Good Bye to the Old Horse

After spending the last however long blogging on Bronco Bits, it is now time to close the door on my original blog:  Beating the Dead Horse.  Although the time I spent on that blog was equally enjoyable, and there were a few good discussions/arguments, it is just something that I have not kept current.  So, to that one reader somewhere in France that has checked in a couple of times in the last month, including today:  Farewell.  All of the articles that were written there have been uploaded (or is it downloaded in this case?) to Bronco Bits, so there is still a bit of the "Old Horse" in the "New Bronco" I guess.  If you are extremely bored and just are wondering how to spend those last few minutes of precious time this evening, feel free to look back at the...

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Role of K-12 Technology

Many of you know that I love the concept of using technology to overcome the shortfalls of what schools can offer.  With that in mind, I am about to offend many of you that think similarly to me.  So my caveat is simply this, "these are my thoughts, my beliefs, and you may not agree...get over it...or better yet, weigh in on the topic."  Yes, that's a challenge and a hope to get some energy going here on a topic that can really have an impact on the future of schools. I just read a pretty decent article in the Mason City Globe Gazette on how technology can play into the future of schools.  My concern is definitely not the use of on-line learning.  I believe this is essential in supporting the needs of our students.  I do not, however, have confidence in those...

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Return of the Snow

Yes, it is December in Iowa.  We have received a small amount of snow in Belmond, but it is that heavy, sticky, road icing stuff that makes three inches of the white stuff seem like a foot.  In my second year as a superintendent, I simply hope to get as lucky as I did last year.  There is no "victory" in making snow calls.  Each one is inevitibly "wrong" as this is clearly a place where safety and education are at odds.  In order to enhance education, I try my best to preserve as much time in a school day as possible.  On the other hand, I'm not even able to consider how I would feel if there was a loss of life on a snowy road.  In any of these circumstances, it is easy to see how every call is a "loss" in advance.  It is only after the fact that any...

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