IgnitePhilly -- Five Minutes To Communicate

Who I am: Chris Lehmann

What I do: Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA (Opening 9/06).

What I did: Technology Coordinator / English Teacher / Girls Basketball Coach / Ultimate Coach at the Beacon School, a fantastic progressive public high school in Manhattan.

Email: chris [at] practicaltheory [dot] org.

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Latoyia Cains about Sustaining the Teaching Life
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When becoming a teacher
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Chris,

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< Students, Teachers and Objectification | EduCon 2.1 -- Registration and Session Reminder! >

Thursday, October 2. 2008

IgnitePhilly -- Five Minutes To Communicate

So a few weeks ago, I got the chance to speak at IgnitePhilly. You get five minutes -- you prepare twenty slides, and you get fifteen seconds a slide. It's a really, really fun, fast-paced way to try to communicate an idea, and the evening was a ton of fun. It was amazing for me to get to talk about school reform and 21st Century schools in an audience of so many new media / social media / creative class folks in Philadelphia. If you get the chance to go to an IgnitePhilly event, do so. It's a blast.

And it was really fun and tough to try to boil down what I think and believe about school reform to a five minute speech to non-educators. And it's a good thing I talk fast. Enjoy.

[Update: Folks asked me to post my slides, so here they are... -- Chris]

IgnitePhilly

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: education ignitephilly)

Posted by Chris Lehmann in School 2.0 at 23:16 | Comments (24) | Trackbacks (0)

Comments

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This was so good, it made my posted items on Fb, lol. Fantastic, Chris! Question: what is the picture that's on Masterman's library door? The video doesn't show it. Whatever it is...I'm thinking about putting it on my classroom door, lol.

#1 Sunil Reddy on 2008-10-03 03:18 (Reply)

Absolutely brilliant! It did look like you were having a lot of fun with this.

However, the presentation doesn't necessarily play well with everyone. This morning I forwarded the video to a group from our office and cc'd our assistant superintendent for instruction just to see how he would respond.

All the comments I've heard today dealt with the content of your talk. The big boss remarks were about the style and how he wished our school board presentations were that entertaining.

Obvously you (we) have more work to do!

#2 Tim (Link) on 2008-10-03 10:10 (Reply)

I loved the presentation and I'm going to send the page to my principal. He is very open to ideas about using technology to transform learning for the kids.

I dying to know what the sign is you don't want to see in schools was.

#3 Kimberly (Link) on 2008-10-03 12:15 (Reply)

Could you post your slide set so we could follow. Presentation was great

#4 Vinnie Vrotny (Link) on 2008-10-03 12:21 (Reply)

It's also neat to present to non-educators. I attended a BarCamp last week and I'm sure there were only about 3 educators among the 100 or so attendees. It's kinda nice to talk about these issues to a new crowd.
Well done.

#5 Dean SHareski (Link) on 2008-10-03 18:25 (Reply)

Wow. I think you summed up a huge chunk of my thinking of schools in 5 eloquent minutes. Next job interview I have I'll just play the interviewers this video when they ask what I'm all about. Well done.

I, too, would love to see your slide set, if possible.

#6 Ben (Link) on 2008-10-04 11:52 (Reply)

Slides posted... thanks everyone!

#7 Chris Lehmann (Link) on 2008-10-04 19:04 (Reply)

So inspiring! Will forward this on to my admin on Monday.

Have you ever thought about working in international schools? We need your voice out here as well!

#8 Kim Cofino (Link) on 2008-10-04 20:03 (Reply)

Fab stuff Chris, at last I find someone who presents as fast as I do. Some colleagues from Australia and I were sitting down over dinner with Gary Stager the other night and they were asking Gary for schools to visit in the US. Your's was the first one that Gary suggested. He said it is a must visit and now I can really see why. Damn I wish I was going with them.

#9 John Pearce (Link) on 2008-10-04 20:19 (Reply)

Love it.

Well done Chris. You continue to inspire an aspiring administrator.

Now you just have to inspire the Phillies!

