Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL?

I'm not really sure this post belongs on a technology blog, but maybe. It's a story about our staff. We are not unlike other educators across the state of South Dakota. Under paid, SD still ranks last in the nation in teacher pay, over scheduled, most of our teachers have 6 preps, and on top of it all our school building was condemed about 5 years ago-leaving us in less than an ideal learning environment. To say on occasion staff moral is low is perhaps as gross an understatement is kind of like saying Michael Phelps can swim a little.

Anyway, on with the story. I'm a football fanatic. I have no better way to put it and each year I sign up to participate in a Fantasy Football League. Usually, with people from all over the country, none of who I know, nor do I have a desire to get to know. This year however, I took a chance and set up my own league online--Free of course (a teachers best freind), and invited fellow staff members to join. In the beginning response was slow the Science Sloths were the first on board followed by the K Shoe Crew (Math Dept.) then, just like kids with a homework deadline as the draft deadline neared, (just hours remaining) I began seeing the league fill up. By draft deadline The Longhorn Lovers league was completely full.

The Wednesday morning after the draft was electric. Now, I know some people might say this sounds about as educational as a field trip to Dairy Queen, but I beg to differ. This is a staff that just a few short years ago struggled with sending a simple email attachment. A staff that due to our current facility arrangements seldom sees each other. A staff that on a lot of days doesn't have a lot of highlights. And, here we are, laughing, emailing, drafting, trading, and smiling about our prosepects.

It's Time

It's back to the grindstone. Yikes--So hard to believe that the summer has went by so quickly. My daughter, who is somewht dreading the return to school, said "Just when you get summer broke in it's over!"

I think this is somewhat how teachers feel when it comes to integrating technology. What I hear constantly from staff is "How come just when I learn how to (insert whatever new technology or software your school is focusing on) does it change, and now I'm supposed to learn something new". Well, my response to this is "get used to it," just like the summer that is fading, technology and software change like the seasons.

Me, I love the changing of the seasons, that first cool night when you wake to frost, the first snowflakes, first optomistic meadowlark, first butterfly, and the painting of the leaves. I love it, what a beautiful diverse world. And, such is the marriage of technology and education, ever changing but always enchanting.

Preaching to the Choir

An issue that has reared it's nasty little head since we piloted the laptop initiative in the fall of 2006 is the the classroom management issues laptops present. While I have been somewhat casual in dismissing these issues; to the classroom teachers they are real. My philosophy to teachers is "treat it like you would any other tool in your classroom".

However, often it is difficult for me to make suggestions on classroom management to our staff. Well, that's not exactly true, generally I am full of advice (some good and some not so good). Probably heavy on the latter. So, it is probably no surprise that I often get the impression that teachers roll their eyes the minute I leave the room and question what planet I fell from. So, when I came across Vicki Davis' post for starting the school year I couldn't resist. Although, she does not address specifically a 1:1 laptop environment her "Pace, Flow, and Plan" would help to prevent or resolve most issues that we have struggled with in the past.

Starting the School Year off Right: Part 1 -- Set the Pace

Starting the School Year off Right: Part 2 -- Establish the Flow

Starting the School Year off Right: Part 3 -- Create the Plan

"Just because you got the monkey off your back does not mean the circus has left town." George Carlin

Check in Day

We are a 1 to 1 laptop school and today is checkin day. Yikes, as a matter of fact our first check in day since we were part of a pilot program in South Dakota. Naturally, the logistics of check in day are not great. My office is the size of a cracker box and not to be facetious it's pretty crummy. So, while I'm gathering, checking in, and assessing the occasional fee for damage I have started to ask the kids what they thought about their past school year with laptops. Just a casual survey. But, by in large the comments have been overwhelmingly positive. However, I did get a few responses that were not so pleasing to my ears. One young lady stated she would be happy not to have to "lug it around anymore." While another young man said, "To be quite honest, about 80% of the time I just played games and stuff."

Which leaves me to ponder, are the laptops just dead weight that we have saddled our students with? Personally, I don't believe this, but why would some of our students feel this way. Could we be the cause of this less than rosy perception. Could it be, now that they have the world at their fingertips 24/7, what we are offering in our classrooms is not up to "snuff". I read with interest Scott Shepherd's blog Laptops, Anyone? and wondered what would happen if we opted to discontinue the laptop program? Would some staff and students silently, or perhaps not so silently applaud.

Lunch Time Reflections

On most days during my lunch, which I eat at my desk over my computer, I check up on my bloglines feeds. I find it time well spent as I puruse the technology in education readings. One of my "must reads", even though I am not an actual classroom teacher is Cool Cat Teacher. This video was one of the sites that caught my eye after being gone to the TIE conference for a few days. This video comes from the T4 website.This is just another attempt of driving home the point that education needs to "shift".

Will Richardson at TIE

I am stuck here as a digital immigrant, not a native, trying to wrap my mind around Will Richardson's keynote on "Shift". I must admit I am somewhat a "man", or should I say "a woman without a country". I am torn between the ground of the natives and the immigrants. It is a slippery slope. I have been a reader of Will's blog for a couple of years and had a pretty good idea what we were in for. He was passionate and motivating yet, as I looked around the room I could tell only a small percentage of the audience was really getting "it". Sadly, education seems to me like this Quote of The Day from Quentin D'Souza's Blog.

Quote of The Day
By Quentin D'Souza on Ramblings
Tags: Ramblings
From Rob DeLorenzo:
Education is like a train, we have worked to make the train really efficient. It is the best train that it can be; the only problem is that the world has moved to planes. If you were to take a picture of the classroom 100 years ago and today – with regards to setup – you would see minor variations. Why are we happy to get a binder full of paper, which we may use a quarter of it, when there are web sites that contain much more powerful resources. We are paper trained teachers with students who live in a digital world.
…A redux of Ian Jukes

46645 dial

Keith Dunn visits Faith High School

Congratulations to those students and parents who were fortunate enough to attend the Keith Dunn presentations on Wed, April 18 at the Faith School District. Keith is a dynamic and entertaining speaker who caught the attention of all in attendance.

Keith had a lot of great information on Internet Safety and Cyberbullying.