Top LYS Tweets From the Week of July 19, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of July 19, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Dalia Benavides! She is the new Superintendent in Culberson County-Alamore ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to Old School LYSer, Doug Killian! Region 13 Superintendent of the Year!!! (By @LYSNation)

3. Congratulations to Old School LYSer, Dr. Mike Seabolt! He is the new Superintendent in Marlin ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

4. “Education is not – nor has it ever been – a problem.  Education is always an opportunity.” (By @DrRichAllen)

5. Vouchers--and all their deceptive policy disguises--turn education into a private commodity bought only by people who can afford it. (By @pastors4txkids)

6. Visiting good classrooms helps you to imagine what's possible - Lucy Caulkins (By @rbohlman_dasd)

7. People labeled "smart" at a young age are less likely to challenge themselves later in life. (By @TheAtlantic)

8. Private religious education is a voluntary and protected civil liberty. It does not need and should not want public tax support. (By @pastors4txkids)

9. Preparation creates opportunity. (By @josephgrenny)

10. I'll take Wikipedia over a textbook every single time... (By @justintarte)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Meet the New Fundamental 5 Classroom Timer App

The most difficult daily task for teachers is perhaps the most mundane, time management.  In a work environment that requires the constant management of personalities, content, behaviors, questions and administrivia – time alternates between flying and standing still.  Which means that teachers need a tool to help them implement the practices they want to do more of, but rarely have time for. If only there was something to fit the bill...

Meet the new Fundamental 5 Classroom Timer App. 

What the app does is allow you to program in the times for your warm-up, small group purposeful talk sessions and closing question. The app also allows you to select and enter the talking and writing prompts that you want to use during a class.  Then at the programmed time, the app chimes and displays the prompt.

You teach, the app cues, and students talk and write. Pure classroom magic!

The app is available at the App Store for I-phone and I-pad users.  Search for Fun 5 Timer, or click on the link:

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=907096716&mt=8

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

New From the Lead Your School Lab... The Fundamental 5 Classroom App

That’s right, the team down in the lab have created a new tool for teachers, The Fundamental 5 Classroom Timer App. 

What the app does is allow you, the teacher, to program in the times for your warm-up, small group purposeful talk sessions and closing question. The app also allows you to select and enter the talking and writing prompts that you want to use during a class.  Then at the programmed time, the app chimes and displays the prompt.

You teach, the app cues, and students talk and write. Pure classroom magic!

The app is available at the App Store for I-phone and I-pad users.  Search for Fun 5 Timer, or click on the link:

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=907096716&mt=8

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary SchoolLeadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of July 13, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 July 13, 2014.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Mike Metz! He is the new Principal at Magnolia Junior High School!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Chris Everett! He is the new Director of Administrative Services at ESC 11!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

3. Congratulations to LYSer, Pamela Chatham! She is the new Principal at Tomball Elementary!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

4. Congratulations to LYSer, Rita Pintavalle! She is the new District Principal for Discipline & Discretionary Grants in Kennedale! Who's next? (By @LYSNation)

5. The fact that talented people are willing to teach not because of the pay but in spite of it is no excuse to let the problem go unaddressed. (By @tgrierhisd)

6. Princeton University study finds students more likely to learn by taking handwritten notes. (By @willrich45)

7. No study shows that teachers work better in isolation. Good enough isn't good enough anymore!! (By @8Amber8)

8. Today's Quote:  "In the current economy, the Big Three for Success are (1) education, (2) information, and (3) motivation." (By @DrRichAllen)

9. Our values are described better by our calendars than by our mouths. (By @josephgrenny)

10. More 15-year-olds have their own Smartphone than live with their own father! (By @tgrierhisd)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of May 25, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 25, 2014.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Jason Johnston! He is the new principal at North Forney HS!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYSer, John Jenkins! He is the new principal at Indian Spring MS!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

3. If you're not willing to put in the effort, don't expect anything in return. (By @CoachKWisdom)

4. There are more cell phones in the world than toothbrushes... maybe it’s time to stop banning them in schools. (By @justintarte)

5. Texas Kids Can’t Wait issued a report card for legislators early in year. Dan Patrick got THE WORST rating of any member of the Texas Legislature. (By @TXKidsCantWait)

6. "The only thing better than winning is more winning."--Astros manager Bo Porter. (By @richardjustice)

7. The "Fundamental Five" (Cain & Laird) is another excellent and quick read to fine tune our craft. (By @teachkiwi)

8. Kids learn less in classrooms with too many decorations. (By @SueWilsonDASD)

9. Attending a two-year for-profit institution costs a student 4x as much as attending a community college. (By @usedgov)

10. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) just cruised by 58,000 copies sold! Thank you, LYS Nation!!! (By @LYSNation)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 11, 2013

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 August 11, 2013.

