Cloud computing is getting a lot of play in the k-12 community and there’s no doubt that there are some wonderful benefits to this model for schools.

Web-based software can be the road to 24×7 access from any location with Internet access.

Software as a service off-loads the costs of servers and the ongoing cost of maintaining them by an already overburdened tech support staff.

Web-based software gets updated centrally and insures that all students and teachers are using the same version.

However, there are some limitations to the public cloud:

Not all applications run in the public cloud.

Storage of sensitive student data is not under the complete control of the school district.

Software becomes an annual subscription and not an outright, one-time purchase. Over time, software budgets will grow as we add more subscriptions.

We still need the local network for policies, printing, grouping students, web filtering, and local storage

We can address these issues by developing ‘private clouds’ within the district.

We can virtualize desktops and applications and run them from servers in the ‘private cloud’ so that little or no software remains on the students’ or teachers’ computing device. Combining Public and Private clouds provides the best of all world’s:

All the benefits of the public cloud as stated above…

plus

The school can run applications that are unique to their environment.

Access these applications 24×7 from any device with Internet access.

Become device independent (apps are running on servers) thus allowing the purchase of thin clients, netbooks, and other low cost computing devices.

Install and manage applications centrally.

Slow the replacement cycle (software runs on servers so no need to buy new computers every few years.

There is no doubt that we are at a unique crossroads in educational technology. There are huge changes in the ed tech paradigm that are about to take place. The Public and Private clouds are a means to an end and not the end itself.

As we shift to this new paradigm we also make it possible for each student to have their own device and to access their learning resources and files from anywhere, at any time.

pete

Each of us has a professional identity. What is yours? You may think you are looked upon as a hard working educational technology leader; but your identity, what others think of you, may be very different.

For example, I know a few folks who feel they are going ‘over and above’ to do their jobs and that people recognize their effort. In fact, their identity  among professional colleagues is that they are  folks who can’t be relied on. Why do people feel that way about them? They don’t return phone calls or e-mails consistently. This inconsistency leaves people hanging, and after a while they have lost faith in them.

There are those that attend various meetings and commit to doing things and then get so busy with their ‘real’ jobs that they don’t have time to follow through. It’s not the end of the world to do this once; but because they’ve repeated the pattern, these folks become known as ‘all talk’.

There are folks I know who have identities of ’self promoters’. At meetings with their colleagues they have all the answers. They talk a lot about how wonderful things are in their districts; and rarely listen to what others have to say. It’s all about them.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those with the ‘I can’t win’ identity. As their budgets shrink and their aged computers age even further, they see no correlation with their own ineffectiveness as leaders. However, their colleagues do. Whatever their image is of themselves, these folks are seen as negative and weak. They are often sarcastic, “Sure, my teachers can’t wait to use technology.” Their signature responses to suggestions from others are things like, “I’ve tried that.” “You don’t understand, that won’t work with my (insert group here: teachers, administrators, superintendent, principal, board of education).”

I know folks who have the reputation of having great ideas; but little follow through.

There are those who are known as ‘control freaks’. Everything has to go through them. Every request, every issue, every piece of information must pass through their filters. They control the flow of information to their superintendents, administrators, and teachers. They are guardians of the gate.

Their are those that deal in ‘drama’. They’re involved in conflicts where ever they go. They are well-known among their colleagues because they are always talking about some other colleague (usually negatively) when they aren’t around.

It is a good idea to give some thought to what identities we have created for ourselves. We need a good mirror because what we think our identity is may be very different from how others see us.

A practice that I employ before meetings is to ask myself, “What identity do I want to have with the others in this meeting?” My identity for a specific meeting might be focused on:

a trusted adviser, a team player,  a good listener, someone with specific expertise, someone that is organized, a strong leader, an individual with vision, an individual with experience, etc.

Focusing on our identity is not play-acting or being manipulative.

It is simply being deliberate about the actions we take in the world.

