Ever since becoming connected in March 2009 I have relied on two primary mobile devices.  The first was a trio of Blackberry smart phones, which many of my connected friends have busted my chops about even up to recently.  I relied on this type of smart phone for years as it was provided to me at work.  Even though the number of apps was, and still is, very limited, the ability to connect to the Internet was good enough for me.  I was able to deal with the ridicule from my tweeps, but it wasnt until my wife got sick of the fact that I still had a common flip phone that I used for personal calls that a major shift occurred. She eventually gave me her iPhone when it was time for her to upgrade and this has been my primary mobile device for the past year.

Image credit: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-android-apps/

In 2010 I purchased my first iPad and this has been my primary tablet ever since.  Over the years I have become quite proficient and knowledgeable about iOS apps that I rely on to increase productivity and to grow professionally through my Personal Learning Network (PLN).  I have become so reliant on Apple devices that I never saw or anticipated the need to learn anything about Android apps since I could never see myself making the switch.  

Well things recently changed as I got my hands on what I think might be the hottest and most exciting Android tablets to hit the market - the Sony Xperia Z.  I cant wait to fully vet this device.  The only problem is that this is the first Android device that I have had in my possession for any extended time. I did have an original Galaxy tablet a few years back, but I quickly became disinterested as its capabilities paled in comparison to the iPads.  It was then passed off to my son who used to strictly to play Pumpkins vs. Monsters. 

With the Xperia Z I want the full Andoid experience. This is where you come in.  I have no clue where to even begin with Android apps.  There are many iOS apps also on Android that I love and have begun to download (i.e. Zite, Flipboard, Dropbox, Evernote, etc.).  What I am looking for are some of the best native Android apps that are not available on iOS.  Please consider recommending the apps that you find to be the most useful and why in the comments below. Thanks everyone!

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Forget messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line and Viber, sending and receiving free text messages should not and is no longer restricted to smartphones only. If you’re looking for a cross-platform iMessage-like service, this post is for you.

Today, we’re going to introduce to you a powerful cross-platform messaging app – mysms, which allows you to send and receive free text messages to other mysms users right from your desktop computer, regardless of it being a Mac or Windows. Mysms may eventually be the only messaging app you’ll ever need on your smartphone.

mysms Android & iOS App

To begin using mysms, get it on your smartphone first.

1. Download and install mysms messenger app on your smartphone: iOS | Android.
   
2. Register and activate your phone number by keying in your phone number and password for desktop and web access.
   
   

That’s it! Now let’s have a look how mysms Messenger works on different platforms.

mysms on Smartphone

mysms works like any other messaging app for smartphones: both sender and recipient must have mysms installed to start texting for free. Then, they can start sending all sorts of messages, files, images, videos or even word documents.

mysms on Computer

To send messages straight from your Mac or PC, just get mysms installed on your computer. Best of all, your messages will always stay in sync, no matter which device you’re using.
For Android users, you can even use mysms to send SMS via your network service provider, charges will apply.

mysms on Web Browser

Besides the smartphone and computer, mysms also provides a web app for you to manage all of your messages and contacts. The automatic backup feature keeps all your messages safe and accessible from anywhere.

Conclusion

If you want the flexibility to be in contact with anyone on the go via smartphone yet still have the comfort of sending messages from your computer, all for free, give mysms a shot.
Picts and source http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/send-receive-sms-mysms/
How to Send & Receive SMS on Computer with Mysms App

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Recently Jeff Fiscina, one of my math teachers, submitted a guest post on my blog that emphasized some of his grading practices that best support and promote student learning.  That post got me thinking about the process we went through to assist Jeff in developing and embracing his current grading practices as well as that of other teachers.  It was about a year ago that I decided to tackle the grading culture here at New Milford High School, which wasnt much different than the majority of schools across this country.  Any administrator that has moved to change long embedded grading philosophies and practices knows full well how difficult this change process is. However, it was apparent that current behaviors and actions had to be changed based upon the latest research and what was best for our students.  

Image credit: http://deltascape.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-does-grade-say.html

When I initially broke the news to my staff about the journey we were about to take to change the grading culture it was met with a great deal of skepticism, questions, and resentment.  Like I said earlier, change in this area is extremely difficult.  During the initial conversations I presented the work of Douglas Reeves, Rick Wormelli, and others to serve as a foundation for this systematic change.  The conversation focused on some difficult questions such as what does a letter grade actually mean and how do you measure student learning.  After some initial focus on where we currently were as a school and where we really needed to begin moving towards I asked for volunteers to sit on a committee to help establish new grading guidelines and support structures that focused on student learning. It should be noted, however, that some components of this new philosophy were non-negotiable because if everything was then the change we were looking to implement and desperately needed would never occur. This was probably the most difficult part of the change process in terms of staff embracement. 

The purpose of this post is not get get into the nitty gritty about grading reform as this has been well chronicled by practitioners that I greatly admire such as Joe Bower.  My purpose here is to illustrate how my staff and I addressed a broken component of our school culture and improved it.  Is our current philosophy and associated grading practices perfect? Of course not, but the change that was initiated is much more aligned with the learning needs of our students.  The new philosophy is now an expectation for all. Below is the grading philosophy that was created and adopted at the end of last year.  I encourage and look forward to any comments or reflective feedback that you might have.

