Drinking Starbucks and Eating Elephants

I am convinced that I could work from a Starbucks. It is the perfect office. Coffee? Check! Snacks? Check! Comfy seating? Check! Free wifi? Check! Now let's ignore the fact that I would have to actually purchase coffee and snacks to make it my office and thus be paying them to work from their comfy seating and use their free wifi. Anyways, Starbucks is my office for this lovely Sunday afternoon. And this Grande Mocha Frap Light is quite yummy! (The barista did ask me a crazy question though. Did I want whipped cream on my light coffee. Of course I would like it but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of making it light!?! It's like eating a cheeseburger with a Diet Coke and expecting the absence of calories in the drink to somehow impact the calories in the cheeseburger.)

So we have finished week two of the 2014-15 school year. I know it has been wild and crazy in the tech dept! Hopefully we will all get into a groove and rock this new school year.

I have always been one that gets excited about change. I love new things, new ideas, new technologies. Some people love change and challenge, while others are happy with the status quo and fear change with a passion. Some people may fall into the gray area between those two extremes, but my experience is that when it comes to change, it is very black and white.

I have been really excited by recent developments. Several teachers have said they created and used Kahoot quizzes in their classes this week. I saw a class use GoNoodle. I have watched teachers doing great things and wanting to learn more. That's awesome! But some of you may still be a bit uncomfortable with bringing more technology into your world.

Like most mothers, my mom is a wealth of wisdom. She is a career educator too and many people have told us we are two peas in a pod when it comes to our drive and ambition. Needless to say, she is my go-to-gal for advice. Countless times her advice to me is "Jennifer, you eat an elephant a bite at a time." I think this mantra is appropriate for our current journey to put more focus on integrating technology in the classroom.

When you look at any organization, the usage and acceptance of technology will be varied based on the age of the members, their experiences, background, and access.  Some members are ready to jump in with both feet whiles others are not. It's like eating an elephant. Some people have a baby elephant to eat while others have a tough old bull elephant to chew and digest. Both scenarios are possible. The number of bites and the effort in chewing them is the only difference.

It is my belief that each person is capable of being successful on this tech journey. It won't happen overnight. It may not happen in a single school year. But it can happen as long as we keep taking bites together.

Pick one new tool and use it this week. Pick a new tool and use it the next week. Keep trying a new tool a week (or a month) and continue to take those bites. They won't all be successful. You have find a tool that is not right for you and your students, but at least you tried it. And remember that I am here to help as we journey together. Email me, call me, contact me and I will happily assist as best I can.