Friday, October 7, 2011

Where Does The Track Go After Turn 1?




The day after the news broke of the death of Apple legend and founder Steve Jobs, it is good to reflect on the impact he and his ideas and vision have had on our lives.

Certainly, there can be few people whom we do not personally know who have so profoundly affected the everyday lives of so many of us.

For me, it is not simply the products we have been thrilled by, that have transformed how we listen to music, play movies, teach, relax and play, but the sheer vision if the man who developed them that is striking.

Clear focus, simple vision, pure dedication to that vision, and an extraordinary ability to see the next step in the game. These are qualities we can admire and learn from.

It's easy in education to become obsessed with the next fad, the next gimmick and so often that's all they are - gimmicks. What the life of Steve Jobs inspires in me is to find, in the sphere of education, that clear sense of vision, ability to see the path ahead and simple attention to important details.

These are timely lessons, the iPad project in our school has brought incredible and exciting change. Digital content creation that we, and the children are so proud of, and many new ways of doing things. The important thing now is to be able to see the underlying principles of transformation in the way we teach, the process of learning and the steps that join these things together.

After the excitement of the first year we are now able to look under the hood at the powerful engine of change that we have switched on.