Living and Learning in Central Oregon

I have made the move to blogger.  My new address is…

http://skipoffenhauser.blogspot.com/

Thanks for finding me there.

Skip

12-15-2008

Today was an interesting in the Bend LaPine School District.  First there was the single digit temperatures.  It was very cold which resulted in the diesel fuel used in the buses becoming like gel.  With the buses grounded school had to be canceled for kids but not for the principal of the school (me).  I had to make sure everything at the school was a-ok.

During the day, while I was making sure everything was “a-ok”, I also monitored my Twitter account.  Since Twitter is blocked by our filter I was using PeopleBrowser to stay up to date.  I noticed my Bend followers were concerned about how the school district announced the school closure.  Believe me, the district was put in a bind.  It wasn’t until late in the morning that the bus issue arose and no matter what communicating the news to all the parents and students was going to be difficult. Radio, TV, web, robocalls – these mediums were all used. But what about using Twitter?   I realize not everyone uses or even has heard of Twitter but there is a small percentage of Bend residents who monitor their Twitter accounts regularly via their computer or phone.  It was recommended by one Twitter follower that the school district should have a Twitter account.  Kind of hard since Twitter is blocked by our filter.  It was only because I was on PeopleBrowser that I was able to monitor this conversation – and who knows how long that will be open.

So what does all of this have to do with Twitterland to the rescue?  Well the tweets kept going back and forth.  When the district announced a 2 hr delay for the next day I sent out a tweet with that news.   Bam! – several tweets came back with thanks for keeping them posted and updated.  Then, via Twitter, one follower @SarahCofer organized  a cupcake & hot chocolate brigade to surprise and thank the mechanics who were pulling some long, cold hours at the bus garage – Twitterland to the rescue!

The bus difficulties made the headlines of our small local TV news.  I understand this was a big story but I think almost equally newsworthy was the power of the Twitter network in spreading the news and organizing a treat for the mechanics.  Way to go Twitter!

A tradition in my school district is the annual college day in which all staff members are to wear the colors from their favorite college.  Ducks and Beavers were well represented at my school but there were SDSU Aztecs, UCSB Gauchos and other non-Oregon schools showing their colors too.  It was a great way to show off our colleges and to put the goal of attending college into everyone’s mind.

July 31st 2008 – Happy Birthday to me!

Today I turned 43. To celebrate my birthday I rode my bike down to the river, went for a run and then worked out at the gym – just my way of proving to myself that I am not old. There aren’t many things better than running along the Deschutes river. It is awesome and so is the city of Bend, Oregon. So here I am, 43, one year older and ready to take on a new position in a new district. For the past 5 years I have worked 14 miles north in Redmond. I
enjoyed my time in Redmond and take away some great memories and some
wonderful experiences. The teachers and administrators there are
wonderful people. But change happens and I am looking forward to
working in the district where I live, where my kids attend school, and where my wife teaches. As the principal of Buckingham Elementary I am in a position to help keep my school district strong and help make Bend one of the best places to live – my little contribution to society. I feel a little bit of pressure to perform but that’s because I care about what I do and want to my new school to be the best it can be.

Tomorrow is my first real day in the district – wish me luck. Stay tuned for updates on how my year is progressing.

Ciao!

I came across this on Edutopia.  As I move back to a school I am hoping to help my teachers realize the potential of a PLC and how we are all there to help each other.  Here are a few highlighted excerpts I cut using diigo: – it is not rocket science.

• Ask Ellen: TLC Through PLCs | Edutopia

  tags: no_tag

  • On the other hand, schools that are pushing through the discomfort that comes with sharing individual results and practice are experiencing important shifts in school culture and student outcomes that will endure.
  • In Oak Grove, California, every teacher and administrator analyzes and takes responsibility for instruction by deeply understanding the program and progress of "focal students" — three to five at-risk pupils — in a system designed to make the school-improvement process more concrete and specific.
  • Building a PLC at your own school is not rocket science. You don’t need expensive outside consultants or years of study. What it takes is having the understanding and vision that we are all professionals and learners, and that our job is to support and assist everyone in moving forward.

This a cool little program that allows users to create a timeline and display it in many different ways – regular timeline view, list view, flipbook or map. Here is a timeline I found for the show LOST.

http://nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net/

I came across this wiki awhile ago and thought this was a great idea for teachers to share their ideas, lessons and strategies for the world to see. I have been checking back now and again but have not seen a whole lot of activity. I am hoping that this site will get some advertisement in San Antonio and that teachers will start adding to it. Which brings me to my plea, in order for web 2.0 technologies to work we need to give and receive not just receive. Pay it forward and add to this wiki.

I  am listening to a web 2.0 webinar being hosted by Vicki Davis and she just said something really interesting.  She said that she would not have teachers use web 2.0 tools with their kids just to use web 2.0 tools.  What a great statement.  The same could be true for anything.  Would you use crayons just to make sure you are using crayons?  No.  You would use crayons when crayons are needed and when crayons help achieve a goal or objective.

I was recently asked by a principal to create a scope and sequence of tech lessons for our computer labs.  She asked me to do this because our classified lab assistants are going to be asked to “teach” classes to help cover teacher prep and they need help with this endeavor.

There are several things I see wrong with this.  While I think there needs to be some amount of basic tech training I think this can be done in the context of a lesson and can also be modeled by the teacher during everyday instruction. During the webinar Vicki brought up the thought of using Atomic Learning as a means for students to learn the basics – what a thought.

I am having a hard time putting this into words but Web 2.0 tools and technology in general should be embedded within instruction to help support and extend learning.  I would love to hear what others have to say about this. How is technology being “taught” in your school and district? Is it isolated?  Is it embedded?  A combination?

came across this site today and thought it might be a cool tool for the ORVSD. I didn’t look at it too hard but it looks like it has a moodle component.

clipped from www.wiziq.com Use WiZiQ’s virtual classroom equipped with live audio-video communication, chat, content sharing, and session recording capabilities. No download is required since it works with any web browser and on any operating system. Meet other teachers and students interested in same subjects and topics as you are, make connection with them and communicate either via e-mail or through WiZiQ’s virtual classroom. Share PowerPoint presentations with your students, teachers and friends in a Youtube-like format. You can find content created by other members or upload your own to build your content library.