Whoopsie-Daisy!

We've got an oops, that I realized, neglected mention, and with which another teacher has approached me. The growing attendance oops for some may well be linked to the tablets and desktops issues in the classroom. I noticed that when I received error in my attendance that I had indeed done it, but was logged on to both my tablet and the desktop in the classroom. I only entered attendance on one of the computers, perhaps not the one that I logged on to first. Whoopsie-Daisy! (?)

Extra, Extra!

We had a very LOOoooonG week with Open House smack dab in the middle of it all. Many powerpoints were prepped and practice, to be sure. Beyond that little extra, a few more extras appeard, like an extra 40 or 50 students on my Athletic Eligibility list. A few extra clicks of the mouse may seem like no extra time or energy, but those little minutes add up. Besides, some of those minutes are large chunks of time, from screen switching, to wait time between clicks, to staring at the glow from the screen, thinking and deciding.
I realize that I could be much quicker with my extra clicking, but as a head coach I also recognize the importance of the accuracy of those reports. Furthermore, in another midterm time length, I will better equipped to click quicker, just by knowing the students better than I do during the first few weeks, first few AE reports. Still, EGADS! The extra 20 to 30 minutes (no I'm not kidding , nor exaggerating) could be my lunch or a set of papers graded, or some cooperative learning stations created.
Technology enables us to do so much more, but, then, well, we do so much more. It comes back to balance, again, and priorities. I suspect that the AE list is a low priority for some teachers, and I suspect that some teachers have far fewer (and some with more) students on whom to report. I do understand that some enhancements to the technology will speed along some of the extra work for us, which is absolutely brilliant. THAT is what I love about technology: enhancement, improvement, time saver.
It's just that sometimes, it takes some extra time to get the technology to save some time, whether it's learning it or filling in the electronic potholes. And, sometimes, technology makes it very easy to require more from people, without allotting extra time. More often, I and others, do extra as extra technology enhances.
Sometimes I question if all the extra work is worth it; for example, I have a couple class blogs in which I update what we do in class, with insights and assignments. Do parents/students/supports for students utilzie them? In a couple disheartening email exchanges with parents of absent and/or needy students in which I provide the blog link as a resource for their long-term requests, those same parents responded with requests for the blogged information via email. For me, it was redundancy and extra time lost on those email communications. So, the technology I have employed to save communication time, was not accessed. "They" ask for it, but don't utilize it. I sort of felt like Santa, making the requested toy (and even a duplicate), wrapping it, flying it out (when it's not even Christmas Eve), delivering it down the chimney (despite the roasting flames) and into the home, and then receiving an updated request for another to be FedEx-ed for front door delivery instead (even though the requested toy is sitting in the living room, right next to the 52" LCD screen TV). And then when they get that delivery, they have already bought a replacement or changed their mind and no longer want the toy, uh, toyS. So a pile of new toys grows, unused, unopened, and they are good, quality, and educational toys (without lead paint or plastic poisons).
A little extra.

9.12.08

School's in full swing, as is technology coaching. There were a couple days of tablet training (OneNote, social bookmarking, tidbits...), there were basic how-to's with some software applications, there were some flat out wiring moments, and there were, as always, miscellaneous questions and discussions throughout it all. With the tablets in my department-mates hands, I am witnessing a bigger embrace of technology use than in previous years. Coincidence? Perhaps. Correlation? More likely. Moment by moment opportunities through each day, every day, to fiddle with the tablet have to breed interest and application. Curiosity is powerful - - - and the tablet is sort of cool and all, of course.
For myself, (other than learning all the new, too) I' m gaining a deeper vision of technology throughout the district, not just the teachers at Fremd. Here, my curiosity makes my brain potato salad mixed with green olives: sort of weird, yet uniquely satisfying despite the strangeness.

Sept. 4th!

Not that today is any different than another day, but I'll blog about it. Yesterday I showed Becky Heitzler all about delicious bookmarks. We were inspired into to this after Gary Anderson emailed a shared link to a Salem witch trial YouTube video: in discussing it's great value and how sharing helps us all, I brought up the bookmarking site, where I had many links to share. After showing her the site and benefits, we got her "hooked up", and I put her on "my people" so that she now has my links. Now, I want hers, once she gets them up and running on there! It would be great to have the entire department on this site, so we could share as we update our own. It certainly would beat the teacher website for our department, which does not receive updates by individuals nearly as often as we do our own. Dina B. was there , too, but I missed her as she was behind me. I gave a two minute summary of it as I walk TO my tech duty (irony).
Tomorrow, I'm going to Becky and Dina during all of 3rd to do some tablet training. I also reminded a few teachers about the log Mike Bachrodt sent out in email for them to keep track of their training; some teachers had already printed it, but more "never got the email" (but found it!) and will hopefully use it well. With training goals earmarked for ending before December, and time flying fast, I hope more teachers come to the TLC. I don't think I can let myself continue to use my time rather than my duty time to train (and stay sane).