The Birth of My Chromeroom

When I was pregnant with my first child, those nine months were filled with a series of subtle changes.   Well, except for the seventy pounds I packed onto my five foot, 2 inch frame.  And while I was reading books and articles on parenting, filling my house with all the necessary equipment to raise a child and carrying around all that extra weight, nothing could prepared me for the radical change that would occur when my daughter was actually lying in my arms.  

Students Practice Creating, Sharing and Collaborating.

I felt this same transformation this week when my Chrome cart opened and the Chromebooks were finally placed into the hands of my students.  Prior to this moment, I had attended webinars, read articles and practiced on another teacher’s Chromebook.   But much like becoming a parent, nothing could truly prepare me until the equipment was actually in my classroom.  Suddenly, my entire teaching world was turned upside down.

This first week as a Chromeroom teacher was as exhausting as my first week of motherhood.  I found that the things that were once second nature to me as a teacher, like starting a lesson, modeling a skill or collecting homework, were now a series of new challenges that I would now face armed with the Chromebook.  I had to rethink my every move and rely on my instincts.  Thirty students with technology questions are a bit like a crying baby. You just jump in a try anything and everything to mollify the child.

The birth of my first child was anything but easy.  I was two weeks past my due date, spent almost three days in labor and ended with a C-section.  And yet all of the pain and struggles went away when I held my daughter and watched her sleep peaceful in my arms.  I had a similar storm before the calm this week.  When I watched my students walk excitedly into class, ask questions and engage in the lesson, it quickly erased from my mind the sleepless night and hours of preparation I went through to keep my head above water this week.

Week One Chromebook 101

Once my daughter was born I started to look at life through the lens of a mom, from the food I bought, to the music I played, to the car I drove and the house I bought.   This first week as a Chromeroom has caused the same shift in my thinking.  I find that I am looking at every lesson and every assessment through a new lens.  I am not just aspiring to use technology more in my classroom.  My aspiration is now to transform the learning.  I am surprised at how sudden and profound I have been changed by this technology.

Motherhood is the most difficult and rewarding challenge I have ever embraced, but I think teaching in a Chromeroom may come in second.  I end this week in a euphoric state of exhaustion.  I am optimistic and excited about the future of education and my role as a teacher.