No rest for the weary

Not sure why I continue to try to do it all. You would think I would learn not to bite off more than I can chew and not leave any time for blog reading or writing. However, I have done it again so bear with me for the next couple of weeks as I try to get things under control.

This Saturday myself and a team of 14 IT guys (most of them out sourced) came into school and installed almost 80 desktop computers in 7 hours into classrooms. These are student use computers that where in classrooms last year.

This year I decided to pull them all partly due to the fact that 62 of our teachers were getting laptops, and we are putting 60 student laptops into ever division (ES, MS, HS). We have a great number of laptops coming and I wanted to make sure that the desktops were placed, where they would be used. Teachers e-mailed their Principals and had to state how many desktops they would like and why they wanted them.

For example, our Middle School newspaper class made a good argument to have four desktop computers and we installed those. The 8th grade team and the Art department also made sound education arguments for their use of desktops and we installed those as well.

In the Elementary school, our 5th grade has gone completely laptop. Every teacher has a laptop with a ceiling mounted projector. We have student laptops that provide a 2:1 student to computer ratio. So we moved those computers out into other rooms.
 
My main goal this year (as laid out by our technology plan) was to get at least two desktop computers into every Pre-k through grade 2 classroom. I really wanted four but we don’t have the space…so two will do. I personally feel this is where desktops need to be. Teachers can make a computer center in their rotation and load educationally appropriate games based on what skills the students are learning 10 or 15 minutes at a computer for a 6 year old is plenty!

So what else is on my plate other than a full time job?

I’m finishing up the PSU class I taught this summer, it has been a great learning experience for me, and I hope the educators in the course got as much out of it as I did. Having to create a podcast, work on a collaborative wiki project, and have 20 blog entries by the end of the course. I used a Google spreadsheet to keep track of each of their assignments, and shared it with them so that they knew what else they needed to accomplish. I think that worked pretty well.

We are also less than 30 days from our Learning 2.0 conference here in Shanghai. Had a 4 hour meeting on Sunday to put the schedule together. This is only going to take more of my time the closer we get.

In October is the K12online conference where I will be hosting my LAN parties again (as well as two presentations). I already have people asking about them…so that is exciting.

In November, I am doing six presentations at the EARCOS Administrative conference in Kuala Lumpur. I still need to prepare for that.

So here we go! Now that computers are in place, I can focus on my real job….helping teachers and students!

Technorati Tags: work, education, conference

[tags]work, education, conference[/tags]