1. If after 1st grade we can identify that a student is at extreme risk to become a dropout, and then we let that happen... Shame on us. (By @LYSNation)

2. Never argue with a crazy person. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. (By @RatliffT)

3. The whole point to knowing the future is to make it better, not to sit back and watch it happen. Actually use your data. (By @LYSNation)

4. Hutto HS is taking Lesa Cain's advice. We will work hard, make mistakes, and make changes. What will you do? (By @brandyjbaker)

5. Policies banning cell phones at schools are outdated. We can teach kids to use them responsibly and need to use current ways to reach kids. (By @Snowmanlearning)

6. Did you hear about the Teacher who won the lottery? When asked what she would do she said, "Teach & teach until I go broke." (By @LYSNation)

7. Llano ISD teachers still can use CSCOPE lesson plans after court ruling - Details on http://www.texasisd.com/ (By @texasisd)

8. In the CSCOPE battle, the ideology that we need to fear is the ideology of the Anti-CSCOPE loonies. (By @LYSNation)

9. I'm a concerned parent. Concerned that a few rabble-rousers are making teaching and learning tough for our teachers and students. (By @TheTexasHoss)

10. It never gets old reporting this; the number 1 best selling education book on Kindle, today... The Fundamental 5! Thank you, LYS Nation! (By @LYSNation)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of April 14, 2013

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 April 14, 2013.

1. Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors in West, Texas. (By @hola_alfredo)

2. It bears repeating: It is amazing the effect on instructional rigor when you let students talk and write.

3. Educators have one of two roles- either they teach or they SUPPORT teaching and learning. (By @brandyjbaker)

4. Here is the only cell phone in the classroom rule you need: Your phone must always be out, on the desk, face up. Total transparency

5. Teacher vs. Student centered classroom environment...who takes up more square feet in the room? (By @hjgrubbs)

6. When "we" signed on as administrators, "walk-throughs" were non-negotiables. So why do we treat them as negotiables? (By @fosterbkay)

7. Hello intentional classroom walk-thru’s. Goodbye stuff & things! (By @hjgrubbs)

8. LYS is conducting a High School Principal search. Are you up to the challenge? Here's the link - http://tinyurl.com/LYSSearch 

9. LYS is searching for a world-class elementary school principal. Are you the one? Here's the link - http://tinyurl.com/LYSSearch 

10. E. Don Brown just presented to 200 educators for 3 hours. He had major surgery 2 weeks ago. I'm up in 5 minutes and I just got a paper cut. Time to cowboy up!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of January 7, 2013

Though the blog went on hiatus for the Christmas Holidays, the LYS Nation Twitter Feed just kept on going.  Today’s post is the last highlight review, so now we are caught up. Here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of January 7, 2013.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Dewitt Smith! He is the new Superintendent for Wink-Loving CISD. Who will be next?

2. Today, I will have more technology in my pocket than put men on the moon. Yet most schools won't let me learn using it. (By @thomascmurray)

3. Vouchers are not designed for kids in poverty, kids with special needs, or kids who don't speak English. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

4. Houston taxpayers now pay 83% of cost of education after the Texas Legislature cut $5.4B last session. With $9B surplus, will state now pay its share? (By @harvinmoore)

5. Where is taking the first week of the second semester to review the first semester in C-Scope?

6. If you are still working on the warm-up 20 minutes into class, it's NOT a warm-up.

7. Copying vocabulary from the back of the book is instructional malpractice.

8. It doesn't seem to matter if it is an early start school or a late start school, most of the kids and staff sleepwalk thru the 1st period.