When I write about leadership I often focus on the big things such as taking a principled stand, holding a bold vision, keeping balance in our lives, or inspiring others to achieve great things.

Recent experience has opened my eyes to the many ‘little things’ that go into leadership that affect our ability to be successful at the big things.

For the last few years I’ve been working with a number of data teams that are looking to change the culture in their buildings to include data. What I’ve found is that many of the less successful of the teams have never written their goals. They speak about them in generic terms but there is no solid and clear goal. If they have a goal the rest of the folks in the building don’t know about it.

They rarely have a defined team leader. Sometimes several names are put forth’ but it’s difficult to pin down who is accountable for the leadership components of the team. The members of the team tend to opt in and out of the picture, thus there is constant ‘churn’ and it is difficult to move forward.

There are a host of other ‘little’ leadership issues, such as not returning phone calls and e-mails, little follow through on tasks like scheduling meetings with their team, doing things at the last minute, and not taking advantage of help when its offered, or asking for help when it’s not.

Sure, changing the culture means facing frustrating obstacles. Change doesn’t come easy. But I wonder how many obstacles we create for ourselves?

pete

In previous posts I documented a financial strategy that allows the average district to afford ubiquitous and/or one-to-one computing. This week I want to broaden the strategy to energy savings. It’s amazing what a significant savings replacing traditional ‘fat clients’ with ‘thin clients’ can be.

The University of Pennsylvania produced the energy graph below which shows the average PC drawing more than 100 watts during moderate use. This doesn’t include the monitor which on average can draw approximately 75 watts. So, for the sake of today’s post, let’s settle on 175 watts for the average energy use of a typical desktop used in our schools.

Below is another chart, from the Mr. Electricity blog, showing ranges of PC energy use.

The chart below, from Steve Greenburg, President of Thin Client Solutions, shows the average energy used by several models of WYSE Thin Clients. The 3630 model uses more energy because it has a built in monitor. The other energy readings are without monitors.

From the same report, notice that the amount of energy consumed by Thin Clients is significantly less compared to the traditional PC.

What kind of savings can we expect by implementing a Thin Client solution? Let’s look at a district with 1,000 computers.

Assumptions:

1. 175 watts used by each computer.

2. Each computer in moderate use 6 hours per day; 185 days per year.

3. Computers left on overnight and during the summer use approximately 35 watts.

4. The Thin Client solution uses 6 watts plus 75 watts for the monitor.

5. A utility rate of $.14 per kilowatt hour

Using these assumptions, the total amount spent on energy for our 1,000 computers is $64,680.

Now, let’s do the same calculation with the Thin Client solution

The approximate savings by implementing Thin Clients for our 1,000 computer network is $29,291 per year; a 45% savings in energy costs.

The 5 year savings = $146,455

$146,455 can be used to purchase quite a few new $450 devices.

BTW, it’s not only cost effective; but the right thing to do for our environment

pete

Note: Obviously, energy use can vary based on many equipment and usage factors. The savings shown here are illustrative only.

From a teaching and learning perspective 1:1 computing makes complete sense and the positive results of this approach have been well researched and documented.

More widespread access to computers makes it possible for students and teachers in schools to transition from occasional, supplemental use of computers for instruction to more frequent, integral use of technology across a multitude of settings (Roschelle & Pea, 2002). Ubiquitous, 24/7 access to computers makes it possible for students to access a wider array of resources to support their learning, to communicate with peers and their teachers, to become fluent in their use of the technological tools of the 21st century workplace. When students are also able to take computers home, the enhanced access further facilitates students keeping their work organized and makes the computer amore “personal” device (Vahey & Crawford, 2002).

On a conceptual level our present approach to deploying technology, small pods of 3-4 computers and/or one computer classrooms put a tremendous classroom management burden on teachers and dis-empower students in a ‘many watching one’ or ‘shared pencil environment’. Computer labs empower students by allowing them to have their own devices; but access to labs is limited and generally not part of the core classroom experience.

