Robin+Beaver,+Rosemont+School+of+the+Holy+Child

I was a school librarian when computers first started moving into education. I vividly remember the day that my principal came into the library with a large box and announced that we would be starting to use computers and I was to figure out how. I proceeded to pull unlabeled, foreign looking components out of a box and spread them out around me. I launched forward in a DOS-based fog and have never looked back! We all know how fast technology has grown since then. It has become an integral part of most facets of my personal and professional life and yet I know that there is so much more to learn. My overall approach to the use of technology and its infusion into education is one of balance. There are times when tech is the way to go and times when you just need a living being. Of course, sometimes technology is the source for that living being! Knowing how to work with the tools is merely the tip of the iceburg - it is what you do with them that determines their true value.

We have all come a long way from that pile of unlabeled components. Technology is at work in almost every class at Rosemont. It provides one of the most important platforms for communication and sharing among the entire school community. Technology has brought library resources and services beyond the walls of its physical space. Our students run weekly broadcasts and participate in robotics competitions. Students use class blogs to communicate with classmates and teachers about their summer reading while electronic resources and experts are the underpinnings of many projects. Our Model UN program relies on the RSS feeds we have collected on PageFlakes and many of our National History Day participants have created award-winning documentaries. //Geometer's Sketchpad//, TI Navigator and the online math forum sponsored by Drexel University are invaluable componenets of our math program. And yet, there is still so much more we could do.

I am excited about being a part of this project and honored to be a fellow. I look forward to seeing how much farther we can go!

Contact: Email - rbeaver [at] rosemontschool.org Twitter - robinbeaver