Organization!

This last chapter was a little ironic, talking about how technology can be used to improve teacher processes and organization by using technology to manage calendars, to-do lists, and other miscellany that are required and tedious (paperwork, accounting, etc), along with using technology to participate in professional development and teacher training, such as graduate studies.  Seeing as how this is an online Masters degree program, I chuckled a little under my breath -- I would have to say that all of us in this program are already doing a wonderful job of incorporating tech into our personal and professional development plans!

Going back to the organization strategies suggested in the reading, these are all wonderful suggestions.  Organization is one of my key areas for improvement next year -- this year has gone pretty smoothly all things considered, but I felt like I spent a lot of time chasing my own tail and sending myself on wild goose chases that could have been avoided simply by having a better organization system. A lot of things that could have been delegated simply couldn't be because I knew where things were, but couldn't tell other people or my TAs "it's in the main pile of my high school office desk, in the same layer as the scores for the middle school concert from the beginning of the year and not as deep as the notes for next week's meeting."  That makes sense to my own brain, but pretty much anyone else would have no idea what I'm talking about.  Part of it is being in three buildings most days, part of it is being in a new-to-me position, part of it is trying to tranisition from a not-at-all digitized organization system to my own computer-centric approach.  While I have no intention of leaving this position (I love my job!), I have been trying to think about what would make transitioning easier if I ever had to leave things for somebody else -- for example, if I was to go on maternity leave at some point in the future, or if I was to grow the program enough to require an extra person to take either the middle school or high school classes (probably wishful thinking in the current economical and political climate).

I've started using a daily to-do list in a notebook this year, after two different tries using technology for that same task.  I started the year using Google Tasks, which integrates with the Gmail I already use and has an app for Android phones.  I used it somewhat regularly, but found that things were getting away from me.  I then switched to a non-integrated task program that was mostly on my phone with a website interface for additional entries, as my phone is frequently what I end up using for instant information or email.  It worked well for a few days, and then again I found myself not checking and not following up on it.  My notebook, on the other hand, is something that I use every day.  It's big enough to be a reminder in and of itself, and the physical act of writing things down helps me remember what it is that I need to accomplish that day -- or what things need to be addressed because they are left over from yesterday. It really seems to be common sense, but the best technology lives at the intersection of what works and what gets used.  Technology just for the sake of technology that doesn't ever get used really doesn't do anything to help teachers or students. Likewise, avoiding technology because current systems work 'just fine' doesn't explore the possibility that technology could be used to improve performance or effectiveness or any other aspect of teaching or learning.