I'm Back

So I am all recover from my vacation..and it's on to the next vacation. This time it's a vacation with a theme: Golf or die trying. 3 and a half weeks to Myrtle Beach. Me and the guys...the goal is to beat John, and to lose weight, which just may happen if I can stay away from the 9am beer.
I bought a new driver-a Taylor Made Burner with a 10.5 loft and senior shaft..and I can crush it. If I practice putting, life should be good. But that' s in May. Let's talk about now.

I am in the final days of my Microsoft March Madness series of 8 basic Office classes for teachers. It has been an overwhelming success...so much so that I am getting hugs at the end of class. I have held 6 workshops,; some have been at every workshop. They drag themselves to the High School library,after working all day, and I have to kick them out at 4:30. I was sick one day and had to cancel a class and they are insisting on making it up. Their heads are spinning with information, but they come back to me every other day for more.

Today I am working with teachers who created their very first PowerPoint EVER on Monday..and I am going to show them how to add animation and slide transitions.

This has been a very humbling experience. Here I have been making a major assumption that everyone had basic technology skills and was ready to advance to the next greatest idea. How presumptuous of me! How can teachers possibly be confident enough to use technology with their students every day if they do not know how to open MS Office, create a new folder, save and rename files, and insert clip art? It has been a wonderful experience, as they learn, their confidence grows. They are not afraid of trying new things, they are asking all the questions they feel too dumb to ask their friends, and they are learning web 2.0 at the same time! We are enjoying rich discussions about Creative Commons, Flickr, Delicious, Twitter and Internet copyright laws.

So it may seem funny to some, that there are actually folks out there that do not know where the "ON" button is, but how will they learn if w don't take the time to teach them? So every day I know I made the right decision to move on in my career. I am there for a reason, and it is just the beginning of great things to come. I no longer take for granted what I have worked hard at and learned how to do. I love technology, I love teaching, and I love education. I am thankful for the opportunity to share it with others. Do something amazing today-I plan to.