Jeff

=**Please can you write your goal for your technology inquiry and any questions that you have come up with.**=

I am interested in discovering more and more technology tools that support teaching and learning. I'm also interested in gaining an in-depth knowledge of the inquiry cycle. Discovering more about twitter today has been en excellent start to the 'finding out' stage of the inquiry cycle for me.

Engaging activities and resources to support classrooms take advantage of the full potential of their smartboards for teaching and learning, and ensuring that the smartboards work properly?
 * Inquiry Topic/s**


 * Make a status report of all smartboards in elementary school
 * Get anyones not working up and working again
 * Explore notebook resources and hold staff training sessions to share


 * Tuning In**


 * Explored the iPad as a new technology toy. I've ordered a bunch of them for use in classrooms next school year and the earlier I got well acquainted with them the better.


 * Sorting out**
 * Joined in introducing and sharing twitter, diigo, and other web2.0 tools to our teachers. Enjoyed the session and in the process learned some new things.
 * Mentioned the problem of smartboards not working properly in classrooms with my inquiry group, and agreed with Sarah to take it to the next step of checking in with all classes.


 * Going Further**
 * Visited all elementary classrooms with smartboards today on a status find mission. Discovered 4 out of the 15 rooms were experiencing problems. I intend to discuss this with Moses tomorrow so we can get them back up as soon as possible.
 * Meanwhile I'm going to research into more notebook resources to share with classrooms teachers.


 * Drawing Conclusions**
 * Most of the smartboard problems that arise in classrooms are minor (Of course Sarah needs a new lamp in her projector, which the school does not have in stock) and with persistent reminders to the IT team, they get fixed.
 * Having explored the smart exchange website I realize the myriad of resources out there, meaning an awareness of this amongst our teachers will cut out a lot of reinventing the wheel.


 * Taking Action**
 * I'm looking forward to making a smartboard/notebook presentation during the January PD sessions
 * I plan to also proactively follow up regularly on smartboard use in classrooms to ensure they work okay.