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).

Week Two

Alright, so Mike Bachrodt reviewed the tablet training with me during my tech. duty time, to not only ensure I knew the different portions, but also how to record when I trained different teachers, so that we all were on the same page, literally (the log). I did field some questions about "break downs", web page updating, and such. Finally, I spent 45 minutes creating a hand made (high tech, eh?) poster on Tablet Training to hang in my department as a simple reminder and clarifier for the tablet use. It's cool. I can't believe it took me 45 minutes to cut, paste, color, draw, write, design.....but it works.

The rest of week 1

To say "busy" is to be redundant. Mike showed us tech. coaches how to utilize the tablet training log and refreshed with us any bits of which we were unsure. Training and questions gobbled up the tech. time plus most other almost 'free' time, which really is wonderful and shows how much the faculty not only is willing, but, wants, to learn more.
I credit the small group training, plus the "if you want a tablet, come get it, and get the training or lose the tablet" set up. It really isn't the threat of losing the tablet, but the offering of training on individual's schedules, rather than the large group, scheduled for everyone already that makes the difference. Heck, we try to empower the students the same way into making educational choices for what they want/need to learn, rather than just shoving it down their throats. Of course, there are always those who are hungry enough to have it shoved down their throats (I think they call them 'tech. coaches'.).
Surely, training is the priority for now. "I have a quick question..." will be the mantra I hear in my dreams, just as I heard it each day as I walked into the office door, bag still on my shoulder. Of course, I don't help myself with time management limiting help time to tech. duty time when I spy someone attempting a tech. task and I spit out, "You know, there's a faster/easier/better way...if you have five minutes, I can show you...". Angenette commented about the lag time in copying files to her SD card and to her jump drive to be able to take them home from her H drive to work on (and then copy back to the H drive). I showed her SyncToy. She smiled.
Those moments start easily, and typically end with more questions and ideas from the individual, or others around the moment. It's great to have colleagues really asking questions about how to do more or what more they can do; that's the same part I love in the classroom, too.

First day fun

On the first day of school, I probably spent over an hour on tech. coach duties. After school I made a few necessary updates to the department page and design, which with computer lag time did drift into 30 or so minutes. Otherwise, numerous quick question came to me like blind robins landing in a nest. Some were answered or assisted, while others had to wait as class duties superseded (although lunch did not). The tablets are a great hit with the department users, and even though lingering troubles with mainframe issues exist, the tech-a-tude remains positive!

Summer

Since it is summer, and I am a teacher and not collecting a pay check for anything for the first time since I was sixteen, I, of course, am sitting poolside each and every day beneath a white, wide-brimmed hat and reading Harlequin novels by the handful. While this may touch some truth, I, as a teacher, still find myself irrevocably succumbing to work.
This summer I took the two day course for OneNote, and sprung from there into attempting to establish some solid notebooks for course planning. The number or hours donated to learning the next, new technology always surprises me, as does the turn over of the next, new technology. OneNote really seems like an advantage and time saver, once learned and set-up; it is also intriguing in how it can be utilized in the classroom, as well. Now, if students only had access to the program on their own! The added benefit of the in-district course was that many of us were able to share "here's what I do" with the tablets. This is always invaluable time that we could certainly use much, much more of throughout our institute days: learning pods!
A few other technology tidbits this summer include: enticing teachers with whom I have summer contact to grab a tablet and learn/play with it, discussing training options, fielding email q's/ideas, sorting through optimal web design with the technology staff at Fremd (they are GREAT!), and tracking my email time. The email time froze my medulla oblongata (which eliminates breathing and such...): I discovered that WORK email WHEN I'M NOT IN ANY SESSION, over the summer, took between 1 - 1.5 hours each day. This only applied to when I checked my email daily. I strolled away from all computers for a week or so, and suffered partial blindness when I opened Lotus Notes upon my return to technology.
I suspect the email time warp is due to reading and re-reading for accuracy/tone/understanding taking longer than listening one time to a person speaking. Also, there is delay in conversing and discussing questions and ideas so we think more (more redundantly?) about the topic before responding; and do our response first mandate clicking to check something first? For time management, this lack of processing organization must cause more time loss than discussions that are in person.
Our schedules are constantly disturbed by email, not just in receipt or sending, but in our to-do list of the day. It's as though we are building a barn, and keep getting new plans and designs as we construct, not just for our one barn, but for new ones that must be started immediately. So, jump from task to task and barn to barn; we really struggle when our supplies for the one barn assigned to us run out due to the othe barn designs emailed to us. Lastly, it is obvious that there is much more communication due to email (a good effect), which clearly takes task time, and our composition of emails surely takes more time to compose, type, read over, edit, attach, and send, than a dialog in person. So, the question is then, which is easier, in long-term truth? Both, I believe, but more desgnated time for the additional technological tasks born new to teachers would alleviate stress and overwork, better enabling stronger teacher contributions over all.

