Getting my ducks in a row

Thank you to everyone who commented and read my last post...the comments meant a lot to me (they always do) I guess that's part of the reason why we all blog...that feeling we're not alone. That we're not insane in thinking the way we think...feel the way we feel. I still remember reading Warlick for the first time and saying to myself "Thank God! There are other's just as crazy as me!"

So now that I'm focused in on what I want need to accomplish this year. It's time to get my ducks in a row. Why is it when ducks fly they fly in a V formation, yet when they swim it's in a straight line?

It has to do with resistance...and when it comes to implementing new technologies....you better know if you need a V or a line.

Tomorrow I have the privilege of handing out 42 laptops to teachers who filled out a form last year basically turning over their lives to me for the coming year (although it was worded must better than that ;) ). So the past couple of days I've been getting my ducks in a row so I can make sure we support these new laptoppers the way they need to be supported.

Here is our plan:

Step 1: Each person will meet with me or one of the other Educational Technology (ET) support staff and fill out their Individual Educational Technology Plan (IETP). Think about the individual plans you fill out for students...only for teachers focused on technology. Each teacher will choose two or three NETs for Teachers standards to focus on for the coming year. We have a nice little IETP form that will be used to track their progress on meeting these standards throughout the year.

Step 2: We will create Laptop Support Teams where groups of 4 or 5 will meet with an ET twice a month. These groups will be used to trouble shoot problems, discuss ideas, and help to form a support group for each individual as they learn how this new technology affects teaching and learning in their classroom.

Step 3: Throughout the year we will be collecting data from this group and sharing it with our stake holders on a quarterly basis.

So that's it. Of course there are many other things we'll be doing too. Like holding after school technology sessions for teachers, and 10 minute tech tips during staff meetings...and of course meeting with all teachers and supporting them in the use of technology in their classrooms. This is just one part of a much larger project that is going on this year...but it's a key part as getting these ducks in a row is just the beginning of a larger technology vision.

Technorati Tags: NETS