Considering Attempting to Solve “Wicked Problems” on my Campus

Good Ideas
Next, I began to consider real problems I do not know how to solve.  I also began focusing on my school, because I know that I will be more likely to challenge myself if my students will benefit from my efforts.  Instead of focusing on what the end-product will look like, considered the problem--if I knew what the solution would look like, it would not be a “wicked problem.”  I came up with the following two ideas, which focus on using technology to help San Pasqual Academy’s (SPA) invested adults to increase our abilities to support our students.  By the way, SPA’s strong team of invested adults include: San Diego County Office of Education Juvenile Court and Community school staff, New Alternatives residential staff, YES Program work readiness staff, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency social workers, Voices for Children Court Appointed Student Advocates, San Pasqual Academy Neighbor grandparents, and miscellaneous educational rights holders.         

Idea A - Adult Communication
Wicked Question
How can technology help San Pasqual Academy’s invested adults communicate with one another?

Current Problem
We have more than 200 adults working together to support 85 students.  We work for different agencies, work in different buildings, and work different shifts.  Many of us do not even know each other’s names and are unable to identify which adults are connected to individual students.

Inquiry Questions

• Which app or social media platform should I use to streamline communication?
  
• Does this idea comply with current confidentiality policies?
  
• How will I reach all of the adults?  Does a comprehensive staff (invested adult) database even exist?
  
• Who are my allies?
  
• Should I have a point person from each partner agency?
  
• How will I convince adults such a wide variety of adults that this is necessary?
  
• Will adults be willing to share contact information and profile photos?
  
• How will I update and moderate the sharing platform?  Will need to moderate?
  
• What do I do about adults--or groups of adults--who do not want to participate?
  
• Should I conduct workshops? Where?
  
• How will I address staff who do not have a smartphone or are unwilling to participate?
  
  

Idea B - Social Media for Digital Citizenship
Wicked Question
How can San Pasqual Academy’s invested adults increase their familiarity with the social media platforms used by our students in order to support responsible practices?

Current Problem
We have had problems with conflicts connected to social media disrupting school and residential time.  Our campus director recently told me that the majority of the student conflicts addressed by her and her staff involve social media.  Many of the adults do not use or understand the platforms used by the students and struggle to teach and/or model responsible practices.

Inquiry Questions

• What social media platforms are currently popular among our students?
  
• What are the current rules for adult and student social media interaction?  How do they vary by agency?
  
• Who are my allies?
  
• How to adults currently view and use various social media platforms?
  
• What examples of similar lessons/workshops already exist?
  
• How will I reach all of the partners?
  
• What instructional delivery methods best suit the needs of each agency?
  
• How can I integrate Common Sense Media resources into my plan?
  
• What resources can I provide for extended learning opportunities?
  
• Should I enlist the support of students? Who? How?
  
• Can I empower the adults to become regular users of social media and use it to build relationships with campus adults from other agencies?
  
  

Reference
Brookhouser, K. (2015). The 20time project: How educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready
innovation. San Bernardino, California: 20time.org.  

JCCS, New Alternatives staff, and SPA alumni at dinner after a SPA basketball game

Initial Thoughts 
When I first began thinking about starting a 20time project, I was frustrated. I already enjoy making goals for myself and pushing myself to learn new things.  Over the past few years, I have intentionally learned new hobbies and increased my practice of ones I had abandoned, including running, cooking, swimming, hiking, and most recently yoga.  I am reading more, using Instagram to regularly share the work being done in my classroom, calling friends regularly, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and even walking my dogs more.  At first, I thought the 20time project was going to require me to integrate another passion into my jam-packed schedule.  

However after reading The 20time Project: How educators can launch Google’s formula for future-ready innovation by Kevin Brookhouser, M.Ed., I realized that 20time projects more than simply “passion projects.”  Brookhouser (2015) explains, “The goal is not to give students school time and resources to play with a ‘passion project.’ It’s not even about the positive community impact their projects might have.  It’s about developing the creative abilities needed to tackle wicked problems.”  I decided to challenge myself to experience the 20time process while addressing an unsolved “wicked problem” on my campus.

Bad Ideas
First, I created a Bad Idea Factory brainstorm.  Using this tool, it was easy to purge ideas from my list that were simply passion projects, easily solvable problems, unfocused ideas, and outcomes that would not help anyone else.  

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