Tinkerings

This has been a burning question on my mind for a few days.  I’m going to try to put down some thoughts in this blog, but please be aware that most of my blogs are first drafts.  They are a stream of consciousness at the time I feel I have to write.  Sometimes I look at them later and wonder, “What was I thinking?” or “I don’t remember saying that.”  This post may well turn out to be the same kind of thing.

I can tell you a big reason that is NOT why I teach.  I don’t teach for a paycheck.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like mine.  My creditors like for me to have it.  I know my daughter who is still in college is grateful for it.  But I don’t teach for the money.  If I did, this would just be a career.  It is more.  Much more.

I guess in simplest terms, I teach because I must.  I always have.  I was teaching adult Sunday school classes while still in high school.  Put me in a small group, and I’ll be the one explaining how things get done.  My kids hate it.  Their questions turn into mini-lessons from dad.  Sometimes it even gets me in trouble, but we won’t talk about those times here.

I am a teacher.  That’s not a career description.  It is a personality trait.  Every spiritual gifts inventory I’ve taken puts teaching at the top of the list.  Personality profiles all indicate I would be happiest in an area involving instructing.  I’m a helper.  Plain and simple.  Personality profiles indicate that I will often jump in to “fix” something without thinking simply because I know the answer.  Remember that statement about getting in trouble?  I’m still not talking about it.  If I wasn’t hired as a teacher, I would still be teaching…something….somewhere….to someone.

I teach because I love to see the light go on.  You know the one.  That little light bulb above every head that suddenly brightens when they “get” it.   I love the look of their eyes when the sparkle of learning something new sets in.  I love the fact that I have had an opportunity to change a life for the better….forever.

And I teach because I want to help teachers better themselves.  Some would say it is all about the kids.  I disagree.  Somebody has to be all about the teachers.  Someone has to want to help teachers be better teachers so they can reach more students.  OK, maybe that is all about the students in some convoluted way.  Streams of consciousness are tough to get out sometimes.

Why do you teach?  If you’re not a teacher, leave me a comment about one of your teachers that really showed you what teaching is all about.

(NOTE: This is also posted on the DEN TN LC Blog)

Today has been a great day in Memphis, TN!  The good folks with Memphis City Schools have done a remarkable job for their first truly regional Mid-South Technology Conference here at the Memphis Convention Center.  Nearly 1,000 are in attendance for technology training just a few blocks from historic Beale Street and the Peabody Hotel.

The day began with a keynote from Alan November.  If you’ve ever seen Alan speak at a conference, you know how engaging and personable he is.  Today he was at the top of his game just bouncing us from one idea to the next as they ping-ponged across his brain.  I’ll share more about that in a later post.

In the morning, I attended an informative session on BrainPop and another on the use of the video site Oovoo in schools.  Both were well-attended and the information was extremely useful.

After  lunch there was a keynote by John Seely Brown.  I had never heard him before.  While his information was sound, his presentation style is a little staid for right after lunch when nap time calls.

At the end of the day was my session on Skype.  I had a fairly packed room with about 65 people in attendance.  Most had never heard of Skype, or if they had they had never used it.  Another TN LC member, Tina Moore, Skyped into my session to talk about how she has used Skype in her classroom.  She was able to demonstrate Skype’s ability to share your computer screen.  The participants had lots and lots of questions when that piece was over, so we threw out the rest of the planned session and just popped the hood on the old Skype convertible and took a look at its horsepower.  It was, quite honestly, one of the most enjoyable sessions I’ve ever done.  The feedback from the group was phenomenal.

Tomorrow we start again.  Hall Davidson will be doing a keynote right after lunch.  In the morning, I will present on Building a Better Builder.  I would love to Ustream both sessions if I can get the audio fixed.  Today’s session is online, but there is only video, so its coming down later tonight.  Or maybe I could do one of those voice-overs like when the director narrates what was going on in his mind while shooting a particular scene.  Hmmmm…..

On Saturday I made the plunge into the wonderfully wacky world of Macs.  It had been a long time coming.  I pretty much had my ducks in a row thanks to the help of a great PLN devoted to all things Mac.  I knew going in that I wanted the Pro, but wasn’t sure what screen size I wanted.  I knew I wanted to up the memory.  I knew what hard drive size I could live with (pardon ending that sentence in a preposition…did adding these parentheses fix that officially?).  I took a deep breath, tried to hide the fear of the unknown, and stepped into the store.

