april 09 tech update

In the past few weeks Karen and I have used the SmartBoard more and are getting more people interesting in using it or at least learning more about it. The kids love it but the alignment of the projector is not that good for elementary students since the awful bright beam of light is at their eye level and casts a really bad shadow.  We plan on doing a Powermedia plus workshop next week since alot of people aren’t using that tool to it’s full potential.  We have met with our principal to start discussing the RFP and the building needs.  Most of our needs seem to be things NOT on the list.  We hope to get this finalized soon. Soooo happy to have the budget the same!! It’s still not enough but it’s better than a decrease that we were expecting to happen. Speaking of budget, how can we get the district to buy BrainPop for the district so that each school doesn’t have to buy it individually? Or does this already exist?  Still trying to get more people to come to workshops afterschool.

 

March 09 Update

At Enfield, Karen and I have been introducing SmartBoards to a few classes and the kids love it! Our goal is to: 1) continue to teach teachers, TA’s, ESP’s 2) get more SmartBoards into the classrooms through out building technology funds 3) create SmartBoard activities that target our specific content topics. Many teachers have been working and updating their BlackBoards sites which is great! Raz-Kids is being utilized by a few classrooms on a regular basis and hope to get people using it more next school year. We are starting to gather our “needs and wants” list for next years technology hardware through staff chats.  We will continue to offer workshops on PowerMedia Plus, SmartBoards, and Kidspiration, and BrainPop before the year ends.  We still handle alot of hardware issues and get asked questions daily about printers not working correctly, etc. We do what we can in a 5 seconds we have available each day.

 

update for 08-09

Wow! I haven’t updated this in a while. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t done anything! This fall Karen and I were main presenters for the superintendents conference day. We hosted the morning session with some technology integration videos then did a workshop on BlackBoard. We were able to help existing users and get a few more new users. We offered workshops on some computer basics (webmail, word, etc) which was very useful for many of our colleagues and realize we need to offer this every fall. This January we are offering a powerpoint workshop where teachers can build a presentation specifically on science or social studies topics so they dont have to use worksheets or textbooks. We are excited about this and have our own examples to share at this weeks staff meeting to get people interested. We are almost done with our work for the Workshop in a Box on using Webmax and Teacher Tube. We have been getting requests for new computers already. Laptops from 6 years ago are slowly dying off and need to be replaced. Any word on this years budget for technology hardware? I assume it will be cut either some or alot…

 

April Update

When I sit down to write these updates it takes me ten minutes to refresh my memory on what has happened. I need to keep a diary of the events I do, but then that’s another thing to do during the day and in order to remember the diary I would need to write myself a post-it note to update the diary but then writing the post-it would be another thing to do….its, a vicious cycle!!!!

I have held another blackboard workshop to help two more people get their site up and running. Other joined the workshop so they could have time set aside (with compensation of pdh credits) to further build their sites. These workshops having been going pretty well and most people are responding to BB with excitement and not much complaining about the program.  My goal is to get a least two more teachers up and running before the school year ends.  ENFIELD IS FINALLY GETTING A COMPUTER LAB! Well sort of! Patrick Jensen helped us get tables and chairs and the ITT dept. is getting us “network ports”. Now we just have to “hunt and peck” around the building for computers to actually put in the room. We will probably end up using some of the mobile lab laptops which I am sure IIT will not like but what can ya do….

The last tech. committee meeting went well but we are really confused on how to order items that are not on the “list”.  The answer I was given was to order from the Boces approved list, but we don’t this Boces list. I hope to get ahold of that soon.

 

 

March Update

Lets see…….In the past weeks I have shown the teachers in my building some Blackboard sites and encouraged people to make one. I helped people fill out the course sign-up form and then I held a workshop for some of them to get their courses started. (Thank you Andy for making the template for teachers to use to save time when building their own). I plan on encouraging more people at the next staff meeting and offering some “play time” workshops where staff can continue to build their BB sites. The librarian and I have been working on making our school website more friendly and updated (and of course have links to the BB sites). I have delt with some computer issues (staff laptops and library computers) and worked with Sonny and our principal on Exit forms.  My plan before the end of the school year is to get everyone a BB site so i’ll continue to offer those workshops.  Since this is my first year in this role I am also excited about hearing from the staff what they would like for next year. I feel that if people have what they want they will be more inclined to use technology in their teaching. OH! We are still waiting for a computer lab     MANY teachers in the building say they will use computers if they don’t have to deal with the carts. Hopefully this can be part of the conversation on the 18th.

