Glob = Globe

Grrr… I hate typos. I mean I really hate them. It makes a person seem ignorant. Like they can’t spell. When in fact that may not even be close to the case.

Case in point. I have been working all day on this week’s workshops for the Maroa-Forsyth School District. Mom and I are headed over to Maroa High School for a 3 day training this week. We were there last year and had a great time with the staff members that gave up part of their summer break to attend our beginner SMARTBoard sessions. Well I decided, at the last minute, that I wanted to change some of the presentation as well as create a more detailed handout.

So…out came the external hard drive as well as the Turning Point to do some screen captures. I wanted to include these updated screen captures to the handout to make things as clear as possible.

(I hate it when I attend a session and things seem crystal clear only to return to a handout a month later and have absolutely NO IDEA what it means. Consequently, I try to avoid that for the participants in our workshops!)

So after getting all of the handouts finalized, creating viewable on screen PDF forms of them all, and creating the printed packets….you guessed it. I found a typo. Click on the glob icon should have been click on the GLOBE icon.

So now the dilemma. Do I point out my typo and plead with my workshop participants to believe it when I say I am not a complete idiot? Or do I kill a tree and throw out the old handouts on account of one silly little e?

Grrr… Have I mentioned that I hate typos?

Our Newest SMARTBoard Trainer

by recesstec reflections SMARTBoard tips workshops

We would like to welcome the newest SMARTBoard trainer as a member of the Recess TEC Inc. team of employees. Pretty cute huh? I love the tattoos and the ripped stomach muscles.

Mom and I have been in Camp Point, IL for the past two days to provide SMARTBoard training to teachers. We love working with the folks at Central High School…but WOW is it a LOOOONNNNG drive. At the end of the day today, Mom held up this drawing that was in the corner of the room. I have absolutely no idea why it was drawn…I am sure that it had a purpose in someone’s class this spring. Boy would I like to know the details. I will probably ask the next group of teachers we train when we head back to Camp Point for our next round of sessions in July.

In the meantime, Mom and I enjoyed our overnight stay in Quincy and were able to find some pretty cute places to eat. Dinner… and breakfast (we sat at the table right next to the Christmas tree in that image…obviously the tree was not there today).

These are the pictures that Mom took of the two places.
Tiramasu and The Park Bench

We have been noticing some different updates in Notebook software since our last round of training this past spring. We love it when that happens. It is like unwrapping a little surprise gift in the middle of a workshop. One is that the shape pen no longer snaps into a shape perpendicular to the toolbar. If you draw it at a slant, it will snap into place in the exact angle that you drew it. This is a perfect update for one of my examples in the workshop. Another update we noticed is the Image Group Generator. One of our favorite tools has been the Group Generator all year. Now we see there is one that can be used with images rather than words! YIPPEE! Did I mention we love new SMARTBoard “stuff”?

Ok…off to Thomasboro for the next two days…busy, busy! Just the way we like it!

The Mailbox

by recesstec Book Reviews reflections

AR Level – 5.0
Points – 6
Interest Level – Middle to Upper Grades

“Vacation” allows me a little more time to sit on our porch and read. I did just that this weekend and was able to complete my first “student” novel of the summer. It was “The Mailbox” by Audrey Shafer. A first novel by Shafer but I am sure not her last. The genre is hard to pinpoint, something between a mystery and gripping drama. The main character is a middle school aged boy named Gabe. He has had a difficult childhood being shuffled from foster home to foster home until he is placed with his gruff elderly Vietnam veteran uncle. The two have what seems an unconnected relationship until Gabe comes home from school one day to find his uncle dead. Afraid he will be placed back into foster care and unsure of what to do, Gabe decides to do nothing. The next day as Gabe is coming home from school he discovers a note in the mailbox that reads “I have a secret, don’t be afraid.” He is afraid (who wouldn’t be…right?). He walks in to his house to find that his uncle’s body is missing, and whoever took the body also took his gun collection. What happens next is only described as touching. A deeper relationship that rarely surfaced while Gabe’s uncle was living is discovered; unconditional love for a new “family member”, a large black dog named Guppy, flourishes; and Gabe’s rocky living arrangements finally appear to have a smooth ending.

