Technology Planning

Our school's 3 year technology plan expired this summer. This year, I am tasked to create a new one. It looks and sounds so simple, only three small words: create a new one. Yet the task requires herculean research, collaboration and refinement. I've started by making a plan for the plan. Yes, you read that right. One of my first steps is to research other schools' and our state's technology plan. While engaged in that step, I came across ISTE's Technology Support Project. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation created a process that is supposed to "identify effective technology support models for schools while taking into consideration the unique characteristics of the educational environment....The Technology Support Index (TSI) assessment is a tool for schools and districts to profile their technology support programs and to provide solutions based on those unique profiles." I'm not sure how many people have used this tool. but I did find it linked on the School Computing Wiki's technology planning page. There are some helpful web links there that I will not reproduce here, but I will share our plan for the plan:

Tentative Planning Schedule
3 Year Tech Plan

Interested Parties:
Technology Coodinator (ABD), Computer Support Specialist (PO), Lower School Director (SG), Upper School Director (LA), Head of School (JZ), Plant Manager (DH), Business Manager (AG), Development Director (DC), teachers, parents, students, church members and board members.

Steps:
Lunch with students to elicit ideas
Lunch with teaches to elicit ideas
Coffee with parents
Attend Board Meeting or just elicit ideas via email?
National Schools Research—where do you put resources?

McDonough (Baltimore)
Beaver Country Day School (Boston)
Collegiate (NYC)

Research existing Tech Plans (Incl. public school plans)
Work with head to articulate a mission statement.

Timeline:
November hold all lunches and meetings
December draft initial plan, including budget projections
January submit to Head and revise as necessary
February, complete and publish

Questions:
Do we need assistance with the process?

Action items from Oct 10 Meeting:
1. Develop essential questions/ reference previous examples.
2. Identify point people for each focus group.
3. Notify parents of the process.
4. Develop mission statement with Head.
5. Identify board members for input.
6. Schedule dates for focus groups in November.

MultiTasking Not Exactly Working Correctly

As I write this post, I am listening to some classical music, making my to-do list for the day and bouncing back and forth between four Internet pages. Some would consider this light multitasking. An NPR article I heard this morning explains that I might not actually be acting as efficiently as I'd like to think...that my brain in fact CANNOT do what I am asking it to do and would work more efficiently if I just finished one thing and moved on to another. You can check out the news piece and hear the article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95524385 If taken seriously, it has some pretty serious implications for not only teaching, but raising children in general.
image: iStockphoto.com

Our Chat with India Today

Today was our first Skype video chat with our new partners in Indore, India at the Southern Heights School. The Tech Coordinator there, Kumar, is such a friendly and dedicated person. I feel honored to be gifted with a partnership with him. I updated our wiki today with some videos highlighting the dance that he spoke to our children about and some photos. Although our children were all supposed to meet, there was a communication problem and their children were not there when we showed up. I have found if you go with the flow, anything can be an excellent learning experience. So, we spoke with Kumar instead about the holiday his students were on and how they observe that holiday. We're looking forward to our next chat on the 17th...take two!

Television Tomorrow

Spending time in the Archive.org's Prelinger Archives is rewarding if you care to dig deep. It's a little like a thift store. You have to poke around to find the really good stuff, but when you find it, it's really good stuff. For instance, I found a video from the 1940s entitled "Television Tomorrow." It's a studio exec riffing on what he calls a new technology...television...and where it may be headed. Check out the downloadable, free video here: http://www.archive.org/details/tomorrow_television

There are short videos on every topic imaginable. They're not in the most intuitive organizational structure, but spend some time. You'll find a gem...like those Jordache Jeans that were SOOOOO cool in junior high.

A Vision of K-12 Students

A former colleague sent this to me today. It reminds me a lot of the Kansas State U and Did You Know videos, but with younger kids. It's a bit derivative of those, actually, but at the same time more relevant for elementary school. And that's who I teach! So, thanks JO!