Action Project thoughts (email to Dr. Rob)

I am planning face-to-face one-on-one or two-on-one mentor/mentee
> type training to get everyone on an even playing field. A teacher
> of moderate skill level will work with teachers who feel they are
> on a low to needy level. We only have one person at my school who
> feels like he is working on a high level of skill with SBs. These
> will be after our Easter break. Once everyone has a good
> understanding of the basic tools and basic SmartBoard usage, I have
> planned whole group training provided by our Director of Technology
> and Media Services. We will either do this in a few afternoon
> sessions, or (hopefully) on a Saturday.
>
> All of our classroom teachers have SBs. Some have had them since
> last year and received summer training if they were able to
> attend. Some received SBs this year with no real training at all
> other than what a neighbor has shown them or a few 15 to 20 minute
> whole-group mini-sessions (two to be exact). New staff who came in
> after school began are really at sea about all the boards can do.
>
> We have just gotten more technology this past week. Our principal
> (bless his heart and soul) has gotten Clicker sets, to be housed in
> the library, for the upper grades and AirLiner boards for all
> classrooms. (I am proud to say I was about the only staff member
> who knew what these were...thanks to our class and our cohort.) We
> are going to need training on these that can be incorporated into
> the SB training. We had about 20 minutes of training on each of
> these as a whole group. They will not be up and running until the
> county tech-team can install the software computer by computer
> (because of the deep freeze on the computers).
>
> Our librarian can troubleshoot most problems with our SB but he
> does not know how to use one. I think the training will certainly
> be an asset for him because it will enable to use this technology
> with his students. He will also be able to go into the classrooms
> and use this technology with students.
>
> I want to continue with the broadcasting project. I would like to
> see the whole school connected via SBs with the library being the
> MotherShip. It would be the studio from which the students (junior
> tech team....junior news team....junior reporters...something like
> this)along with the librarian, tech people (person) and classroom
> teachers, broadcast. Eventually perhaps the team could become a
> roving team.
>