I am not giving up hope on doing this but I do know there are constraints by law and state mandate for what we have to provide to secure our systems for the students. I know this and I hate to admit it. Its a struggle that will continue through this career. That is the impact of this workshop. It is showing me the stuff that I knew was out there for policy but I didn’t have a clear concept view of it all. Now I am starting to see the system and learning how to adapt it for my job. It really is better to know than to not know in our field.

So day 2 is so much better. The day is about staffing and working within a team. I have moved to a district with a great group of people but I have struggled with figuring out how to work with them and to help develop them as workers as well. I have never had a secretary nor have I had someone handle the various aspects of the jobs I have done on my own. This is a different animal entirely and I have been reading all these different “management” books without finding a good solution. I mean “The Five Dysfunctions of Team” can only carry me so far.

Today, we worked with Lori Gacey from Bastrop ISD on how to deal with staffing. So many resources!! I remember doing Icebreaker and Personality tests with my students to help us as a class work better with each other. I had forgotten to apply those to the people I work with and to help them learn to use the same tools to work with our users. What a great skill to develop a technology team to work better with people!

Five steps for what we should do in Instructional Technology:

1) Inventory of all technology and software

2) Determination of acceptable standards for downtime, repair costs, etc.

3) Assessment of teacher competencies

4) Study of how computers are currently being used in the curriculum

5) Creation of specific goals for computer use in your district

And we all have various ways of getting this done along with the support of our systems.

I tell you, I am really getting some great information that I can’t wait to start piecing together. For the first time, I am starting to learn for myself that this is something I can do. I have felt so out of place for the past few weeks in trying to figure out how other districts and technologists are doing it for their district. I am refocusing now to make it work for where I am and with the resources I have at my disposal.

This is so exciting….again!