Over the past couple of weeks, I've continued working with students completing research papers. I've also spent a great deal of time working on the library collection. My book order for the year is due Monday, October 31, so I've been weeding and analyzing the collection. (I realize this isn't a TIS-related task, but I actually do use technology to do this. I use an awesome program called TitleWise that allows me to upload my MARC records for analysis, and I get fantastic statistics about my collection.)
As far as TIS duties go, I've been helping individual teachers set up Google sites and helping them add content to their Edline pages. Report cards will be going home Monday, so teachers have been very interested in how they can better communicate and support students and parents via the web. I've also been helping teachers get WebTop accounts and helping them with their Edvation/TechSteps accounts. I even helped a student teacher find ideas for lesson plans and projects on the Teach 21 Interactive CSOs site. He was amazed!
I'm working on the blended-delivery assignment with a science teacher who's using Edmodo for his semester projects. This past week, I read through students' topics on Edmodo and created a bibliography of print and ebooks available through my school's library that will support the topics. I posted these lists to the students in our Edmodo groups.
I've been working with a math/science teacher on incorporating technology and the SAMR method. When I first started working with him, he simply wanted a way to post handouts on his Edline page. Then he worked up to adding links and videos. Later I helped him set up an Edmodo account and groups for all of his classes. Now, he's at the point that he's using the quiz and poll features within Edmodo. Hurray! I realize that he might not be in the redefinition stage, but this is a great transformation from someone who only used a board and markers several weeks ago.
I've also been helping teachers with Acuity as they prepare to give the WESTEST benchmark tests. Usually teachers need help with their rosters, with printing tests, and with finding the data once the test is completed. One teacher wanted to give her midterm exam using Acuity, and we had a problem I've never encountered before. When students logged in and selected the test, they received an error that the activity could not be performed and that technical support should be contacted. I called technical support and after the representative could not find the problem, it was sent to the programming department for analysis. At this point, students just completed the assignment on paper, which is fine, but the teacher cannot get the customized reports this way. I received a response from Acuity about three or four business days later. I didn't get an explanation of the problem--just notification that the problem was fixed.
Lately, I've been spending a good amount of time troubleshooting and fixing problems with computers and printers, too. Because I'm in the library, which is located near the main office, many teachers pop in frequently with problems for me to fix or report to the county computer technicians. The problems are usually ones that I can fix, so I end up spending time before and after school on these issues. (I can't leave the library to work on them during the school day because I have students assigned to me every block and I keep the library open for the entire lunch period. I don't have a single minute in the day that I'm not responsible for supervising students. Plus, students start coming into the library 45-30 mintues before school even starts.)
In the next week or so, one of the sysops and I will be comparing the Mimio Teach and the Mobi and trying to decide which of the devices our school will purchase for teachers. We're order a large number of these for teachers, but we have to order the same device for everyone. I'm planning to watch the technology tutorials on the WVDE site and get opinions from the other TIS in my cohort group.
I forgot to mention in my last posting that I'm also enrolled in the Intel Assessments in the 21st Century course through WVLearns.
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