I have started an Administration class at Lewis & Clark about school/district technology. It's very exciting, even though I can't believe I am taking an ADMINISTRATION class.
I don't know what I am going to do for a final project, but I probably need the most work in networking, which I don't think I am ready to tackle yet. Maybe I can do more work on the school website WITHOUT my husband's help, since that website requires coding.
I would like to learn about the decision process districts go through when deciding what technology is incorporated into schools and where those funds come from. I think that the CIO from Beaverton will be very interesting.
I think that when technology is applied correctly in schools, it can be a great motivator for kids. I work in a low-income school, and getting the kids jazzed about learning can be difficult. Technology is an easy tool to allow them to take control of their learning. I just wish we had the means to make it possible. Our school district supports libraries, which is the first step because those are the people most are responsible for teaching "21st Century Learning," but we are still acquiring the equipment to do that. But I have started to work on a large grant that would supply funding to our library media/technology programs in our school district. Portland Public Schools received the grant last year. It was nearly half a million dollars!
We'll see what happens!
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I enjoyed your post very much. You mentioned your interest in networking. Tell me more about that and what it is exactly you want to learn. From which organization are the grant funds? I'm in the middle of doing much the same thing with a colleague who wants to focus on Algebra; but making it completely online.
The networking comment refers to my need of more technical knowledge of IT. I feel if I had more of the pure science of it I could avoid the kinks in technology.
Right now my district's IT infrastructure is unstable. A lot of that is following on teachers' shoulders. I feel like if I knew more I could be more of assistance.
Lori did a post about her frustrations with technology malfunctions. Unfortunately the IT infrastructure of a district is kind of like table. If it isn't stable, anything you put on the table will fall off and crash.
And school districts aren't going to be able to draw the most qualified people to them in this department. I mean if you are an awesome IT person, are you going to take a job at a low paying school district? So it seems that most school districts have a problem with this. Except for Lake Washington, that school district had a killer IT department.
This is rambling, but I am frustrated with that aspect of my school district.
The funds are coming from the feds. I am going to try to do it, but have you ever tried reading information from the federal government? I was trying to read a two page document about exclusions from the professional development side of the grant, and I walked away feeling like a 4th grader. Yikes!
Are you going to the NCCE conference? I am if my school can pay for it. It is spendy! There are supposed to be some sessions on creating online instruction you might be interested in.
Anyway, Happy MLK Day!
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