Mr Hammerlund

This is the current construction across from KAS. They are doing the massive project of putting the train tracks underground so this space above ground can become a park with biking trails. How could a vision like this have come about? I would like to have heard the other opinions in the room during that meeting -- both for and against. It took a strong leader committed to this vision to see a project like this through (and I can't wait until it's finished). === I have always been a seeker of ideas and advice. When I first started teaching I was surrounded by over 60 years of experience ... and those were just the three people I worked closest with. I would often go seeking advice and sometimes it would find me. In the beginning, I took everything I could and tried it all. After a while, I started to see that advice I took was working less and less. I think I could have corrected that trend if I had tried working more with the person giving advice -- a conversati...

In this clip, Billy Corgan is playing with Pink Floyd in their inaguration into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I really like this clip because, although all accounts of his personality is that he is an egomaniac, he takes a back seat. He didn't even do a solo. He sat in the back. He was a silent partner. He also gave recognition. Here's another one. Dave Grohl is the bigger name, you might not have even heard of Bob Mould, but here Dave takes a back seat. I want to be more of a person who gives recognition to others. I won't call it a resolution but rather a call to action.

I was lucky to meet Diana Beabout in person when she took a trip to Taiwan and made a stop in our school. She took an hour out of her afternoon one day to meet with myself and Victor to discuss coaching and what it could look like at KAS. It was an amazing hour of information that left my head spinning. What struck me to the most was when she said there had been a coaching conference before the iPad Summit in Malaysia and how that was interesting because there are not any conferences for coaches. My mind started to wander towards finding a way to get a conference at KAS. That is something over which I have very little control however, and I thought a Twitter hashtag would be more manageable to start. random end of the year picture Using Twitter allowed international educators, coaches, and administrators to come together to share ideas. Fortunately, the hashtag caught on and there have been some great sharing and slow chats. Today I realized that this hashtag has been li...

I've had several jobs in my life. By my rough count, I'm at around 20. That is 20+ people who have been in charge of looking out to make sure that I succeed. A few years ago I would have phrased that last sentence differently, but I have come to realize that those in positions of authority are also in positions where they are responsible for their subordinates (for lack of a better word) success. So, what makes a good boss in my opinion? A good boss ... Listens This is especially improtant for me since I need, thrive, on talking out my ideas. This isn't only for my benefit, good bosses know that listening leads to understanding. Listening blurs into being generous with time . Those in leadership positions have to deal with a lot of stuff. I respect those leaders who recognize that it is as important to take time for those they serve, as their other tasks. Asks for others' opinions When leaders ask for, and act upon the opinions of others, it b...

A while back I got a question about how to share a list/group of links with students. Here are some ideas to share links with students in no particular order. A New Page on the Class Website I would create a new page in our class blog for links to research projects. I think this is a good way to do it because it forces students to visit the class blog which they might not otherwise do. A new page can be created for each project, and saved as a reminder for the future. Shared Memit/Diigo/Flipboard  Diigo has a feature that allows you to create groups to which students can subscribe. I have been gradually moving away from Diigo, however, in favor of Memit which is more visual. I have been using it as a way to collect resources for teachers .  Flipboard is another option that is becoming increasingly more popular.  Read: How Flipboard Can Help Your Students . Shared Google Doc Another option is to simply create a Google Doc/Sheet/Slide a...

Kath Murdoch wrote a post called IF YOU COULD TAKE JUST ONE WORD INTO THE NEW YEAR….WHAT WOULD IT BE?  Based on a previous post of hers I carried the word resilience with me into the last school year. As she suggested, I had a sticky note next to my desk where I could see the word every day. My word for 2016 is connection . Connection  is one of the most important parts of my job. First and foremost I make connections between the curriculum and technology. I am helping make connections between teachers. I am helping teachers make connections to other classrooms. For me, I want to make more connections between what is happening and good coaching practice and continue to connect with awesome teachers. And most of all, make connections with what is working to why it is working.