What I did at school today (11/27/13) and the last month or so

It's so much easier to get out of a habit than to get into one.  Last year I was relatively consistent about posting here each day.  If you have a blog that uses the theme "What I did at school today" you're pretty much committing yourself to posting daily.  Posting sporadically is not a very effective way to give readers an overall impression of the work I do.  So, I'm embarrassed to admit that this is my first post in over a month. 

Today is the day before Thanksgiving.  Typically, this would be a day when teachers are busy with activities that do not involve technology.  I guess you could call today atypical.  I spent a good hour or more trying to help a group of teachers view a DVD over the in-school cable system.  When I was enlisted to help, I based my quick "yes" answer on my experiences at my previous schools.  Showing a DVD was easy to do.  Little did I know that our in-school cable system is hooked up to a VCR-only machine.  No problem, we also have a laptop connected to this system, so my next thought was to pop it in the DVD drive.  Unfortunately, the video was snowy, and the sound was hardly audible.  No problem, we do have DVD players around the school, so my next thought was to replace the VCR with a DVD player.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get it to show in classrooms.  Everything was hooked up correctly, and we even made an emergency call to James, our go-to guy.  Eventually, we gave up.

As an afterthought, we reconnected the VCR and tried a VHS tape to see if it would work.  It did!  So using a little scientific methodology, we determined that either the DVD player could not broadcast or there was a setting we were missing.  I don't mind spending an hour troubleshooting a problem, but I'd prefer if in the end, the problem was solved.

My next major task was setting up the storage area for our 21 new iPads.  We already had a pretty sweet set-up for our first 30 devices, but we ran into a mechanical hiccup.  Actually, it was more carpentry than mechanical.  I needed a hole drilled in the side of the shelves.  I figured out a work-around, but my solution is not going to cut it for the long term.  This adventure was symbolic of my recurring nightmare of the year: iPads.  I/we have spent literally dozens and dozens of hours configuring and reconfiguring devices, distributing them, organizing them, storing them, etc.  Unless you want your ear bent, don't get me started on Apple's Configurator program.

Anyway, it's been a good year so far, and I have a lot to be thankful for.  My wife and I are hosting Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow.  We're doing lunch because Zack, my son the chef, has to work later in the day.  It's been a few months since we've all been together, so I'm looking forward to cooking, relaxing, eating, drinking, and having some quality family time.  The staff at the Laptop Reporter (that would be me) wishes all of you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING.  Be safe.  Be smart.  Be tolerant.  Be thankful.

What I did at school today: 10/21/13

Last week a teacher emailed me a Word document with 3 or 4 one-row tables.  This first grade activity was designed so students could practice counting by 10s.  Each row had 10 boxes, some with numbers and some blank. In her email, the teacher said she couldn't type in the boxes.  I quickly re-created the activity in Excel, and used conditional formatting to make it self-checking.  If the student enters the correct answer, the box turns green.  If the answer is wrong, the box turns red.

She was intrigued by how I used Excel to make activities that were self-checking, so I showed her some more.  Her enthusiasm inspired me to offer an after school workshop on this very topic.  I've been creating these activities for years, so it was a challenge to step back and decide which skills and how many to introduce.  I began working on this last week, and worked some more this weekend.

Today, I finalized the task cards I will be using.  I added screenshots so they can see exactly what each step should look like in their spreadsheets.  Then, I printed out the task cards, worked through them, made corrections, and saved the final version.  The workshop will be on Wednesday.  In the past, I have had limited turnout at these afternoon workshops.  It's understandable, as teaching is exhausting and there tend to be other priorities -- professional and personal -- once the day is done.  Still, it's worth a shot.  We'll see if I have more takers with a new school and new staff. 

What I did at school last week

The purpose of this blog is to write about one or two things I do each day, so it goes against my original intent to attempt to condense an entire week into a single post.  Yet, here I go.

Several years ago, my wife and I attended a comedy at a local playhouse.  It was about a group of actors who were putting on a play.  During the performance, they rehearsed the play-within-the-play several times, but each time there were slight differences.  Sometimes, the actors would flub their lines.  Other times, there would be distractions that would result in additional dialogue.  It was actually a hilarious show, but it got me to wondering.  Was it more difficult for the actors to learn their lines when what they were reciting was just slightly different each of the times they spoke them?

That was how I felt the Friday before last.  I had been trained on how to use Configurator on a MacBook to create a template with which you could update multiple iPads. Each step resembled the last, and one slight difference could throw the whole thing off.  Had we not gone to the VA Tech game and met my son and his girlfriend at a wine festival, I would have spent the weekend getting the procedure clear in my mind.  (I think I made the right choice:-)

So, the theme for this past week was to crack the code on Configurator.  Although, like most weeks, my days are spent in a wide variety of activities and dealing with my myriad responsibilities, Configurator dominated everything I did most of last week.  By midweek, with tremendous collaboration among the four of use who attended the training, we had developed a detailed and functional tip sheet with directions that actually worked. 

By Friday, when the ETFs had our monthly meeting, we felt confident that this document was ready for prime time.  This Tuesday, we are meeting again to set up the new iPads for teachers in the next DE cohort.  No need to explain about the cohort here, but I'm crossing my fingers that our hard work will pay off.

What I did at school today: 10/8/13 "My old friend, PP"

This summer I had 10 of my college friends stay with me for a long weekend.  Although it's been almost 35 years since we graduated, these old friends are among my closest.  Today I spent time with another old friend, PowerPoint.  Sure PP has lost some of its cache with newcomers like Prezi, but there's a reason he's been around for so long.

