Laptop recommendations?

I need to buy a new laptop, and I would appreciate any recommendations you might offer. The only laptop I have used with any regularity is the old IBM Thinkpad that was issued to me 5 years ago when I was a teacher in a portable classroom. It has gotten slower and slower . . .

Now my desktop at home is beginning to make a funny clicking sound. I've been saving everything that I have on both computers for a couple of months. When I'm in a rush, I just e-mail projects to myself.

I had an original target date of May 1 (Think payday!) for my purchase, but I could probably wait another week or two. The critical consideration is the beginning of summer semester at CSU.

I want a basic machine, but I might need a few more features that I don't even know about . My middle son is helping me check out several that I have seen--a Toshiba and a Dell top my curent list. He told me to check on the processors. I don't mind normal weight, and I know I don't want one of the teeny netbooks.

I figure I need a webcam and a built-in microphone. I will get the Word Suite. I use my computer for email and document production more than anything else, but I anticipate doing more multimedia production projects, especially if I'm able to get a job as a media specialist.

Any suggestions? Any computers you DON'T like? How about warranties? Or do you rely on local computer support companies? What do you think are essential features and what are features that you thought you needed and wound up not using at all?

Lightening the Load

I was privileged to attend the differentiated workshop, designed to equip teachers to become trainers in the techniques developed by Carolyn Chapman and Rita King. When I was asked to be a presenter at this year's Best Practices Institute, I was eager to redeliver some of the fabulous ideas I had just learned. THEN I discovered that Carolyn Chapman would be delivering her own material at the BPI. Well, you can imagine that I quickly changed my mind about my topic--Who would be foolish enough to be redelivering down the hall from the original author? Not I!

When I looked at the schedule, I saw that I would be giving my presentations (two duplicate sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon) on the fourth and final day of the conference. I hope that there will be a few enthusiastic participants that late in the week, but I am wise enough to recognize that many will only be attending to get credit for about-to-expire certificates.

My solution? I changed my topic to "Lightening the Load" (Go to page 39 to see the description of my session) and will attempt to give ideas about juggling daily demands, answering to administrators, working with new initiatives, and handling the host of tasks that teachers face daily. I have always said that the classroom teacher carries the load of the school district more than anyone else. We are on the front lines daily, dealing with curriculum concerns, eager and disinterested students, uninvolved and smothering parents, and demands that change (and are sometimes announced) just as we think we have "finished" an assignment.

SO--do you have any advice for others about how you handle all the demands? How do you set your priorities? How do you avoid making your family feel that they are less important than your students? How do you keep current with all the latest developments? What do you do to recharge?

NO--I am NOT asking you for all the content of my little workshop. I am full of ideas (some would substitute another word there), but I realize that I don't know it all. That reminds me of a Sunday morning long ago . . .I arrived at church with my little boys in tow. They were all decked out in their little suits and ties, and a slightly older woman stopped and asked me, "Patricia, you just look like you have it all together. How do you do it all?" And I burst into tears! Yes, I had managed to get us all to church, looking good, but the pressure valve had reached its limit! It's funny now, but the gift of that memory has served me well. Everyone is dealing with something, and it's our privilege to help others lighten their load.

Does Your School Have Technology Goals?

My 2nd grade students are very slow keyboarders. They ask where to find various punctuation marks, and some forget to put spaces between words. I realize that I entered the computer world "backwards" from my students. They have never lived in a world without them. I actually took two years of typing in high school. My mother "made" me take the first year, and she "strongly encouraged" me to take the second. I surely "rise up and call her blessed" quite often when I sit down to prepare a document. Even though the computer does so much that I used to do manually (Yes, I used to put footnotes at the bottom of a page, and I know how to center titles.), I think it helps to know HOW to do those tasks. (Ever had the computer "refuse" to perform a task and been able to "do it yourself"? I have!) So, I had a rather extensive set of keyboarding skills before I was introduced to the world of computing. My students have been confronted with the entire package--keyboarding, manipulating the mouse, following links in programs, writing, responding . . .!!!

Anyway, my school is just entering the computer age. When our current principal arrived a few years ago, she managed to create a computer lab for us with discards from other schools and the Social Security office. But sometimes I couldn't find enough working computers for all my students. Most classrooms only had two computers, and they were really old. With last year's delivery, we all have two new computers and we have our first lab with matching machines. Wow!

I think that we should have minimal goals for students to learn at each grade level. It seems reasonable to me to have a list approved county-wide. I also think it would be worthwhile for each grade level to master a specific program. That would serve two benefits: The students would arrive at middle school with strong skills related to at least 6 programs, and teachers at each grade level would become masters of the programs they teach their students.

Does your school have any guidelines for what technology you are supposed to teach your students? What do you think about having some guidelines?

Delayed Beginning

I was seeing RED Monday afternoon--not because a tow truck driver had decided that he would not allow me to enter the lane he was in--even though there was plenty of room. I stopped when I realized he was passing me and returning to the lane--but he plowed into my car, scratching the front of the driver's side for what seemed to be twenty minutes. Yes, it was awful--but my greatest regret was that I missed my blogging class!

Friends and family members blog, and I've always thought it would be the perfect forum for me. I often write loooooooooong letters to my Sunday School class, and I suspect that they may moan when I write that "I've had an inspiration." Although they are not really obligated to read my e-mail, it is sitting in their mailboxes, and they can either ignore it, delete it, or read it. If I post my inspirations to this blog, it will be their choice whether they read my posts or not. I like that!

Hmmm . . .I would like to write a blog that compels the reader to respond. Do you already have favorite blogs? What topics cause you to write? Do you have sources for your own blogs? Do you think anonymity is important?

I'm looking forward to hearing from someone--and I can't wait to get to class on Monday. What wonders will I learn?!