9. I don’t have a problem with accountability. Just make it make sense. It also doesn’t need to be so punitive. (By @ONeilCHSprincip)

10. PowerWalks now has an ELPS report! Early data indicates that classrooms aren't very ELPS friendly. Easier to fix this when you can see it.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: North Dakota Principals Association Conference (Keynote Speaker), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of December 9, 2012

Here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of December 9, 2012.

1. Bombshell: TEA recommends LOWERING the college readiness standard! (By @txschoolsupe)

2. Showing the subjective (and political) nature of setting cut scores, TEA redefines College Readiness. (By @Clark_Ealy)

3. There is a huge difference between talking "teaching & learning" and supporting "teaching & learning."

4. I really don't care how you used to do it. I care about how you are helping the people currently trying to do it actually get it done.

5. Successful organizations encourage teachers to take healthy risks. Success has never been reached without risk. (By @dsteeber)

6. For a team to pull together, they have to know what they are fighting for. (By @fosterbkay)

7. When things aren't working do you point fingers or bear down and work harder? This is the point where leaders separate themselves from mangers.

8. Obstacles are put in the path to separate the weak and frivolous from the strong and serious.

9. Helpful hint to administrators: Schedule your time or others will schedule it for you! (By @jaredpeters23)

10. Not allowing bootleg technology in classrooms could be a discriminatory practice.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: North Dakota Principals Association Conference (Keynote Speaker), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of December 2, 2012

A recent survey reports what is becoming increasingly obvious; students are using bootleg technology as they work on their homework. Away from school, the use of smart phones and tablets is encroaching on the use of laptop and desktop computers. 

Not surprisingly, students reported that they were more likely to use their bootleg technology to complete their academic tasks at home than they were at school.  That’s on us, the educator.  Older generations are much slower to adapt new tools than younger generations, so as school leaders we must keep encouraging our staff and peers to adapt and grow. 

Buried in the report was an interesting finding, which I believe has practical and powerful implications.  Hispanic and African American students report higher usage of bootleg technology to complete their schoolwork than white students.  White students rely more on laptop and desktop computers.  So what does this mean? Two things:

1.     Bootleg technology availability is less a factor of SES status than any of us (middle class educators) believe.

2.     As computing becomes increasingly app based, bootleg technology may become a primary tool in decreasing achievement gaps.  In fact, those students who traditionally have less may be able to navigate faster and more successfully on bootleg devices than the traditional “haves” due to greater exposure and familiarity. 

This means that the wholesale practices of disallowing and discouraging the use of bootleg technology in classrooms could very well be a real, yet inadvertent, discriminatory practice. Since this is not the intent of any educator that I know, let’s fix this.    

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 December 2, 2012.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Raul Nuques. He is the new Director of Special Education in Austin ISD! Who will be next?

2. In an elementary class, kid pukes, wipes his mouth and keeps working. Not hygienic but I admire his focus.

3. You've got to write a lot to learn how, but many kids are not writing more than a paragraph of text in school. (By @anniemurphypaul)

4. Education needs to become a priority in Texas again. We need to grow business but not at the expense of schools, roads, and health care. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

5. Was at Rutherford this morning and saw excellent examples of framing the lesson. Teacher said it helped her and students to stay focused. (By @LindaHenrie1)

6. Teachers at Sanger MS will receive copies of Fun 5 tomorrow. Excited to see increased time in the "Power Zone." (By @dsteeber)

7. 4th graders show up to flag football Super Bowl in limos... How many of those parents will send them to school in limos on the day of the STAAR test? (By @ cheadhorn)

8. Politicians and pundits can save themselves a lot of time trying to identify problem with education by just looking in the mirror. (By @ cheadhorn)

9. Texas ranks 48th among all states in public education spending, spending on average $8,654 per pupil--Thank you Mississippi and Louisiana! (By @tgrierhisd)

10. Expert testifies that Texas underpays teachers & that is impacting teacher quality. In other breaking news, water is wet.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: North Dakota Principals Association Conference (Keynote Speaker), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of November 25, 2012

Of the two biggest issues facing the use of bootleg technology on campus (1. Letting students do it. 2. Infrastructure), it is infrastructure that you need to really be concerned with. Specifically, as it deals with bandwidth.