 

Jan. update

Well it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since our last meeting. Time flies!! Recently, I worked with the librarian and the IT guys on some hardware issues (broken macs in the library) and our new dell printer. The librarian and I also met with Andy for a hour or so to “play” with our SmartBoard so we can train ourselves then train the staff. I am working on setting a date for a workshop to have the staff have time to build their accounts for everyday math and razkids.  I am finding that the teachers hear about things and want to use them but just don’t have the time to ”play” with them to be able to use them.  I also held a Technology Committee meeting where we discussed hardward/software needs and dreams in our building. The specialists (reading, sp. ed) stated they know of blackboard, dreamweaver, etc. but don’t know what they really are so they don’t sign up for district workshops OR they don’t know how that would be used within their teaching. I am now going to look into ways to have a “showcase” of ways to integrate technology. I think it’s great the Equity Staff Developer and the equity mentors are taking on the issue of computers/internet access within some of our population in the ICSD.  Lastly, most staff conversations in our school around technology involve money/budget line (renovation and building of a computer lab, wireless, etc.). We hope Enfield gets more money in the future so we can “advance forward” with many parts of the world in technology in the schools. 

 

Dec. update

Since the last tech. mentor meeting I have been busy with a few agenda items. 

1) I hosted the nov. 28 staff meeting where I was supposed to show the staff the snoopy link. EDM games, Reading a-z, Razkids, etc. However, the network went down before the staff meeting. The staff meeting was a success though because I was still able to explain the “newest” ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. We also discussed tech. curriculum and what our school is lacking and the hopes for the future (ie. a computer lab and wireless connections in the building). 

2) I have been communicating with Mike Pliss and all the electritions and technicians on getting three more lcd projectors installed in the classrooms. They will be installed 12/8. Can’t wait!!! However, now teachers who won’t have them are “crying” they want one too. Who can blame them? Why can’t this be a district agenda to get projectors installed in all classrooms instead of only doing 3 rooms each school year?

 3) I have been helping people get the hardware they need (keyboards, mouse, network swithboards, etc.) I think we are finally getting things we have needed for a long time but just weren’t getting in the past. 

4) I am also going to join Adam B, and Jennifer for the discussion of internect and computer access to rural/urban families. I have alot to share since many Enfield families fall into this problem.  I can’t wait to see what comes of it from both a technology standpoint and equity issue. 

5) Our smartboard is in and Andy is going to help me and the librarian get it going this month. 

Overall, this is all more work and work hours each week but I feel that I am helping push our building forward. 

 

Oct/Nov tech. update for Enfield and on me as a mentor!

Over the past few weeks I have helped out staff members with some hardware issues. (broken mouse or keyboard, etc) and also had people trying to get printers to work from their computers. With some many people needed it done I just submitted track-its and let the IT techs. do it. Is it my job to install them? I still don’t know this answer.
I helped the prek teacher and aide with photos and slideshows in Iphoto.
Our mobile labs were a bit messed up in organization (old cables, boxes, etc.) so I spent time on those and put in track-its for those that were not working properly.
One of the big problems I have is getting to talk/train the staff on things. How do you work with them during staff meetings when the meetings are always so full of agenda items or you have to wait many weeks before you can schedule yourself in on one? Putting flyers in mailboxes is sometimes a waste because things get buried in the “to do” pile. How do you encourage/teach tech. in the classrooms on a busy school day schedule.
On Nov. 28 I plan on having the whole staff meeting just for technology. I hope to train the staff on the many things we have talked about in our meetings and create a list of “hopes and dreams” from the Enfield staff for technology in the school.

 

and so it begins…

This morning I was introduced to blogging and created this tech. mentor blog. I am excited about this!!!