Off we go!

Staff Development, Late Start, and Institute day plans are all being made behind the scenes as we enter our third week of the school year. I am part of the Technology Staff Development committee that also includes Tony Miller and Eric Wenckowski. We've already met with Lisa Small and will provide her with what we think are most pressing needs of the staff for this school year. So far, we think that Tablet PC training, Web 2.0 tools, and Office 2007 are those top needs. Please think about these topics as I will ask for your thoughts on them at our first meeting in September.

Tablet training felt like 'Tablet draining' for me this summer but the enthusiasm teachers brought to the Phase 1 training sessions energized me each time I met with a different person or small group of teachers. They are excited and eager to continue training so it's up to us to hit a home run and provide the sustained support teachers need to bring the tablet into the classroom and anywhere else learning takes place. Many of you are setting a great example for your teachers, already, by using the tablet when you can with your students or to manage your daily teacher life more efficiently. I am so proud of you!

Phase II training will begin this week (as soon as I get the information out I tried to get send last week!). Please encourage teachers to use the TLC as the location for training. Perhaps a little reminder note in your office or even a cool poster (like Nicole put up in the English office!) will serve to remind teachers of the training they are expected to complete. I will continue to provide training to you and act as a sounding board for you so that you can become a Tablet PC pro. Remember, I'm only a few steps ahead of you so please don't be afraid to show me something you learn about the Tablet PC! I want to learn, too!

The DEG will have updates only a few times a year. Technology Services is going to put in fixes as needed, of course, but major changes, such as those listed in Jeff Butzen's recent email, will occur only a few times during the school year. This will help reduce the amount of time we spend troubleshooting any problems every time a change to the DEG is made.

Please remember to keep a log, journal, blog or some kind of record of your tech duty. This information should be updated periodically and made available upon request of your department chair.

I'm very excited about this school year and look forward to working with you, again!

Off we go!