Responses: Prepping teachers new to laptop schools

Yesterday I posted questions to my PLN via this blog, Twitter, Facebook, and the ISENet Listserv.  Here are the questions I asked and the responses.  There are many models that work for many schools.  Thanks to all who shared their ideas and experiences.  If you have more to share, please comment on this post.

When do new faculty receive computers, email accounts, website accounts, etc.

Are any of you sending new faculty to technology conferences, such as the Lausanne Laptop Institute in Memphis to prep for 1:1?

How much time is spent training teachers on how to access school resources (network and cloud) via computer?

How much prep time is given to new faculty to work on integration – work with integrationist, teaching team, etc.?

Are things such as classroom management with laptops, student expectations, etc., part of the discussion?

Is technology proficiency a job requirement?  If so, how is it assessed during the interview process?

Is ability to effectively integrate technology a job requirement?  If so, how is it assessed during the interview process?

Via Twitter:

Other suggestions:

It’s clear that teachers in laptop schools need a little more support; can you imagine what it’s like as a teacher starting at a new school where every kid brings a laptop to class and he/she (and parents/administrators/etc) expect it to be use effectively as a tool for teaching and learning?  If you haven’t been part of a school with a laptop program, this may be new to you, but for many of us, it’s part of daily life.

If money were no object and time was not an issue, I would:

What would your plan look like?

Preparing new faculty for teaching in a laptop school

As we start the new school year, I was hoping to do a quick survey (will blog results, hopefully later this week) about how schools with laptop programs prep new faculty.  I realize it’s too late to help most of us for this school year, but as many of us have a handful of new faculty starting in the next few weeks, it seemed a good idea to discuss while it’s fresh so we can plan accordingly for next summer.

Questions:

Thanks in advance for your feedback!  I tweeted an abbreviated version of this question a few minutes ago.  If you’d rather not post your reply in comment, just email me.

Laptop Institute 2010 – Putting names to faces

I’ve never been very good at names, and I know I’m not the only one.  My mom, a bartender for about 50 years now, said she rarely remembers names, but she always remembers what people drink.  At least I know where I get it from – I “know” so many other educators (via Twitter and other online networks), but it takes me a minute to recognize them face to face.  Many of them are like rock stars to me – people who do really unique, meaningful things in their jobs and provide tons of guidance to so many fellow educators asking little if anything in return.

The Lausanne Laptop Institute is giving me an opportunity to which I’ve really looked forward – I’m finally putting faces to names and avatars.  Last night I was fortunate to be invited to hang out with Vinnie Vrotny, Jeff Whipple, and two teachers from Jeff’s school.  This was after they’d introduced me to Shabbi Luthra, Connie White, and Elizabeth Helfant.  I started this morning in an iPad in education with Julene Reed.  She’s been involved with 1:1 programs since the early days and leads the iSummit from Lighthouse Schools, a 1:1 conference specifically for Apple schools.  In her session, I had the pleasure of sitting with three educators from the American School of Bombay, Mumbai, including Shabbi, their tech director.  ASB hosts ASB Unplugged and is known for its outstanding tablet program.  This evening, hanging out again with Vinnie and Jeff, I met David Warlick (talk about meeting a rock star – he’s the keynote speaker) and Lorrie Jackson.  Later, I had dinner with two teachers from Blake, here to prepare for the start of their new laptop program this fall.

The conference didn’t officially start until the dinner tonight, and it already feels like a whirlwind.  I hope I can keep up with the inspiring educators I’m meeting.  Tomorrow and Tuesday should be interesting days!  I know I’ll be learning a ton (as long as I can put off playing with that darn iPad!)

Lausanne Laptop Institute 2010 – ready to collaborate!

Tomorrow I leave for the Lausanne Laptop Institute in Memphis, Tennessee.  If you haven’t heard of it and you’re involved in (or hoping to start) a laptop program, it’s a must go.

From the website:

The Lausanne Laptop Institute (July 18-20, 2010) is an international think tank for schools using or considering laptops or tablets as tools for learning. Created and hosted by Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee, the Lausanne Laptop Institute offers over 90 breakout sessions – from hands-on events to lectures, discussions and networking. Conference sessions meet the needs of educators, technology integrationists, technology support personnel and administration. In 2009, over 450 attendees from 32 states and 14 countries attended, representing more than 100 schools and school districts. Over half those attending are K-12 teachers who collaborate with peers and learn tips for using laptops and tablets in their own classrooms.

I last went three years ago and have been itching to return each year since.  Why?

So, what do I bring to an edtech conference?  It’s really tempting to to overpack, but I’m cheap and don’t want to risk putting tech stuff in a suitcase.  My must-haves:

I could bring a lot more and am undecided about an external drive, but I don’t think it’s necessary.  I think I’ll be too busy to play, and if I’m not, I’ll be exploring Memphis, hopefully with folks in my PLN.

Nings and 1:1 – PLN evolution

I realize I’ve been neglecting Nings lately.  I’ve joined many over the years and kind of strayed a bit recently, especially when they were expected to go commercial.  As a result, I shifted much of my PLN time to Twitter.

I’ve taken some time recently to revisit them and noticed I’m not the only one who hasn’t been as active lately.  Now that Nings for education have a new sugardaddy, maybe it’s time to come back?

Here are a few I’ve found useful, either in the past or recently:

Which would you add?