Wow, it was busy.  There were people everywhere.  As my eyes adjusted to the ambient lights of dozens of LCD screens, I noticed people standing around in red t-shirts.  A lot of people.  Immediately I knew I wasn’t going to have a problem being served.

I was right.  In less than one minute I had a sales associate asking me if he could help me in any way.  I told him up front what I was there for, and that I needed a few things explained to me.  I asked about the differences between the 13″ and 15″ Pro (the 15″ has 2 video cards if you’re interested), what software comes pre-loaded, why Apple never seemed to have a sale that amounted to anything (oh yes I did), what One on One was, why I needed Apple Care, and a host of other questions.

The sales associate looked me right in the eye while answering all my questions.  He didn’t go beyond what I was asking.  In other words, he didn’t try to over sell me.  He paid attention.  He was focused.  He was committed to his product.  He didn’t try to knock PCs or Microsoft.  Why did he need to do that?

He did make one point that stuck with me.  He said that PCs were basically designed around functions.  It was a good tool to write documents, crunch numbers, and the like.  Macs, on the other hand, were designed for the experience.  Everything was designed with the user experience in mind.  I had to agree.  Just touching the keyboard of a Mac, or looking at the sleek lines of its aluminum case, or watching the list of programs in the dock rise and fall in magnified glory as you run the mouse over them is an experience.

He said one other thing that I picked up on immediately (and made fun of as soon as I could).  He said that Apple users identified themselves as a sort of “family.”  I immediately made a remark about being more of a cult.  He didn’t take the bait.  He said something like, “If by cult you mean that we are all focused on the needs of one another and reach out to help each other at a moment’s notice, then yes, maybe cult is a good word.”  I immediately thought of the DEN Family of which I am a part.  Some see us as sort of cultish too I suppose.  Given this definition they wouldn’t be wrong.

I thought about both of those things on the hour-long drive home.  Experience and Family.  Questions swirled in my head.  What experience do the kids in my classes have?  What does “family” mean to them?  Is family a good thing?  Is the experience positive?  How can I make sure both are positive things in the minds of the middle schoolers I touch every day?  Do I give as much attention to an individual student in my class as this sales associate did for me in the Apple store?  Isn’t that kid’s education experience more important than the way I feel using a laptop?

Only the kids in my classes can tell me about their experience.  Before they get gone at Christmas break, I think I’ll ask them.

I’m a PC.  At least, that’s what I’ve been all my life.  I learned how to use a computer on a PC running Windows 3.1 and another running DOS.  Oh what fun those days were!  I’ve been through Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, and (ugh) Vista.  And now, just when Microsoft might have it closest to right with Windows 7 (doesn’t that number seem like a giant step backwards from all the others?), I am about to embark on a new life path.  I’m about to be a Mac.

i’ve been spending some time looking at laptops and considering options.   I’ve checked in with my PLN to get some ideas about what I should buy (probably the 15″ Macbook Pro if I can afford it).  I’ve tried to see where I can get the best deal (not an easy task with Apple).  I think I’ve done my homework pretty well.  I feel prepared to go out and make this purchase.  I know that whatever I do in the next few days will impact me for the next several years.  It has to be “right.”

Education operates a lot like that.  Kids in are given opportunities to explore who they are.  I’m not talking about whether they are smart or dumb, cute or ugly, fat or skinny (take the worst of all those and you have how I felt in junior high and high school).  I’m talking about whether they are an artist, an engineer, an accountant, a doctor, a lawyer, and more.  The curricula should not only instruct them on reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  It should be experimental.

My youngest went through high school determined to be a lawyer.  After taking classes, talking to teachers, exploring options, and discovering herself, she changed her mind and wants to be a nurse.  I thought she would be successful at either endeavor.  But she took the time to discover who she is, and that led to what she wants.

Benchmark tests didn’t tell her that.  The TCAP Writing Assessment didn’t tell her.  Essays didn’t.  Algebra, geometry, and trig didn’t.  Biology helped, but it didn’t do it either.  So what made her decide to change the course of her life in mid-stream?

Relationships.

She had a fantastic guidance counselor.  A wonderful band director and his wife.  A caring principal.  Awesome teachers who watched out for her. (Yes, that’s a shout out to all the faculty and staff at Walker Valley High School).  They didn’t “tell” her what she should do.  Rather, they listened.  They chatted.  They discussed.  They let her explore.  Eventually she knew.

