So, I get this new job last year in my school district. The last 16 years have been airbrushed with primary colors & poke-a-dots & “they lived happily ever after” at an elementary school. And then one day, it wasn’t….I became the District Technology Integration Facilitator, which (so far) is just a long title that means people call me when they want to get more brownie points for using technology in their lessons. Congratulations! And I‘m shoved through a door into something new and weird.

People absolutely love me because I don’t know much and I don’t speak Geek (which is really intimidating to outsiders I’ve noticed); but I know more than they do with regards to technology (generally speaking) and I can pretty much train anyone to do anything. The problem is

Being popular for being mediocre has never been my beverage of choice,

so I have begun to climb the rocks for a more scenic view of things. Where I feel the most comfortable is in the realm of innovation and trend setting in my field (at least on a small, local scale for now), and so all this not knowing about REAL technology integration is like a sprained ankle at the starting line.

In order to focus on the direction, I need a birds eye view

So, what to do? I start by doing what everyone does when they don’t know (at least I think they do). I start googling stuff, of course. EdTech. Tech Integration. Educational Technology Programs — my search history looks like a church directory in rural Kentucky — all related, none connected…and long. I am absolutely aching for a big picture — a massive migration direction of sorts; and by migration, I mean more like caribou or elk and not like updating machines.

The bad news is — without a focus, I can’t get a focus apparently. I fall deeper and deeper into the abyss that is The Internet. What I have found on my scavenger hunt through the endless dimly lit corridors of the big red G is there are a BUNCH of you people in here doing the same thing. Or similar things. Or things totally unrelated. But it has become painfully obvious to me that we are not the same. Apparently, a ton of you have found some alternate realm of wealth and time and knowledge that I haven’t “StumbledUpon” yet.

Riddle Me This….

How is it that you people have time for homeschooling your kids complete with play dates and preschool genius musician class twice a week, holding down a six figure corporate ‘work from home’ career, going to spin class, meditating with Deepak Chopra, making organic, gluten free, and yet delicious and amazing Pinterest-style recipes in mason jars for every meal, daily blogging, vlogging, networking, having a ‘reading list’, taking an art class WITH wine tasting included, having a professional CV as long as my arm, and still manage to make your tag line something about innovator, creator, and yes….dragon slayer?

….meanwhile, back at the camp

I’m still an almost 40 something small town girl who bites my nails, picks up Little Ceasers more than I’m willing to admit, spends way too much time trying to figure out which little hellion used the entire bottle of shampoo for bubble bath…again, wonders if my treadmill will EVER be anything more than a $2,000 clothes hanger, may or may not even own a book I’ve actually read, and still consider the ‘blue f’ my networking hot spot! Truth.

and…

How are you doing all this ‘stuff’ AND manage to write a whole separate blog post on the all this ‘stuff’ you do? When I sit that long, my butt falls asleep and I get zero accomplished. I’m jealous (I think) and perplexed (for sure) and curious like a freshman in college

as to where these work from home jobs come from and where I too can find one.

In the meantime, I will continue to search. For what? I’m not sure, but I will know when I’ve found it. I think. The bottom line is I want to find that thing. The one that really breathes new life into instruction for my little neck -of -the- woods school district. I want to facilitate collaboration among professionals. I want to make their jobs easier, more fun, and more efficient with technology. I want to be the servant that guides teachers to success with really preparing their students for a future full of technology ‘stuff’.

….. while i wait for the six figure salary, of course.

Connie said it.