May-Day! MAY-Day!

The full and busy month of May had me weeding through small department problems at computers and fertilizing tiny seeds of tablet intrigue in the department and faculty. Most of the trouble shooting was on the spot , or, "hey, Nicole.." moments of availability. Many discussions circulated around the DEG, attendance, amount of email and time eaten by email and how to handle email efficiently, Apperson scanners, and time eaten by technology (and not just the glitches and email!)
More on that below.
For now, Mike hosted a Tablet OneNote session for tech. coaches, and I will attend the summer class on Tablet use in the summer. I'm looking forward to it. I did not know some of the OneNOte features that I may utilize, like the templates. That really opened some doors in my mind. Also, Karl Craddock mentioned some of how he has used it, and how he envisions using it more, which gave me ideas. I suppose I could keep ALL my planning on the program, with the links and EVERYTHING I need a click away. I will have to grow into that rather than leap; I think the sharp, chilling shock of the metaphorical water will cause me to panic and consequently drown. That'd be bad. I am looking forward to building at least one course in on OneNote over the summer course.
Back to Apperson Scanners: OMG. omgomgomg. (I'm also trying out more text language in my tech. advancements.) So, we have to give frosh. 3 assessment tests late in the year, specifically editing and lit. in the month of May. Well! We now also have to scan them into the DEG, a diversion from faculty services assistance. Not a big deal, unless it takes FORTY minutes to scan 17 tests. augh! The sensitivity is TOO sensitive, and students make mistakes on their id's, as well as the directions on their id's, so it can be messy. Besides, sometimes the scanner just doesn't want to help. As a result, several answer sheets didn't work. The computer identified that the id was wrong. So, I erased the errors. It still misidentified the id.
I erased more.
Nada.
I scratched at it to remove paper bits.
Nada. The extra numerical value was still apparent to the Apperson scanner.
I peeled the paper off the id area, leaving a white middle splice of the answer sheet: it worked.
I repeated that process several times with many grunts, aurghs, and hurrumphs in between.
In the department others complained about the same error; in fact, Jim Weaver asked me to help. I explained the problem and process of recovery. He opted for the white-out technique offered by Minitti. The scanner read the same extra numbers, plus additional ones where the white hit.
Much noise and many minutes later, Weaver opted to remove the offending 2's from the answer sheet with a set of scissors. Surely the scanner could not perceive marks on numbers that no longer exist, he rationalized as he morphed into McGyver.
The scanner still recognized the 2's that were now hiding in the garbage. The period ended without the ONE test making it into the grade book. In short, grading those assessments into the DEG takes dramatically too long, from loading the key to getting the scanner to accept the sheets without fussing, rejecting, and eating time from the work day. I realize that is a complaint without solution, but it is identified.
For the email conundrum, we are growing more aware that time seems to be less available to us in education, and find that an entire planning period gets lost to emails. With increase of communication between parents/us and students/us (in electronic for, at least). Speaking of emails, I have a few to coordinated right now, so this blog with have to wait along side the grading.

It's been a week...

...and a busy week at that. A disgruntled projector in room 116 needed attention after school. As 'problem solving manager', I enlisted Mike B and Tony's help after not completing the fix myself. It really can take three people to change the proverbial light bulb. But that was only yesterday; more of the past week involved preparations for enlightening English department members on uses of the tablet so that they can better choose to use one next year. I began an interactive power point to show and use with the tablet on our next late start morning meeting. Also, I discussed with Mike and Minnitti (separately) technology and tablet thoughts; the give and take provided insights and concrete opportunities for moving forward on the tablet front.



And, as always, there were the on-the-spot questions from various individuals, some about printing, scanning, form issues, Internet issues...it is nice that often when someone asks for help on a 'broken' or 'why isn't this working' sort of problem, merely standing over his or her shoulder does wonders to repair it. I know I've often experienced the same such mystical intervention. Technology, go figure.

