Google Apps at the Ranch

Presented to the VUSD Technology Council the possibilities of technology in our school setting using Google Apps. The presentation in posted at:

Ear full...

I was nicely surprised by some of my student's suggestions...

Ubiquitous teen attachment :)

Florence and the Machine

• Cosmic Love
• Drumming Song
• Howl
• My boy Builds Coffins

Dashboard Confessional

• Hands Down

Johnny Cash

• Personal Jesus

Imogen Heap

• Speeding Cab
• Headlock

Munford & Sons

• White Blank Page
• Roll Away Your Stone

Iron and Wine

• Jezebell

Peter Murphy

• Cuts You Up

Sarah McLachlan

• Icecream
• Fallen

Silversun Pickups

• Lazy Eye

Squirrel Nut Zippers

• Put a Lid on it
• Ghost of Stephen Foster
• Afterlife

Sting

• Desert Rose

311

• Amber

The new Anazon Cloud is getting a workout plus some investment on my part on music I really like. Not all, mind you, but some nice nice surprises... Thank you Luna!

Vision

Moving right along...

1. Invest and expand technological infrastructure to meet evolving instructional, learning and professional needs.

2. Improve technology system support to be transparent, efficient, and productive.

3. Implement training systems that ensure the successful technical proficiency of all stakeholders.

4. Blend pedagogy, subject knowledge, and technology in the development and delivery of effective and powerful curricular lessons.

5. Support and enhance effective differentiation, using technology to engage all students so they will master standards and make meaning of content.

6. Develop a structured selection process that will guide technological decision making.

7. Articulate, deploy, and maintain technology standards for every classroom.

8. Plan and implement accurate, timely, and secure data collection methods that will inform stakeholders, direct curricular design, and support policy decisions. 

Think of "Like Stars on Earth"

"The quality of an education system depends ultimately on the quality of its teachers."

"...the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction: learning occurs when students and teachers interact, and thus to improve learning implies improving the quality of the interaction."

From the 2007 report " How the World's Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on Top"
From: Paul Wezeman's interview

Interesting - - -

MONTVALE, NJ (WCBS 880) - Times are changing. Technology is everywhere at the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in northern New Jersey. Forget about the chalk and blackboard.

Spring Break

I am looking forward to the 2 week Spring break. We started the week-end by sending the Encuentros Club and Class on a camping field trip - what a great and deserving group! Thank you Ms. Carr for accompanying them.  They came back safe and sound on Sunday.

@ Rancho before take-off

@ Torrey Pines

The semester is going by so fast - after these two weeks - April looks very short with the CSTs in May and end of school in June.... all of it is like a flash!

Well I am now reviewing the honey-do list... :)

Mission

Making progress:
"The purpose of technology at VUSD is to provide sufficient and effective information services in order to expand and enhance learning, instructional practice, and productivity for the school community."

Prezi

I gave myself time this long w/e to produce a Prezi presentation to begin our review next week. Highly recommended:

LINK TO PREZI Biogeochemical Cycles

THEATER

"The Fantasticks" was put on last night in El Cajon by the SDCC music department. What a wonderful evening - highly recommended. From the soft melody of the first song Try to Remember I was enveloped in the wonderful memories of the timeless man-made love story marred by the world's reality with a restored end of pure love.

Thank you Trisha you looked wonderful on stage as the "Mute".

Theater serves well to restore the soul. It is the supreme form of entertainment. Last month we attended the Balboa theater in San Diego to see the play The Screwtape Letters - based on C.S. Lewis's work. What a wonderful and riveting performance. The combination of theme, well written script, and a perfect powerful performance it was a chilling delight from hell!

A Welcome Break

Sometimes students and teachers need a break - this is one of them! President's day long week-end.
Washington & Lincoln my personal heroes and a welcome celebration in these packed teaching days.

DISCOVERY!

I came across a book I acquired in Pasadena California many many years ago. My kids grew up with this book: Selected Poems for Small Children.... Lots of memories came flooding... pray my kids remember...Here is one:

They Sting

A mosquito is

A funny thing!

Before he'll sting

He'll sing an' sing!

An' if you're near

Or if you're far

Mosquitos know

JUST - where you are!

An' perching lightly

On your face

They'll bite you 

On the tenderest place!

Then... when they've had

A bit to eat,

They'll b-z-z-z away,

An' - bite your feet!

Sometimes - you s-q-u-a-s-h

Them very flat,

Poor things, they can't

B-z-z-z, after THAT!!!

But as Mosquitos

Are a pest,

I s'pose the s-q-u-a-s-h-e-d ones

Are the BEST!!

(Alicia Aspinwall, from Shrot Poems for Short People)

Finals

Well finals have finally arrived... time seems to fly and we outlook starting second semester next week. A blurr!

The joy of teaching in Iraq

I thought this was very interesting:

INSIDE HIGHER ED

Enjoy.

Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year to all

May this be a time of reflection and love.

We traveled to Dallas and then Kansas in a whirlwind half-way around the country. We had an opportunity to visit our daughter and her fiancée in Dallas as well as our son and his wife and our grandchildren.

Fast, focused, but worth it!

Thank you everyone for hosting us...

Mineralogy Test

Into the second of the last six weeks! Time is going by so fast!

Merry Christmas!

Our Koda!  Merry Christmas

THE PARENT TRIGGER

A very interesting concept... See the Article at the Wall Street Journal

Waiting for Superman? May be.

11/12/2010

After completing 12 weeks of school - Veteran's day was a wonderful break - I kidnapped the wife for a couple of days off and we saw a wonder Vegas show:

Mandalay Bay

Thank you to all our veterans for your love, sacrifice, and service. While at the Tropicana we saw a multitude of Marines celebrating Veteran's day - congratulations to all of you particularly those in the field! May God bless you and your families.

We will never forget!

10-10-10 @ 10:10

Our friends Joan and Joe were wed this beautiful morning. What an incredibly beautiful wedding. Here are some snaps.

SIX WEEKS AND BEYOND

Every year is different. A teacher does not know what surprises await them - this year is a good year with some surprises. We will see how the year progresses. We just finished the first week of Astronomy...  Students have a great imagination: