Started compiling a series of responses to frequently asked questions. What makes this unique is that there are responses from folks all around Texas. You can see it in the TexasLeads! Wikispaces at

http://texasleads.wikispaces.com/solutions

Check it out and don’t be afraid to edit and add stuff.

In the interests of fostering conversations between Texas educators, be sure to visit the Gabbly Chat page for Texas Leads!

You can keep the page open and it will enable conversations. The hope is we’ll be able to have conversations about advcoating for ed-tech in Texas!

In his book–entitled Changing the World–Robert Quinn writes about “The Transforming Strategy.” In this strategy, he asks a few questions.

1. Am I envisioning a productive community?

2. Am I first looking within?

3. Am I embracing the hypocritical self?

4. Am I transcending fear?

5. Am I embodying a vision of the common good?

6. Am I disturbing the system?

7. Am I surrendering to the emergent process?

8. Am I enticing through moral power?

While these questions focus on “I,” we can respond to these questions together as we look forward to the creation of the Texas Leads! group. We often hear Albert Einstein quoted as saying, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Let’s take a moment to respond to the questions, to ask ourselves, “What do I envision for a productive community of advocates for educational technology in K-16 schools?”

“Over time,” shares Robert Quinn in Change the World, “interactions tend to become patterned or normalized. We develop individual scripts and collective cultures. Scripts structure the individual, whereas cultural structure the collective. These…resemble the shell of the seed. If they crack, we can begin to interact with our environment in new ways, and these interactions can give rise to a new self or a new collective.

It is with this quote in mind that I began the Texas Leads! email group. Other groups are forming that appear to have different needs, that are looking beyond old scripts and cultures. It is time for the shell of the seed to be cracked, and give birth to a new creation. Although the group is only for Texas education technology advocates, I wanted to share its creation with you.

Join us in establishing a new collective.

You can join the listserv and find out more here.