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' I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder how we could have tolerated anything so primitive.' John W Gardner
Jul
08
And the ISTE11 Newbie Is…………………..
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by Beth Still on 08-07-2010
I cannot believe that nearly 18 months has gone by since I started the ISTE Newbie project. This project has been rewarding on so many levels for me. Not only have I gotten to help two really amazing educators attend a great conference, I have made two very good friends during the process. I have enjoyed watching both Richard Byrne and Jason Schrage interact, share, and learn with their PLN. They are such an important part of so many PLN’s and I would like to think that some of this is a result of the Newbie project.
There was no question I wanted to do the Newbie project again, but the issue was how to select the next Newbie. Instead of looking at just my PLN I asked six of my most trusted colleagues to help with ideas and give me feedback during this process. I told them this year I wanted to either look and someone international or an administrator. We managed to find both qualities in one very special person. The ISTE11 Newbie is George Couros from Stony Plains, Alberta.
George has been in education for 11 years, two of which were as an assistant principal and the last one as a principal. He’s been with the same division for 5 years. George and his division have a common philosophy of shared leadership and focusing on building strong relationships with students and the school community. George has worked with all grades from K-12 as a teacher, tech coordinator, and principal. Currently he is a K-12 principal of three different sites; Forest Green School, Connections for Learning, and Brightbank.
I am so excited that George has agreed to be the Newbie for ISTE11. Please give him a shoutout!
13 Responses to “And the ISTE11 Newbie Is…………………..”
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July 8th, 2010 at 4:17 p
Very Cool! Congratulations George, you are going to love ISTE 2011. I hope that I’m able to attend and meet him.
This is a great project Beth.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:48 p
Thanks to everyone who has voiced their support. It is never easy to pick just one person, but all I ask is that everyone continues to trust my ability to select someone who deserves this. I have done well so far and I am very confident about my decision for 2011.
July 8th, 2010 at 4:50 p
Excellent choice! I can’t wait to meet George!
July 8th, 2010 at 5:05 p
good choice Beth.
i’m afraid George will be way too much fun though..
perhaps Jason can help – you will certainly have your hands full.
enjoy
July 8th, 2010 at 5:10 p
Beth…this really means a lot to me and I am proud that I get to come and make my school and division proud. I followed the #iste10 tag and was regretting not being there but now you have changed that! Thanks so much
I am really looking forward to meeting friends there and learning with them. Biggest tweetup of the year!
July 8th, 2010 at 5:48 p
Woot! Great pick for ISTE11! @gcouros, congratulations
July 8th, 2010 at 6:54 p
Terrific choice! Congrats, George.
July 9th, 2010 at 12:15 p
Excellent choice, Beth. I’ve enjoyed watching George grow as a networked Principal this year on Twitter.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:43 p
Colette-
I selected George because I hope he can encourage more administrators to be more open to using technology in ways that improve education for both students and teachers. It is so important to have networked administrators and George is a prime example of how to do it!
July 9th, 2010 at 9:33 p
Hi Beth,
This is great news. I know you were struggling with making a decision for next year. You managed to pick another “winner”. Can’t wait to meet George f2f at ISTE11.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:40 p
You have no idea……
July 9th, 2010 at 9:56 p
Wow – this is very exciting! What a tremendous opportunity. You have picked a great candidate! I often refer to George as a “kid magnet”! He has a real heart for kids, amazing people skills and is a techno-geek (or is that Greek)on top of it all! I have the pleasure of working with this bright, energetic and passionate leader every day as I am the Area Superintendent for his schools. Look….George has me reading and posting on line. Anything is possible.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:38 p
Nice to meet you Kelly. It was evident after reading through George’s blog that he is exactly the type of educator that I was searching for to represent the Newbie project for 2011. I can tell from his posts and pictures that his number one concern is making sure that students and his staff feel as if they belong at his schools. My hope for this year is that he will be an outstanding role model for teachers who are either currently in a leadership role or are considering moving in that direction. He has some amazing qualities. Thank you for sharing him with us!