I will not be choosing this for my book club this year, but not because I didn’t like it. I think it is a little too deep for 4th graders. And while I was able to connect to the story on many levels, I am not sure most 9 year olds would be able to do the same. My connections stem from the fact that the teachers are VERY involved throughout this story and I find myself empathizing with the school staff regarding this quiet troubled boy during the school scenes (most teachers have been there, done that regarding kids who sneak their way into your heart with little you can do to help them in their personal lives). Gabe’s relationship with Guppy is warm and fuzzy and heart wrenching all rolled in to one. While most kids can relate to the pet connection, I was easily sucked in since I am in love with a certain dog named Buddy. And finally, I was also able to connect to the military portions of the story through Mom’s Army Brat child rearing.

Reflecting on this past school year, I think the reason I really enjoyed “Shooting the Moon” last summer was because it reminded me of the stories my mom told me about growing up as the daughter of an Army Officer. I also loved the photography connection throughout the story. As I read it aloud to my class this year, I could feel the disconnect from my students. That is something that I have always been able to easily detect when I read aloud to the kiddos in class. I think “The Mailbox” would have the same impact (or lack thereof).

I do, however, recommend this book for middle school literature circles. The right group of mature kids would enjoy this book immensely.

Summer… At Last

by recesstec reflections SMARTBoard workshops

Memorial Day has come and gone and we have officially begun our summer series of workshops. Mom and I have already been pretty busy logging almost 1000 miles this week. I am looking forward to posting our experiences throughout the next three months and learning so much from other teachers in other districts. The funny thing about providing professional development is that if you allow yourself the opportunity to observe what is happening around you, there is a great chance the PD will be reciprocal for the presenter. I love it!

We have had the chance to travel to Olympia for a morning of “playing” on interactive whiteboards for a consultation. I definitely learned a ton that morning. I learned that an interactive whiteboard is an interactive whiteboard. 6 of one…1/2 dozen of the other. BUT…I also learned that the tool means nothing unless it is used efficiently and effectively in the classroom. Mom and I pride ourselves in making sure we do just that with all of the technology we incorporate in the classroom as well in our workshops. We decided that implementing a “best practices” session for any interactive whiteboard would be a great service we could provide teachers. But we also learned that if we didn’t feel like we could provide teachers with training that WE would be happy sitting through, then we would NOT take the consulting job.

Wednesday gave us an incredible opportunity to present to Chicago area administrators in an IASA Administrator’s Academy with Dr. Rich Voltz. Dr. Voltz contacted us and asked if we would co-present with him on the topic of Web 2.0. We were delighted to do just that. After all, we feel like the best avenue for change begins with administrators. It was a good day with a good mixture of discussion, hands-on application, and demonstration. Dr. Voltz shares our passion for technology integration and does a great job of sharing his experiences as an administrator with his fellow administrators. He also sees the value in asking other educators for assistance in providing their experiences during his workshops to create a well-rounded presentation. We were indeed lucky to be his assistants on Wednesday.

Thursday we headed to Palatine CCSD 15 to give SMARTBoard training to a fantastic group of elementary and middle school teachers.

They were fun, engaged, and super enthusiastic about the possibilities of implementing SMARTBoards within their classrooms. We were thrilled with the amount of questions and discussion that took place during the demonstration portion of the workshop. These teachers are definitely going to be changing the way they teach next year. I could feel the mind-shift happening all around me. In a word…exciting!

We are looking forward to heading back to Camp Point Central on Monday and Tuesday to work with new teachers as well as follow up with some advanced SMARTBoard training for teachers we trained this past school year.

We will keep you posted!

~Shannon

The 365 Project

by recesstec Photography reflections

Shannon: “Mom, you need to write something, too, like a blurb.”

Nancy: “You mean I can’t just post a picture? I have to write something, too?”

Nancy (Thinking): This is going to be a lot of work. Seriously, a lot of work.”

And so it began the last day of December after we had made the decision to participate in The 365 Project.
Within our Twitter network, we had both seen links to posts all through 2009.
Now as the year was drawing to a close, I saw the sense of accomplishment as participants were planning their last shot.
With each of our full-time teaching jobs, paired with our workshops and presentations, neither of us wanted to commit to yet another thing.
Together, we decided, we could do this, and have fun along the way.

What is it?

