!looc woH

That is, in Shorewood-speak, "How cool!"

Back in November, we reported on a lip-dub video created by Shorecrest High students to the tune of Outkast's "HeyYa." After their video went viral with a vengeance on YouTube, Shorecrest students challenged rival Shorewood High to top their production.

Shorewood did not disappoint. Check out the students' answer to the video challenge below, a lip dub to Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams." About 30 seconds into the video, you may start wondering, "How'd they do that?" Here's a clue: sdrawkcab. The students filmed everything backwards, even learning to lip sync the lyrics in reverse!



Who's winning? Shorewood's video boasts an impressive 586,412 hits—more than double Shorecrest's 254,442 hits. Looks like the ball's back in Shorecrest's court!

And just what does this have to do with education? Consider the following excerpt from "The New Untouchables," an op-ed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman from Oct. 20, 2009:

A Washington lawyer friend recently told me about layoffs at his firm. I asked him who was getting axed. He said it was interesting: lawyers who were used to just showing up and having work handed to them were the first to go because with the bursting of the credit bubble, that flow of work just isn’t there. But those who have the ability to imagine new services, new opportunities and new ways to recruit work were being retained. They are the new untouchables.

That is the key to understanding our full education challenge today. Those who are waiting for this recession to end so someone can again hand them work could have a long wait. Those with the imagination to make themselves untouchables — to invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies — will thrive.

A class of "new untouchables" right here in Washington state? Sure seems like it!

Hey Ya!

To the tune of Outkast's "Hey Ya," Shorecrest High School students are taking YouTube viewers on a fast-paced, high-energy tour of their hallways, packing 4 minutes and 29 seconds with entertaining school spirit. The "lip dub"video, which has gotten more than 18,000 hits on YouTube in less than two weeks, is the product of an assignment by Shorecrest teacher Trent Mitchell. After just six rehearsals and some impressive choreography, the students nailed it one take. Take a look for yourself!



Will we see more knock-out videos from the Shoreline School District? Looks like it. In a new twist on "school rivalry," Shorewood High's video production students have accepted a challenge from Mitchell to produce a better video.

Sexting: More than an Awkward Situation

Sexting. If you're an educator, you've no doubt heard about it. In fact, chances are, you've already dealt with it in some form of the other.

If just hearing the word "sexting" sends shivers down your spine, consider the case of Ting-Yi Oei, assistant principal at Virginia's Freedom High.

"My Students. My Cellphone. My Ordeal," which recently appeared in The Washington Post, offers a first-hand account of the devastating spiral effect of one sexting incident. Oei responded to a reported case of sexting, and ended up on the wrong end of a criminal investigation into child abuse and child pornography. (To hear the defense attorney speak about Oei's case, click here.)

The lack of clarity around sexting is posing some real challenges to building administrators. Recent sexting incidents, including Oei's, illustrate just how easily schools, communities and personal lives can be thrown into upheaval. While procedures and policies are being hashed out, principals and assistant principals are in a precarious position, having to navigate their way through uncharted waters.

For helpful resources, including tips for parents and teens, visit the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Sex and Tech Web page.

Relationship-Based or Technology-Based: Is It One or the Other?

Having just recently returned from the 2009 NAESP Annual Convention in New Orleans, my mind is racing. And it's not from too many beignets!

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a pre-conference workshop on "Relationship-Centered Leadership." The presenter, Tom Wojick of The Renewal Group, explored the power of strong relationships with students, staff and faculty. His discussion of emotional and social intelligence clearly resonated with workshop attendees, who were eager to apply his insights to their work in schools.

The following morning, keynote speaker Ian Jukes officially kicked off the convention, delivering a rapid-fire presentation on the exponential growth of technology. His phrase, "Info-Whelming," certainly hit the nail on the head. As attendees left the presentation, I overheard many describing the information as "scary," "daunting" and even "painful."

On Saturday, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) knocked our socks off with a presentation that brought attendees to their feet. In his address, Gen. Powell called for young children to get "more lap-top time"—not more time on their computers, but more time "on the laps" of families members who care for them. At the core of his remarks was a focus on relationships between children and parents, family members, principals, teachers and mentors.

