Action Plan E Learning Course Session 6

1. What are your goals for integrating Google applications into your school or personal practice? (List at least 2.) 1) We will use Google's calendar for our Master Calendar. 2) We will use Google docs for updating all of our school's plans i.e.technology, emergency, school improvment, etc.
2. What steps will you need to take to implement your vision? Our media resource specialists will provide professional development on Google docs, calendar, and blog. Each staff member will be required to subscribe to the school's blog. Each staff member will set up an account to have access to Google's calendar. The School Leadership Team will use Google docs to review our emergency, school improvement, and technology plan. Each member of the team must respond using a different color to share comments and edits. The media specialists will schedule time with each staff member as needed. Other personnel will be invited to assist and act as lead teachers based on their knowledge level as identified by our staff survey.
3. What key unanswered questions do you have about using Google applications? During this session, we reviewed other Google applications that I was not familiar with nor have I used them yet. My biggest question is about Google Applications Education Edition. What is the cost? Should we implement it? Do we have the equipment that we need for school-wide implementation.
4. Among school staff, who will be able to help you implement your vision? The School Leadership Team will play a key role in implementing our vision. They each have a small group of constituents that they meet with regularly. We do not have a technology coordinator, but I will use both of our media specialists to help implement our vision as well. Other key members will be one of our custodians who is a computer guru and a former student that helps us with technology.

Personal Vision E Learning Session 6

1. What is your personal vision for how Google’s web-based tools can help improve collaboration and communication within your particular school community?  My vision is that SCS will use all the available resources to help make our jobs more effective and efficient.  I belive that Google's web-based tools can help make this vision a reality.  Improving communication between and among all stakeholders is a goal for most school communities. Implementation of some of these tools can be done with ease.  Beginning with a blog for all stakeholders as a tool for communication about reminders, updates, etc. will be a first step. Shared calendars with all faculty and staff will assist with planning and allow us to ensure that conflicts will be avoided. Using Google Docs to collaborate on documents that have to be updated annually will save much time and resources.  This can be done by all stake holders at their convenience. These three tools, blogs, calendar, and docs, will be the catalyst that will help us attain our vision for SCS and technology.
2. Which Google applications are you most likely to implement, and why? Blogs, calendar, and docs will be the first tools we implement school-wide because of the ease of implementation.
3. What lessons have you learned from reviewing how other administrators and schools are using Google Calendar, Docs, and Blogger?  While we will start using them mainly for communication, it is obvious from reading some of the other blogs that they can become a tool for professional development as well. Get started, but you don't have to do a daily blog which was great to learn.
4. How does your vision align with the “Visionary Leadership” standard as put forth in ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators? The key words in this standard are "inspire and lead'. We lead by example and our own use of the tools. We inspire some when they see us modeling and using the tools. We inspire others when they see us trying to be the "lead learner". Others are inspired because they are much better at technology and we use this expertise to showcase their leadership skills in technology.  Success breeds success. As we all become more successful in using these tools, we will all be inspired to lead others to a higher level of expertise.

Spring Break 2011

I hope everyone has had a great Spring Break! I read an amazing  book on Monday of this week and highly recommend it to everyone. The title is Heaven Is 4 Real by Todd Burpo. It is great!

When we return on Monday, March 21, it will be the first day of the final quarter of this school year. It is hard to believe that this year is almost over. Just a word of caution to all of our students, school is not over until we complete the fourth quarter! Completion is required for graduation and promotion.  Stay the course until the last final exam has been taken.

The National Honor Society will have their induction ceremony Monday evening at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria. It is truly an honor to meet the criteria of this organization. Congratulations to all of the 2011 inductees and their parents! We are very proud of you!  A special thank you to Mrs. Lollar for sponsoring this organization. We have been approved for an Elementary National Honor Society and will induct charter members at the conclusion of this school year.  We are also seeking a charter for Junior High National Honor Society. I will let you know when this has been approved.

Enjoy your last day of Spring Break and have a great weekend! Stay safe! See you Monday!

March 5, 2011

Just one week left before Spring Break! Where has this year gone? It seems like it was yesterday that we were having orientation for the new school year. Now, we are sending out commitment forms for the 2011-2012 school year and finalizing the calendar for next year. You really can't complete one year before you begin to make plans and preparations for the next year.  Please be reminded that commitment forms are due Friday, March 25 for current students. We will officially begin taking applications for new students April 1.

Please pray for the safety of our Washington D. C. travelers who will depart Thursday evening March 10 at 4:00 PM. Thanks to Ms. Ballard and Mr. Garmon for being our faculty chaperones for this trip.

On Friday of this week, we will host the sixth graders from Forestdale Baptist School. They will tour the campus, enjoy lunch with us, and spend time with our SGA officers learning about SCS. We want them to feel very welcome in hopes that they will choose to join the SCS famil for the 2011-2012 school year.

Have a great week! See you on Monday! Be safe! God Bless!