Summer Break?
When I was a classroom teacher I looked forward to summer break. I was able to close out one school year, leave myself a ton of reminders for the start of the next and was ready to turn my mind and body to other pursuits. I could come back fresh, excited and eager to dive right in. I am now a instructional technology specialist and though my school year officially ends and I will soon be on summer break my work does not. Summer is when all the changes occur.
This year the are some really large changes with Apple (managed IDs and Apple School Manager). Technology based tools and services are never static and it takes time to plan and implement the changes that are never ending. This is the time of year I feel nostalgia for the ‘good old days’ back in the classroom packing up my year and having some closure.
3 thoughts on “Summer Break?”
Hi!
I have enjoyed reading and following your blog. I have not been the best at commenting, but I am working on remedying that. I was wondering how you are able to test to see if the changes that you will implement over the summer will be effective in the classroom. Do you have a focus group or is it more of a test drive to see what works and the first few months of the school year will determine what works and what does not. This is all very interesting to me and I hope that you get out to the beach and away from the computer screen.
Best,
Nilka
Hi Nilka,
I spend a lot of time reflecting on what has been working and what has not in the various classrooms through out the district. During the school year I start to think about what changes or directions need or should take place, then I look at the changes that occur beyond my control (new or lost web services, new devices, etc) an try to reconcile the two. The summer gives my time to plan how to guide and instruct staff to implement what changes are coming. I am part of a team so we share observations and bounce things off one another all the time. I also spend a lot of time talking to teachers and students. They are after all the reason we are here and they will be hindered or helped by any tech changes. I don’t really know if things work till they are implemented and during the school year we tweak as we go.
Hi Beth,
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your dedication to the students of the school. I am sure the students, their parents, and other educators can appreciate your dedication too.