I had a 3rd grade teacher who wanted to do a lesson on map making.  For years, we used a program called Neighborhood Map Machine to create maps with all the fixings: symbols, keys, compass rose, etc.  Somehow in our upgrade to Windows 7, NMM didn't return, so I called on my old friend.  In this activity, students open a template that contains two slides.  The first is a grid (letters at bottom, numbers on side) with a map key and draggable symbols below it.  The second is a table with a column for names of places and a column for grid locations.

I created directions, also in PP, and printed them four to a page like task cards.  Here's what the students were instructed to do.

• Navigate to the template.
• Open the template.
• Resave the template with a new file name.
• Insert a shape to create an island on top of the grid.
• Recolor the island.
• Send the island back behind the grid.
• Name the island.
• Duplicate the slide with the island, and drag it to the end of the show.
• Work between the second and third slides, and list names for the places on the maps (e.g. Happy Forest, Bubble Beach, etc.) and their grid locations.
• On the third slide, drag the symbols to the correct locations on the grid.
• When finished, you should have slide #1 with the a blank island map, slide #2 with a list of places and locations, and slide #3 with a completed map.
• Insert a rectangle shape to cover the last slide, and then swap computers with a classmate.
• Use your partner's list of places and locations as a guide to drag the correct symbols to the correct places on the grid in slide #1.
• Finally, go back to your own computer, delete the rectangle over slide #3, and compare it with slide #1.
• Let your partner know if he or she needs to make any corrections.

This may sound like a lot for a class of third graders in October, but they were fantastic.  We repeated the lesson in the afternoon with another class, but we had less time.  Our sacrifice was to have them only create one map and print it.  I really like the element of each person taking on the role of both student and teacher, but too often time dictates what we can get accomplished.

It was great spending time with my old friend.  I think I'll invite him back again soon, and he can bring is buddy Excel too.

What I did at school yesterday: 10/7/13 "The Sweet Spot"

I have just enough time for a quick note.  Yesterday, I met with the first grade team at MVES.  They told me what they are working on with their students.  I told them about some of the activities and projects I have done with first grade teachers in the past.  I also reviewed with them some of the resources available: programs, apps, websites.  When I returned to my desk, I sent each of them a list of programs, apps, websites, activities, and projects we can use.

Because of my split schedule and the demands on teachers' time, it's difficult to find opportunities like this, but when I do, I love it.  To be with teachers during their planning is one of the most important things I can do.  They can tell me -- or I can just be a fly on the wall and hear them talk about -- what their instructional needs are.  I can help them discover ways to use technology to make their lessons more effective.  And, that my friends, is the sweet spot.

What I did at school on Friday: 10/4/13

Most changes occur less like a snowstorm and more like the grass growing under it.  From one day to the next, the differences may seem insignificant, and then, suddenly you realize something is different.  What I did on Friday was much more like growing grass than falling snow, but it marked a change worth noting.

My role was meant to be incidental.  A fifth grade teacher was administering an online math test using iTest, a resource new to YCSD.  At the end of each quarter, all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will take DBAs online using teacher-made tests created with iTest.  We 've yet to navigate the challenge of scheduling so many testing sessions with our limited computer lab space.  Friday's test did not have the importance of a quarterly exam, but it was an important first experience with iTest. 

The teacher had a small bank of classroom desktop computers, and she checked out 16 laptop computers.  As I helped with students who had forgotten their passwords or with laptops that had lost the wireless network, I remembered that I had recently added the iTest app to our iPads and needed a guinea pig to see how it worked.  Would it be effective enough that we would be able to add our 30+ iPads to the mix of computers and laptops when scheduling online testing?  The short answer is yes.  It even had one time-saving advantage.  On computers, students need to log on to the computer and then sign into iTest.  On the iPad, they merely signed into iTest.

Having some students test on computers, other on laptops, and now a few on iPads make not be revolutionary, but it's one of these small changes that moves forward how we use technology in the classroom.  It won't lead to any snow days, but snow melts and the lawn underneath keeps growing.  This is a change that will be here to stay for a while.

What I did at school yesterday: 10/2/13 "Wednesday is the New Monday"

I love that Geico commercial with the camel wandering around an office cajoling a bunch of tired looking desk jockeys to amuse him with, "It's hump day."  For most workers, Wednesdays are hump days, the beginning of the end of the work week.  For me, it's a different kind of beginning.  Since I am at MVES Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays are my Mondays at TES.  I just happen to be one of those strange people who like Mondays.  Which desert animal would promote that?

So, yesterday -- Wednesday -- was my Monday of this week.  I quickly slipped into my morning routine.  I arrived at school early, booted up  my computer, and made some coffee.  Before I could even fully stir the creamer into my coffee, as teachers started trickling in, the requests for help began.  Help with Edline.  Help with GradeQuick.  Help with audio on iStations.  And, from there, I had my list of people with whom I needed to touch base.  I needed to confirm plans with lessons I would be teaching.  There were a couple of teachers who had e-mailed me while I was at MVES with issues that required face-to-face conversations.  And, on and on it went.

This may sound like a complaint, but if it does, I have given you the wrong impression.  Take a look at the diagram above.  One of the best things about teaching is being needed (sometimes to the extreme), and like my colleagues, I want to feel like what I do is important.  Yesterday was a wonderfully busy day, and that made it good one.  It may sound weird, but I love Mondays, even when they fall on Wednesdays.

What I did at school today: 10/01/13

My day started with a presentation on Edmodo to the MVES staff.  A special thanks goes out to my partners, Tracy Buckley and Julie Wright.  I began with a comparison between Edmodo and Facebook.  My plan was to share one or two posts from FB, something appropriate for school, and show similarities and differences between the two social networks.  I hadn't planned for the government to shut down last night, and that was by far the most popular topic of discussion.  I wanted to stay away from politics, but interestingly, the comments weren't political, per se.  Everyone was in agreement, no matter which side of the political fence they were on, that it was ridiculous that the same people we have trusted with running our government could not act the way we expect our first graders to act.