And, finally, on Sunday, I attended a breakout session by Matthew Hayden, elementary/technology teacher, Bristol Township SD (Levittown, PA). Hayden did a nice job of answering the question, "OK, I realize technology is changing the classroom—but how is that relevant to me and what can I do about it?"

With each day of the conference, it became more apparent that we all are trying to reconcile the implications of technology with human relationships. Can an education leader value technology and relationships equally? Or does technology result in a "disembodied" education for a children?

In a breakout session, Jukes offered this thought: "If you are an educator who can be replaced by a computer, then you deserve to be replaced by a computer." In other words, technology is a great tool—but it is not a substitute for human-based teaching and learning.

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year! After a bit of a hiatus, The Comp Book is back in action for 2009! Thanks for your patience.

We’re starting off the new year with one of our favorite topics: technology in education.

In today’s Washington Post, education columnist Jay Mathews discusses "this year's educational buzz phrase": 21st-Century Skills.

When President-elect Barack Obama introduced Arne Duncan as his nominee for secretary of education, he said, "We need a new vision for the 21st century education system, one where we aren't just supporting existing schools but spurring innovation." If we are to believe Obama's campaign promises, new technology will be an important part of work in the classroom—and in the White House. Word is, sometime this week (tomorrow, according to the BBC) Obama will name his Chief Technology Officer, a new cabinet-level position.

So, what is "a 21st-century education system"? Is it characterized solely by the technical demands and capabilities of our schools today, or is it more pedagogical than that? Mathews prompts his readers to ask if the 21st-century education is really a new concept or just another name for effective teaching.

A 21st-century education purportedly prepares students for a new and changing world, the world they'll encounter when they enter the workforce. But is that any different from what educators have always aimed to do in the classroom, i.e., prepare their students to succeed after graduation?

Is technology the only thing that defines a 21st-century education, or is there more to it than that? What are your thoughts?

E-quipping Our Students

By the end of this month, middle and high school students in Kennewick will have their own district-based e-mail addresses, according to an article in yesterday's Tri-Cities Herald. Students will use the e-mail to submit and receive assignments and communicate with their teachers. (Sorry, kids, dogs don't eat e-homework!)

Meanwhile, neighboring Pasco School District is using Moodle, an online course management system that provides exciting opportunities for collaboration between staff and students.

Kudos to the Kennewick and Pasco School Districts! Changes like this—as basic as they may seem—show a true commitment to meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

How is your school or district using technology to strengthen its learning community?

Technology: Fight It or Learn It?

Do you have a MySpace page?

Not for networking, but for keeping up with technology -- for staying connected to how students are communicating? (Or, just keeping tabs on your own child?)

That's the issue raised today at a meeting of statewide education association communication professionals. The group meets to discuss ongoing projects in our respective organizations, cross-market events and help each other solve communications and PR challenges. The subject of new media came up-- in particular the connection between bullying and the use of sites like Juicy Campus, where people can post anything about anyone anonymously. Use of the site has already caused a flare up in the Marysville School District, which has blocked access to Juicy Campus, though most posts occur outside of school hours via non-school resources.

For many educators, just keeping up with e-mail is a chore. But in order to better understand today's students, should professional development for administrators and teachers include regular updates on technology?

Should educators know about Twitter and MySpace and Juicy Campus in order to address issues that arise from these newfangled version of old school graffiti? Or, should more attention be placed on school culture, to prevent the bullying and harassment these tools seem to encourage?

Pen and Paper vs. Pixels

Apparently high tech learning isn't a ticket to higher test scores.

At least that's what the federal government concluded today. According to a study issued by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (a research arm of the U.S. Department of Education), achievement scores were no higher in classrooms using reading and math software products than in classrooms without the new products. You can read the Associated Press (AP) story on it here.

According to the AP story, the report detailed the effectiveness of the products as a group and did not review the performance of particular programs. Interestingly, despite minor technical glitches, most of the teachers involved in the study said they'd use the software again.

Obviously, just because a lesson is delivered in pixels rather than on paper doesn't necessarily make it better. What do you think? How is your school using technology as a teaching tool?