Top LYS Tweets from the Week of May 15, 2011

I’ve had a number of people ask me what I mean when I use the term “Bootleg Technology.” When I use the term, I am talking about hardware (usually portable) that increases connectivity to others and/or the internet. These devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones and smart phones, laptop computers, tablets (Ex: I-PAD), e-readers (Ex: Kindle) and many gaming devices. The beauty of these devices is that ownership of one or more of these items is now more common than not having one. And from a school standpoint, student ownership and/or availability is increasing daily. Whether we want them to or not, students across the economic spectrum use bootleg technology like adults use electricity. We can either embrace and leverage this, or we can ignore it and become less relevant with each passing day. You know which side I’m on.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of May 15, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Congratulations to LYS district Splendora ISD - Winner of this year's HEB Excellence in Education Award!!!

2. Tonite's Run Thought: The leadership skills of resourcefulness & resiliency are only honed in the face of adversity.

3. Resist the temptation to look at your budget only in terms of jobs. Cutting support to the bone simply kills the staff that remain.

4. Tonite's Run Thought: How is this for sad? I spent more on Doggy Day Care last year than I did on school taxes.

5. The problem with using test scores as part of teacher evaluation is that the more at risk the student being taught, the more the teacher is at risk.

6. My summary on class size: With poor instruction, more students in a class equals more discipline problems. With good instruction, more students in a class equals less meaningful interaction.

7. Interesting field data: At one LYS campus, the ten teachers with the highest failure rates spent less time in the Power Zone and used more worksheets than their peers.

8. Reason number 589 why the LYS Nation is different. "Fact that schools are safer when teachers are visible surprises districts." Unbelievable.

9. Tonite's run thought: Frequent observation and conversation are the currency of the instructional leader. If you don't, then you aren't.

10. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what is outright theft?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Now Available on Amazon.com! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming Event / Presentation Schedule

June 11 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

June 15 (TASSP) - Improve Now!

June 16 (TASSP) - Conference Breakfast, hosted by E. Don Brown (LYS travel tumblers for the first 1000 attendees, last year we ran out)

June 16 (TASSP) – Book Release Event, “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction”

June 16 (TASSP) - Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!