As the school year comes to a close, I've been reflecting on the progress we've made with our 1:1 initiative. One piece of advice that I would give to anyone contemplating a 1:1 initiative is "take your time." My favorite performer at Mallory Square in Key West, Cat Man, loves to say "hurry up, take your time" as audience participants are called up front. But don't hurry up. Take your time.
I began the school year talking about a journey, but I had no idea what the journey would be like. I believe that we've been thoughtful and purposeful in phase one of our roll out. We've made mistakes, but we've constantly evaluated our project and made corrections as needed.
Remember the old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day" when you begin working with teachers. Scaffold your instruction so that teachers can begin to see how to move up the SAMR ladder from substitution to redefinition in the use of technology. Don't expect one device to magically change everything. As I've said before, we need lots of tools and instructional strategies in our toolbox and students need choice in projects.
In addition to taking your time with the implementation, you will need vision, leadership, team work, professional development, and a reflective evaluation process in place. Take out any one of those ingredients, and your project is likely to fail.
I'm looking forward to phase two of our implementation in August and will post soon about the professional learning that is taking place this summer as we continue on the journey. Enjoy the summer, take time for professional learning, and take time out to spend with your family and friends.
