SWID June 1-2, 2009

This is a twofer. There was a board meeting last night so I really didn't have much time to reflect on the day.

So over the past 2 days my time has been spent:

1. Preparing documentation for our feedback that will be included in Google's case study of how Maine 207 is using Google Apps for Education.
  • This has been cool chatting with Google about our philosophies and how we see the product improving to meet the needs of schools.
  • A follow up to this was contacting my teachers for examples of the activities they are using with their kids that require Google to get them done. This is a great learning experience for me because I have seen several activities teachers are using, but I have a much broader scope now.
2. Working on the announcement for the winners of our RFQ. You can see the winners here. We got some really good deals. The savings we have here can be leveraged towards other products or be returned to the Education Fund (business managers really like it when you come in under budget)

3. Working on outlining a 1-1 student laptop pilot. I spent the morning at Maine East working with a cohort of teachers and administrators to start outlining what a 1-1 pilot of netbooks would entail.

4. Technology Manager's meeting: the technology leadership meets 2x a month to discuss business and plan for the future.

5. Board Meeting: I didn't have anything on the agenda, but I am finding that being there for tech support is important. You also get a chance to build relationships with board members. There was a question that came up during the meeting that I was able to immediately answer for the board. It doesn't look good when you are not there to answer those kinds of questions (I have learned this from past experience)

6. Future planning discussions: With purchasing comes lots of working out of fine details. They are not exciting to talk about here, but attention to detail is important. It also eats up lots of time.

I also took part of the afternoon off today. I had to get my knee looked at - I messed it up playing basketball. Looks like I need an MRI - might be a meniscus tear - yippee. Also got a haircut. Tuesdays are Mr. Dad at home (wife has grad class). Sneaking in this post while the kids play nicely together (yeah that happens sometimes).

Until Later...

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