Hey everyone, so I'm guessing you're here because you're as fascinated as I am about
how schools are really using tech to shake things up.
It's easy to get caught up in the hype of the latest and greatest gadget, but I always
find myself wondering, what about the planning part, the behind the scenes work that actually
makes innovation last?
Well, get ready, because that's exactly what we're diving into today.
I'm excited to dig into this.
We often talk about how sometimes the most exciting discoveries happen when you veer
off the beaten path a little.
Oh, absolutely, yeah.
That's kind of what this research paper we're looking at today did.
It's called Leadership and the Adoption of Innovative Planning.
Catchy ride.
Right.
To the point.
But seriously, it's super interesting.
The author...
Dr. Hackerman.
Yeah, thanks.
Dr. Hackerman followed four school leaders and they were trying out this totally new
approach to tech planning called Educational Design Research, or EDR.
That's a great way to put it.
It really is a completely different approach.
You see, Dr. Hackerman didn't follow tech gurus in Silicon Valley, no.
These were everyday principles and coordinators dealing with those real world school problems
we all know so well.
Okay, so before we get into their stories, can you break down EDR a bit?
It sounds kind of jargony to me.
What's the big idea in plain English?
Sure.
So imagine you're trying to solve a puzzle, right?
Most of us, we start with that picture on the box, right?
We have this fixed idea of what the end result should be.
Yeah, I'm definitely guilty of that.
But EDR is more like saying, what if we just start putting the pieces together and see
what emerges?
Like, what interesting picture can we make?
So it's about being open to where the process takes you, not just fixated on that predetermined
outcome.
You got it.
And here's the other key thing with EDR.
You're constantly experimenting, getting feedback, making adjustments along the way.
Like that saying, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.
Oh, I like that.
You got to be able to adapt.
Okay, that makes total sense.
And I guess that's where the whole collaborative part of EDR comes in.
You need all those different voices and perspectives to make sure you're on the right track.
100%.
In fact, one of the biggest criticisms of the traditional way of doing tech planning
is that it often kind of pushes teachers to the sidelines.
EDR flips that on its head.
It says, who knows the needs of the classroom better than the people who are in it every
single day.
So teachers are essential collaborators, not just told what to do with whatever tech gets
thrown their way.
I mean, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be handed some new tool or software.
And I had zero say in how it's supposed to work or if it even makes my life easier.
And that's exactly why this study is so fascinating, because we get to see how EDR plays out in
these very different school settings with all sorts of different challenges.
All right, well, let's meet these leaders.
Who are we dealing with?
We have Rachel, an elementary school principal.
She had to get a distance learning program up and running for her algebra students.
And I mean, like yesterday.
Talk about pressure.
Oh, wow.
I can only imagine.
Who else?
Then there's Kevin, a high school principal.
He was constantly butting heads with his district's super rigid top down planning model.
Oh, I bet.
I'm sensing a theme here.
Yeah, there's always that tension between innovation and bureaucracy, especially in
education.
And it's not just high schools either.
We've also got Mary, another elementary school principal.
She was so inspired by how another school was using technology, but she just didn't
have the same resources they did.
It's like finding the perfect recipe online and then realizing you're missing like half
the ingredients.
Right.
And then last but not least, we have Carol, a curriculum coordinator who desperately
wanted to find a way to streamline how teachers share resources.
Oh yeah, even without technology, that can be a logistical nightmare.
It makes you wonder how many potentially amazing ideas get totally bogged down by just the
how of it all.
But let's get back to these leaders.
They're all using EDR, but they're obviously coming from such different places.
Did the researchers categorize them in any way?
She did.
Just the classic early adopter versus early majority framework.
Think about those friends, the ones who camp out for the latest iPhone.
Oh yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I think I have a pretty good handle on who's who now.
So tell me how did EDR play out for these early adopters?
Let's start with Rachel, our elementary school principal who had to get that distance learning
program up and running.
What was it, yesterday?
Yesterday, that's right.
And remember how with EDR, it's all about identifying that core problem first?
Right.
Well, for Rachel, it wasn't just about finding the perfect software.
It was about how to actually make it work for her teachers who are already completely
swamped.
Totally.
That makes a lot of sense.
It's easy to forget about that very human side of technology, especially when you're
in a rush.
It really is, isn't it?
So instead of just kind of throwing this new platform at her teachers and being like,
all right, good luck with that, Rachel used EDR to actually work with them, they co-created
this whole rollout plan that addressed their specific concerns.
Oh, that's interesting.
So they actually had a say in how this new tech was going to be used.
Exactly.
So what did that look like?
Like did they have brainstorming sessions where there are like prototypes involved?
Give me the nitty gritty.
Well, they actually started with a series of workshops.
And this gave teachers a safe space to voice their needs, their anxieties, all of it about
distance learning.
Make sense.
And then from there, they were able to test out different platforms, but in these small
groups.
Okay, sorry.
And the whole time, they were providing constant feedback to Rachel and the tech team.
It sounds like they were really treating teachers like partners in the process, not just like
you said, those end users who are just told what to do.
100%. And honestly, that's where that whole iterative part of EDR really shines, you know?
Because they were constantly getting this feedback.
They could very quickly decide to ditch the platforms that weren't working or make changes
based on what teachers actually needed.
