Taking Steps

Normally on my blog, I try to focus on topics which relate to my job as a Director of Academic Technology. These include my thoughts on the larger questions that many of us face, interesting books that I have read that I feel are important, and reflecting on the day to day grind, sharing both the success and obstacles that I face working with teachers, parents, and administrators. Today, I am going to beg your indulgence while I share a personal aspect of my life. During this academic year, I have had many personal obstacles which I have had deal […]

The Bump in the Road – 13 Days Project

As all technology projects go, the 13 Days Project has not been without its bumps. The project is due tomorrow, Wednesday, May 28 at 10:00 a.m. This morning, we were having problems uploading the PhotoStory projects, created for playback in on a computer in .wmv format to upload into VoiceThread. Digging around the VoiceThread help (FAQs and forums), I could not find a solution. So I turned to my del.icio.us network. Using the search terms “wmv” and “flv”, I found Media Convert, (word of caution – Media Convert is an ad supported network and several of the ads were of […]

Getting Student Reflections on the 13 Days Project

I enjoy the times when our AP US History Teacher, Kevin Randolph, and I sit down to talk about embedding new ways of learning and new tools to accomplish the learning goals he wants to achieve within his classroom. On Wednesday, asked him to help me brainstorm about what to present at our end of the year Upper School faculty meeting. I have been give the last time slot of the last meeting of the year, with a special luncheon right after my presentation. I have to make the presentation short, sweet, and to the point while planting seeds that […]

Where Did Learning to Change Go?

Let’s face it, I have been busy over the last few weeks. I have been working with multiple student groups on a variety of different projects, doing a variety of household projects, both inside and outside, and finishing going through my mother’s and father’s possessions. Over the weekend, I saw all kinds of traffic about the new video, Learning to Change. Knowing I had some down time on Tuesday morning, I set it aside. When I went back to view it, I found out that it had been taken down. I wonder why? I couldn’t find an explanation. I had […]

13 Days Project – Work Day One

 The Progess of the Group Today was the start of each of us started working on creating their 4-5 minute story about the day we selected or were assigned. The class spent the first part of the class trying to determine what standards were needed for consistency and how to organize the days, either chronologically, relative importance, or thematic group. The group seemed disinterested in some of these details, wanting to dig into their own project. I had other items to attend to so I did not find out what the final decision was. I know that I will find […]