Dept-ditties

So the department rolls on with advancements in technology. Over the past weeks, a handful of English members commented on interest in tablet use. I continue to use it visible, like at department meeting, hoping to illustrate tablet use to more individuals. Still, other technological opportunities have been seized, while others fell flat.

Quickly today, for example, I showed Sabra how to better use labels in her blog; other individuals blogging in English are Gina and Leah, whom I helped initiate into the blog-land during a lunch area. This occurred more by orchestrated happenstance as I was working in the office when I overheard Leah discussing blogs and jumped on the moment. Getting started blogging really only takes a lil' nudge. Others, too, have ventured into blogs with ease of trial and error.

Many more of my projected offerings to show or teach an element of technology die cold deaths. Most teachers during a free or lunch period reject the immediate "let me show you...." unless already answering a question that necessitates the computer in front of us. We are all busy and scheduled into slots of time. Even more, out of school day hours are less used, though more advertised via Mike Bachrodt. I am talking more to Mike about ideas on getting teachers to accept invitations to learn more about what technology will be in the future classroom that we will all be using. For now and with the greatest success, I snag moments of sharing to pique curiosity for more; eventually, someone will ask for more training on a given topic or tech. device.

There is always so much more and new to learn that it is difficult to keep abreast of it all. The "it" being technology, as well as course content information. We continue to push ourselves to be better teachers with the content; we develop new aspects for each class after assessing successes; we grade; we learn every new technological advancement that is available to us.

Right. Not quite on that last point. There simply is not enough time in the year to do it all. My personal frustrations lie in the adage, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink, as well as balancing my own learning and work. Overall, I sincerely believe we are doing a fine job as teachers with keeping in line with new technology; and I believe as tech. coaches we do make a difference. We're all good.

Frustrations

With new technology as well as demands to use more technology, new frustrations naturally follow. Or old frustrations pounded deeper into our experiences. For some in teaching, frustrations revolve around techonology that fails; for example, the practical side of technology in the classroom requires maintenance. Often, rooms with a variety of teachers or after school uses might contain technology simply not plugged in correctly, or cables missing, or the wrong channel set on the VCR for overhead use. Simple, but messy, these problems stop technology use, take time, and frustrate teachers.
So do Apperson scanners as teachers discover incorrectly graded tests. While rare, the error frustrates. Still, teachers continue to use them and look forward to a time when scanning directly into a computer is easy and without. The complaints of such frustration continue to arrive at my metaphorical tech. coach doorstep.
This puts me in a position to reflect. Over the years, I have witnessed much frustration as our district plunged into technology and required many, many changes. At first, the resistance seemed partially due to change, and, at times, to an actual increase in work load rather than decrease. With perseverance, those frustrations receded, as teachers learned more. Coordinated instruction dramatically enabled this, like with the implementation of the DEG. When first released, many "ouched" with frustrations from errors to accessibility to overexposure. However, with training and development, fewer DEG frustations exist and fewer questions and training needs stop teachers from using it.
So there is progress through the frustrations. Still, not enough times exists for all the technology that is suppose to streamline tasks into less time.

Departmental Duties

Yesterday I posted, or tried to post, an update on miscellaneous department activities in my tech. land. Today, I learned, I some how didn't post afore mentioned post; I saved it as a draft.



And so goes my learning curve on blogging, even after using one with my class.



The most recent duty regarding my department, English, has been gathering technology requests that would better enable its use in teaching. Not many responded, but we do have a couple of needs and wishes. After reporting the wish list to Mike (Bachrodt), I have researched some of the items we requested for price and specifications. Somehow, shopping always takes longer than I anticipate. My personal favorite is the Sony digital video camera that records directly to a DVD. It would be so easy to "film" a speech and immediately give that student his or her copy for self-reflection with that item!



Other department 'duties' I have worked on revolve around the department web page, assisting others with individual web pages, and 'quick' questions that invite more instruction toward new opportunities. While working with Josh Teschner on his new Boys Golf page, I advised him toward different templates (self created ones) and new to him features. He then took off on his own often to explore and create a great page. With our discussions in the department room, others could overhear and insert, "Oh, ya, I need to update my page. Nicole, can you...?"



We may not create a spreading wildfire while working within our departments' walls, but the glowing embers of curiousity and convinience certainly heat up while instructing "one" teacher there.