Why We Do What We Do!

I would like to start off by saying that both my wife and I are self-proclaimed workaholics. She's a 4th grade teacher in our district, and we often say that our home is one of the most dysfunctional in America for at least 10 months out of the year. It's not uncommon for both of us to be working into the wee hours of night on school related business. Our passion and dedication, and often times lack of balance leads us to the following question, "Why do we do what we do?"

Well today's Ed Tech Unconference was a wonderful reminder as to why we do what we do, and one answer to the question. Earlier this morning in Barrington, RI over 50 educators representing 9 different school districts shared, supported, wondered and celebrated with each other. In small pockets throughout the Barrington HS Library Media Center educators socialized their intelligence around a wide array of topics. It was a wonderful example as to how much we love learning; that learning is a social activity; and that with the right amount of gentle support we can learn virtually anything.

The Tech-Knowledge-Y Wrap at #edtechri

I was proud to be one member of a rather large contingent of WWPS educators that made the long trek to ;) Barrington HS. The buzz in the room was palpable. It's just what I needed to help gear me up for the very busy days ahead of me and my educational community.

I'd like to thank the organizers, @GinoSangiuliano, @WriteS_olutions, and @lzmcquire for all of their hard work. It's a beautiful thing during the dog days of summer that one can get the gift of a reminder as to why we do what we do. Thanks!

The Organizers of Today's Ed Tech Unconference

Comments

Use Your Chromebook to Make Phone Calls

Use Your Chomebook to Make Phone Calls Since the district has moved over to a new phone system many of our classrooms no longer have the ability to dial an outside line. One way to get around this problem is to use your Chromebook to make a phone call. You can access Google Voice through your gmail account, or use Google Hangouts to make a call. There are several ways to initiate a phone call. Follow these simple directions to place your call. Click on Google Hangouts or Google Voice Simply click on either the Google Hangouts icon, or the Google Voice icon once you've accessed your gmail account. If you haven't setup your Google+ account you will have less features when using the Google Hangouts option. If you click on the Google Voice option you can simply type in the phone number that you want to call, or search for a number in your contacts. Phone calls made in the United States are free, and you can add money to your Google Voice account for international cal

How to Check if your Chromebooks is a Managed Machine...

Is Your Chromebook a Managed Machine? Enrolled Devices: As we get closer to PARCC testing it is important insure that your Chromebook is enrolled in our domain. Enrolling the device in the domain insures that you will have the appropriate Test Nav application on your device. It is possible that some of the devices in your classroom didn't get properly enrolled. Review this blog to learn how to check whether or not your students' machine is enrolled properly. Check Your Device Settings: Check your settings by clicking on the Settings Taskbar on your Chromebook. Once you click on the settings tool bar you will be able to discover whether or not the Chromebook is managed. The picture below shows an unmanaged machine. The video below shows you how to check the tool bar settings. The picture below shows a managed machine. The video below shows you what the settings look like on a managed machine. Is Chrome OS Up to Date? It is al

Using Aspen for Staff Attendance

How to Use Aspen for Staff Attendance & Substitute Replacement The West Warwick Public Schools partnered with Follett many years ago to use the power of Aspen for staff attendance and substitute replacement. We have three different workflows that staff members use for attendance and replacement purposes. Each one of the workflows will be explained below. How to Fill-out the Staff Absence Request Workflow in Aspen If a WWPS employee is going to be out for any reason that doesn't require approval they fill-out the Staff Absence Request Workflow. Sick, personal, bereavement, family illness, district sanctioned professional development, IEP meetings, and religious days are all examples of absences that do not need administrative approval. Staff members simply need to fill-out the Staff Absence Request Workflow. View the directions below for the one-step process. Once a staff member completes the Staff Absence Request Workflow an attendance record is created that al

WWPS Technology

Search This Blog