Later in the day, I received the go-ahead to create a new technology reservation calendar tool for MVES.  I am using the same one I inherited at MES and WMES and I developed for TES in August.  I adapted my tip sheet from TES, but I needed to remake the tutorial.  I must have recorded the TES tutorial before we transitioned to Windows 7 because I couldn't find the software I used back then.  I did discover we have JING, and it worked fine.  Even though I wrote a script, I had to rerecord it about a half dozen times.  Then, I discovered that JING saves files in the Flash .swf format, so when I tried to upload it to YouTube, it didn't work.  I attempted several workarounds, but nothing was successful.  This was quite frustrating, and the day was coming to an end.  I have a few other ideas, which I will investigate tomorrow.

What I did at school today: 9/30/13

Among the many interesting things I did today one was to finish up a project from last week.  Both of my schools and my two schools from last year, have all participated in the Monarch Butterfly Initiative.  Admittedly, this project has not been on my radar, but I'm thrilled that it is now.

A couple of weeks ago, a teacher at TES asked me if I would be willing to document the releasing of the butterflies.  I didn't truly understand what this was all about, but of course I said yes.

We met in the school garden.  A member of the "Master Gardener" program facilitated.  Our preschool class, one first grade class, and one second grade class were in attendance.  I had my iPad and got the video rolling.  At first, one of the teachers explained for the children and the camera what they had done.  This was news to me, but they received eggs, watched them hatch into caterpillars, waited for them to spin their cocoons, and then finally, escape their chrysalises.  It was now time to tag them and released them into the wild.

The hope -- a long shot, admittedly -- is that someone will find one of our butterflies along its migration route, see the tag, and contact us.  One by one, a handful of children were chosen and invited to the front of the group.  Our master gardener put a few drops of fruit juice on each child's palm.  Then, she reached into the butterflies' zippered, temporary home and carefully caught one by trapping its wings between two fingers.  Each child put a small sticker (the tag) on his or her butterfly's wing.  The butterfly was then enticed to drink the fruit juice.  Sometimes it did, and sometimes it was too busy thinking about freedom, I guess.  One hung out for quite a while, but most took a short sip and then fluttered their wings and ascended toward the sky.  A frisky one landed on our preschool teacher's glasses.  The students enjoyed that!

As the videographer, I was merely an observer, but a rapt one, just the same.  Today, I put the video clips together and created a finished product to share with all the children in the school.  The technology was not new for me, but the subject matter was!

What I did at school today: 9/18/13

If you read my post yesterday, you know that it was a crazy, busy day for me.  I bounced from class to class almost nonstop.  Today has been the opposite.  I’ve had time to work at my computer and get to some neglected work.

One important task was to type and send out an “Odds and Ends” newsletter.  This is new for me.  I am reluctant to send out email after email every time an issue comes up.  I don’t want people saying, “All he does is send out email.”  So a few weeks ago, I typed up an "Odds and Ends" WORD doc – a simple, bulleted list of important information – for each of my schools.  Within a week, "More Odds and Ends" came out.  I like sharing this way because it puts multiple pieces of  information in one place, and it’s easy to print.

Today’s newsletter is two pages long.  Some of the bullets are repeats from one of the earlier editions, but teachers are often saying that they know I sent something out but can’t remember.  A little repetition of information and a reminder to print may be all that’s needed.  I don’t expect to send this out on a regular schedule, like my Geek of the Week tips.  The challenge for me is to keep a running list of things to share so I don’t forget anything.

What I did at school yesterday: 9/17/13

Yesterday was a marathon.  I arrived at school around 7:15, and I didn’t return home until after 8:00.  It was back to school night.  With a second back to school night for my other school on Thursday, it’s going to be an exhausting week.

I am thrilled that I’ll be spending most of my time with teachers and students this week,  Looking up Edline codes, setting passwords, and troubleshooting printers are necessary evils, but I’d rather be out and about.  First thing in the morning, I introduced myself to a class of 5^th graders and showed them how to log on and find resources in our new Windows 7 environment.  I’m fascinated by the different responses I get to 4^th and 5^th graders.  Some instantly get my sense of humor.  Others just sit and stare, trying to figure out what’s supposed to be funny.

From there, I worked with a 1^st grade class on a Pixie/Voice Thread project.  Voice Thread was not cooperating on my iPad, so I grabbed my Windows Surface to do some work arounds.  I should have completed the project within a half hour, but I only got through about half the class.  From there, I conferenced with a 3^rd grade teacher about her iMovie trailer.  She created the trailer on her own, but she wasn’t sure how to share it with her parents.  I stayed down the 3^rd grade hall and continued working on a project from the day before.  I was working with small groups on a simple machine project using iPads and iMovie. 

After inhaling my lunch, I returned to the 1^st grade class and Voice Thread.  I had messed with my iPad, and I thought the app was fixed.  No such luck.  After another half hour or so, I was no further along.  I had a few minutes to check email at my desk, and then I was off to work with the 3^rd graders again.  I went directly from them to another 5^th grade class for the same lesson as the morning. 

Not wanting to give up, I went back to the 1^st grade class and tried Voice Thread one last time.  Success!!  I ended my day "performing" my computer king lesson with a different 1^st grade class.

Actually, that was not the end of my day.  I pulled two iMovies off iPads and converted and compressed them for teachers, leaving me enough time to go through my email, get home and change, and get to my other school for open house.

