Jennie Snyder's Blog (12)

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One of the great things about the buffet table is that it offers so many tasty choices. We all have our own approach when…

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a round table discussion with George Couros, the Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning for Parkland School Division, at the Marin County Office of Education (@MCOEPD). George has been inspirational to me. He's challenged me to take…

"Meaningful change ain’t gonna happen for our kids if we’re not willing to invest in it for ourselves first. At the heart, it’s not about schools…it’s about us." -- Will Richardson

Many educators see Twitter, in particular, and social media, in general, as frivolous wastes of time. I mean, who really cares what Honey Boo Boo is up to? Who cares what J.T. had for breakfast? Or any other…

photo credit: AMERICANVIRUS via photopin cc

This morning I read a thought-provoking blog post by John Bernia, "…

Do We Practice What We Preach?

I just finished reading Michael Fullan's, Stratosphere.  In this book,  he outlines how: "the ideas embedded in the new technology, the new pedagogy, and the new change knowledge are converging to transform education for all" (p. 3).  Fullan's book resonates with a driving question I have grappled with…

Lately, I have been grappling with the question of how meaningful change happens. The gap between the kinds of schools our kids need and the kinds of schools we currently inhabit seems vast and daunting.

I have always felt uncomfortable with the image of the heroic figure who single-handedly "make things happen." It seems that the changes that we need to make -- to shift our paradigm and create truly innovative learning for our students -- are both larger and deeper than one…

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one's fear."  -- Ambrose Redmoon

In my work, I frequently hear profound trepidation about the big, wide world of social media. The chorus of voices bemoans the ubiquity of Facebook and issues cautionary tales of how social sites are…

Getting started with social media can be daunting. I remember when I started exploring Twitter a few years ago. Like many others, when I sign up, I didn't get it. I was almost instantly overwhelmed with the amount of information and could not make sense of it.

As I stumbled my way through the seemingly strange social media landscape,  I've met some amazing guides who have paved a path. I began to read and explore the resources they shared and slowly...I learned more. As I learned, I…

A few days ago a teacher in our district asked me about different online publishing platforms for her students. She explained that her students are working on writing mystery stories and she was looking for a way for them to share their writing with others, get feedback and publish their work. 

In the days B.T. (Before Twitter), I would have headed right for Google and dug in. But I didn't. Instead, I sent out the following tweet:…

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." -- Lewis Carroll

There is a tendency when beginning a new journey to simply want to get on with it. Pack up, head on out. I have certainly been guilty of this myself. In the frenetic pace of activity and competing demands, jumping into action is second nature for me. Yet, without a clear vision of where we are heading, we run the risk of following any road and ending up nowhere.

The many ways that the term…

The approaching new year brings with it an opportunity to reflect upon the past year and focus on new challenges ahead. This year I have been fortunate to connect with and learn from truly courageous educators who are taking on the challenge of creating the kinds of schools and learning spaces our students need for future success.

The power of social networks has enriched my own professional learning in so many ways. While I have been an active consumer of the insights shared by…