Example of a “shared pencil” deployment.

Example of a “many watching one” deployment.

The 21st Century Skills of initiative, self-direction, flexibility, and user responsibility; skills that are fundamental to our children’s future success, are undermined by the technology deployment models described above.

We need a new technology deployment paradigm that empowers students and teachers and serves as a catalyst for transforming classrooms into environments that model the key 21st Century Skills that are so desirable in the work-place.

So why isn’t 1:1 more prevalent?

The fact of the matter is that if money were no obstacle most of us would take steps to expand our computer inventory so that access to learning technologies was ubiquitous. It is the economics of 1:1 computing that seems daunting.

We need a new paradigm to replace the client/server approach that has done well to get us where we are; but is not sufficient to bring us where we need to go.

That new paradigm is “cloud computing and virtualization”.

We need to recognize that the “shared pencil”, “many watching one” way we are deploying technology in our classrooms is not sufficient for students who need to be more “self directed”, “responsible”, “adaptable” and show more “initiative and leaderhship” .

That new paradigm is “ubiquitous access”.

The two paradigm shifts go hand in hand.

Put the tools in our students hands.

pete

Not long ago, I was facilitating a workshop for Principals on Leadership and technology and how to facilitate change.

About a third of the way through the morning a principal raised his hand. He was clearly frustrated and said,

“I already know about leadership. No offense. I’m just being honest.”

Wow! Was this the most arrogant S.O.B. in the world or was he just a great example of a school culture that confuses cognitive knowledge with real knowledge.

“I know about leadership….”

What the heck does it mean to “know about leadership?” Is it something that can be “known”? Is “knowing” simply being able to talk about a subject? Can you know about leadership and not display it? Was this Principal who “knew” about leadership actually a good leader?

It’s frustrating to encounter this definition of “knowing”. Having cognitive knowledge and insights is NOT the same as actually being able to apply the knowledge. “Knowing” about leadership is no substitute for being a leader.

It’s a shame that our schools have made knowledge -”knowing” – so abstract. Being able to apply what we learn is the ultimate test of our “knowing”.

Learning about science and doing science are two different things. It’s the same for all the subjects we teach.

So many of the people responsible for public education, themselves products of the system; including the gentleman who raised his hand to inform me that he “already knew about leadership”; want to keep knowledge abstract and cognitive.

The truth is, we can read books about leadership, listen to lectures, and talk to the wee hours of the morning about it; but none of those things alone will make us better leaders.

Can you imagine a great basketball player like Michael Jordan saying, “I already know about basketball; I don’t need to learn or practice anymore? In fact, it was just the opposite. The better Michael Jordan got, the more he practiced. It’s the same thing in Aikido. After years of training, getting to be a black belt isn’t the culmination of the work. It’s not the end point; but merely the beginning of the journey.

Ask any Principal or school administrator what makes an effective leader and in no time you will generate a great list of leadership attributes, insights, and tips and techniques. Obviously, these folks “know” about leadership. So how come there are so few effective leaders?

I may “know” what I have to do to lose weight; but I may continue to eat too much and drive past the gym.

I may “know” all the elements of giving a good speech; but be a terrible speaker.

Likewise, I may “know” the the characteristics of a great leader, yet not be able to lead effectively.

Taking our insights, ideas, and observations about leadership and deliberately putting them into action through the practice of leadership; is the step so many educators fail to take.

Leadership takes practice; it isn’t a tee-shirt that can be bought, “Leadership…been there, done that!”

…but then again, you already “knew” that, didn’t you

pete

Original Post 2007

They sat around me, sprawled on crudely-carved, graffiti filled desks with small metal and wood chairs. It was nearing the last day or so of the school year and this particular group of students didn’t want to leave. It was the last period of the day, and I sat on a desk with my feet on a chair in front of me.

“Mr. Reilly, we just want you to know that it’s not your fault.” said Billy, the leader of the group.