Open house went well.  For me, it was mostly helping parents with Edline and troubleshooting presentations for teachers.  One highlight was a visit from a parent who was a 3^rd grade student of mine many years ago. 

It’s almost 6:30 AM, and it’s time to do it all over again.

What I did at school today: 9/16/13

What happens when your workaround doesn’t work?  When you rely on technology, you learn to always have a plan B.  Sometimes you need a plan C, D, and E.  Here’s my story.

TES, like many schools, broadcasts a morning show through the in-school cable network.  When we tested it out with our new camera a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t working.  Unfortunately, the person who can fix it was on a two-week vacation.  No worries, the morning show can wait.

Fast forward a couple of weeks.  In preparation for back to school night, the principal decided rather than squeezing everyone into the cafeteria, whole group announcements would be done like the morning show.  Teachers would just turn on their computers and view these announcements with their parents.  Great idea, except the in-school cable network is still down.

So, I came up with plan B. We could accomplish the same thing online.  We use Elluminate (Blackboard Collaborate) to present Technology Tuesdays, our online staff development.  It has video capabilities, so why not use this in place of the ailing in-school cable network?  I spent days preparing, testing, and sending out information.  I thought it would be best to try a dry run, so we were decided to have me broadcast the morning announcements the day before back to school night.  This would give us a day or so to work out the kinks.  I came in early and got everything set up.  It was working beautifully.  Then, CRASH, the Internet went down (for the third time in three days).

Plan C?  We could videotape the announcements, and teachers could show them at a predetermined time.  It wouldn’t be live, but it should work. Or, I can go door to door and do puppet shows.

What I did at school last week: 9/9/13-9/13/13

For teachers and students, the second week of school is a time for settling in.  The same could be said for ETFs, especially those in new locations.  It was a busy week with lots of early mornings and late afternoons.  I had hoped that part of the settling in process would be returning to my practice of posting to my blog daily.  I guess I’m paving that proverbial road with good intentions.  

As I look back on last week, I think of two main tasks.  One brought me great pleasure and the other immense pain, both metaphorically of course.  Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first.  We have a program called Type 2 Learn, which our 2-5 students use to develop their keyboarding skills.  When we began using it about a year and a half ago, IT uploaded each school’s database.  Last year, all we had to do was remove the rising sixth graders and “promote” all the other students so they’d be listed in their current grade level.  Only new students and rising second graders needed to be added.

I don’t think most of the students in my new schools were promoted last year.  Consequently, when I removed the fifth graders and promoted the fourth graders to fifth, most of them were not on my school roster.  I couldn’t figure out why some were and some weren’t.  My conclusion was that the students hadn’t been promoted in two years, so the group that I thought had just entered fifth grade were actually sixth graders now.  The only students who were correctly placed were those who were new last year.  If you’re still reading this, you’re probably confused or bored or both.  Let’s just say it took me about 3 hours per school to fix the problem. 

The joy of my week was meeting students.  When I inherited this job at my last assignment, I continue the practice of offering a laptop orientation to the kindergarteners and first graders.  I used a PowerPoint slide show created by my predecessor and modified it for my own needs and personality.  During one of these lessons, I offhandedly referred to myself as the computer king, explaining that the computers were my kingdom and I was in charge of them all.  The kids loved it, and eventually I acquired a crown, robe, and scepter, and it became part of my repertoire.

The need for a laptop orientation doesn’t really exist anymore, but the computer king still meets and greets his young subjects.  This week I taught a handful of computer king lessons, and I have many more on my calendar for next week.  Even though I don’t dress up as the computer king for the older students, I’ve been doing a lesson to show them how to log on to and navigate our new Windows 7 environment.  I very cleverly make reference to dressing up as the computer king for their younger brothers and sisters, giving these older children a mental visual without babying them.  My other trick is when I show them CTRL + ALT + DELETE.  With the little ones, I refer to using bunny ears (index and middle fingers spread wide) to press on the CTRL and ALT keys and monkey tail for the DELETE key.  I tell the older students that that’s what I tell the “little kids” but I know they don’t need to hear it that way.  Sneaky, ain’t I?

My calendar is quickly filling up for the coming week.  I expect to find something to write about each day and I hope to find the time to post it.  For now, I’ll go back to the Redskins game, which I have paused.  (A whole lot of good that does me, as my phone keeps sending me disappointing alerts.  At least, when I resume the game it won’t yet be 24-0.)

What I did at school today: 9/4/13

It was another busy day.  I spent a good 45 minutes trying to get the in-school broadcast to work.  As luck would have it, two of the techs happened by, and with their diligence and perseverance, we still didn't get it to work.  Usually 15 minutes is my max for troubleshooting, but there were so many variables, I just couldn't stop myself.  In the middle of this I ran into @ewilliams65.  He commented on how strange it was to see me on this end of the county, and queried about my commute.  Because I was in the middle of aforementioned debacle, I couldn't really stop to chat. 

At the end of the day we did a practice Skype session.  This Friday, four teachers are doing a group Skype with . . . I actually don't know who it's with.  As I have the premium account, I'm the one who is going to make the call.  We ran into a few hiccups.  First, one party couldn't connect.  Then, she connected but on an iPad.  (You can't do group calls on an iPad yet.)  Next, we all connected but one party had no sound.  They got that fixed, but then they couldn't hear me.  Finally, everything worked, and I think we're ready for the real thing on Friday.

There's more to tell
I could go on
But that's it for today. 

The nuts and bolts
Are kind of dull
So S & S will be okay.

What I did at school today: 9/3/13

The first day of school is so different when you are an ETF.  For so many years school began with the days leading up to pre-service.  As if I had all the time in the world, I would go in and with slow deliberation I would start to get my room ready.  A sense of urgency would build as teachers officially returned.  Then, as "time to work in your classroom" became "one more meeting" and open house was lurking right around the corner, urgency turned to panic.  But somehow, year after year, the room was always ready to meet and greet before Labor Day.

