Bulli Is Beautiful

Well it's been more than 6 months since my last blog, so now's as good a time as any to start the words rolling again. So what's gone on in the last few months?

1. Back in March I took some long service leave to work on my house renos.
2. The Head Teacher job opportunity of my dreams came up at Bulli High (just a short stroll from my house).
3. I took the job & with plenty of tears left my beloved Warrawong High behind.
4. And pretty much since that moment I have been in the thick of things doing what I do to give students opportunities in the classroom and in a range of curriculum competitions.

As expected, both my students & I are THRIVING at Bulli High! The school (& it's students, parents and teachers) has great support for all things DESIGN and ENGINEERY & this suits me to a tee!

Working with the team we have made many steps forward in curriculum innovation & differentiation as well as updating our physical resources along the way... In 6 short months we have aquired a Bottle Rocket Launcher, a Power Anchor, a Brand New Tablesaw, a Guillotine, a Vinyl Cutter, an additional 3D Printer, an additional CNC Machine & are about to acquire a sublimation package to add to the mix.... Gee whiz our kids (& teachers) are lucky! : )

Looking back on that list it seems like so much in so little time & the question I'm always asked is 'how' ? ? ? And I think it's a pretty simple equation-

Link 'competitions' to your curriculum = promotion of the values of your subject area + student opportunity = justified faculty and whole school financial decisions!

Simple, right?

Maybe I just make it seem easy, but my next challenge is to make this model work for my colleagues in other schools too! So stay tuned all & I'll keep you posted next blog.

E=R

BYOD - Bring about Your Own Demise

Now this isn't a pessimistic post, more of a rhetorical reflection in pursuit of answers...

Being one of those super enthusiastic tech integrating teachers I salavated in excitement of the first batch of student 'laptops' rolling out back in what seems like a decade ago, even though it was only a couple of years. In that time I have heavily I integrated 'laptop' use into our daily learning & was even lucky enough to have my year 7 AND 8 Technology classes hooked up with 'laptops' too!

On reflection, I have been spoiled.

And what makes for an even greater coonundrum is that the DER 'laptops' have now run their race, are no longer issued & are now in a  state of semi hibernation.... but BYOD is the answer, right?

WRONG.

Now I don't want to cry poor for my students, our families and our community, as I love OUR community! But wealth and financial prosperity are not our strongest points. So whoever the geniouses were that thought that discontinuing supplying students with a 'laptop' were... Well... What can I say?

To me it feels like my students have been given a Ferrari to test drive for a few years, get used to using as part of their daily lives, love it, use it, then be given the choice.

Buy or die?

I know that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it feels. None (or few) of our families can afford a 'Ferrari' so the choice is forced upon us. Die. Or at least the technology integration that we (my students and I) have been so accustomed to & collectively embraced has passed : (

Like I said -I've been spoiled.

So where to now? ? ?

For the record, I did predict this. And tried to prepare. But my students are not as open to stepping back 10 years in time to a world without laptops as I am. Sure, I still integrate & engage & encourage students to utilize the Tech they do have (mainly mobiles) but the equity issue is just too large a mountain to climb.

So again, where to now? ? ?
Textbooks? Writing booklets? Researching in the actual library? All of these are issues I'm actively experimenting with & solving. Slowly. But the one thing I can't seem to solve (Yes, even with my ridiculously over the top enthusiasm) is the look on students' faces when their learning activities are no longer linked to their devices we became so reliant upon.

So what does 'Bring Your Own Device' mean in YOUR school.

### DISCLAIMER - I love my job, my school, my department & everything associated with my work. But what I would really love, is the answer? ###