This week has been filled with great new adventures! I must say the staff at DR has been very welcoming and are open to venturing further down the road of technology. Of course, as is always the case with technology, there have been gliches with the start-up of our newly re-imaged system, but everyone has been quite patient! At the opening meeting I shared a PowerPoint using the fun Alien Video that was shared with us at Teacher Academy, as well as the wonderful PowerPoint created by Karl Fisch! There were lots of oohs and aahs as we thought about the impact technology is having on our changing world, and the challenges that lie ahead as we work hard to prepare our youth for their future! Just sent out the online needs assessment survey to all staff using Advanced Survey. I am anxious to see the results, and begin planning. I really feel the need to have a structured “to-do” list. Also am looking forward to attending a session on Gaggle.net. It will be a great opportunity for our kids to email and blog around all the current filtering! YEAH!

After reading many of the technology education blogs out there, the excitement is certainly swirling around schools moving into the new world of web 2.0. A world of blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other flat world collaborations! As a new school of technology, I know we will, at times, take baby steps to build up to this new world, but how exciting to think about what lies ahead for our teachers and students!

A commercial on TV recently put out by Dell has me thinking about the ways we can work together to help prepare our classrooms for the 21st century learners! As the computer moves down the assembly line, the customer’s voice is heard requesting various components or outcome desires. A voila! The computer is shipped just as it was ordered. Wouldn’t it be nice to send our CLASSROOMS down the assembly line to be outfitted with the tools we feel would best meet the learning needs of our students! It’s up to us!

And so the countdown begins in earnest. My mind is filled with new ideas and possibilities as I jump into the world of technology facilitation. After focusing mostly on kids’ learning for the past 14 years, I am a little anxious about how to best assist teachers as they implement new technologies into their classrooms. As the first day approaches, I have been reading blogs and other articles non-stop! Viewing tutorials and updating my own skills have consumed my days! I am so excited! Deep River will be quite a wonderful adventure!