallacies you dream about, but you are never really going to be able achieve. If this is only a dream, it is quite a shame that a school is unable to attain this type of atmosphere. If it is a reality, how does a leader develop this type of school community? I believe that through the branding module and finding a theme that centers around what makes you standout, I will find myself questioning, striving, and pushing myself to standout. Not just because it was in research, but because I find it necessary for all people to do to buy into a school's brand.

A Journey, Not a Destination

Technology integration would appear to be a very easy topic for me.  Our school has one to one technology, we have a young, technologically savvy principal, I am a young teacher with experience in multiple forms of technology, and our school looks for ways "to keep up with Jones" in technology and curriculum.  However, there are many twists, turns, bumps, dead ends, and detours on any journey. Module one led me on a journey, and it was not the clear cut destination I had previously imagined.  

Step One: The Research

I assumed when I began this module, I would spend a few short hours on research, and I would be able to quickly begin writing the paper.  I could not have been more wrong.  I felt as though I sifted through mounds of research to draw connections to a central theme that aligned with my research questions. When I started to support a theme and build citations for the bibliography, I saw a slightly different angle that required me to change the course of my research.  Not to mention, my initial research questions could have been appropriate for thirty page paper or a short text book. Throughout the research, I was consistently reminded of some of the simple parts of teaching. Teach using research-based methods and best practices, and integrate new ideas that fit the overall scope of the curriculum.

Step Two: The Paper 

Fresh in my mind, from my most recent graduate level course, was a colossal seventeen page research paper. All I have to write is a three to five page paper for this class? Piece of cake!  That quote, “piece of cake,” would prove to be a horribly wrong preconceived notion.  I found myself on page seven before I fully developed a a theme.  After proof reading the first time, I looked like my young son cut out chunks of my paper only to haphazardly place them in a new illogical order.  I reflected on my own advice to my high school students.  It is much more difficult to difficult to write a well written three page paper than to write a fluff-filled ten page paper.

Step Three: The Project, An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks 

For the application project, I chose to teach new data collection strategies in a modified professional development time at our school.  I chose to use the format for the professional development as plan time meetings. I know this is always a risky proposition, but to meet the parameters of the assignment, it was the only time I would be able to meet. The reception of the strategies from the fellow teachers was outstanding.  Many teachers have been teaching at our high school longer than I have been alive.  I was afraid that they may not like to implement new ideas for interventions, but it went much better than I expected. The teachers were very receptive, and thought the idea would benefit our intervention program as a whole.

Step Four: A Lifelong Process

I took many lessons from the technology integration module.  Of course, the extra knowledge I gained on using technology for Response to Intervention (RTI)  will greatly impact the program I run now and provide a significant amount of insight as a future administrator to help struggling learners. In addition, I had the opportunity to run a professional development session for a group of teachers. Although this may seem like an insignificant activity for an aspiring leader, it was valuable practice in proposing new ideas for professional development to a group of teachers. I think this process is something that I will need continuous growth on in order to be a strong educational leader.

An Open Maze

Through researching technology integration, I assumed that I would find many obvious solutions to my research topic. I found myself going through that old phrase if you find a closed door, there will be an open window. However, I was finding an open door which led to three or four more open doors, and the next open door would lead me to three or four open windows.  When looking to limit my research and focus on only one or two questions, it seemed like I was searching four, five, even six research questions simultaneously.  The process was quite challenging, and it was easy to get off of task and lose focus.

I related this experience to being a high school student to some degree, one that entered into our high school without much prior exposure to one-to-one technology. I have access to a great technological great device with a limitless amount of resources.  I was able to use different websites, browsers, search engines, and even had access to interview multiple school districts. With picking our own topic and focusing on our set of questions, the research opportunities were limitless.  I imagine that is how students feel the first day when given the iPad.  What can I do, what games can I download, how do I avoid trouble?  That was exactly I how I felt when I was researching. I had to sit back and slow myself down. There was a point that I realized I had more than eight windows open on Mozilla and Internet Explorer, and a few of those windows had two or three open windows as well.

