Back in January, I was telling you about NMSA's focus on technology for this year's conference in Denver. Since that time, our staff has been very busy working on those technology features and I have some big news. You readers of this blog are going to be the first to get the news.
We had heard about a California company that could maybe help us build an actual physical classroom in the exhibit hall. After much time and pursuit, it seems that they are no longer in business. As of last week, we were beginning to think this was going to be a "pipe and drape" affair. On Tuesday,we made contact with Don Grody of Bennett, Wagner, and Grody (www.bwgarchitects.com) of Denver. After a short conversation, he toldus that their organization would be very interested in helping make our vision a reality and they would do any needed drawings and act as "project manager" to coordinate vendors and construction firms. He said they have done work for 20 school districts in the Denver area and have worked with 25 construction firms. As a matter of fact, he thought the largest of the construction companies would be especially interested in the project and that he was going to talk with them immediately and have them contact us.
Four hours later, Doug Johnson of Adolfson and Peterson Construction (www.a-p.com) in Aurora, CO,called. He said he had spoken with Don and that his company would be very interested in doing the construction work on the classroom. If you go to their Web site, you will find a lot of interesting stuff. They are the American Institute of Architects' Contractor of the Year, one of the top ten school construction companies in the country, and are very well known for their "green" construction. They have also logged over 1,600,000 consecutive man hours without a lost time injury.
Students and teachers from Aurora Public Schools are going to be staffing our 21st Century Classroom on Thursday and students and teachers from the Douglas County School District are going to staff the classroom on Friday.We are still seeking a district to provide tech savvy students and teachers on Saturday. If you have suggestions, please send them along.
We also have many technology sponsors who are going to help ensure that this classroom is fitted with a rich array of technologies. These companies include Promethean, Tandberg, ePals, CDWG—and more are coming on board as we move forward.
The Classroom of the 21st Century is going to be a highlight of the conference and will be a place where you can immerse yourself in technology in action.