I have to say that I agree. Yours is a very inspirational blog post especially in that even just this sort of networking is a step in the right direction.

What came to my mind as I read is that you answer your own rhetorical question right before you ask it. You asked “As school leaders, librarians, technologists and administrators, how do we put our messages out there to the community in a positive, collaborative, invitational and empowering manner? ” While right before you said “So creating an atmosphere of good communication, respect for the talent in your building, and empowering individuals and teams to carry things forward is important.” I believe that is exactly how we put that message out there. We model it. We respect the incredible talent around us and we support and empower the amazing individuals who are trying to do that. With those people we create the grassroots networks.
ChrisWerley, I think we just start going forward, one person, one student, one teacher at a time. Others will join in. In that way technology is helping because of networks like this that share information. I think it is empowering. It helps that lone teacher or lone student be not alone.

And, I loved your post. Great job!

How do we keep moving forward with only a handful that are moving in this direction? Before it is just easier to stay the way we are.

Your comments are right on, and I think you are right about the implications of the word empowerment. I love your description of enabling others and then stepping aside.

I’m reflecting back on the quote from Wilmot and Carlson–that people want to feel like they are contributing.

Both you and David have pointed to students as key, and I agree. Students also want to feel like they are achieving and contributing–I think something powerful is drawn from them when they feel like they are part of something significant.

How can we change the paradigm of the school culture or the classroom so that they feel invited into being part of something significant?

However, when you suggest we empower our students that to me says we somehow hold the power and we will dole it out to them. Or that our administrators have power they need to give to us.

I think you were saying– that we need to give both ourselves and our students mutual freedom, and hold each other held mutually accountable. Both are thus empowered in that sense.

I see it almost as an emancipation. We need to enable our students and step aside. We need to enable our teachers and step aside. And watch the transformational power that resides within them produce desired change.

I see this “empowerment” really more about helping students and teacher achieve self-efficacy around their ability to produce change. That by dealing with Curtis Carlson and William Wilmot’s FUD concept and helping teachers and students realize they are indeed “tremendously powerful.”

My early thoughts about teacher power are here.
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/11/13/10tln_nussbaum-beach_web.h19.html?levelId=1000&rale2=KQE5d7nM%2FXAYPsVRXwnFWYRqIIX2bhy1%2BKNA5buLAWEnuSPQYaGe52x%2FGAKhz%2BJQdXesmxg6P0ktdPBDbchkfWwntiknAWudauFFnDdmBozdQJHmwsT23wFDXmI%2FlcT02wyXFjz1dJHtCaS2ek8aL%2FHim3s5xG%2FFrVgfnZTxVjXEYD19SccdVVKJMD69x7d0GxvFDIDorRBW6EcvM0MhzwEkaJAZGtEx8lkcbPMnvoW05slZ11jRof5vYkeMZeswTICwNj41Q2%2BTHBo48cDopwtJQOlSRnZn897D8ghZAw5vMpNWIPjczQMNYXBL%2B9iLGxvFDIDorRBW6EcvM0Mhzxf4j9vye3flBRvb6JY29ZW400ydwVEI0gZ%2FyCycqjZRkcgj%2Ba7TUJRmp5ImDPcQ3z05%2FAXss5MCs0gBz9rxEs2UokIYdnpsnXPIk4IhFIFTlV848xTfQK1jiP2z%2BKnJyLTmyVnXWNGh%2Fm9iR4xl6zBHB3tq4PNfTyeVprLagG449nCsSmuujYkGf8gsnKo2UZHII%2Fmu01CUbsqjBqu0q2DgWgR%2BTs%2BPOAZ%2FyCycqjZRkcgj%2Ba7TUJRrbmOLMUIRE72b8FpwdNkHnl6t7YmGv%2BcemxqrcSKyvsR34fYrnDvYnsZy1kJ%2FVQ4wN56TuHaqqLYywXcd7cOeiGlOzfTSOB6vWMiaT7czfoyZ7V%2BSQjiRpM8YLG%2FVsLAEVqseMwwQF0wNgis9FEY2Ey%2FXuVyX%2BmrEd%2BH2K5w72J7GctZCf1UOMDeek7h2qqi2MsF3He3DnohpTs300jger1jImk%2B3M36Mme1fkkI4kaTPGCxv1bCwBFarHjMMEBdMDYIrPRRGNtVjaum%2BENJP7RZClN3rl4bHioD4Ign5LQ%3D%3D

Wonderful post! On the topic of empowerment, there is little mention of one of the key steak-holders… the students! (actually you do mention the need to talk to your students in the last paragraph).

I wrote this in the reflection on my post linked to my name.

Here is a statement I made, that I now stand by:

STUDENTS ARE CAPABLE OF FAR MORE THAN WE GIVE THEM CREDIT: SCHOOLS WILL BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHEN EDUCATORS DO A BETTER JOB COLLABORATING WITH STUDENTS TO CREATE MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES.