back and shakin!

 

It's been a couple weeks since I returned from the IPad conference in Watsonville, CA.  It was mind-opening to me!  I went with some preconceived ideas about the role IPads would play in education.  Some were ... yes "were"...
     Laptops were the ticket in education.  Windows OS, productivity software, media savy, controls on content, software management, keyboards, locked machines.  Plus all the steps you have to go through to email, download, dropbox information from student to teacher or lesson to pupil. Security and lack of "control" over student tablets, managing all the devices through the Apple world.
Following my visit, most of these data points for me are not longer valid. Here's why...

• My world of usable apps were greatly expanded - more practical and ease of use was a huge for me. The exposure to applications for education was very engaging.
• Educational publishers will make more textbooks available to schools in the next few years.  
• Battery life is 4-5 times the length of a laptop.
• Access to technology and internet is a finger poke away!
• Apple TV application through a hdmi cable and projector or tv

However, with all this being said, the ability to flip the classroom and engage students in the learning process is dynamic!  So what have I done since...
We had just purchased 25 Ipads to use in K-1 classrooms so that teachers could use them in with a "center" approach to daily instruction. We were already moving down the path for using it as a digital learning device for math and reading.  Those tablets are loaded and ready for deployment.  I even purchased a MacBook to help with specific configuration of the tablets. 
I bought an Apple TV sensor and tried it out on a tv on campus.  Pretty cool... Considering how to best deploy this with a teacher and Ipad.
I realized we did not have the expertise between myself and current technology teacher to implement and manage these new tools, so asked our contemporary worship leader to help out with this.  He is an Apple disciple and has invested time and talent in learning how to make this work.  A talented parent who is part of a technology class needed a  project to work on and she is loading all the apps on the pads for us.  
I sit back and simply marvel.  I can't wait for kids to engage in the learning curve with tools that most already know how to operate.
Not sure what the future holds... still mulling, talking, sharing, thinking and collaborating about tomorrow.  Being a student is invigorating! :)

Viewpoint 2013

Welcome to 2013!

I was reflecting how life has changed in just the past 13 years.  If my memory serves me well, I think I was still "instant messaging" (IM-ing) with my son who was in college and thinking that was a very cool communication process.  Quite an upgrade from the "collect phone call" system in the college dorm that I occasionally used with my family back in the 1970's.   This afternoon my K-2 staff will "Facetime" live on an Ipad with first grade teachers in Ellisville, MO about a leveled reading program we will soon use. The funny thing is, that through practice process connecting the Ipad and Smartboard, the other teachers learned some new applications that they didn't know was available!   Isn't this an awesome application to a professional learning network.  The give and take of conversation and discovery makes adult learners model what directly  apply to their primary classrooms.
We are preparing to use Ipads in our K-1 classrooms and learning about the Apple volume purchase process and naming  Ipads.   What a kick - we've already made some major mistakes that need some tech help from Apple.  This week we hosted a Kindergarten information night in which a couple teachers shared that they were excited about using Ipads with their students.  I had an email today from a parent asking if they could buy a couple more for us.  The learning excitement is infectious whether you are a student, teacher or a parent.
Tomorrow, I am heading out to a two-day Ipad conference in which I''ll have the chance to learn how another school uses Ipads as a 1-1 learning tool with all their students.  This is sop in some places, but before SJLS ventures too far, I am engaging myself in the learning curve. 
My take-away... I'm learning something new every day!  More than I've been accountable to in my new role without a true tech coordinator.  For the time being, I've got to pioneer these new initiatives and work around our system to make things work. I've got a great staff that is being open to these new ideas.  I continue to tell them how thankful I am that they tolerate me :).  I'm also so proud of the team of teachers I left behind at SJLS, Ellisville.  They are helping shape a school a thousand miles away!  Who would have thought that the key to effective instruction lies with teachers being willing to be students and learn!