There was one thing that kept me focused on my task, which was far above the research question. That focus point was what is really important, and what does quality instruction look like? As teachers, we should have a general idea of what best practices look like in the classroom.  If we do not know the best practices word for word, we should be able to easily find a place the defines or lists best practices for educators.  This is a broad way of describing that teachers must remember to incorporate scientifically researched practices including current trends in education. Obviously, technology integration would fall under this category.


When I reflect upon my research, the overwhelming lesson that I took out of the research is to use technology but do not let it be the driving force of my classroom. I have all of this great technology at my hands every day. This allows me to be kind of lazy when I act carelessly as a teacher. It is easy to use technology to capture the students' interest, but I am doing it effectively? Am I relying on technology to drive my teaching, or am I rely on my teaching to make the incorporation of technology meaningful, applicable, and relevant to students today?


I believe there is a delicate balance between utilizing to enhance the education of the whole student, and over-utilizing technology as a cop out in education. I believe as teachers, we have to look at best practices in education and research-based teaching methods. We then must use technology to enhance that process. For me, this is integrating technology in the RTI process and interventions as a whole. Making the content meaningful, activating prior knowledge, and using data to drive technology integration is going to always pose unique challenges. As we know, students change, practices change, and technological capabilities will jump tremendously, but we will always need to meet the growing needs of our students. That will pose a unique set of challenges.

Blog Post 1: Changing with the Tide

Growing up, I thought that I was bounds ahead of the previous generation in technology, and I was. I didn't know, however, that the influence of technology would be exponential in generations after me. I currently find my eighteen month old son able to unlock my iPhone, play on my iPad, subsequently Facetime grandmas, and find a way to lock me out of my own devices. This is just proves that as much as we think we are ahead of technology, however, the generations that follow us will always supersede our technological capabilities.

Education is a constantly evolving process that changes what seems to be instantaneously. An undeniable change is the change in technology. Even in a more rural area of Missouri, an hour from St. Louis, our school has taken the giant leap to a one to one technology school. The most remarkable part is, it seems, that each progressive year and grade level the students are more capable of learning, using, and applying technology. Even as a young teacher with only four years of experience, I feel that I am playing a losing battle of catch me if you can with the students.


To quote the great Phil Robertson, from Duck Dynasty, they have, “Facebook, my page, his page, your page.” Social media provides an outlet for discussions, forums for debate, an opportunity for research, ability to share current issues, and a means of self expression. Kid's develop their personalities in conjunction with the witty memes they identify with on their profiles. We ask if technology is killing traditional social skills, and the answer is “yes”. However, by accepting that their world is changing, we can adapt ours, as teachers, to integrate education in ways they can relate. For those school districts, schools, teachers, parents, students, or stakeholders that question whether technology is the way of the future, the resounding answer is “ABSOLUTELY”.


Here is where the adventure begins for me. I personally believe that it is an extremely easy task to incorporate technology into every day lessons. I can have my students Air Drop work, Air Play on the Apple TV, do bell work assignments on Apps, use Google Docs to create quizzes or share research paperlessly, as well as post assignments online. Options available to incorporate technology are constantly updating and changing. However, one of the most powerful technologies to apply in the classroom is a social media platform. Within a few minutes of creating a personal Twitter account after school one day, I had multiple students contact to ask about my Twitter account. How amazing is this device that can entice more creativity, questioning, and self-expression in ten minutes than six hours of school could ever try to?


Students thrive off of the application of social media platforms in the school setting. This is the future for our students. Applying this great communication device, using it to enhance education, and finding a way to incorporate it into our daily lessons will benefit our student's achievement now and in the future. I specifically am looking to relate social media to interventions, and it will be no easy task.


My case in point? Our students know how to do more than we do when it comes to technology- and always will. Using technology in our classrooms is one of the main ways we must keep current and relevant with our students. The teachers from generations before ours that choose not to accept technology integration in the classroom will meet Darwin's theories at their finest. Those who do not adapt, will not survive in the Snapchat- eat- Twitter era we are living in. The most mind boggling thought for me is that in eight years students evolved this much technologically. What will the next eight years look like?