So my apologies; I wanted to get to all of this, but time got the better of me.  After a terrific meeting with Carney Sandoe consultant Kiki Johnson, about an upcoming board training, and many friendly conversations in the exhibit hall, I only got to Geek to Great for the last 20 minutes.  But I do want to give the presenters a shout-out; what I could see of it was very fine.  It is so fascinating to see the way in which our technology directors are becoming, via ISED-L and ISED-Ning, and in each school, some of our most important educational innovators, and this session was a fine demonstration of this.  It was an epiphany for me to realize that for me as Head, my relationship with my CTO had evolved over 9 years to become one of my very most, very most, important ones in the day to day, and increasingly in the long-term of strategic planning.  

I couldn’t take too many notes; I was running out of power and couldn’t find way to an outlet, but here is one great quote: “You can’t have innovation without risk.”  Technology programs are sometimes hampered by fear, but we can’t have that if we want to bring our schools fast forward.   I wrote in a previous post about an article in the Sidwell Friends Alumni Bulletin, which said that sixth graders would have new tablet computers, but teachers would decide entirely when, where, why, how, and for what the students would use them for.  My response, in a letter to the editor, was, let us say, strongly worded: we must not let fear hamper our empowering or students or innovating in our teaching and learning.