It was sort of strange that these particular boys were hanging out in my classroom, for they had been the students that had gotten the least out of my class, and school in general. They were common visitors to the principal’s office and denizens of detention.

Biily continued, “We’re screw ups. There was no way you were going to teach us.” he smiled at me. The others smiled too. “We know you tried, Mr. Reilly” now they became a little more serious. “You’re not so bad for a teacher.”

The others nodded agreement

“Guys, you aren’t screw ups. You’re good kids.” I responded reflexively.

“No, no; none of us like school. It’s so boring. You tried to make it interesting; but we didn’t need half the stuff you tried to teach us.”

Kevin chimed in, “I liked the books we read.”

Michael added,”I liked the goofy music you played and the poetry”.

I shook my head, “You guys are pretty smart. Why did you make it so hard on yourselves?”

It struck me how kind they were. How appreciative. They accepted the consequences of their actions, they were peaceful with their plight. They weren’t angry or holding grudges, because they felt they had been treated fairly. It was like they were professionals at this…no hard feelings…business is business. You were being you – “teacher” and we were being us – “screw ups”. But they weren’t screw ups. They were really nice kids with good senses of humor. They were just completely out of place in school. They had other, more important things going on in their lives.

If you saw them outside of school, you’d be amazed at their competence and confidence. “Let me look under the hood Mr. Reilly.” I think I see what the problem is. Let me fix it.” and sure enough Billy reached in to the bowels of the complex machine that was my car and began to work.

Any of them could tell you where to hunt, point out the quiet fishing hole where trout gathered on the edge of the frothing current, or where to lay a trap in a hidden Adirondack bog. In the fall, when the bullhead were plentiful one of them would catch a dozen and bring them to me wrapped in plastic. I remember pushing aside the brown lunch bags in the teachers’ refrigerator in the faculty room to make space for them.

These were the school rejects, the poor kids. They were like a Greek chorus in my teaching life because they were so real. They weren’t going to “play” school like the others. They weren’t going to “pretend” this was important to them. I could count on them reflecting back to me the best and worst of my teaching. If I was at my best I would see them engaged fully. Anything less, anything that was not relevant, not well planned, not taught well; and they would find something else to keep them busy. Generally, something that got them in trouble.

They are all grown men now. I suspect that some must have children of their own. They are frozen in time for me, in my life’s memory. So many students entered and left my life; but these, the professionals, remain. They represent the best of those I taught. My Huck Finns, My Greek Chorus; too young to really be my friends; but always my soul mates.

pete

Most of you know that I don’t often spend time on the technology itself. I try to focus on how the technology can be used effectively to empower our students and transform teaching and learning.

I am taking a detour today. Why?

Because I am convinced that we are so busy with maintaining the technology status quo in our buildings and districts that we are missing some rather large paradigm shifts taking place in business networking. Shifts that can have major benefits to our students, as well as our financial bottom lines.

Let’s survey some of the trends..

What does Gartner predict for 2009?

“Strategic technologies affect, run, grow and transform the business initiatives of an organization,” said David Cearley, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “Companies should look at these 10 opportunities and evaluate where these technologies can add value to their business services and solutions, as well as develop a process for detecting and evaluating the business value of new technologies as they enter the market.”

The top 10 strategic technologies for 2009 include:

Virtualization. Much of the current buzz is focused on server virtualization,…Hosted virtual images deliver a near-identical result to blade-based PCs. But, instead of the motherboard function being located in the data center as hardware, it is located there as a virtual machine bubble.

Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is a style of computing that characterizes a model in which providers deliver a variety of IT-enabled capabilities to consumers. Although cost is a potential benefit for small companies, the biggest benefits are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly.

How about CNN’s predictions for 2009?

The computer industry now ships more portable computers such as laptops than desktops, and an increasingly important part of the mix will be mini-notebook computers, known as netbooks. Industry sources say computer makers will sell more than 11 million netbooks worldwide in 2008, up from just around a million in 2007, and netbook sales could easily double in the new year

Evangelists such as Salesforce.com (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff have been predicting for years a revolution in so-called cloud services and computing, in which software and other applications are delivered to end-users over networks, or “the cloud.” This may be the year Benioff and the cloud crowd are proven right.