Basically it is a commitment to take a picture every day for one year.

Why?

The reasons are limitless:

To reflect.
To learn…
about photography,
about art,
about yourself.
To grow.
To see things in a new light.
To be more aware of your surroundings.

And now this “writing thing”.

Fortunately I had just received a new camera,
and after several years of taking digital images using a Sony Mavika that was inherited through a grant project eight years ago,
I was a pro at the “auto shot”. Well, maybe not a “Pro”, but I was “good enough”.
Now with my new Canon, I had befriended the “green box” on the dial, and I was, again, good to go.

Shannon and I began shooting, posting, and, oh yes, “blurbing” about each picture.

Then our first comment: “I love the pinecone shot!!! Just beautiful!!”
That certainly was motivation enough to continue to Day 2.

And so we did continue.

Until…

I received an email question:
“Do you remember your aperture setting on that sky photo?
Did you use aperture priority or F-stop priority?”

Huh?

Now comes the part about “learning”.

Friends, Google, Twitter PLN, and my camera manual to the rescue.
And lessons learned from others’ 2009 365-Project Reflections:
Always, always take your camera.
Take lots of shots of your subject. I mean LOTS.
Move off of the green box and experiment with your settings.
Look at the properties of your pictures
and compare to remember what is used with the pictures that make you happy.
Buy and use a tripod.

Now I am learning about things like:
macro lenses
depth of field
aperture
f-stops
shutter speeds
and white balance and ISO…

And all those numbers. I have never retained numbers. I am a visual learner, and this is my biggest challenge.

So I am learning them in tiny, baby steps.
But the best part is I am seeing again.
When I was in college one of my areas of concentration was art.
I was forever noticing things that I could include in a portfolio and that mind-shift is beginning to return.
Yesterday on my way to meet Shannon, I saw a hawk on the side of the road hovering over a new capture.
Traffic was too busy to afford me a chance to stop, but it was soon after when I saw a pair of wood ducks in a huge puddle of water on the other side of the road.
Again I could not stop, but nevertheless, I was so excited at the chance to see them, and in fact, to BE SEEING them!

We’ll soon be at our one-third mark as March seems to fly by, and I am excited that Shannon and I will have a recorded “journal” of this year.
Each of the photos included with this post are linked to their original postings.
If you would like to see more of our “journal”, we invite you to visit:

“Recess Moments”

Wolfram Alpha Interview

by recesstec Wolfram Alpha

We had a wonderful opportunity to be a part of Wolfram-Alpha’s first ever “Homework Day” back in October. During the weeks prior to that event, the Wolfram Alpha team visited my classroom as well as a presentation that we gave to area educators and administrators. This is the interview they did with us.

Finding the Sun

by recesstec reflections SMARTBoard workshops

It was pointed out to me by a friend that MSN reported January 18th as the bleakest day of the year 2010.

We were fortunate then.

Several times that day Shannon and I looked out the window to view the gray and foggy skies and commented that we were happy to be conducting a workshop, and that the fact that it was such a dreary day provided no regrets that we were working on a day off from school. Wonderful Teachers

In fact, we hardly felt like we were working.

First, It was a long trip since Shannon lives as far east from the center of the state as Camp Point is west.

It was also a relaxing trip and a “first” for Recess TEC in that we had to find a “room at the inn” due to the distance.

But most important, we had the good fortune to meet new friends at Camp Point School District.
The teachers there were, well….
“Enthusiastic” doesn’t even describe it.
They gave up their holiday to rise early, without pay, and join us for a day-long session in SMARTBoard training.
The morning was spent showing ways the board can be used in classrooms, and despite the fact that several had had their boards for a couple of years, they were never distracted and they were very focused on the new things they were seeing. They were open to sharing, helping, and making suggestions to encourage each other.

Bleak day? Can’t say that it was for us…

On the Road Again…

by recesstec workshops

Everyone needs a little time off from work. It gives us a chance to relax and recharge. But now that we are recharged and refocused it is time to get back to work. Tonight Mom and I will be back on the road again. We are heading as far west in IL as one can travel and it happens to be our first workshop in that part of the state. Needless to say, we are excited about branching out. It is also the first time that we have had to stay over night the day before a workshop. I am looking forward to the opportunity to spend productive work time with Mom. Typically we work remotely over IM, Google Docs and other forms of technology to get “stuff” done. I just hope we can stay focused long enough to get things accomplished. And for those of you who know us…you know how difficult that can be!

