In this episode of The Teaching Edge Podcast, we sit down with Eric Sheninger, a renowned educational leader and author, to explore the transformative potential of digital tools and personalized learning in education. You’ll learn how to effectively integrate technology in classrooms, empower students through personalization, and embrace small, consistent changes for long-term success.

Resources Mentioned:

• Eric Sheninger’s website
• Drive by Dan Pink
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon
• Eric Sheninger’s books: Digital Leadership, Learning Transformed, Disrupting Thinking in Our Classrooms, Personalize, and more

Here are some key takeaways from this insightful interview:

1. Digital Leadership in Education
   Digital leadership involves using technology to enhance existing effective leadership strategies, such as communication and building relationships. For example, leaders can use social media to engage with stakeholders and share pedagogical shifts using images, which are processed faster than text.
2. Personalization in Education
   Personalization ensures all students get what they need, when and where they need it, to learn. This involves building relationships, making learning relevant, and offering high-agency elements such as voice and choice.
3. Personalized Learning Approach
   Personalized learning is not just about putting all kids on devices, but rather about offering options for path, pace, and place of learning.
   • Path: Allowing students to choose how to demonstrate understanding, such as drawing, writing, or creating an artifact.
   • Pace: Allowing students to learn at their own pace, recognizing that learning is a process, not an event.
   • Place: Making learning environments flexible and varied, including virtual, outside, and flexible seating options.
4. Implementing Personalization
   Teachers can use various strategies to personalize learning:
   • Station Rotations: Using data to group and regroup students for targeted instruction after a mini-lesson.
   • Choice Activities: Providing options for tasks, including must-do and may-do activities, and choice boards.
   • Playlists: Offering a list of tasks that students complete in their chosen order.
   • Flipped Lessons: Providing content outside of class, such as through a video, to free up class time for differentiated instruction.
5. Purposeful Technology Integration
   Technology should be used as a tool to support and enhance learning, not as an end in itself. It should be used purposefully and effectively to improve teaching and learning. For example, technology can be used for self-graded exit tickets to give teachers immediate feedback.
6. Role of AI in Education
   AI can save teachers and administrators time by helping with scaffolding questions aligned to authentic scenarios. However, AI cannot build relationships or facilitate learning.
7. The Power of Small Changes
   Small, consistent shifts in practice are more impactful than large, infrequent changes.
8. Adapting to Disruption
   Disruptive forces such as technology and AI make us uncomfortable and require adaptation. Educators should prepare students to replace conventional ideas with innovative solutions. The focus should be on developing thinking skills and the ability to apply thinking in relevant ways.
9. Encouraging Questions Over Answers
   Questions are more important than answers. Educators should encourage students to question the why, how, and what behind their learning.
10. Timeless Effective Strategies
    Effective strategies have not changed much; technology should enhance them rather than replace them.
11. The Evolving Role of Teachers
    The teacher's role is more important than ever, serving as a buffer between chaos and students, and implementing technology purposefully.
12. Flexible and Personalized Education
    Education should be personalized and flexible, as that is what we expect as adults. The goal should be to inspire individuals to pursue a path of purpose.
13. Reevaluating Homework
    Homework should be limited and focused on reflection, as research shows little academic benefit for excessive homework at certain grade levels.
14. Relational Discipline
    Discipline should be strict in the sense that it is relational, with a focus on respect and routines.
15. Performance-Based Grading
    Grading should be based on performance, not effort.
16. Embracing Vulnerability in Growth
    It's OK to say, "I don't know" and ask for help. Educators should leverage their networks and always question their practice to grow.

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