You know the saying…. “Someday I’ll get around to documenting and collecting all the ideas and resources we’ve created at our school.” Well, for Colleen (PCHS Technology Coordinator) and I, this was the week that we finally got around to it.
For the past several days, we’ve spent most of our waking hours organizing, collecting, uploading, and designing a website that gathers all the pieces and parts of our 1:1 program into one comprehensive location. Our goal was not only to make it easy for us to document and find our 1:1 program components, but also to be able to share them with other schools so that we can learn from one another.
The site, located here, is divided into 3 sections:
- Considering a 1:1 (How did we go about preparing our school for a 1:1 rollout?)
- Conducting a 1:1 (How do we support the ongoing needs of students and staff?)
- Continuing a 1:1 (What are future plans and how will we adapt and reflect on our progress?).
It’s by no means a complete list, but we hope it will be of use to others who are just beginning the 1:1 journey.
What I’m hoping too, is that you’ll find a way to get around to doing the same – sharing what you, your students, or your fellow teachers have created. Dean Shareski spoke about the power of sharing on his blog a while back, and that post along with a conversation we had afterward have both stuck with me since. The best kind of leadership and excellence come not from holding on to what you have, but from sharing what you know.
What will you get around to sharing today?
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March 24th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Already tagged the site. Thanks.
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March 25th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
That’s a good idea. I’ll look into how we might do portions of that.
I really like the PR focus in continuing. I think we failed there for a variety of reasons and it’s likely to cost us in the end.
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April 1st, 2009 at 12:15 am
I absolutely agree with your approach: publish your knowledge, share it with others. Knowledge really only becomes our own once it is shared. But the truth of the saying “cast your bread on the waters, and after many days it will return to you” is also true. By publishing your work, you invite those who have experience in what you are trying to do, to add their comments and their wisdom.
The minister of education in South Africa decided to give a laptop to every teacher in the country; most of them never touched a computer before. I am in the process of preparing a publication called “Laptops for teachers – 101 questions and answers”. The purpose is to provide teachers with answers to lurking and worrying questions and to allay their fears, apprehensions and concerns. I’ve done a lot of research and now post one of the “chapters” on my blog every day. The beauty is that I am getting such valuable feedback from different people who have walked the laptop road before, hence enriching my posts. In the end, the publication will be a collaborative effort. You may want to have a look at a catalogue of the questions posted so far, together with the answers: http://www.e4africa.co.za/?page_id=241
I wish you well with your installation. We are busy with similar initiatives in some of our schools … the 1:1 idea is wonderful and the technology is ready for it. One must only come to grips with the logistical issues!
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