Welcome to the first edition of GEC Computers in the Classroom for 2010.

It's interesting to think back for the past 10 years. Do you remember January 1, 2000? We were confident that the software had all been patched but I think inwardly we were curious to see what would actually happen if the Y2K bug had hit.

A decade can be an interesting time span to flip back through and look, and feel great, at how far you've come. My newsletter appears monthly and so, yes, there was a January 2000 edition.

What was I thinking! How did I generate those high tech graphics? Good grief!

At the time, we had a group of incredibly talented CAITs. These folks were called Computer Assisted Instruction Teachers and they each had a group of schools that they visited to help with the use of computer technology. Today, they'd probably be called Technology Integration Specialists or something.

We actually had a network connecting all of our schools and the beginning of what we take for granted today. However, the bandwidth wasn't there for regular, reliable internet use by large number of students at the time. Consequently, we had "writing teams" who were charged with analysing the new Ontario Curriculum and its expectations and finding appropriate internet web sites that would help address them. It's funny now, but we knew that the internet was going to change everything, but we just didn't have it to make the big difference. So, "writing teams" from Greater Essex, Bluewater, Thames Valley, Avon Maitland, London District Catholic, St. Clair Catholic, Lambton Kent, Windsor-Essex Catholic, Bruce-Grey Catholic and Rainy River embarked on a project to identify websites, contact the webmaster for permission, and then downloading the resource. We then duplicated a CD-ROM for every teacher to take home or use in the classroom at realistic speeds. It seems so primitive now as we open a guest wireless network to allow teachers and students to bring wireless devices to school to attach.

In the same newsletter, we released the Choices into Action Webquest to help students in Grade 8 in their planning for secondary school and subsequent pathways. The webquest was award winning and subsequently translated into French as it was being used throughout the province. It's still a resource that is used to help students plan their futures.

As I look back, it's interesting to see the focus. Except for the webquest which incorporated the genius of Bernie Dodge's design, we were using the internet as a glorified replacement for library books. When I flip forward to see what current connectedness and sophisticated read/write applications offer, it's exciting and also humbling to see how far we have matured using these technologies. Yet, for some, it hasn't come far enough and we push to continue to exploit and look for new ways to engage and enhance what we do. 

The next ten years promises accelerated growth in innovation and implementation. I'm excited to see what it brings.