Jana Reese

Testing mp3 for podcast

2010-02-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

This is a test of an uploaded mp3 file for podcasting and RSS :

http://archive.org/details/testingmp3forpodcast

ESC

2009-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to visit the new Educational Services Center (or whatever they are going to call it). I must say I was very impressed! It is a beautiful building and something we can take great pride in as citizens of Muscogee County. I was so proud for so many who have worked for years in horrible working conditions to finally have a nice office to report to each day. I can say from experience, it is very depressing to have to go to work in a dark, damp building day in and day out. Although moving is never fun or easy, I am sure these people are excited to be working in such a bright and warm environment.
I am SO excited newcomers to Muscogee County will no longer have to go to the Columbus Roberts Center to enroll their children in our public school system. This was such a humiliation for this district. Now their first impression will be much more appealing and so much more professional.
Good luck to all of you moving in I am so proud for all of you!

Project Based Learning Opportunity

2009-09-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Looking for a great opportunity for project-based learning?
Bunny Harris, from the Chattachoochee-Flint RESA will be at the MCSD Instructional Technology Academy, Wednesday, September 23rd, to hold a Kick Off meeting for Georgia Movie Academy and PROMOTE GA. She would like to meet with any interested teachers in the lab at 3:45pm and expects the meeting to last approximately 1 ½ hours.

Don't forget! Any projects your students create and submit for GMA or PROMOTE can also be entered in the 2010 MCSD TechKnow Expo!

Poker Face at Technical Meeting Today

2009-09-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Whew! That is exactly how I felt after sitting in an extremely technical meeting all day today. I would love to say I learned many knew things but I think overwhelmed is a better description. The essential topic was "What has to be done before we begin moving the administrative team into the new Educational Services Center" on October 5th. Believe me; we needed much longer than eight hours to decide that. Since the members moving into this wonderful new site are in four different locations the applications they need to bring are spread out over numerous servers across the district. What do we need to move over, what needs to be removed completely, do we continue Novell and switch to a pure Microsoft environment after the move or try to move in with a pure Microsoft environment? This staff will already have to learn a new communication system/process since they are going to VOIP. If we change their method of telecommunication AND email access at the same time will that produce too much stress? There was good conversation around the table…much of which was over my head. (I tried to maintain a “poker face” so they wouldn’t know just how lost I was.) A proposal was created once it was all said and done so the meeting was successful…for someone=)
I will admit that all of this change excites me. I have always been one who embraces change for the better. This will mean additional work on our group, the ITSs of MCSD, but we’re excited about the benefits of all the change and look forward to getting started. I am not a fan of meetings….especially those that last ALL day, but if they get us closer to moving forward I guess you can say I’m all in.

New Technology in Schools

2009-08-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

I was at one of my high schools this week, Spencer, and could feel the excitement of the students in the air. Laptops were being used everywhere! Spencer received 15 laptops for daily student checkout like every high school in Muscogee County. These laptops were purchased with SPOST funds along with three 30 station mobile labs and a 33 desktop workstation lab. These students and teachers are putting this technology to great use. Laptops could be seen in classrooms sitting on top of traditional desks and "all over the media center" as students were engaged in learning and teachers had the "world at their fingertips" to offer current information immediately. According to Toni Webb and Sarah Daniels, media specialists for Spencer, students are waiting in line to have the opportunity to checkout the laptop for the day. This is a new pilot program for MCSD. Students can checkout a laptop for the day but must return it to the media center before leaving for home. Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Daniels are excited to assist any student or teacher with the implementation of this new technology at their school.

The administrative team has also made pledges to further implement the school's "Go Green" policy by tossing out the yellow legal pads used for documentation and notes as they walk the halls. Mr. Griffin, principal, and Mrs. Banks, assistant principal, can be seen using their new tablets as they attend meetings and observe in the classrooms. I can't wait to see what this school produces at the Techknow Expo 2010. They were winners in several categories last year....this year should be even better=)

SPLOST

2009-08-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

What a busy first two weeks of school for the Instructional Technology Specialists. The first week we helped Virtucom deliver over 3000 laptops to many of the teachers in MCSD. Because we had such a large number of transfers over the summer, we had to bring almost 200 of those laptops back to Rigdon Road, unbox them, change the user information on the email and Novell client and then re-deliver them to new teachers at new schools. That was quite an undertaking. This past week was spent trying to help our schools get up and running with everything from InteGrade to helping new teachers get email accounts and Novell accounts. We have also been trying to work with our schools to begin planning our training classes at each school as well as at the Technology labs at Rigdon Road. As with all teachers, by Friday of the first full week we were breathless and ready for a break. Thank you Lord for giving us Saturday and Sunday to rest each week and help us to do our best for the children you have given us to mold and teach.

August Excitement

2009-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I can't help but get excited at the start of each new school year. I've been doing this for over 25 years and August will always bring those same feelings of excitement and the desire to try new things and to make this the best year ever. This August is no different. I looked at my blank calendar a few weeks back and began to wonder what classes to teach, what new things I wanted to learn, and what I could change to be the best support for my schools possible. I am excited about the new computers we delivered all summer and I can't wait to see how the schools will begin using them. That also means new training classes for me to share exciting things with those schools who are anxious to get started. I refuse to even let the three furlough days dampen my spirits. I am trying to keep a positive attitude and to remain thankful to the good Lord that I have a job!
I'm ready to get started and hope you are too! 2009-2010...here we come!

October Writing Contest

2008-11-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

In celebration of National Technology Learning Month in October, the MCSD Division of Technology Services is sponsoring a technology and writing contest. The contest is open to all students in the Muscogee County School District. The theme this year is “What role will technology play in shaping the world our students will lead?”
• Schools must submit their top 3 entries as Microsoft Word document attachments via email to contest@mcsdga.net.
• All entries must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, November 14.
All schools received contest information, and a scoring rubric in the pony. Follow this link to find more information http://mcsdga.net/inside/technology/writing_contest/writing_contest.html