Takin’ Care of Business….
The conversations over the summer were about all the great Web 2.0 tools and ways they can be integrated into our programs. Many great ideas were shared among teachers and in blogs and wikis. And we are all excited to jump right into these projects.
But…. before we can use Google Earth, Google maps, wikis, blogs, photo shop, movie maker, etc.,we need to take care of some necessary business.
So our school year starts with getting the new teachers accounts set up and familiarizing them with our Acceptable Use Guidelines and tools and resources.
This is Kevin and Ryan, two of our network administrators, important memebers of our Informastion Services team, ready to troubleshoot any new teacher account that isn’t working properly.
Here are a few of the 100+ new teachers. Google Earth, wikis and blogs all made perfect sense to them. Maybe because most of them are Millenials?
Here’s a link to the wiki I used with the New Teacher Institute this year: eisdtechtools
Then we help teachers get their network passwords reset; their Skyward accounts up and running so they can get class lists and addresses; help them set up computers and doc cameras,
and untangle cords; help with connectivity in their rooms-hubs, network cables, etc.; help them get their lab times on the calendars; help them with spreadsheets for class lists and mail merges, labels, and Publisher for introductory notes being mailed to each student; oh, at some point unpack and straighten out the labs and try to get a bulletin board or two up.
We get student accounts set up, so all the kids can actually access these tools for future exciting projects.
We train parent volunteers for primary lab help. We work with classes to help the students get their passwords set up. We get everybody’s Airliners to them and make sure they are talking through bluetooth to their projection computers. We have new laptops that need to be inventoried and passed out to classes. We make sure the latest versioins of Inspiration, Kidspiration, Kid Pix 4, and Google Earth is on all the lab machines.
Then, finally, we will take a deep breath and let the fun begin. I am looking forward to collaborating on exciting integrated activities with each team.
I hope to be able to include these projects in future blogs.
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