Christmas Conspiracy 2012

The countdown has begun for Christmas - 21 days to go.
My grown up kids have asked through my wife, "what do I want for Christmas?"  What does my list look like?  I guess when you get my age, you probably have collected all the "stuff" you really need...  screwdrivers, drills, saws, hammers, a tv, music access, phone, computer... and in the clothes department I'm kind of a minimalist.  This past year in moving to CA, I bought more short sleeve shirts than I have in years.  In about three weeks, I'll be sitting in Florida with my four kids and with my grandaughter as we celebrate her first Christmas!  Wowsers! What more could I possibly need besides that!  Family!
The folks behind "Advent Conspiracy" have it and I wholeheartedly support the premise of turning Christmas upside down! 
I loved the thought substituting compassion for consumption. The thing is, I think its catching on!  Thankfully so.  More acts of "random kindness" are popping up all over Christendom!   I love the four values of AC - Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love all!   How impactful are those phrases!  I encourage you all to reflect on what is important in your lives and your true values and put energy into those during these four weeks of preparation.  I wish I could gather all those "happy few" folks and celebrate Christ's birth with worship, good conversation, good food and make some great memories.  Until that reunion in heaven, I'll have to make all that happen with my family. Check out the website  www.adventconspiracy.org.  Take a piece to make your Christmas one to remember.  I promise I will.

Of Pilgrims and Indians and Turkey

Thanksgiving 2012!  A lot has happened in the past year!  Just one year ago our family gathered to celebrate the holiday in Phoenix, totally oblivious to what November 2012 would look like.  It has been quite a remarkable journey to date.  A week ago we were again in Phoenix squeezing in a long weekend with Abby and family.  The highlight, besides Abby,  was spending Saturday evening with the Schmidt family along with a great dinner. Tim, Jeanette, Walt, Lois and David are dear friends born out of a challenging 5 years in Phoenix. We ate, drank, smoked a cigar and rekindled memories of precious moments of our past.  It was a (pre)Thanksgiving to remember!
         This year Rhonda and I will travel just a few hours south to San Diego to spend some turkey time with Karen and Fred Friedrichs. They are good friends from our 8 years at St. Paul's. We look forward to catching up, talking about Yosemite and enjoying some fine wine. Two important groups of people were born during our time at Martin Luther School and St. Paul's.   I include these folks in my "Happy Few."  Those"few" friends who contributed to our life story and we became richer for them. They both carry the respect and love of my own adult children.
          Amid all the change and new adventures that have filled our lives since July, I am most thankful for the family and friends God has richly blessed me with. You know how good it is when you can't get enough of each other or already begin planning the next time you will re-connect.  Then you add some component of food into the equation the memory just tastes and smells that much better. :) Maybe that's why the first Thanksgiving included a feast.  Pilgrims and Indians gathered to celebrate just "making it"  work together.  They had pulled together to produce an abundant harvest.  They had  been pushed them the brink of extinction when a special relationship was borne to create a mutual respect and appreciation for one another. Despite great differences.  I wonder how long it lasted?  My "Happy Few" include "quite a few," and it was  created by the presence of Jesus Christ.  I pray that as my kids grow into adulthood, they are able to develop the kind of relationships that will make their lives as rich as mine!  Blessed Thankgiving!

Adios Cards, the Future looks Bright!

What a difference a year makes, or should I say, it almost made! I still remember the heroics of David Freeze cranking key hits and Chris Carpenter pitching  key wins to crown the Cardinals as World Champions in 2011!  There were lots of similarities between the STL Cardinals of 2011 and the team of 2012.  The biggest difference is the outcome. :(  The SF Giants pulled out a huge comeback over the Cards from a 3-1 deficit to win the last three games and move onto the World Series.  They look more like last year's Cardinals than this year's team.  The shame of their lousy losses are now gobbled up in the drama of the Tigers and Giants.
Now they look to next year.  Young arms and young talent were called upon to fill injured spots in this year's club.  Optimistic talk has already crafted the expectation for this team to keep playing into next November. There will be new faces as once again the old and fragile, the "too expensive to keep" will be replaced with hopefuls for the future. 
So it is with life's ebbs and flows.  The tears and sadness are healed through the hope that tomorrow will be better.  We get too caught up with the emotion of the moment to clearly see that there may be a better outcome than we could ever imagine.  I must be self-aware enough to catch my reaction that could easily add more tension to a situation than may already exist.
Our  October core virtue was "Self-Control" and we honored those students who reflected it in our assembly today.   Proverbs 25:28 states, "A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls."  We are defenseless to deal with life's challenges without tapping in this critical "Fruit of the Spirit"( Galatians 5:22).  I pray to be able to compete in the game in life, exercising self-control in all things.

By the way... in defense of this team... what other professional team at any level could...