My wife and I, both being teachers, rarely made big plans on Labor Day weekend.  We were too busy putting the finishing touches on our lesson plans and maybe sneaking into school one last time to organize and prepare.  Monday night would offer restless sleep (if you could call it that), and Tuesday morning would arrive at last.

The first day of school is a ride fueled by pure adrenalin.  By the end of the day, the voice has revolted and the inevitable energy crash occurs.  There's a wonderful buzz in the afterschool conversations between teachers and like comrades in arms, the shared relief in getting through the first day together.  Depending on the ages of your kids, there's dinner (usually pizza) and forms to fill out and checks to write.  Finally, that sleep that was so belligerent the night before comes easily and completely.

But, that's not my life anymore.  Today was the first day of school, and it was both easy and hard.  I slept fine last night, and I was no more tired at the end of the day than I am on October 23rd or February 6th.  However, I miss that feeling of meeting my new class with all the possibilities and potential.  Like a new baseball season, this could the year we go all the way.  So, I helped teachers configure their printers and I made adjustments to Edline and I reset student passwords and I composed a half dozen IMPORTANT emails and I worked on getting the computer lab ready and I updated my group contacts and . . .  Well, you get the picture.  It was a busy day, but it lacked the intoxication that makes the first day of school so special.

Oh, I did get to be the "Computer King" to two kindergarten classes and inform them that the gingerbread man had been by.

Tomorrow is another first day, my first at TES.  I'm looking forward to being able to work with teachers and their classes again.  That's the sweet spot for me.  But first, let's see if I can get some sleep tonight.

What I did at school (last week): 8/26-8/30

The purpose of this blog is to give others a sense of how an Educational Technology Facilitator (ETF) passes his time by posting one thing I do each day.  Although I was relatively consistent last year, it's been challenging since I returned to school on August 1st, so here is an overview of the last couple of weeks.  Once I return to my regular routine on Tuesday, I will hopefully be more faithful to my own posting expectations.
 
If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know that I recently moved from my two York County (VA) schools in the Williamsburg area to Tabb Elementary and Mt. Vernon Elementary, also in York County but much closer to home.  I've been working hard trying to learn the names of all my new colleagues.  I even borrowed a 2012-13 yearbook from each school to study and learn.  I was at about 80% name/face recognition when the para-educators arrived.  With another 30 or more names to add to my memory bank, it’s back to the books.
 
All teachers returned to school on August 21.  Between new teacher training the day before and other trainings at each school, the week before last last was busy with presentations on Twitter, iMovie, our new Windows 7 operating system, and updating teachers' Edline webpages.  The upgrade to Windows 7 has been a choppy affair.  On the first day back, every hour, it seems, presented a different view on the desktop.  I won't go into all the details, but between missing software, hidden printers, slow processing, and daily surprises, a walk down the hall ensured at least one or two calls for help.  I think of myself as an educator first and a technology specialist second, so it's been disappointing for so many first impressions being about fixing some techno-glitch that I had nothing to do with in the first place.
 
One major issue we are dealing with is student passwords.  Elementary students are required to change their passwords each year.  This year they are expected log on with their previous password and then will be prompted to enter and reenter a new password.  I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to what percentage of our students are going to remember their previous passwords.  To alleviate some anxiety, I made this offer.  Upon request, I can set the new passwords without the previous ones.  I am hoping this will take some stress off the teachers and get them onto the computers faster.  Although this is a time consuming process, the first week of school is not a high-demand time for my services, so it’s a win-win.
 
Calories were in high supply this past week.  There were donuts and breakfast (chicken biscuits...yum) and lunch (chicken sandwiches…yum) and cake and brownies and ice cream sundaes.  Thanks goes out to all the people and groups who kept us well fed.  Tuesday it'll be back to yogurt for breakfast and my usual turkey sandwich lunch.
 
The last two weeks ended with visits with the community.  The Friday before last, the TES staff took a pre-announced bus tour of the neighborhoods we serve.  We made six stops and greeted scores of excited students and parents who had not yet learned their teacher assignments.  The bus tour was followed-up with a visit to Dairy Queen (also in our school zone) for Oreo Blizzards.  This week ended with open house.  I tried to split my time between each school's open house, although few people were interested in the new guy who helps with the computers.  I must be living right, though, for despite the tremendous crowds, I found a place to park up front at each school.
 
Friday was a flex day, so I could have slept in.  Instead, I used the extra time to catch up on some work.  It was quiet, with just a handful of teachers working in their rooms, but it served as a nice decrescendo (yes, it's a real word; I looked it up), dovetailing into a relaxing weekend in anticipation of the opening of school.  Have a great 2013-2014 school year, everyone.

The First Day of School and Bonanza

I remember my brother once told me that the theme song to Bonanza makes him sick to his stomach.  It turns out that he has nothing against Hoss or Little Joe or even Adam.  It's just that when he was growing up in the late 50s and early 60s, he'd plop himself in front of the TV on Sunday nights.  The Ed Sullivan Show came on at 8:00, and I'm sure he has fond memories of spinning plates, Topo Gigio, Elvis, and the Beatles.  But, as he explained, his bedtime was 9:00, and after Ed Sullivan came Bonanza (first in black and white and later in living color).  As soon as "Bump-didi-bump-didi-bump-didi-bump- Buh-nan-zuh" made it from his ears to his brain, his stomach reminded him that he had to go to bed and rest up for another week of school.

