The Mission - Future is Now

This post is all about the mission defined by our district, Littleton Public Schools, and how technology supports and helps make that mission possible. I have had a fair amount of experience with mission and vision statements. I'm a founder for a successful web-based start-up, I've led teams in quality-driven corporations where understanding the corporate mission is vital to success, and I've held numerous positions as 'leader' throughout my life.

As an employee of LPS and a proud parent of students here I believe in our Mission - stated below.

The District Mission is defined as:

To educate all students for the future by challenging every individual to
continuously learn, achieve, and act with purpose and compassion.

LPS' Information Technology Department's Mission is defined as:

To define the 21st Century Learning Space, to assure Universal Access to that space, for all learners to master new frontiers in communications, information and literacy.

and IT's vision is:

LPS will support the necessary technology for world-class student learning and professional practice.

I believe these missions and visions are in alignment. They are all forward-looking. They have great potential for everyone involved and "on board" with our Mission. These phrases aren't just words, they are a call to action to all staff and students. We are in a time of rapid change. We are embracing that change in a positive way if we execute our mission. It is my belief that everyone needs to be part of this mission or make way for those who are. The time is now!

The three statements are all forward looking as I mentioned earlier. They all have as their end-game a focus on the future. But as we are aware the future is just out of our reach, but it's the 'carrot' that is dangling outin front of us and it moves us forward. All we have is the present to grasp and deal with. We must focus our immediate energies towards in the present. So I ask you staff and students: What are you doing today to make the Mission as success?

How does the district ensure success? Our district leaders must "walk the talk". The mission must be communicated clearly. The district leaders (at all levels) must not just say the words. They must also embrace them in their actions and they must convey a sense of urgency to everyone.

Who are the leaders in a public school district? I answer this question by stating that everyone is a leader at some level.

• Naturally, we have a superintendent of schools and the school board who are leaders at the highest level.
• We have building principals and the administrative staff that establish school vision and lead the school to success.
• We have teachers who lead their students every day in the classroom.
• And we have students leaders as student-body presidents, classroom leaders and squad leaders on sporting teams.
• Each student must self-lead in their learning - -they are responsible to themselves for their learning too.

So what I'm saying is that everyone is a leader and a responsible team member in the Mission. I think this is THE most exciting time in our school district. The future is now!

Long Now Foundation, Time and a Book

I read the book Anathem by Neal Stephenson awhile back. It's long, very long at over 900 pages. Once I got a handle of the tweaked language he was using I found myself falling into the book and his writing style. I loved the story and concept of living in a "Mathic world" where one could devote their life to the study of math and philosophy. And I thought that would be the end of it, but then here's where fiction meets reality...

People here on Earth are actually doing and thinking about stuff like this. They have founded an organization to ponder life with long-term thinking in mind. Here's a piece of the real clock design being built in a remote area of Eastern Nevada. It is based upon the designs mentioned in the fictional world of the aforementioned book.



So I mentioned that there is an organization founded upon the principle of long-term thinking and its name is the Long Now Project. Much of what the book discusses is being thought about for this group and I think that's pretty cool. Reality meet Fiction meets Reality!

I just happen to have been interested in this artist Brian Eno for MANY years now and have followed his music, seen some of his art exhibits and enjoyed much of what he does. He has worked with U2, David Bowie and many music artists over the years. And not to my surprise he's involved in this foundation too. How weird is it when all these different pieces of one's life (some even fictional) meet together as one?