BOOT CAMP PANDEMONIUM

Let me start by saying, WOW!, what a day; 

Excited students, teachers, administrators, staff, volunteers, and parents.

Northwest Middle was hopping with the Tablet Buzz yesterday.  Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (700+) entered the gym and were greeted with smiling, happy faces.  It was a busy morning; everyone was exhilarated and filled with anticipation.

All Smiles!

Awesome Sixth Grade Teachers

As students trickled in, teachers grabbed groups of 23 students, 3 boxes of tablets, and covers and headed off to their classrooms to begin BOOT CAMP.

Before I go any further, I must digress and explain our school environment, 

more specifically, 

the 6th grade "village".

Let me introduce you to our 6th grade "village":
We reside in trailers, a huge pod of more than 12 "mobile units" connected by outdoor boardwalks and awnings.  We are backed by woods and close to a nearby farm that I have never seen, but have heard the mooing to prove it.  We constantly deal with mold, dirt daubers, groundhogs, deer, mice, wasps, huge spider webs, torrents of rain, the occasional tornado watch, and other pleasantries I have failed to remember .  This is the country, people, and to take it, you must embrace it.  So, it does not surprise me, in the least, that we ran into "issues" during boot camp.  In other words, if there is going to be an "issue", it is going to happen in the mobiles.  Luckily, I work with some of the most amazing, creative, and flexible people who will not let an "issue" slow them down.

Back to Boot Camp:
I brought my class of 23 students to my room at 9:00 AM and it was like Christmas morning.  They were opening boxes of tablets and putting on their covers; and all was comfort and joy.  We then proceeded to check for updates and all was well.  It was then time to "Go Shopping" and download apps, that had been integrated into our lessons for the day, from the Google Play Store.  To make a long story short, 5 students out of my 23 were able to get all the apps they needed, about 10 could not get on the Play Store at all, and the other 8, who knows.  It was a whirlwind of uncertainty.  (Let us not forget, that the Google Play Store was to shut down at 10:00) Clearly, not how we envisioned the day.  The problem was everywhere in the mobiles, and, let's be honest, it was frustrating.  But, as all good teachers do, you improvise..... and we did...... for about an hour..........

There was clearly a connectivity issue in the mobiles.  Amplify people were there to help and console, but there was nothing they could do, since this was a GCS Router/WAP problem.  The Admin. team began assigning us rooms in the main building and we began moving our classes. It clearly was the best fix; at least in the building they could connect and download apps...and the Play Store was opened back up for us.... but many of us had to leave our projector set-ups, our comfort zones, and again change our presentation strategies for the day.  By lunchtime, most of my students had their apps, but they did miss my "Personalized Learning" class in the process.

We ate our lunch outside, in the glorious sunshine and shook off the morning troubles.

After lunch, many of us remained in the building and some took their classes back and forth from the mobiles to the building on an as needed basis.  The afternoon was much better and we were actually able to get through our lessons as..... almost...... planned.

Protecting Our Identity

It was a day of exploration and I found my students happiest and most engaged when they just had the time and choice to explore.  They loved Animoto and Skitch and made some creative, thoughtful products that defined them as people and as learners.  I taught them some things; they taught me some things. The afternoon was full of moments of unified discovery; the kind of moments you most treasure as a teacher.

So, even with our morning "Hiccups", it was an exciting, meaningful, invigorating day for all.

Lessons Learned:

YOU ALWAYS NEED A BACK-UP PLAN and

COUNTRY GIRLS CAN SURVIVE......IF WE ARE PROPERLY CONNECTED!!!!