I have a great Personal Learning Network.  All this time I thought I was a PC.  I hate PCs.  I hate the blue screen of death.  I hate viruses and trojans.  I hate browser crashes.  I think my PLN knew all along I was never meant to be a PC.  I think they knew there was a Mac inside just waiting for the right time to surface.  I love Macs.  I love how easy they are to use.  I love the creativity that went into designing them.

I have a great PLN that helped me come to a conclusion about who I am and what I need to do.

My daughter had great teachers and administrators to help her do the same.

Who do the students at your school have?

Today SMART Technologies came back to our school district for another presentation of their software and various hardware configurations.   As you may recall, a couple of previous posts I didn’t have much good to say about the first one.  Today, however, was a totally different story.

SMART brought in the right equipment (the document camera didn’t make it in time, but hey, that’s life) and the right trainer.

Bill Jarrett spent some time outlining exactly what an interactive white board is, the various components available through SMART to produce an audacious classroom, and a little bit about the history of SMART Technologies.  Then, he turned the show over to his star, and my friend, MaryAnn Sansonetti.

I’ve known MaryAnn for three years now, but this is the first time I’ve been privileged to see her in action in front of a group of teachers.  I have to say, she impressed us with the things you can do with a SMART board, but more importantly, she impressed me with her poise, grace, and knowledge.

We had a couple of teachers who did not make the presentation easy.  It wasn’t that they were being ugly or rude.  They were totally engaged in the conversation and asked questions….lots and lots and lots of questions.  Sometimes the questions were from three or four sentences ago, but MaryAnn hung in there and answered every one of them.  I, on the other hand, might have been…uh…shall we say….less diplomatic.

Now the ball is in the hands of people higher up the food chain than me.  The resellers are working out pricing details (installation costs are going to make or break this deal for someone).  Principals are in charge of making the final decisions for their buildings.  The district office has to process and place all the orders from our various schools.

As for me, I feel my Personal Learning Network (PLN) did a great job bringing all this about for our district.  And then, there’s MaryAnn.  She went above and beyond by driving down here from Columbia, SC.  She wowed our teachers with a fantastic product.  And she changed the minds of several teachers today….myself included.  Thanks, MaryAnn!  You are the best!

Like many of the people in my Personal Learning Network (PLN), I do some training on creating, building, and maintaining a PLN. Some teachers get it. Some don’t. That’s OK. Some want to get it, but are not sure it is really something they need. Or want. This post is for those teachers. Everyone else can move along to something more interesting.

If you read my blog at all, you will know that in the past few days I attended a presentation for SMART and Promethean boards hosted by our district. You will also know that the SMART reseller in charge of the demonstration did not do a great job. I was very disappointed because I knew many of the things SMART is capable of, and we did not get to see those. In addition, you will know that SMART is doing everything it can to make up for the problem.

What you don’t know yet (unless you’ve read the comments on my last blog post) is the power of a complaint (or concern, or praise, or whatever) when it is given in the context of a PLN.

I had already told two members of PLN about the problem. Both are SMART certified trainers. They are passionate about SMART technology. They got the word to SMART for me within a matter of hours, maybe minutes.

But then I saw this comment from Gerard Newsome on my last post:

Thanks for giving a tweet on this. I was able to send this site to my director who just came from a SMART camp in Canada.

Only yesterday she made several calls and was contacted by several SMART regional directors and the CEO about this. They were interested in how she heard about it. They were amazed at how the news traveled so fast…and far.

Gerard is the man singly responsible for putting me in the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) which is the foundation of my PLN. I had lost track of Gerard over the last couple of years. And in case you need some translation, my blog is automatically posted to Twitter and Facebook. Gerard saw my post on Twitter and sent the blog to his director. And look what happened. Several regional directors and the CEO of SMART contacted this person to find out how they knew about the situation so quickly.

How did they know? Because my PLN was put into action.

I would like to think that my little blog post stuck out in the nether regions of the vast empty space of the Internet had some impact on SMART. But it didn’t. They would never have known about this incident at all except for three others who knew. And they contacted some people. And those people contacted some people. And it snowballed into something much more than it was at the beginning.

The end result is that SMART gets a do-over. They have been invited by our district to try again. Our teachers deserve to see what SMART can do. They deserve to see these products in action as they are meant to be used. The classroom experience of over 10,000 students is at stake.

Still wonder if you need to develop a PLN?