Just Thinking

First, let me say I love my job.  It is my dream job.  I feel that my voice does matter and that maybe I'm having a positive impact on teachers and students on a state level.

This morning, I had a meeting, about a meeting to plan a meeting for another meeting.  One of the things brought up was the "inclusion" of many other people in several of these strands of meetings.  I thought that optimal group size for "productivity" were 7 +/- 2.  My fear?  That having larger meetings just leads towards more meetings to plan yet more meetings.  When does the actual work get done if we are meeting about meetings?

Don't get me wrong, according to the Kolbe test, I'm a strong fact-finder and follow-through person.  I like a good debate, I like knowing all the facts.  The follow-through part of me though is poised to step-in immediately when those facts have been established and get to work.

Why couldn't technology be used to decide some of the issues at these meetings?  Is there anything wrong with using an application such as Google Docs/Forms to have discussion online?  To vote and contribute anonymously without feeling the pressure of philosophical discussions and "high-faluting mumbo-jumbo" would, just maybe, help things be accomplished more quickly.

In education, we talk about technology integration, we talk about curriculum, we talk about assessment.  Yes, we talk.  Wouldn't it be nice to instead say...in education we fully integrate technology, we have a continually updated, relevant, rigorous curriculum, we have assessments that allow us to evaluate student achievement.

In a perfect world...now, I'd better get ready for my next meeting.