Audacity…What shall we do with it?
Let the Good Times Roll!
Wow are we in exciting times. We just got eight, yes that’s right…eight new SMARTBoards in the elementary building. That makes a grand total of sixteen in our building. Our kids love them and most of all our teachers have taken to them in a big way. Next week I will go in and finish hooking them up. They should be good to go by the weekend.
Responsible Risk Taking
I am sure you feel as I do. There is always too much work and not enough time. This happens in any job but in education it can be hazardous. We are refreshed in the summer and think of tons of new ideas we want to try with our kids. Then the “truck hits us” and we work to keep our heads above water. It only takes a minute, however, to rethink our thinking about how we deliver information or how our students might deliver theirs. Our future for technology is not mapped out for us. We will choose our path. Watch for quotes and bits of information in the next few weeks that are thought provoking.
Most situations in life don’t have a single right answer. In my experience, the most effective actions arise when we live the question, ‘What do we want to create?’ The key to all this is pretty simple – believing that every person has the capacity to create(Senge).
What To Do In the Lab?
Word Works! As we are teaching our children to use the lab we often underestimate our little ones. Our youngest members of the elementary are very capable of using MSWord in the lab. They love to learn the menus. A good place to start is:
1. Begin a new page
2. Type their name
3. Import a picture….Yes that’s right. Place a picture in their folder before you go to the lab.
4. Write a sentence or two about the topic
5. Oops….don’t forget the date
6 Either print or save or both. At first printing is the best. Saving is another skill that will take a couple of lab periods.
Your kids will shine…..They will have a story to save…..They have something to show for their work.
Next time we will talk about journaling to the internet.
Happy Surfing….Mrs. Cutler
What Can Technology Do for You?
I think it is easy to live in our rural area and think of computers as a tool to communicate. We are all familiar with email, instant messaging and informational websites. Each day we may use our computer for this purpose and it has become a part of our lives. Recognizing what comes next is the hard part for all of us. Our students need to become good “users” of computers but they should also have opportunities to become “productive developers”. Point your child in the direction of web development. Ask them if there is something important that they could share on the web. Put them in the drivers seat. Could they offer some sort of service. Here is an example. If your child likes dogs and cats teach your child to share tips on how to care for a “lab”. Learn to develop spaces to share without using MySpace or a place that is independent of others. Be creative. Perhaps a daily “blog” for journaling would be appropriate. Most of all teach them how to share while remaining anonymous. Your child will learn problem solving skills and web development skills. It’s a win win for everyone! I am linking to a blog with a good discussion on Digital Citizenship. http://www.classroom20.com/group/office20con/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A46892
Our Projectors Shipped!
Our projectors left California on September 1st. The tracking number is 648306178554012 in case you might like to go to the Fedex page and follow their progress! Jerry Locke stopped last week and examined the cables. He is finding conduit that will “look” good and do the job. We are again one step closer to a new kind of classroom. 
SMART Projectors
I talked to Greg McManus (the sales rep for SMART Technology) today and he said that our SMART projectors should arrive in Minneapolis on the 20th. The 595 model is available but it has 500 less lumens and I think it is worth the wait for the 695s. It is my hope that they can be installed in the next few days. Mr. Donley and Mr. Harder are ready to install as soon as they arrive!
SMARTBoard Training
Yesterday Brian Lee came to the elementary school to train us on the use of SMARTBoards. It was awesome. I know I will be using that word a lot this year but it is true. The kids are going to embrace this technology and I envy them. Any curriculum area lends itselft to this technology. The next step will be using it to its’ compacity.
The desktop computers are ready today also. Mrs. Dennert is coming in with me later this afternoon so we can get them out to the teachers. When the projectors for the SMARTBoards come we will be ready to “ROCK ‘N ROLL”.
The SMARTBoards are Up!
Mr. Donley called this morning and said that the boards are up. Now all we need are the projectors! We have electricity in the ceiling and we are ready. I can hardly wait. Isn’t it great being part of a new phase in education? Stop by the school to see the boards. They are 77″ from corner to corner. They give the big screen TV effect. Our kids should hit a 10 on the “oh cool” scale! Our computer screens are huge.
SMARTBoard Update
I stopped by the school the other day and I was pleased to see that the wiring is being installed for the SMARTBoards. It should look tidy when the conduit holds all of the wiring. We have an in-service set up for August 6th at 1:00 p.m. The custodians have removed a couple of bulletin boards and painted the wall so we are ready for a clean installation. All of this is so exciting. We are moving into another chapter of delivering information to our kids.