True, he struggled with reading through his elementary years, but I don't think it was so much the embarrassment of reading aloud.  I think it was the anticipation of structure and routine, the navigation of the social waters, and the fear of being judged by countless educators who were years away from "discovering" learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder.

I began my teaching career in 1979, and although, so far, I've experienced 34 first days of school, I still hear my own version of the theme song to Bonanza the night before school starts.  For 25 of these years, I was a classroom teacher, and I suffered the butterflies in the stomach just as much as most of my students.  My only migraine headache came the day before I met my very first class. 

Now, I am what my school district calls an Educational Technology Facilitator.  I split my time between two elementary schools, working with teachers to help them integrate technology into their instruction. This role has me returning to school about a month before the students and weeks before the teachers.  It's a nice way to ease into the school year: moving into or rearranging my work space, preparing staff development, making plans for how to do my job even better than the year before.

By the second week in August, teachers start dribbling in to work in their classrooms.  The school office becomes a busier, more harried place as teachers come in with their requests and questions and parents nervously register their children for kindergarten or a new school in a new town.  Then, BAM, new teachers arrive for orientation, and BAM, BAM, every one is back.  The cycle of the school year continues.

For the ninth time in my career, I am starting at a new school (two new schools, to be accurate).  This means learning new names and faces, understanding the power hierarchy (both formal and informal), adapting to the culture of that particular school, redefining my job, creating a perception of myself with others and building my reputation, developing relationships of trust, learning coffee etiquette, and on and on.  And, this is just with the teachers.

I am writing this Sunday night.  Although tomorrow should be an easy day, I am involved in new teacher training on Tuesday, and Wednesday I meet my new colleagues at each school.  I can already feel the pupae beginning to free themselves from within their cocoons.  On Monday night, the first butterflies will aappear, and by Tuesday there will be a swarm of them swimming in and around my internal organs.  My 35th beginning of school, and I still feel the jitters.  It's faint, but I swear I hear the theme to Bonanza.

What I did at school yesterday: 8/15/13

Bounce!

I BOUNCED out of bed a little late, but thankfully my commute is 5 minutes rather than 35 minutes, so I made it to school on time.

I BOUNCED over to MVES and continued moving into my new office.  One essential task, when I move into a new space, is finding a place for the memorabilia I've collected over the years: student gifts, mementos from various schools, Beatles and Mets "stuff," vacation souvenirs, etc.   Then, I did some schoolwork, blah, blah, blah.

I BOUNCED over to the school board office to meet a colleague and work on a project.  Last time we tried this, the power went out.  We are putting together a presentation to introduce new teachers to our technology resources and systems.  Our school division is upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7, and we needed to familiarize ourselves with the changes (the upgrade has only been rolled out at the SBO so far) and grab some screenshots.  For better or worse, the power stayed on.

I BOUNCED over to TES for my first leadership team meeting there.  It was a productive gathering of the administrators, grade level chairs, and a few other stakeholders.  The focus for the year is going to be on increased collaboration.  It's clear to me that the culture of this school is already highly collaborative.  I think they just want to formalize this, especially with planning.  I look forward to being involved in grade level planning meetings.

I BOUNCED over to the dentist.  Enough said.

I BOUNCED home.  Diane and Nathan had arrived after being on the road (separately) for a week.

Next week we'll be BOUNCING all over the place:

• Monday: New teachers begin
• Tuesday: New teacher training
• Wednesday: All teachers return
• Thursday: School division training - Transformative Learning Fair
• Friday: In-school training at both schools

What I did at school yesterday: 8/13/13

File this one under "Be careful what you ask for."  I returned to work on August 1, and used most of the first two days to move into my new spaces.  At TES, I am in the office.  This is prime real estate, and it is already paying off.  As teachers are dribbling in to work in their rooms, I am meeting many of my new colleagues.  I've already gotten several requests for help, and I'm confident that I will be able to continue doing the same kinds of things at TES that I did at MES and WMES.

My space at MVES also seemed like prime real estate.  I'm in a lab, which I don't mind.  Some ETFs don't like being in a lab.  I'm not sure if it's a fear of being dumped on, a lack of privacy, or something else.  I've always liked being in a lab.  You're there at the point of contact when teachers bring their classes in.  Even when they do not need my help, I frequently find ways to help them out.  If I'm busy, I keep doing what I'm doing.  The MVES lab has the additional advantage of having a nook.  Picture a capital L.  My "office" is kind of hidden in that bottom section.  My wife had even suggested putting up a curtain to close myself off when needed.  And on top of that, there's a lot of shelf space.

However, things are not always what they seem.  The lab is on the far side of the gym, away from all the classrooms.  Although I would see all the classes that come to the lab, no one else would pass by unless they were specifically looking for me.  I was out in a trailer one year, and I can probably count on my fingers and a few toes the number of visitors I had.  This is a particular disadvantage the first year in a new building.  I need to be as accessible as possible.  I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I have passed someone in the hall, and they said something like, "Oh, I meant to e-mail you.  I have a question.  Can you help me with...?"  That's where the rubber meets the road.

I've always followed the philosophy that it doesn't hurt to ask.  The worst you can hear is "no".  So, I asked my principal if there were any spaces I could move into closer to the action.  Well, there is, and it's in the office.  I'm right near the teachers' lounge, so I know there will be constant foot traffic.  Although it's away from the lab, it's a much more advantageous location.  Only, now I have to move all my stuff again.  Like I said, "Be careful what you ask for."

What I did at school today: 8/5/13

Welcome back, and let's raise a glass to my 35th year of teaching.  Actually, I returned to school last Thursday, on August 1st.  I've been spending most of my time moving into my new spaces.  I am still an ETF (Educational Technology Facilitator); I've only moved schools.  I am now at Tabb Elementary and Mt. Vernon Elementary, still in York County, VA.  I have left Magruder and Waller Mill Elementary Schools to be closer to home.  My commute has gone from anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes down to less than 10.

