“…I found that becoming immersed with other professionals in the digital world was exhilirating! Just watching everyone move about the conference with their various devices communicating and recharging gave me a true sense of what our students have been born into. After 20 years of attending various conferences in education, I found myself rediscovering the joys of connecting with others who are excited to try new ways of engaging their students. But that’s where the similarities between conferences from then and now end because today’s methods go “outside the box” in EVERY direction! What an eye-opener!! So many news ideas swirling around in my head!”

“I would tell [my campus staff] to get on their comfy slippers and commit some time to traveling through a few Web 2.0 links, so they can begin to see all of the possibilities for connecting with their students and colleagues (even parents) in new ways. I also believe the library can act as a “medium” for promoting Web 2.0 and supporting the staff/students.
I think that [our principal's] persistence in starting the school news broadcast has been a great catalyst for getting our teachers and students to get their feet wet with potential for podcasting and vodcasting.”

“I learned so much I am about to explode. I can’t get it all out of my head and use it fast enough.”

“TCEA is great. You can go and see new technologies that are coming out as well as current technology you have. You can attend the sessions or visit the booths of various companies and find new ways to use current equipment and well as get a chance to talk directly to the vendors to get answers to questions you may have. No matter who you are, there is something of interest to go to and new things to learn.”

“I felt that my brain was totally saturated with new ideas by the time I left. The excitement for using technology in my classes was very elevated and it was well worth going.”

But this morning was incredibly awesome! I was really blown away to hear my blog post from a few days ago read out loud to the audience. How incredible was that?!?! I thought it was really cool and my row of Kerrvillites seemed to enjoy it as well. What an honor.

I did attend the TEC-SIG luncheon later and heard the speaker share about how the mood we project reflects the mood of our environment. It wasn’t a technology training talk as we usually get; but it was about how we can serve our stakeholders better. It was that component of learning more about how we can serve than just providing more tools and resources for us to gawk at. I really appreciated this presentation for just that reason.

After this, I was asked to be interviewed for a segment on SchoolTube. I asked for Kari Rhame to interview me and she did. I was hoping to embed the video here tonight but it hasn’t been uploaded to SchoolTube.com yet.

All in all, a great day. I hope to get to my sessions tomorrow and to have a good workshop. Tomorrow I am presenting a workshop for three hours on Web 2.0 Tools and I am about to assemble the presentation right now.

Also – great seeing everyone. Thanks for the handshakes and hellos!

This week’s workshop wasn’t so motivational. And I say that only because the topics were on the security side of running a district technology system. It wasn’t a bad workshop. It just wasn’t so “up” because the topics were about the security side and reality of what we can do to make our networks secure.

Our reflection for journaling is this topic: What is my vision of how the network, hardware, and software will help us accomplish our goals in my district? What are my next steps in regards to infrastructure?

After yesterday’s session, I see how my district needs to do more to provide a more secure network and to keep our data safe. I don’t think we are doing a good job at this. I can see how spending needs to go toward providing this before we start adding more “stuff” to our network.

We discussed ways to figure out the TCO – Total Cost of Ownership for adding to our network infrastructure and the idea of sharing this with our stakeholders. We just can’t add resources to the system without building up the system istelf.

One of my main goals here this year is to visit the exhibit hall to get more information about these types of security resources. I hear from vendors almost daily so it is important for me to go and look at all the products to find the perfect fit for our district. Cost is a major factor for us and some resources just offer too much than what we need.

Disaster recovery was another topic and Kari shared how her district prepared for hurricane damage. Her plan is so detailed that I would think this type of planning would be almost a full time in itself. While Kerrville isn’t in danger of major hurricanes, we are open to other types of disasters and need to come up with better planning. I like not only that Kari explained the plan but she also provided each staff member with a list of who is responsible for what and at what point do they “pull the plug”.

She even shared that the district has a stand-by 1-800 number for if the phones go down that will still allow them to answer calls. Every instance is covered.

Currently, I meet with city resources in our town and one of our agenda items is planning for how we can all help each other with disaster recovery. Could we all provide a temporary NOC for another system from our own location and maintain our own system security? Could we work together in case of a real emergency? I think so.

The final part of the workshop was spent on 1:1 computing and the idea (or is it a mandate?) from TEA that districts are to test all freshmen in 2012 online for end of course assessments. No funding provided of course. To me, this seemed like something I could push back until we figured out who gets projectors next! But with this deadline looming, we have a lot to do in Kerrville to get ready for this!

So, I left yesterday with a heavy heart. So much to do and so little time! I appreciate not only the discussions we had in the room but the knowledge that all of us are ill-prepared for these types of mandates. I’m not the only one in this boat! Plus, Lori shared resources on how Bastrop is going with 1:1 computing. Her candid perspective on this type of venture was appreciated!

I like how she explained that adding the laptops/netbooks to the campuses wasn’t the answer. The real way to get it to all work together was to get the curriculum to change for the use of technology. If you don’t change the way we teach, then the laptops won’t add to your instruction. They will detract.

So much great information shared. Another hit of a workshop! I can’t tell you how much this Academy has really helped a newbie like me! They gave us another file full of resources to use and they are REAL resources, each one.

Tech Directors – I just want to implore that you take this Academy when they offer it next year. It is a pricey cost, I know! But if you really want it to work well – invite your curriculum director to attend with you. Two for one training! It is really worth it!