Episode Details

Curt Rees, principal of Northern Hills Elementary in Onalaska, Wisconsin, explains how the 4 C's of communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity guide his approach to technology integration. He treats tech as a tool that supports the learning you want for kids, not one that gets in the way.

Rees shows what that looks like at home. His 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter wrote, filmed and uploaded a ninja video on a Saturday morning with no help. He also describes Voxer, the voice message app he uses with a group of elementary principals to share stories, frustrations and support.

What you'll learn

• Judge any tech tool by whether it helps students communicate, collaborate, think critically or create, as Rees does.
• Try Voxer to send voice messages that carry your tone, which email loses.
• Start a Voxer group with a few principals you know from Twitter, and use it to share stories and vent.
• Let students show what they learned with a video made in iMovie instead of a typical book report.
• Find hours for your own learning by trading evening TV time, the way Rees fits in his doctoral work.

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Curt Rees of Northern Hills Elementary
• 2:59 Teaching in Albuquerque and moving on purpose
• 4:42 Balancing a doctoral program with being principal
• 7:40 What Curt hopes to get from his PhD
• 9:19 The 4 C's and technology
• 9:44 How his kids made a ninja video
• 13:48 How principals use Voxer voice messages

Times are for the episode without ads. Your player may be off by the length of any ads.

Questions this episode answers

What are the 4 C's of 21st century skills?
Rees names them as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. He says all four depend on technology, and a good tool helps students use them. His own kids showed collaboration and creativity when they made a ninja video together.

What is Voxer and how can principals use it?
Rees uses Voxer to send voice messages that do not have to be live, so he can leave one while driving. He runs group chats with elementary principals to share stories and frustrations, and says a voice carries intonation that email loses.

How can a principal balance a doctoral program with the job?
Rees does his doctoral work after his kids go to bed, in the hours he once gave to TV. He admits it takes more mental energy than watching a game, and he says peers who finished their doctorates told him to just keep swimming.

About Curt Rees

Principal of Northern Hills Elementary School, a pre-K through grade 5 school of about 400 students in Onalaska, Wisconsin, and co-host of the Techlandia Podcast.

Links and resources

• Sanebox sponsor banner
• Sanebox sponsor link
• Transformative Principal website
• Transformative Principal on Stitcher
• Refer a principal form
• Curt Rees on Twitter
• Northern Hills Elementary School
• Techlandia Podcast on Twitter
• Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky
• Ninja video and the 4 C's

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