Techni-color….Technology in color

Hello!  Great to be back again, and ready for another year of new technological endeavors.  As the world changes, so does staff.  This year we have 4 new staff members, and I am not one of the longest members that has been in this department!  This being only my 4th year!  So what is on the horizon for me this year?  Not sure about that yet, but I am open and willing to learn more about whatever technology is out there!  This year, my focus will be on ensuring that the students in the cluster that I work in will have more hands on opportunities.  Most of the time, I am providing technology training opportunities to teachers, and not so much the students.  In most cases, the teachers are so overwhelmed and do not get the opportnity to use what they have learned with their students.  And that my friends is no good!  So this year, my focus will be on the students.  What is YOUR focus this year?

The new school year is upon us, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers across my district.  I have 10 schools that I work with to aid teachers in integrating technology into their curriculum.  I am a firm believer that all children can learn, we just have to find the best way to engage them.  I was inspired yesterday as the new district superintendent, Dr. Percy Mack, expressed his key points for our district which were 1) Student Achievement, 2) Data driven decision making, and 3) Customer Service.  I can’t wait to get the school year started!  My first point of contact at the schools is the Information Technology Specialist, formally media specialist.  I will contact them and meet with them and collaborate to assess the needs of the teachers at their schools.  I have 1 High school, 1 Special programs facility, 2 Middle schools and 6 Elementary schools that I service.  I want to be sure that I am providing relevant professional development opportunities for the teachers at each of the schools, as well as introducing the schools to new technologies.  With students achievement being a main goal, I will look for Web 2.0 programs that will aid teachers in reaching students and helping them to be more successful in every content area.  Are there any successful programs out there that are proving to be successful at your school or in your district?  If so, share!  Some of the resources that are used in our district include:

• Teachingbooks.net
• Atomic Learning
• ETV streamline SC
• Visual Thesaurus
• Brittanica Online
• World Book Online
• Thinkfinity
• PBWiki

Just to name a few.  What resources do you use in your district?  Are there any resources that you use that have proven to be very successful in your district?  Thanks, and have a great first day…whenever that is!

I have been reading blogs of others who are ready for change in educational technology.  Change the way we are thinking, change the way others are thinking, change, change, change.  But in our thoughts and ideologies, thoughts of pedagogies….what about the children?  Are all of our ideas and outcries for the advocacy of technology about how children are going to be more competitive in our growing global society?  How are we going to reach the children that we are losing day by day to violence and “street” education.  What are we as educators doing to ensure that the students that sit before us during the school day are going to ready for what they are to face when we are no longer there for them.  Thats what I want to hear about.  Not about what this gadget can do, or that gadget…how can this help the children to succeed.  Today, I am making a pledge to myself to read more about HOW technology can help students succeed.  That is my main concern.  Today, I pledge to be an advocate for children, not for myself and how many people know my name or who I am.  Today, I will learn for the children, I will read for the children,  gain as much knowledge as I can for the children.  Today, it is no longer about me, its about them.  We are losing them.  Let’s do all that we can as voices for them before all is lost.  I have never even heard of Douglas High School  until I read a blog that highlighted the preview for it.  Unfortunately, I do not have any premium movie channels (HBO), but I would love to watch the documentary.  It is my plan to purchase it soon.  But what about these kids?  What are you going to do differently today?  If there are any links that anyone can suggest to help me in my plight, please offer suggestions.  Thanks!

Wow, this strip says it all. I don’t think people really understand. How can we combat diversity when those that are diverse are left out of the equation? Check out this link. Diversity? Is this true? Really? This is my reality. How can we as a community of educators work together to change the disconnect?

I really enjoyed NECC.  I have never been to a conference that was so Huge…with so much to learn!  But, well…it had its setbacks.  We live in a multi-cultural society.  I am an African-American woman working in an area of technology that is dominated by white men and women.  Sure there were some other African-Americans there, but not a whole lot.  I felt a little lost and alone at NECC.  I was talked over and ignored at the poster sessions.  People treated me as though I had nothing to offer.  I was watching a presentation, and one woman walked right in front of me as though I were not even there, then she started asking questions as though I were invisible.  I went to an activity with Discovery, and felt alone there as well.  The people were nice, but no one would really talk to me.  I am not a leper, I am friendly, I am approachable, so whats missing?  I am not the most agressive person, but as people were talking in their circles, all backs seemed to be to me, and I was by myself in a sea of educators who have the same interests in technology as I do.  Why?  Networking is important.  I want to know what other educators are doing in other places, and share the successes and failures my district experiences as well.  I found that when I tried to become a part of a conversation, no one would make eye contact with me, or talk to me directly for that matter.  I am glad that I knew a couple of people there, otherwise my trip would have just been a lonely one.  Perhaps it’s because I’m shy….or because I’m short….maybe..maybe because I smile too too much…hmmm….I would love to know what other people think!

Today I had the experience of attending a DEN activity at Enchanted Ranch here in San Antonio.  I enjoyed myself so much and am glad for the opportunity to be able to be in the company of like-minded educators.  I was able to learn about different ways educators are using technology across the country.  I am glad that I had the opportunity, thanks Discovery Educator Network. 

Summer has started for me, but no real summer vacation! In my district, I and my colleagues will be teaching classes for certified staff in the district for 3 weeks, and then I will be conducting a technology summer camp after that, then attending NECC the week after that….*whew*. Some of the classes that we are teaching are as follows:

Using Senteo/Airliner in the classroom

Transitioning to Excel, Word, Publisher, Powerpoint 2007

Using GPS for geocaching

Introduction to Smartboard

These are but a few of the classes that we are offering. I am teaching the Transitioning to Publisher 2007 class and I must say that there are not as many changes with Publisher 2007 as there are with some of the others. We have a tropical vacation theme in our office this summer….when you walk in it almost feels like you are on summer vacation! This is a picture of my bulletin board…..

What are you doing this summer to brush up on your technology skills?

It’s been a while since I have blogged, but I am back!  This will be my first year going to NECC, and I am very excited about it!  I have also been excepted to attend the DEN institute in Silver Springs MD.  I am very excited about that.  I so want to learn all that I can about technology and how it can be used in the classroom by teachers to make learning more exciting for students!  I feel that day by day, we are losing our students.  They are no longer interested in the traditional way a lot of teachers are still teaching.  I have been in so many classrooms where the technology is there, but teachers are not using it in a way to engage students.  I have also seen technology used in a classroom that was just the most awesome display of how technology can be used to engage students.  I want to learn so that I can share with the teachers so that they can have success in their classrooms.  So what am I doing?  What is it that I really need to learn?  Are our students lost forever or can we bring them back?