So it's like they were building the plane as they were flying it?
Kind of, yeah.
That takes some serious guts.
I bet our high school principal, Kevin, had like a similar experience trying to work within
his district's, you know, bureaucracy.
Yeah, you're right.
There are definitely some parallels there.
Kevin, he was really, really excited about the potential of EDR, just that idea of giving
teachers more control, more ownership over these tech decisions.
But you can imagine that didn't exactly line up with his district's very top-down approach.
Oh, I bet.
I can see how that would cause some friction.
So how did Kevin manage to reconcile EDR with his district's very clear expectations?
Did he have to bend the rules a little bit?
He did, but he was, shall we say, strategic about it.
I see, I see.
He knew his district.
He knew they were obsessed with SMART goals, you know, those super specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals.
So he very cleverly framed his whole EDR pilot project in a way that checked off all those
boxes, even though the actual process was way more fluid and iterative in reality.
It's like he was speaking their language, but still staying true to, like, the heart
of EDR.
Yeah.
That's impressive.
Okay, so our early adopters are embracing the unknown, finding those workarounds, love
it.
What about our more cautious folks?
How did EDR land with Mary and Carol?
Were they just as gung-ho about it from the get-go?
Not quite.
Remember, Mary was really inspired by what that other school had done with technology.
Right, but she didn't have the same resources, right?
Exactly.
That was a major concern for her.
She was worried that EDR would require all this fancy software or, you know, God forbid,
expensive consultants, and her school just did not have the budget for it.
I can see why she'd be a little hesitant.
It's like wanting to completely remodel your kitchen, but you're not even sure you can
afford new countertops.
A perfect analogy.
But here's where, you know, having a strong network really makes a difference, right?
So Mary did something really smart.
She reached out to a principal in another district who had actually used EDR successfully,
but on a super tight budget.
Oh, nice.
And as principal, he became kind of like her unofficial EDR mentor, you know?
Guided her every step of the way, reassured her that it was totally possible to make EDR
work in any context.
It's amazing how, like, just having that one person in your corner can change everything.
Totally.
Like, you just needed someone to be like, listen, you got this.
You can do this.
Absolutely.
And honestly, that's something we don't talk about enough when it comes to innovation and
the power of mentors, you know, that peer support.
I think it can make or break a project, especially for those who aren't super comfortable with
taking risks.
So true.
So what about Carol, our curriculum coordinator?
What were her first impressions of EDR?
Well, remember for her, it was all about finding a system, a sustainable system for teachers
to share those resources, right?
But, and this is important, she also had like a very healthy dose of skepticism.
You know what I mean?
Okay.
Because you'd seen it all before, right?
All those well-intentioned tech initiatives that just completely flocked because no one
thought to ask teachers, hey, what do you actually need?
Or how do you actually work day to day?
So she was looking for something that would really stick, not just another quick fix.
Exactly.
Carol wanted something that would become a part of the school's DNA, you know, the culture.
And I think that's ultimately what really drew her to EDR, that idea that you're not
just like forcing a new technology on people.
You're fostering this environment, this mindset of continuous improvement.
Interesting.
So they've got these four very different leaders all dealing with their own unique challenges.
And yet they all found something valuable in this like flexible, collaborative approach
to planning.
I mean, that really speaks volumes, don't you think?
It says a lot about EDR's potential to really drive meaningful change in education.
And maybe even beyond, right?
What surprised you most about their experiences?
You know, it's funny because I went into this research mostly interested in the practical
side of EDR.
Like how can it help schools use technology more effectively, period?
But what really surprised me, what I was not expecting was how deeply EDR impacted, how
these leaders thought about leadership itself.
Oh, interesting.
What do you mean?
Well, they all talked about the shift that happened.
At the beginning, they felt like they had to have every single answer.
But EDR helped them embrace a much more like iterative, experimental approach, right?
And the coolest part, they started to realize that by actually letting go a little by empowering
their teams, creating space for collaboration and feedback, they were actually unintentionally
building a way more resilient and responsive school culture.
So it's not even really about the technology in the end, is it?
It's about building an environment, a culture where innovation can actually like take root
and thrive.
Exactly.
It's about moving away from that old school top down do as you're told mentality and
instead moving towards shared responsibility, continuous learning, all of that.
And honestly, I think that's something that we desperately need, not just in education,
but everywhere.
So true.
It really makes you wonder, you know, how different could our workplaces be?
Our communities, even just our own lives, really, if we could all just embrace that
kind of flexibility, that adaptability.
I love that.
So as we wrap up here, what are some questions that someone is listening who's intrigued
by all of this?
What questions should they be asking themselves?
That's a great question to end on.
I think the biggest takeaway here is that EDR, it's not a magic solution, right?
It's not a magic wand.
It's a mindset.
It's about looking inward and asking yourself, how can I create that culture of experimentation,
that spirit of continuous improvement in my own little corner of the world?
And maybe even more importantly, how can I empower the people around me to really own
this process?
How can we all work together to shape the future even and maybe especially when the path forward
is a little, you know, foggy?
Oh, I love that.
Food for thought indeed.
I know about you, but I'm feeling pretty inspired to ditch the old roadmap and embrace a little
more, I don't know, a little more exploration of my own life.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.
It's been a pleasure.
Until next time, keep those amazing questions coming.