Tuesday, September 4, 2012

First Day of School!!!

What a fantastic way to start the year! The day began with me frantically trying to finish up last minute tasks in the classroom, making sure everything was just right. Then, the entire high school faced the daunting task of kicking off the 1 to 1 computer initiative! In my homeroom of freshman, we had our fair share of headaches and technical problems. Despite this, everyone got logged in and we began the process of getting familiar with the new technology. During this period we had an awesome surprise visit by Mr. Braun the new superintendent. He stopped in and experienced the technology chaos firsthand! Meanwhile, the newly formed Geek Squad tech support and Mrs. Anderson were dashing around from classroom to classroom helping alleviate as many headaches as they were able.

The rest of the day was spent going through the tedious first day expectations and syllabi but also getting our hands dirty with the new technology and resources available at our fingertips. In economics and psychology, we spent most of the class period making sure everyone had the necessary websites bookmarked and Chrome extensions installed to ensure success this semester. Again, headaches were rampant, but together, we triumphed.

I think it's sooooo very important to continue to work together as we figure out this new technology integration. I said something like what follows to my sixth hour economics class: "If you don't know what to do, don't be afraid to ask for help. If you know what to do, help those who don't. If you are unsure and don't think you should ask, there are probably ten other people who have the same question you do. So speak up. But if you are the only one who doesn't know, that means there are twenty-three other people who are ready and willing to help you figure it out." If every student and teacher in every class approached learning this way, think of the awesomeness we could achieve together!!!!