It is recommended that by the 2014/2015 school year that a campus will need at least 100 megabits per second of connectivity to the external Internet for every 1,000 students and/or staff members, and 1 gigabit per second of connectivity for data transactions within a school-wide or district-wide network (SEDTA report). And that is just to get started.  By 2017, multiply the amount of needed bandwidth by 10.

So what does that mean for your campus and/or district?  Three things:

A. What you have now will not be adequate for the immediate future.

B. You need to have somebody who knows what they are doing to assess your campus (or campuses) and give you a prioritized action plan.

C. Start budgeting and securing funds to pay for these upgrades.

As funds get tighter, those who are proactive will continue to widen the gap between their campus and the campuses led by the reactive.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 November 25, 2012.

1. The Athletic Director never calls a coaches’ meeting during game time. Yet central office thinks nothing of taking Principals off campus multiple times a week.

2. All students should be recognized but it does not need to be done equally. What matters is that it is done in a meaningful way. (By @TheJamesRowland)

3. The brains of poor kids process information differently than rich kids, working harder to ignore irrelevant stimuli. (By @anniemurphypaul)

4. There is almost zero correlation between staff evaluations and campus ranking.

5. I can make the case that an acceptable campus has an exceptional staff, if the campus outperforms its peers.

6. The problem with PDAS is it is a subjective system presented as objective. The Principal must define and communicate the standard of excellence.

7. U.S. birth rate has dipped to lowest ever recorded, falling 8% from 2007 to 2010. (That means fewer students in the future) (By @FareedZakaria)

8. I'm always flabbergasted by presenters who utilize lousy instructional pedagogy as they present about effective pedagogy. (By @tlonganecker)

9. Teacher quality is not about what we teach; quality is all about how we teach! (By @tra_hall)

10. Payoff the first day! Added the "end cookie" (FF: closing product) on my posted objective. Kids worked in a whole new way. And had more fun doing it. (By @NikaMaples)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: North Dakota Principals Association Conference (Keynote Speaker), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of November 4, 2012

When I talk to campus administrators about embedding the use of bootleg technology in their classrooms, I am bombarded with a variety of reasons why now is not the right time.  However, based on a recent report, yet another common reason “against” has been removed from the equation.

What I often hear is, “The reason why we don’t allow bootleg technology in the classroom is a function of equity. We don’t want to draw attention to the haves and have nots”

This has always seemed like somewhat of a cop-out, but I didn’t possess the preponderance of evidence necessary to sway that opinion. Until now.  Another tipping point has occurred.

As of this year, 50% of high school students and 40% of middle school students regularly use a smart phone and/or tablet. Add to that a majority of parents report that they would accelerate the purchase of a smart phone or tablet for their child if the use of such a device was allowed in school.  What this means is when it comes to bootleg technology, the distinction between have and have not is shrinking daily. And I would argue that as we embed the use of bootleg technology in our classrooms, thus creating a conduit for all children to extend and expand their learning as they use their devices in other settings, we are actually bridging the experience chasm created by economic status.  Making bootleg technology our first universal tool for closing the achievement gap. 

Now some may ask, “Based on some random facts, aren’t you implicating that 1 + 1 = 5?” 

To which I respond, “Exactly. So now what is your campus waiting for?” 

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 November 4, 2012.

1. No coup, no revolution! Just old fashion democracy. Like Churchill said, it isn't perfect but it's the best we have. God bless America! (By @daleemartin)

2. Reading, The Fundamental 5, on my i-Pad. First book I've ever read this way! (By @tjadams105)

3. My current list of the 3 most important elements of the principalship: Communicate; Motivate; Problem Solve

4. Keep in mind that a cute classroom will not overcome poor instruction. Instruction is always Priority One.

5. When instruction is good and improving, the environment can either accelerate or inhibit student learning.

6. Having a room set-up that inhibits student performance is the teaching equivalent to running while wearing a 50-pound backpack.

7. SC - thanks for exposing me to sensible thoughts regarding school culture and change! You are right on! (By @gabbygladis)

8. In 2010, teachers in Switzerland had an average salary of about $112,000 per year. (By @UberFacts)

9. Hustle beats talent when talent doesn’t hustle. (By @Sports_Greats)

10. We found out today that, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird), is being used in a differentiated instruction class at Notre Dame!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation