"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less." - General Eric Shinseki
Real Name: Tim Goree Member Since: July 07, 2007 Last Signed In: May 02, 2008 Profile Views: 303 Blog Views: 832 So, What Format Is Your File In? Games Are More Important Than You Think Pirates Can Be Helpful The Idea Factory To Power Off, Or Not To Power Off, That Is The Question! Interruptions - The Best Part of My Day Cotton Mouth, Spilled Water, and Great Conversation Teaching Children How to Handle a Loaded Gun It's Good to be Robin Hood Podcasting in the Classroom July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 iJohnPederson 
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The Idea Factory
I recently had a whale of a time at the Computer Using Educators (CUE) Conference in Palm Springs with 3 collegues of mine. This is a conference I never miss, but it is primarily aimed at classroom teachers, so if I go without taking some teachers along with me, it feels like I'm wasting an opportunity. Luckily, 2 of the people I took with me were classroom teachers - Tara Treaster and Christine Whitaker. The third person was Omar Garcia, one of the computer technicians that works in my department. Together, we were a small group that is representative of any school district as a whole. One administrator, one classified employee, and two teachers. Strangely, this doesn't happen often. I find myself being the "odd guy" who likes to manufacture this experience over and over again. I can't help it - this close concoction of mixed school employees thrown in to a special project or work based trip was what changed my ideas about schools, married me forever to education, and shot my career into the direction that it has taken today. So this idea, this type of experience, is special to me. It NEVER FAILS to create connections that help us educate kids better - NEVER. We come from different backgrounds and different points of view. Our ways of looking at the problems that we face throughout the day are very different. Before we spent some time together, our perceptions of each other were shallow - colored by our own desires and stereotypes. We put each other in tiny little boxes... Three days at CUE changed all of that. We emerged as an IDEA FACTORY. We found that our goals were the same, and our differences could enhance each other's strengths and minimize each other's weaknesses. The 4 hour ride home was filled with constant chatter and enlightening thoughts. Will we ever be the same? No - and THANK GOD for that. If only I could manufacture this experience for every employee in our school district. 2 comments from 2 users
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posted by
sunnica
on Mar 20, 2008 at 04:18 PM
Wow. Hey...are you available during the next four years? I hear there's a presidential campaign... posted by
taratreaster
on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:22 PM
The IDEA FACTORY, I like it! You might be onto something with the name. It was without a doubt a life changing experience for me too. I'm thrilled that "I'll never be the same" I'm way to motivated to go back to being boring. You (and Chiristy) helped open my eyes to a whole new world. There are so many ways we (Norris) can be using technology with our children in the classroom to reach and inspire them educationally. If we as educators don't get on board with the technological trends of today's modern world, it is our students who will suffer the greatest. You've inspired me. ~Tara
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