I am sure there will be an update after tomorrow’s training session in Camp Point, IL. Stay tuned…

Looking Back… Looking Forward…

by recesstec reflections workshops

With but a few hours and minutes left in this year, It is a perfect time for me, (no… us) to look back over the year as well as look ahead. I mentioned to a friend this morning that I wish I could see in the future. I know better than that. Life has taught me that it is best to take it one day at a time, and better yet, moment by moment. Wasn’t it just yesterday when Shannon and I sat at the computer asking each other, “What do you think? Should we do this? Do you want to try?” We had no idea where this would take us and never imagined that we would be where we are today. Even as I form these words, I wonder what is still ahead of us. Every month we are asked over and over again when we are going to stop teaching and do this full time. And we wrestle with those choices. We love teaching. And we understand that, as teachers, we expect the people who train and teach us to understand and appreciate what our vocation requires. We don’t expect people who aren’t standing in our shoes to understand or relate. We understand that is one of the reasons we have been able to connect to our participants. We “get it”.

With that said, I finally committed to retirement. Waiting until the last week possible, I submitted my “Letter of Intent”. It is for the year 2013-2014, but nevertheless, a commitment. I had tried once before, but withdrew it minutes before the deadline. That was four years ago. What made me go through with it this time? What is different? I can honestly say that I have no less energy than I did the day I stepped inside my first classroom. My desire to learn and teach has increased exponentially, and I look forward to new projects and challenges. The same frustrations exist, just with different names and acronyms. This time, though, I have a future. Even though the path is dim and has no definitive direction, it is there. And it is exciting. We have had so many wonderful opportunities to teach and train, and at the same time, the enthusiasm and opportunities to learn from those we have met have made the last year more than memorable.

For now, Shannon and I teach our students, the children that have been loaned to us for a year. We still have this year with so much more they need to learn before we can allow them to step outside our classrooms. The future is filled with so much to learn and try, and the promises of exciting lessons keep us motivated to continue learning and trying. The future will work itself out.

And for now, this moment, I only need to say “Thank you” to my daughter for allowing me to share all of this with her and “Thank you” to all those who have been part of our workshops and presentations. We learn from you so much, as well. You and our children are what make our future so bright…

Sunrise ~ Sunset

by recesstec reflections SMARTBoard

From sunrise to sunset, Saturday rocked. The two images you see were taken from my window as I was driving to and from Fairfield with Mom to conduct an all day SMARTBoard training. Now don’t get me wrong, we didn’t hold these poor teachers captive from sunrise to sunset to show them how to use their SMARTBoards. However, Fairfield is about two hours from home, so rising before the sun and getting home after dark were part of the package at this time of year.

In a word, these teachers were FUN! They were smiling, laughing, and having an all around good time. And while Mom and I try to use this blog for things we have learned while on the road, I think what we learned today is not at all related to technology.

The positive energy that filled the school made Saturday one of our best trainings to date. Even when the participants showed signs of frustration or being overwhelmed by the implementation of their new technologies, they constantly encouraged and supported each other throughout the training. There was definitely a sense of team.

For teachers, giving up a Saturday to learn something new on a beautiful fall day is not always easy…but knowing it will benefit the students in classrooms makes it easier to bear. I think the biggest lesson from Saturday was that having a postive outlook can make a world of difference in how we learn…and teach!

Shannon is so right. We didn’t even really talk about it as it was happening, but both agreed that the day spent in Fairfield was nothing but fun. It was actually amazing that they would enjoy spending the day with us, especially at this time of year as we sense the “Countdown” beginning with the approach of “Black Friday”. For us, as well, this coming week will be filled with several presentations, a conference, Education Week and Midterm Progress Reports for our students. Add to this the fact that Saturday was forecasted as being a beautiful day with lots of sun, followed by a very gloomy Sunday. As you can see by the pictures, it was. It didn’t matter. It is easy to be excited about teaching when you are excited about learning. It just reinforces what Shannon and I both believe. It is important to surround ourselves with positive people and make the most of every moment. We did just that.

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