Disruption in industry and the implications for schools

Steve Denning in his great article on the disruption battle still raging at Harvard Business School, concludes: 

"...corporations need to be implementing all other management principles required to delight customers—a shift from controlling individuals to enabling teams networks, and ecosystems; a shift from bureaucracy to agility and dynamic linking; a shift in values from the primacy of efficiency to the primacy of continuous improvement and transparency; and a shift from one-way top-down communications to multi-directional conversation. This is Management 101 for the 21st Century."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2014/06/19/the-new-yorker-battle-of-the-strategy-titans/ 

More evidence to support the upcoming global launch of No Rules Learning.

Watch this space!

Digital Citizenship Certification for GEMS World Academy Dubai

GEMS World Academy-Dubai Certified as a “Common Sense School”

Recognized by Common Sense Media for Teaching Digital Citizenship

DUBAI, UAE – Common Sense Media, a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has certified GEMS World Academy-Dubai as a Common Sense School for educating its students to be safe, smart and ethical digital citizens.  GEMS World Academy-Dubai is the first school in the Middle East and the first GEMS school worldwide to be certified.

GEMS World Academy-Dubai has demonstrated its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy and cyber-bullying.

“We applaud GEMS World Academy-Dubai for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students’ education,” said Rebecca Randall, Vice President of Education Programs for Common Sense Media. “GEMS World Academy-Dubai deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21^st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large.”

GEMS World Academy-Dubai has been using Common Sense Media’s innovative and research-based digital literacy and citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with Dr. Howard Gardner of the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators and parents tangible skills related to internet safety, protecting online reputation and personal privacy, what to share and what not to share, managing online relationships and respecting creative copyright. The free resources are currently used in more than 65,000 classrooms across the US.

 “We are honored to be recognized as a Common Sense School as we proactively support students to navigate the online world in the 21^st century,” said Jason McBride, the Head of School at GEMS World Academy-Dubai. “By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them unlimited opportunities to maximize and personalize their learning.”

For more information, useful links, practical advice and suggestions please follow visit http://gwadigitalcitizenship.weebly.com or ‘like’ our Digital Citizenship Facebook Page.

For more information about GEMS World Academy-Dubai, go to http://www.gemsworldacademy-dubai.com.

To learn more about the criteria GEMS World Academy-Dubai had to meet to become certified as a Common Sense School, visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/certification.

About Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We provide families with the advice and media reviews they need in order to make the best choices for their children. Through our education programs and policy efforts, Common Sense Media empowers parents, educators, and young people to become knowledgeable and responsible digital citizens. For more information, go to: www.commonsense.org.

Taxonomy of School Evolutionary Stages

Mal Lee continues to lead the way with this simply wonderful taster of his upcoming book on digital transformation in schools.

The full document, which is an absolute MUST READ can be downloaded here:

http://schoolevolutionarystages.net/?page_id=160

I'd suggest that every school leader needs to know where their institution sits in this taxonomy and the model gives a very useful breakdown of next steps, whilst also potentially providing the basis of a framework for long term strategy.

The whole piece is a gem but perhaps the point that resonates loudest with me is the recognition that researchers looking to establish a causal link between technology deployment and academic (or other) achievement have really missed what is going on in digitally normal schools.  What's really important is how the technology is brought to bear on student learning, within a complex web of influencers on achievement.  Technology is not the silver bullet but we are beginning to see that it is very much an essential element of the overall armoury.

Bring on NO RULES LEARNING...