"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
– Japanese Proverb

Simply put, implementing 1:1 technology across a district is not a vision. In fact, in some cases, it is merely an action that eventually leads to a nightmare. Conversely, spending a whole school year creating just the right words to put into a vision statement for personalized or blended learning prolongs the "daydream." Many school districts now have organizational vision, mission, and value statements. Their strategic plans include levers or pillars of change detailing specific goals. Few, however, have crafted a vision for personalized, online, or blended learning. They know they will eventually "do" blended learning, some already have, but they do not know how they will get there and they have yet to articulate the vision of what "there" looks like.

According to MindShift, the single most important thing that blended learning pioneers agree upon is the need for a cohesive blended learning vision that addresses teachers, students, technology, academic goals, learning environments, creativity, personal educational empowerment, etc. Vision statements give me a sense of where the district wants to go.

When starting to work on the vision statement for blended learning, keep in mind six characteristics of a great vision:

1. Answers the questions
   1. Where do we want to be?
   2. When do we want to get there?
   3. How do we want to do it?
2. Talks about the future; generates hope.
3. Inspires everyone involved to give his or her best.
4. Includes memorable and engaging expressions.
5. Uses agreed upon definitions.
6. Aligns with the organization’s top-level mission, vision, values, and culture.

I believe the Japanese proverb above is right. Blended learning requires a well-written vision as its guide. Getting "there"" requires that well-planned actions follow the vision.

Today’s Challenge:

Find your district's mission, vision, values, goals, and culture statements. Judging from what I found in a few Google searches, you may have to hunt for them. What do they say about blended, online or personalized learning? If your district has already implemented blended learning, find the vision statement. Thinking about what you found, how would you answer the "Where we want to be question" addressed by solid vision statements?

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