We're Not in Kansas anymore Toto!!!!

Open your eyes, you're not dreaming.  The Whispers are now Reality, the Chromebooks are here!!!  Our first 100 have arrived and it's officially go time!!!  Michael Grant said it well, our thoughts and prayers go out to those in Newtown who are supposed to be enjoying the bright smiles tomorrow morning, but instead are still wondering why!!

Our group of Pilot Teachers (as well as the rest of the staff) are enjoying some well deserved time off.  Most think of the Holiday Breaks as Teachers sitting at home just enjoying some extra family time, but what really goes on behind the scenes is a little bit of enjoyment and a lot of preparing to get back to teaching with ambitions of making the next several months better than the first several months.

The Pilot teachers have completed Session 1 & Session 2 of their own training that they will eventually help turn-key to the masses.  Session 1, split into 6 sessions, focused on powerful lessons.  The Pilot group has spent countless hours learning, discussing, and role playing exactly what a powerful lesson looks like.  Simply said a Powerful Lesson in one with which no "Google-able" questions are asked.  Students will be challenged to use "HOTS" (Higher Order Thinking Skills) to investigate, learn, and master content with the infusion of technology (21st Century Learning).  Session 2, split into 3 sessions (1 remaining when we return to school), is focusing on Internet Safety & Digital Citizenship.  Here teachers are collaborating to best show our students what a digital footprint is and how to use technology in their education properly.

What is making this experience so amazing is the comradery amongst the teachers in the Pilot Group.  Their ability to share out their successes and needs more work experiences both from classroom trials as well as role playing within the group is proving to be the best Professional Development for all of us!!!

Teaching to a bunch of students is not that hard, teaching to a bunch of teachers playing students is very difficult.  However, the buzz in the room was electric.  After the role playing session, we reflected and the comments below summarize the day.

"It is absolutely humbling to see how many different ways the other teachers are using technology."

"I felt very supported presenting in front of everyone. I think the fact that we are all experiencing the pros/cons of technology together makes it a risk-free zone."

"As a teacher, I think that this is the best thing that has happened to us. I am not only talking about the technology, but also about the change in culture. This is really revolutionary."

"At first, I hated being the teacher. It was nerve-wrecking. I was intimated by the collective knowledge of the individuals in the room. But, everyone was supportive and kind."

Well I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas as I believe Santa is now over South America and heading our way.

Merry Christmas to all and happy New Year!!!!  :o))))




Jason Smith
Technology Coordinator
LMS School #4
Passaic, NJ

Heavy hearts, happy holidays from #Techpass.

No words can express the range of emotions that I have felt this past week.  First, I am truly heartbroken for the people in Newtown, Connecticut who have had to deal with such a horrible tragedy last Friday. With two young children of my own, I can't even imagine how the people in that town are coping with so many difficult losses.  I am heartbroken for them and their families, and I send my deepest condolences to all who have been effected by such a horrific incident. Yet, I am moved by the heroic teachers who protected many of their students from even further loss by cramming into bathrooms and telling their kids how much they are loved.  I am truly inspired by those stories of heroism in the wake of the horror.  Hug your kids and hug a teacher this holiday season!

Passaic Schools have continued working with heavy hearts this week.  This week the technology coordinators completed planning on Session 2 Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship while continuing on to planning for Session 3, Managing a 1:1 classroom:  Daily Procedures in a Virtual Environment.  The focus of this training is to prepare pilot teachers for what to do once the Chromebooks are in the student's hands.  On friday, our first shipment of 100 Samsung Chromebooks arrived.  We are all very excited to begin working with teachers and testing out the Chromebooks in the classroom. Below are some pictures from the delivery.

100 Samsung Chromebooks in stacks on the floor of the technology office.

Maritza Villanueva, Language Acquisition Department Chairperson next to her height in Chromebooks

Joanna Antoniou and Jason Smith inside the box that the Chromebooks came in.

Samsung 550 Chromebook on our #techpass blog.  :)












Wishing you all Happy Holidays!  Enjoy your break and see you all next year!

--Michael Grant
@PHSGrant

Since joining the team in November, I have a new found energy about education.  I have always loved teaching and will most certainly miss the full time classroom interaction, however, to know that I am now going to be a part of a team that will be affecting the whole school is even more exhilarating.  This past week was a great week at LMS.  We conducted our first digital Student Government election.  It was quite an experience.  In the process each student that was running for a spot on the SGA panel had to write their own speech that we eventually video taped and uploaded to the School Youtube account.  After all the videos were uploaded we created a presentation in Google Presentations for both the 7th and 8th candidates.

When both the presentations were completed, they were embedded into a website where we also created a google form for each grade level to use during voting.  It was very cool to see the votes compiling and tallying as the periods went along all day in school as if the votes were coming in from each state as their polls were closing.  In the end a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary were chosen.

I can't wait until next year when all the students will vote during Homeroom on their Google Chromebooks and the totals will be displayed real-time on our Epson Ultra-Throw Brightlink Projectors.  The upcoming days, months and years will be exciting and can't wait to chronicle them to help others live through our experiences.

Jason Smith

Technology Coordinator

Lincoln Middle School

@Shmidloc210  

Hello WORLD!!  I am excited to be contributing to my first blog post ever.  I am truly inspired by the people I have been working with the past few months and I thought, "What better way to express that excitement then by posting my first blog for everyone to read." I absolutely miss being in the classroom and the students whom I have been fortunate to work with over the past eight years, but I realize that there's something big happening in the upcoming years and I knew that I had to be a part of it.  With that, I want to first thank Mr. Joshua Koen for giving me the opportunity to meet and work with such great people.  Not just great colleagues, but outstanding PEOPLE.  Starting with Maritza (PHS) and Joanna (LMS) from the start this summer into this 2012-2013 school year.  You two have been the cornerstone of this movement, and I truly appreciate your intelligence, drive, commitment, advice, support, and all that you have done to get this humongous ball rolling.  Currently with the addition of Mary Howard (PHS), Jason Smith (LMS), and John Gojdycz (LMS) I feel that we have the right team to make this 1:1 a truly exceptional curricular movement.  I would also like to give a shout out to Blanca Duarte, who as our project manager, has been the glue that holds this whole ship together.  We would not be successful thus far without your guidance and support.  THANKS!

We have been working very hard from September thru now (December) preparing our pilot teachers to pilot the first sets of Chromebooks set to hit classrooms in February.  We are positive that we have selected the right group of individuals who will not only hit the ground running with Chromebooks in hand, but build capacity within our staff to prepare the rest of our teachers to use Chromebooks effectively within the curriculum.

As this is the first post, it covers a period from September till now.  We (the technology coordinators) plan to post information and a weekly reflection about the awesome things that we see happening in our schools.  I am excited.  Awesome things are happening and will continue to happen for years to come.  Check back in to see what's going on at PHS and LMS.

Michael Grant
Technology Coordinator
Passaic High School
@PHSGrant