I have been wanting to start writing a blog. I have to admit I am not a writer. I am sitting on the plane returing from Walt Disney World for the third time in three years. As I walked around, I was amazed at the innovation of Disney World. They are constantly changing to meet the needs of there stakeholders (us). This year they added new bands to replace the old cards people had to carry around. The bands can be used for everything from getting into a park to paying for food. When I started taking my family to Disney, they had a system called the Fast Pass (the only amusement park I know who has this), this was used to access a popular ride at a later time (so you didn't have to wait in line). Now they have added an app and you can book your fastpasses online the day before so you can truly enjoy your day in the park. They never accept the status quo. They are always changing to become better. Why can't schools be more like Disney? Walt Disney was able to brand his product and create a vision of innovation that has been carried on long after his death.
We have to be the change we want to be in the world and in education (Ghandi). Walt Disney started with a vision and now the company is one of the most successful in the world. I look at schools and see 19th century teaching, in 20th century classrooms, during the 21st century. We have to create a vision of change to become relavent for our students. After all, we are preparing students for jobs that haven't even been created yet.
I have been reading Eric Sheniger's book Digital Leadership and he has created a vision for his school. It is a great read that mentions many school leaders who have transformed schools and districts to learning in the digital world. He states " As society evolves due to advances in technology, we as digital leaders, must ensure that instruction, learning, and other leadership functions follow suit or we run the risk of becoming irrelevant." As teachers, leaders, administrators we; just as Walt Disney, should strive to take risks and constantly change to meet our stakeholders (students, parents, community).