Corporate cloud computing is getting a big boost from consumers who already get a fair number of services via the Net. Photo-sharing sites are great examples of cloud services, as is just about any service that lets consumers store data or information anywhere but their computer or mobile phone. “In the consumer space it isn’t hype,” said HP’s Robison. “It’s actually quite far along.

Like cloud computing, “virtualization” helps companies reduce the cost of operating machines such as servers. The technology basically allows a single piece of hardware to run systems or applications that previously had run on multiple machines – essentially allowing companies to squeeze more out of existing hardware and even defer new purchases.

Virtualization has only been around in earnest for about three years, says Dell senior vice president Paul Bell, but he thinks corporate customers are starting to embrace it.

Obviously, I had to abridge the predictions; but over and over Cloud Computing, Virtualization, and Netbooks were in the tech trends lists I researched. I also found a move to Open Source software, and continued adoption of Web 2.0 in most of the lists.

The benefits of these three technology trends to businesses are clear and there are even greater benefits for education. Both Cloud Computing and Virtualization involve moving the applications away from the PC itself.

“There’s a clear direction … away from people thinking, ‘This is my PC, this is my hard drive,’ to ‘This is how I interact with information, this is how I interact with the web,’” – Dave Armstrong, Google Enterprise

Putting applications on servers that deliver them when needed allows a consistent and ubiquitous experience. I don’t have to be sitting at a specific machine that has the application I want on it. I can be at any machine and my applications are delivered to me.

BTW it doesn’t need to be a computer in my school. I can access my applications at home. Want to finish a Photoshop project but don’t have it on your home computer? Access the Cloud or the Virtualized application servers and you’ve got it. The school network just got extended into the home, or the library.

Want another reason to take these trends seriously for k-12?

Make your network “device independent!”

Buy netbooks, thin clients, or PDA’s and virtualize them.

Take a $300 thin client or a $450 netbook and instead of loading its hard rive with tons of application software, put that software in the Cloud or on VIrtualized application servers and they no longer are ‘toys’. They run every application that a big $900 computer can run.

Does purchasing two netbooks for every one desktop sound like a good idea in these tough fiscal times?

More computers, more access, from more places…

Maybe, someday we’ll allow kids to bring their laptops or mobile devices from home. They’ll be able to log into the app servers or Cloud and get their school software. Maybe instead of having to buy every kid in our school a device for our ‘one to one’ initiatives, we’ll just have to fill in the gaps for those who don’t have computers.

One more area that may appeal to cash strapped ed tech budgets is a longer replacement cycle. We’ve been on the replacement merry-go -ound for a years. No doubt, computers get old and have to be replaced; but what if we could double their useful life? Wouldn’t that help the bottom line? Wouldn’t that allow us to spend a little more on increasing the number of computers available to kids?

We need to pay attention to these trends that are being widely endorsed and implemented throughout the business community. We’ve been pretty quick to point out educators and administrators who are slow to change the way they teach and lead. We’ve complained about their unwillingness to adopt technology and new ways of doing things.

Now, here we are confronted with some emerging technology trends that require us to shift our own paradigms. Just like educators who resist the potential that technology can bring to their classrooms, it’s easy for us to throw up arguments and pick apart a thing or two with each of these technologies… and miss the big picture.

Maybe the paradigm shift seems too big for us to absorb at one time. Then perhaps a small pilot will suffice. It gets us started down the road of learning without the fear of upsetting the entire applecart.

It’s time to begin implementing new ways of delivering educational content. It will take these new approaches, a clear vision, and as always, courageous leadership, to break the stranglehold of past practice.

We can’t afford to ignore technology trends that can greatly improve teaching and learning. Our kids are too important.

pete