Getting Started

You have to start somewhere.  I have been thinking about this for a while now, but it took a little encouragement this week from @ED_SHIFT's Justin Vail to start actually writing.  He and Joey Till worked with our faculty this week, training on Google Apps for Education in preparation for our school's 1:1 Chromebook initiative this fall. It was a fast-paced day and our staff was energized by envisioning how these tools will help transform our school.  I am excited about what the future holds for our school, and I know that we would not be able to consider this great leap without all of the help we have received from others.

For me personally, I know that I would not have felt comfortable facilitating this change for our school without a huge change in my professional learning   Two years ago, when one of my best friends, Bryan Rausch @brausch1991 told me that I needed to get on Twitter.  He told me to start by following @ToddWhitaker. I  had previously read two of his books and had heard him speak at multiple conferences, so it was an easy decision.  I knew Todd Whitaker was great, so it seemed to reason that people he followed or people that followed him were probably great too.  From there, following great educators like @CurtRees, @ideaguy42,  @Mr_Brett_Clark, @posickjm @kylepace and so many others, reading their blogs, following links and reading articles, my eyes were opened to conversations that I didn't know were taking place.  For the better part of two years I have lurked, read, digested and explored. I am continually amazed by the variety of topics and depth of knowledge so routinely shared.

From these conversations we started to explore the use of Chromebooks.  A one hour phone call with @Mr_Brett_Clark fast-tracked our decision making process.  As excited as I am about the flexibility and power of such an affordable device, I am much more excited about how the changes that it enables.  We envision a greater focus on student creation, improved ability to differentiate, access to more resources, and the shift from technology use as an "event" to seamless integration. I know there will be bumps and hurdles, policy revisions and tweaks, but the outcomes will far outweigh any obstacles.

So here is a start.  Thanks to everyone on twitter who has unknowingly influnced me. I hope the things I choose to share can help others the way that so many have already helped us.