#10 Dennis Harter (Link) on 2008-10-05 10:33 (Reply)

I imagine that many out there are now thinking, "I wish I worked for an administrator like Chris at SLA!"

I hope that some of those are thinking, "I hope to become an administrator like Chris at SLA."

More people on the bus need to start driving it.

My thoughts on this here: http://dharter.edublogs.org/2008/09/30/bridging-the-gap/

#10.1 Dennis Harter (Link) on 2008-10-05 10:41 (Reply)

Well said. One of the more transformative realizations I've had in the past year has been that I'm able to push for change at a higher level than simply in my classroom.

If I want to see cultural change in my school, I'd better be the one pushing for it.

#10.1.1 Ben (Link) on 2008-10-06 19:52 (Reply)

Ben,
Thanks. We need more people like Chris who are not only on the bus, but are driving it.

We are out there pushing message and school reform can come from the ground up, but it works a lot better when it is supported and pushed from the top as well.

#10.1.1.1 Dennis Harter (Link) on 2008-10-06 23:51 (Reply)

Chris,

This is the most concise and effective 5-minute preso on what's wrong with our schools and what we need to do in education that I've seen. Thanks!! I wonder what we could come up with if we were limited to 5 minutes and 20 slides.
I am sharing this with my chair and the C & I faculty of one of the top 5 producers of teaching in the U.S. I wonder what they'll think?

#11 Cheri Toledo (Link) on 2008-10-05 11:27 (Reply)

Nothing quite like an amazing short time span to make one focus on the fundamental ideas at stake. Wonderful, inspirational and putting this to use right away. Thanks.

#12 Rick Biche (Link) on 2008-10-05 17:51 (Reply)

Chris -- Well done! I continue to be very pleased that you are the Prinicpal of one of the most dynamic and forward looking high schools on the planet. I will be working on the SLC project in Philadelphia later this month and will pay a call at SLA at my earliest opportunity. Gregg

#13 Gregg Sinner on 2008-10-06 08:10 (Reply)

Chris,
You did a great job getting your point across in such a short time span. Perhaps that is the best way to reach the most people. I certainly will share with others in my district. I love your point about the sign not belonging on the library doors, however, I just don't know if we'll ever win that battle. Sometimes, it's so discouraging.

Thank you for working hard to get "our" message out. I'm proud to be among such inspiring professionals.

~Lee

#14 Lee Kolbert (Link) on 2008-10-06 19:24 (Reply)

I love you man.

#15 Darren Kuropatwa (Link) on 2008-10-06 22:57 (Reply)

Thank you so much for sharing this. You said everything I've been trying to say to our district in the last year or so.... and in 5 minutes. (and... I never thought I'd find someone who speaks more rapidly than I do!)

Glad you posted the slides as well... those really illustrate your points so well.

You're my hero. Thanks.

#16 Michelle Baldwin (Link) on 2008-10-07 12:51 (Reply)

Absolutely terrific Chris. Smart, funny, and on the money. Such a great job. I'll be showing this in my graduate class for aspiring principals for both content and presentation.
Thank you so much for doing this, and everything else.

#17 Jim Lerman (Link) on 2008-10-07 21:52 (Reply)

Brilliant, Chris. Thanks so much. I'm using this to kick off a big PD day tomorrow! You rock.

#18 Karen (Link) on 2008-10-09 17:12 (Reply)

Your talk has given me a little boost of enthusiasm. Maybe it was the passion with which you spoke. Maybe it was saying so much of what I've been thinking so concisely. Whatever it was, thanks for the inspiration.

#19 al gunn (Link) on 2008-10-18 12:04 (Reply)

Thank you for sharing. As I can read from the comments that came before me, you have inspired many and put into words what many of us are feeling but could not express with the poise or speed as you have.
The next time an administrator tells me "I only have 5 minutes", I will be prepared!!!
Thank you

#20 Silvia Tolisano (Link) on 2008-10-22 11:57 (Reply)

love your presentation at Ignite Philly...I shared it with several at my school.

#21 cindy Brock on 2009-02-05 14:00 (Reply)

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