At TES, I have an office in the office.  I haven't had a regular office since I left Gloucester County four years ago.  I think it's going to be nice being in the thick of things.  It's a small space, but I have everything I need.  Mrs. Parr even helped me find a tall bookshelf for all my children's books.  Admittedly, I don't use them very often anymore, but I've given away as many as I can stand to.  After 25 years of teaching reading, I still feel a need to have a classroom library -- even if I don't have a classroom anymore.

At MVES, I have a nice nook in the computer lab.  It's a bit far from all the action, but I'll make it work.  In June I had delivered all my stuff there, so I've been unpacking.  It's been a challenge dividing my things between schools, but I'm just about finished.

Everyone at both schools has been so nice and friendly.  I feel at home.  In a couple of weeks, I'll meet the teachers and the rest of each staff.  There will be dozens of new names to learn.  In fact, I'm taking a TES yearbook home to study.  I need to get one from MVES too.

I better get back to work. 

What I did on my summer vacation: 7/22/13

There are less than two weeks left of my summer vacation.  I've already posted about our exciting week in New Orleans.  We were home for less than a week, and then we were off again.  We spent a week staying at Massanutten, a ski resort in Central Virginia.  Our first visit there was about 20 years ago when my sons were young enough to share a sofa bed.  We are fortunate that my wife's uncle has given us a week of timeshare every year since.  Most years we venture out of state, but about every five years we return to Massanutten.  Obviously, we don't ski in the summer, and I don't play golf.  But there's hiking and driving up the Skyline Drive and antiquing and visiting the big city of Harrisonburg.  The boys are 24 and 26 now, so dropping in on wineries for a tasting or two has been added to our agenda.  This was the first year Zachary couldn't spend the entire week with us.  His new job as a chef at one of the restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg keeps him busy, but he was able to come up for a couple of days.  Another first for us was bringing someone else along.  Nathan's girlfriend, Kelsey, joined us.  Neither Diane nor I have ever vacationed with our in-law families, so this was an experience we've never had: adapting to another family's vacation style.  Anyway, she fit in great and was a real trooper.

It used to be that as soon as you got home you had a bundle full of e-mail to work through.  Boy, how things have changed.  Between the four of us we had four iPhones, my new Windows Surface, and an iPad.  The big topic of discussion on the trip was an app called Pacer, which counts your steps.  Ideally, you are supposed to amass at least 10,000 steps in a day.  It was not unusual to see Nathan pacing back and forth to increase his steps.

At the end of the week, we detoured to Roanoke to move Nathan out of his apartment.  He and Kelsey are relocating to her hometown.  During the week, Kelsey received a call offering her her first teaching job.  Nathan is looking for his second teaching job.  They are both interested in middle school band positions, a hot commodity.  Now that Kelsey has landed a job, we're crossing our
 fingers that Nathan will find something nearby.

I return to work on August 1 for one day, and then -- since we'll still be on a 4-day schedule -- a long weekend.  A bunch of my college friends will be staying with us that weekend for our own reunion (34 years).  We are so lucky to have a group of friends that found each other in the mid 70s and still get together on a regular basis.

What I did on my summer vacation: 7/7/13

I just flew in from New Orleans, and boy are my arms tired!  Actually, we returned from the Big Easy two nights ago.  (I think I would have freaked out a little if we still had flying to do after the "incident" in S.F. yesterday.)  My wife and I arrived in New Orleans in the early evening on the 28th.  We stayed in a hotel in the Garden District.  There was a streetcar stop right in front of the hotel, but at best it was a 15-20 ride to get to the French Quarter.  It was rarely an "at best" situation.  In fact a couple of times we ended up walking the two miles from Canal Street to our home away from home.

This was our third trip to NOLA since January 2012.  We went down for the Sugar Bowl, fell in love with the city, and returned last summer with our two 20-something sons.  We went on three tours, visited two museums, took a riverboat cruise (on the 4th of July), walked the Quarter countless times, consumed an infinite number of calories on everything from gumbo to muffalettas to bread pudding to Abita beer to fried oyster po' boys  . . . well, you get the picture.  Our bellies were almost always full, and I was certain I had gained 10 pounds.  Thankfully, all the walking helped us burn most of what we ate and drank. 

It was not a technology-free vacation.  I had my i-Pad at the hotel, which was great for research, mapping, notetaking, etc.  Before we left, I downloaded about a half dozen apps specifically for the trip.  Of course, Yelp and Google Maps were my best friends.  I didn't want to be one of those people who were constantly posting pictures of their vacation on Facebook, but I did let everyone know when I was eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

My highlights:

• The New Orleans School of Cooking (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
• The World War II Museum
• Listening to live jazz on Frenchman St.
• Watching the craziness on Bourbon St.
• The tour at Cemetery #1
• Watching the fireworks on the 4th from the Riverboat Natchez in the middle of the Mississippi
• Emeril's, The Praline Connection, Cafe Du Monde, and countless other restaurants

Pure Heaven

What I did on my summer vacation: 6/27/13

It's been an exhausting week.  I've been helping my wife get her boxes and boxes of school "stuff" organized in the garage.  We bought four 4-tiered shelves and three sizes of Sterlite boxes.  Although it's been devilishly hot, it's also been satisfying to get the garage back to some semblance of order.  I even got my work table and tools cleaned up and organized.  Needless to say, the trash man won't be happy with us.

