I recently had an interesting chat over Skype with New Milford’s Principal, Eric Sheninger. We chatted about technology, education, technology in education, engaging your customer and I figured the best way to let you, the residents of Bergen County, know about NMHS and Mr. Sheninger’s ideas and views was to ask a few questions and post them verbatim.
Professional Questions
Where did you come from? Give us some background history about you and how you got into the educational field.
I am from a small town in northwestern NJ called Belvidere. It seems understandable that my career path led me to education, since my father is a retired elementary school principal and my mother a retired first grade teacher. I always told myself that education was not for me and vigorously pursued a career in marine/fisheries biology. After receiving a B.S. in Biology from Salisbury University and a B.S. in Marine/Environmental Science from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, I began to work on Master’s in Fisheries Biology at Frostburg State University. It was at Frostburg where my stint as a graduate teaching assistant convinced me that my calling was in education. I then traveled back home and obtained my teaching certification in science and a M. Ed. in Educational Administration from East Stroudsburg University. After interviewing in a few districts, I landed a job at Watchung Hills Regional High School where I taught biology, chemistry, marine biology, and ecology. I also coached football, ice hockey, and lacrosse. My passion for teaching kids, science, and coaching made this an incredible experience. The move to administration and New Milford was fueled by a desire to be in a position where I could help more kids succeed academically. More detailed background information can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/esheninger.
Google, Twitter, Ning, et al. You’re all over the Internet. Why? What is your reasoning behind this move to getting your name out to there?
It is not really as much about me personally being all over the Internet as it is my school. I am so proud of the work being done by the students and staff at NMHS (http://www.newmilfordschools.org/NMHS/hs_main_page.html) that I feel compelled to share. The Internet and social media sites have now made it extremely easy to broadcast this information. Any opportunity I get to “brag” about my school I take it! All too often in the field of education we only hear about the “bad” things happening. Well my philosophy is simple; flood every type of media outlet with the successes and achievements of my students and staff so that there is a greater appreciation for the work being done in public schools. This was the motivation behind the creation of my monthly Principal’s Report http://www.newmilfordschools.org/NMHS/school_report.html) and the creation of an “official” Twitter page for NMHS (http://twitter.com/NewMilfordHS). Recently I have discovered how powerful social media and networking sites can be to my professional growth as an educational leader. My name becomes more prevalent as my thirst for knowledge, learning resources, and global collaborations increases as a result of web 2.0 technologies such as Twitter (http://twitter.com/NMHS_Principal) and Ning (http://edupln.ning.com/profile/EricSheninger). The attention on the Internet has opened up many doors and exciting professional opportunities for both New Milford and me professionally.
Do you think tweeting, using VoiceThread, Google Docs, recording videos and posting them to YouTube and all that is working?
It is difficult to state with certainty at this point as to the effectiveness and impact these web 2.0 technologies are having on learning and student achievement. When observing teachers effectively using web 2.0 in the classroom I have noticed an increase in student engagement and motivation. Whether this translates into an increase in achievement is yet to be seen, but getting students motivated and excited to learn is at the heart of effective instruction. A student’s ability to apply their learning and the ability to create something to demonstrate comprehension and mastery of the content provides relevance and meaning to what is being taught. These tools definitely have the power and capacity to accomplish this. As teachers and students become more comfortable and knowledgeable on how to effectively utilize these powerful free resources you will then see that they are in fact working.
What you want to accomplish by attacking the social web?
My goal is simple, to promote the fantastic accomplishments of the students and staff at New Milford High School and continue to learn and grow through collaboration with passionate educators from all parts of the world. The social web has allowed me to take my own learning to levels that I never thought possible. Through intrinsic motivation I am literally acquiring new knowledge 24/7 at times when it is convenient for me. The social web and sites like Twitter support the notion that “together we are better”. This thought process facilitates the sharing of resources, global collaboration, thoughtful discussion on educational issues, feedback, and support. Another important aspect is the building of professional relationships to benefit the NMHS community. This would be much more difficult to accomplish without the social web.
