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I am thankful for being involved with technology in Seattle Public
Schools, for seeing some exciting efforts and some talented staff who make
things happen. It has been interesting for me to be at two schools that
have technology legacies and technology innovation. New on board at Nathan
Hale this year, it has been a pleasure and delight to be on join a school
that has a fully functional e-mail culture for staff communication. What a
difference it makes! It creates efficieny and timely accessibility to
information. It creates all kinds of dialogue, informational, food for
thought, humor.
Another innovative effort here at Hale is MacSchool, maintained by Nick
Cabot. Teachers post grades and attendance to this program and parents can
access their childrens grades and attendance from home.
Here at Hale we are in the mid-stages of writing our district tech plan
and I am thankful for the fact that our last meeting was full of charged
energy and debate on lots of issues. (Although we do seem to have to walk
each new participant through all five stages of grief and denial that the
levy truly just funds MACHINES.) At Nathan Hale, Tony Hand deserves credit
for more than maintaining the Hale technology; he deserves credit for
endless hours above and beyond and for his thoughtful leadership on tech
issues.
.
I am also thankful that I was able to see some noble and innovative tech
efforts at my previous placement, Garfield. Over the years, the incredible
variety of offerings and the innovation provided by teachers such as Kjell
Rye have created a charged, busy environment where students have many many
choices for involvement, from advanced to beginning: maintenance of server
technology, Web site construction, Computer rebuilding, programming and
more.
I am also thankful to the unbelievable dedication of parents such as Mary
Brumder, who I mention because these parents provide a model for what all
schools would be fortunate to have. Thanks to these parents the school was
wired prior to the levy. This made Garfield one of the first to be
eligible for levy computers. Furthermore, parents are being proactive
about fundraising in the gaps where the levy doesn't reach. Teachers have
one more-than-full-time job, as well as many part time jobs (building
based committees and management, fullfilling the requirements of producing
the tech plan). These parents are to be commended for relieving the
teachers of what will become a district wide basic need of all
schools---to find funds to fill in the gaps the levy does not provide
for-printers, projective devices, scanners, software, professional
development, support. Dedicated hard working staff members such as Janet
Woodward deserve credit for many hours of overtime being the bridge
between these parents and the school, for writing the tech plan that
brought the computers in and staying on top of all the information
necessary to have a fully informed active Technology committee.
I know I am one of the rank and file folk who often curse the machinations
of the "district", more than I praise it, but over the years I have been
thankful for a variety of things represented by the following folks in the
administrative levels. Amongst them I have found these things-support,
clarity of explanation, taking the time for me, and leadership by example.
I am thankful for the work of Les Foltos, Judy MacNamee and Patsy
Etheridge Neal.
I am thankful for the Gates funding.. But mainly I am thankful the
educational promise of technology and to be a colleage of so many
wonderful dedicated people who
make things happen for kids and for schools.
Lee Micklin
Work Based Learning Coordinator
Nathan Hale High School
366-7839
lmicklin@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us
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