I made a trip to TES today (one of the advantages of being so close) to make sure that the camcorder I recommended will work for the morning show.  I met with Mrs. Parr and Dr. Yeldell for a little while, and we discussed a few items about next year.  These are nice people, and it's going to be fun getting to know each other.  I even met Mrs. Parr's daughters.  The older one is on the same career path as my son, Nathan: a music teacher.  BTW, the camcorder worked!

Now, we're getting packed for our trip to New Orleans.  This will be our third visit to the Crescent City, the Big Easy, NOLA.  We've mapped out our week with things to do and places to eat.  It's time for vacation to begin in earnest.

What I did on my summer vacation: 6/24/13

So, I  came up with an idea.  For the last couple of months I've been blogging about what I did at school each day.  It was my attempt to give others an idea of what an educational technology facilitator does.  Since I'm off between now and August 1, I thought occasionally I'd write about what I'm doing on my summer vacation. 

Yesterday was an "exciting" day.  We cleaned closets.  It might not sound exciting to you, but it was very satisfying and oddly, back wrenching work.  Tomorrow we'll make a trip to the CHKD thrift shop to drop off several large bags of clothes and a few other items. 

Today, we met my wife's father for lunch.  We brought home her mother's antique desk.  He told us she used to play school as a child (they were childhood sweethearts), and that the desk was the beginning of her teaching career.  It's found a special place in our home, and it is a nice memory of my mother-in-law. 

Before lunch, I stopped at TES to exchange a tall mini-fridge I dropped off last week with a smaller one, transfer the larger one to MVES, and drop off a few boxes to store over the summer.  Everyone I have met so far has been so nice. 

Also, I've been working with the TES secretary helping the school purchase a new camcorder for the morning show.  I did a little online research, but I also went to our local Best Buy to talk to someone.  That was time well spent, because I got some critical information that better informed our decision about what to buy. I guess it was my first official task at my new workplace.

After lunch, we hit the YMCA and started working on cleaning out the garage.  Oh, the wonders of summer chores!

What I did at school yesterday: 6/20/13

Yesterday was the last day of the 2012-2013 school year for most of the ETFs. We had our monthly meeting. These meetings were extended from a half day to a full day early in the school year.  It was an attempt at compensating us for the extra time we put in preparing for Technology Tuesday sessions.  Here's what I have to say about that.  First of all, it's not really compensation.  Theoretically, it gives us an extra 3 hours to do work we would otherwise be doing on our own time.  It hasn't really worked out that way.  Much of those 3 hours have gotten eaten up with other matters.  Secondly, it takes us out of our schools for an additional half day each month.  This is particularly hard on those of us who split our time between schools.  Lastly, although preparing and delivering a Tech Tuesday session is definitely time consuming, I don't feel I need to be compensated for it.  Classroom teachers spend hours and hours each week before and after school completing tasks that just can't be done in the school day.  Although I would never turn down additional compensation in any form, I don't believe I am owed it either.  (My father taught me never to ask someone for money but never to turn it down when offered.)

Hmmm, I didn't mean to get into all that.  Anyway . . . we each received a new Windows Surface.  You've seen the commercials.  They're a hybrid laptop/tablet.  Plus, they run Windows 8, which is new to most of us.  It has a bit of a learning curve, but I think I'm going to like it. Windows doesn't have all the apps I'm accustomed to using on my iPad, but it has many of them, and I love the flexibility of being able to use both apps and applications.

Most of the ETFs went out to lunch.  They're a great group to work with, and we had a fun time discussing work, summer plans, and other topics I shouldn't mention.  Patty, the ETF whose schools I will be moving to next year, was not in attendance (why would she be?), but we're celebrating her retirement this afternoon off site.

The afternoon was spent in various ways, and one by one we started leaving.  We don't all have the same number of extra days built into our contracts, so some came in just for the meeting, some were finished after the meeting, and a few still have a handful of days left to give.

So, here's a toast to the 2012-2013 school year.  From my point of view, it was highly successful.  Next year will bring a great many changes, but I look forward to the challenges.  I'll try to post from time to time until I return on August 1, but I make no promises.  We're leaving for New Orleans next Friday, and if I have to choose between sipping coffee and eating beignets at Café DuMonde or sitting in my hotel and posting about 21st century skills, I'll take the former.  Have a terrific summer.

What I did at school today: 6/19/13

I spent most of today at MES doing some end-of-year chores and packing up the car with the last of my things.  I had lunch with the other ETF who serves this part of the county.  He was new this year, and this was the first time we had the luxury of eating out like big boys.  I stopped at WMES to pick up a chair and drop off my keys.  Tomorrow, I'll be at the SBO office all day, so this is my last day at my two schools.

The month of July will be a time to relax, to spend with my family, and to complete some long neglected honey-do jobs.  But the past and the future won't be far from my mind.  I'll think back to the friends and colleagues with whom I've spent the last four years, and I'll look ahead to the many new relationships yet to be forged.  Taking on new schools and new staff members will be energizing and exciting. 

When I began my first technology facilitator job eight years ago, I didn't yet have a vision of what that would be.  At the time, it was a new position, and I made it up as I went along.  There were patterns and precedents I set from the get-go, not realizing that these would be hardwired into job for the next four years.  Then, when I moved into my current position, I saw it as a bit of a do-over.  This time I did have a vision, and I saw it as an opportunity to build it from scratch.  All in all, I think I was successful.

Now, I get another do-over.  I have four more years of experience, I'm four years older, and I'm four times better at seeing the big picture.  I hope I have gained the wisdom to know when to let things happen and when to make things happen.  A teacher begins a new school year remembering the strong relationships she had developed with her last class, and she knows it takes time for to bond with her new students.  That's what it's like for me.  It's like I've been looping.  I moved up with my class for the last three years, and now it's time to begin a new cycle.