• loose the best player in baseball (Albert Pujols) - arguably
• have their hall of fame coaches Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan retire
• play under a rookie manager with no major league coaching experience
• Loose their ace pitcher for 95% of the season ( Chris Carpenter)
• Loose their key defensive player in the infield to injury half way through the season (Furcal)
• Not have the services of the key player who kept the clubhouse together (Lance Berkman)
•  and be one game away from returning to the World Series!

Changing My World :)

I'm thinking alot about change lately... why it happens, how it takes place, what makes it stick.  I have almost reached day 50 with my new staff.  When to push and when to hold back is the tension that drives me. My good friend Lois told me to write  down a few of the things that have occupied my mind since my arrival. So when I make it through year 1, I can look back and see where we've come from.

• Installed two Smartboards in the lab and Jr. High classroom.  three more are expected sometime this month.  Learning how to use two "Ebeam" units that were donated this past week.
• Ordered laptops for all teachers to upgrade operating systems, wireless and portability in their planning.
• Re-tooled technology teacher emphasis to begin to work with teachers to assist them in using the labtime for curriculum integration.
• Purchased and ready to roll out Accelerated Reader into our library and instructional program. Just completed web-based fire-up of the system
• Scheduled our STP conference online to make online sign-ups take place
• Began weekly "School News" to take school information out of teacher newletters and  provide a place for "School Scoops,"  "Thank-you's" and important info.
• Began a conversation with K-2 teachers on their joys and challenges with their language arts curriculum.  Scheduled a web connection regarding A to Z Readers with Erin Winter later this month.
• Introduced the staff to Six-trait writing process.  More conversation will take place in Dec.
• SJB are in their review cycle for the WASC-NLSA Accreditation process this year.  Focus groups have begun and 
• Re-tooled the Superintendent's Advisory Committee to have roles to support our mission and vision.  They are actively engaged in our accreditation process.
• Visited three local schools in our area to get a feel for what public and private educational programs look like in our community. 
• Hired and give direction to new "male" Director of our Children Center for 200 infant to four-year olds.  It has been a challenge in making a smooth transition from the director who has established the center 30 years ago.
• Getting a handle on the 418 students who I greet each morning and afternoon out on the sidewalk.  Most have names that I can't begin to pronounce. :)
• Learning my role as Superintendent of Schools - boundries and structure within this administrative structure.
• Working with several teachers on establishing a classroom blog
• Learning what it means to be a "Director of Operations" in the ministry.

For the most part, the staff recognizes the need to bring innovation into our program along with the "why."    I thank them for putting up with me and then plow through our next challenge. To be honest, I'm not sure who will stay the course and want to find their seat on the " let's get better bus."
Last week, I spent some time with Joel K, the former ed exec in this district.  He definately thinks outside the box in many areas.  I agreed on his point that most of our Lutheran schools put a higher priority of ministry over learning. Figuring out that balance will keep some in the business while others shut their doors and relegate their classrooms to a weekend experience.  I pray for guidance and wisdom in guiding this precious gift and those who receive it with thanksgiving - both the big and the little people!

Unrecognizable Grace

Last night, Rhonda and I arrived home in Bakersfield after she spent the past three weeks helping Sarah with baby Abigail in Phoenix.  We began planning our return just a few miles down the interstate.   Sunday morning Abby was welcomed into God's family by her Papa Walquist as he baptized her in the name of the Truine God.  Those same words have been used for thousands of years, unleashed through the power of God's Word and His Spirit into her life.  It is an amazing testimony to God's activity when we are in so passive.
Abigail is completely dependent on her earthly parents to provide every possible need she has. Left on her own, she would soon wither from dehydration and lack of nutrition.  We won't even mention dealing with the dirty diapers that she does not enjoy.  It makes me ill just imagining such an outcome after spending a few days with this precious newborn.  So it is when we try and move outside the boundries of  recognition and dependence upon God''s constant grace and blessing.  His provision goes beyond what we can responsibly manage or appreciate.  It seems ridiculous to think of involving the Creator of the Universe in the thousands of thoughts and choices we encounter each day.  Yet, our dependence on Him is like Abby's.  God's involvement and investment in our lives is complete. He  "SOLD OUT' His only Son to insure a relationship that remains even when we are oblivious to His presence.  How awesome is that!