Do you think the students benefit from your new approach to education and if so, how? Likewise, do you think the student’s parents benefit?
Definitely! This type of approach tears down the walls of traditional schooling and allows students to collaborate with peers in the community, county, state, country, and world! Students are now placed in a position to control their own learning, which is essential to engagement, understanding, and internalization. Keep in mind that a strong pedagogical foundation is still necessary for this approach to benefit students. It is the addition of web 2.0 technology to lessons that foster a love for learning, critical thought, and problem-solving abilities of students. Parents benefit when their children come home from school and are excited to share what they learned in class. Learning also becomes readily transparent. If a student creates a video using Animoto, develops a Wordle, participates in a VoiceThread, or engages in a discussion with a class in another country on Twitter, parents can them become vested in the instructional process.
What is your favorite technology right now? Website, hardware, whatever and why?
This is a very difficult question because there are so many types of educational technologies that I like for specific reasons. If I had to pick one website it would be Twitter. I absolutely love this microblogging site because of its simplicity and the power that 140 characters pack. With Twitter I can send out information to parents for free in the form of a text message, discuss effective instruction with educators in Australia, find interactive learning resources, read about how technology is being integrated in classrooms, and bounce ideas off of hundreds of administrators simultaneously to name a few. In terms of hardware I really like the 355AF document camera by Aver Media. This is an incredible device projects images, has built-in audio/video recording capabilities, can function as a web cam, and has a USB flash drive.
New Milford HS seems like they are doing some great stuff in the community. Tell me about some of them.
The NMHS community came together on Saturday, January 30, 2010, to take part in Project Prom Dress. The idea was initially pitched to NMHS staff by the New Milford Woman’s Club in early December with the premise to collect “gently used” prom and other formal dresses for current students to wear. It was advertised as a “green event” and marketed to current juniors and seniors to make financially responsible decisions as opposed to spending hundreds of dollars on a dress that will only be worn once. Using word-of-mouth and Facebook, the message was sent to family, friends, and alumni to donate dresses. From January 4 through 29, over 220 dresses were collected. During this time NMHS staff and members of the New Milford Woman’s Club planned the gala event that took place on the evening of January 30, 2010. The event quickly caught the eyed of the media spurring both 1010WINS and CBS News Channel 2 to report the story (http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=137984@wcbs.dayport.com and http://wcbstv.com/local/prom.dress.giveaway.2.1458532.html). It was a grand event consisting of a fashion show where current students modeled donated dresses, raffles were held, music played, and food was available. All raffles and food were donated by local vendors that cater to prom attendees. The grand prize raffle, a $200 gift certificate to Danielle’s Place in New Milford, came from Linda McMahon. The significance behind Linda’s donation is that she resides in San Francisco, CA and was so touched by the event that she felt compelled to donate a significant gift to one luck senior. After the gala junior and senior girls then selected their dresses and tried them on in the guidance suite that was transformed into a changing room. In all, over 85 dresses were taken home. Video footage of the event can be viewed at these sites:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NMHSPrincipal, and http://www.vimeo.com/9099816.
Random Questions
If you could be an animal what kind would you be?
Bald Eagle (matched my current hair style and who wouldn’t want to fly?)
If you could pick up and move right now to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Napa, CA
Jets or Giants or ? Yankees or Mets or ?
Cowboys, Phillies, Devils
Update
Since the interview, Eric and his students were featured on the news again. Here’s the article and here’s the video to match. I feel strongly that NMHS is making the correct decision by allowing the use of such technologies and embracing them. The world has changed and the 21st Century started 10 years ago. All of the New Jersey Department of Education pushes into the new wave of technology needs to be embraced. In fact, it should have been embraced 10 years ago. It’s going to be harder to keep up in the future if you don’t start now.