Grading Philosophy

No zeros: Students should not be assigned a grade of zero (0).  This not only reflects grading as punishment, but also creates a hole that students cannot dig out of (Gusskey, 2000, Reeves, 2004, Reeves, 2008, O’Conner and Wormeli, 2011).  This includes HW, quizzes, tests, projects, etc.  An exception to this would be cases that involved cheating, plagiarism, or a midterm/final exams no show.

Multiple forms of formal assessment: Marking period grades have to be comprised of multiple forms of assessment.  We need to avoid the “marking period killer” assignment, which is one project, test, or other assignment that will make or break a student’s grade (Reeves, 2008).

Failure floor:  As per HS grading practices detailed in the current student handbook, a 64 or below is failing.  As a result, all failing grades should be entered between the ranges of 50 – 64 in PowerSchool.  Any grade 64 or below is a variation of an “F”, which indicates that the student has not met basic standards for learning (O’Conner & Wormeli, 2011). A failure floor of 50 has been established (lowest score inputted into PowerSchool for quarter, midterm, and final exam grades).  This allows students to recover from a poor quarter and/or midterm exam grade and gives him/her the appropriate motivation to complete the course successfully.  If a student fails your class you will be asked to provide the following:

• Evidence that is appropriately documented on the progress report.
• Documented contact (email, phone) with the parent/guardian no later than midway through the marking period. If contact cannot be made (disconnected phone, no answer/response) notify main office so we can update information in PowerSchool.
• Extra help (sign-in sheet) attendance logs.  This should contain dates, printed student names, and actual student signatures.
• Evidence of a face-to-face meeting with the parents/guardians and guidance counselor. The teacher and guidance counselor must schedule this.
• Evidence of an improvement plan (re-takes, alternate assignments, other indicators that measure learning).
• Determination of whether or not the student(s) is in crisis and using this information to work with him/her in a different way.  If this is the case submit a referral to the I&RS team.
• Documented use of the Change in Progress form if a student begins to struggle academically after progress reports.

Retests: Student success in that they have mastered the concepts and are able to apply what they have learned is of utmost importance.  Giving students a second chance on a test provides them with yet another opportunity to demonstrate learning.   It is up to the teacher to determine if a student warrants a retest.

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If you haven’t noticed, I have been a tad bit excited over the past couple of weeks leading up to the release of my new book.  This is something that I could have never dreamed of prior to social media as I felt that writing was definitely not my strong suit.  Social media not only helped me find my voice, but it helped me find the voices of so many passionate and amazing educators from across the country and globe. Surrounding yourself with smart people willing to share could possibly be one of the best decisions you could make whether as a leader, educator, or learner.  Almost every chapter of Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times opens up with a vignette that illustrates specific characteristics, behaviors, skills, and mindsets in action.  

The Pillars of Digital Leadership

Here is a breakdown:

• Forward – Some wisdom from the great Yong Zhao.
• Preface – What is digital leadership?
• A Day in the Life of a Digital Leader - Summary of what a typical day for me looks like at New Milford High School.
• Chapter 1: The Evolving Educational Landscape 
• Chapter 2: Why Schools Must Change (Pam Moran)
• Chapter 3: Keys to Leading Sustainable Change (Spike Cook)
• Chapter 4: Leading With Technology (David Britten)
• Chapter 5: Communication (Joe Mazza)
• Chapter 6: Public Relations (John Carver)
• Chapter 7: Branding (Trish Rubin)
• Chapter 8: Professional Growth and Development (Lyn Hilt)
• Chapter 9: Increasing Student Engagement and Enhancing Learning (George Couros, Patrick Larkin)
• Chapter 10: Rethinking Learning Spaces and Environments (Dwight Carter)
• Chapter 11: Discovering Opportunity (Robert Dillon)
• Chapter 12: A Call to Arms (Peter DeWitt)
• Appendix: A collection of reproducibles and resources

Their voices and stories, as well as the work of so many other practitioners mentioned throughout the book, will help guide any educator looking to initiate meaningful change in the digital age.  This is not about bells and whistles or smoke and mirrors tactics to preserve the status quo, but rather a systematic approach to transform schools in a way that works for our students and inspire those with whom we work.  It is about taking a hard look at the type of school culture leaders are currently sustaining and asking is this really preparing our students for success.

I have witnessed and been a part of a dramatic transformation process at NMHS that began in 2009 when I gave social media a try. The process continues today where a culture has been built that preserves important traditional elements while pursuing an innovative agenda for growth and improvement.  We are actively engaging a variety of stakeholders, who in turn have embraced the renaissance taking place.  It is my hope that the collective stories, strategies, and ideas in this book will help you become an agent of change.

Three Ways to Get Digital Leadership

Now that the dust has settled since the book officially became available on January 14 the electronic versions are now ready for download.  Here are the specific links:

• Hardcopy (Corwin Press)
• Electronic eBook (eBooks) - PDF replica of the print version and can be viewed on almost any device except Kindle.
• Kindle (Amazon)

#DigiLead

If you want to talk about digital leadership at anytime I have created a hash tag. My hope is that we can use this on Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and Facebook to extend the conversation and our learning on this topic.  Feel free to use it to ask me questions, acquire resources, or just to chat openly about how we can all become more effective leaders in a digital world.

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