Nebraska Change Agent
' I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder how we could tolerated anything so primitive.' John W Gardner
Progress Tracker
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I “met” Jason Schrage (@oswego98) back in December on Twitter. He sent me a message asking me to help him with his blog. I was flattered, but I am not an expert blogger so I told him I would help in any way that I could. I knew him only as @oswego98 for months. I physically attended Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation back in February and I noticed that he was attending one of the sessions virtually. Just days after the conference he set up his own Elluminate room and invited his PLN to help him test it out. I hopped in right away and he introduced himself. I finally had a name to put with his face!
His willingness to invest his own time to attend the Colorado Conversation conference virtually told me that he possessed a sincere interest in learning. I began to follow his Twitter updates more closely and I noticed he had an insatiable appetite for learning and sharing. Over the second half of the school year he became an integral part of my PLN. He was one of the five people I consulted with when I was working on the original Newbie project.
The Newbie to NECC project was a huge success! There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I wanted to do it again, but I was not sure where to start. I have already proved the power of the PLN so I wanted to take a different approach this time around. I wanted the ISTE10 (NECC is now ISTE) Newbie to be able to give back to the PLN without having to go to extraordinary lengths or changing their routine. I did not want this opportunity to become an undue burden on Jason. I thought the best thing for him to do is share his experiences every week or two. By announcing his name so early in the summer it will give all of you a chance to get to see him in the very early stages of this journey and allow you to follow him from the beginning of the year until the end. It is my hope that those of you who are responsible for training teachers will use him as an example of a “work in progress.” The one thing that makes Jason stand out from the crowd is that he is not afraid to try new things. He is going to provide us with a window into his classroom through his blog so we can be with him every step of the way during the school year. He will write about his successes, but more importantly , he will write about his failures. He is a regular teacher that nearly everyone will be able to relate to on some level. If you learn anything from his experiences, I hope you will contribute to the fund to send him to ISTE2010 which will be held in Denver, Colorado.I hope you will help me spread the word about this project as well.
I will let him tell you about himself, but here are just a few things I know about him:
- teaches 8th grade social studies (US History from 1865 – present)
- just finished his 11th year of teaching
- pet project is WWII Teach-In Day (This is an amazing project!)
- Eagle Scout
- loves of all things that have to do with nature (hiking, fishing, hunting, tracking, bird watching etc.)
- concerned with the state of the planet
- favorite author: Tom Brown Jr.
- practitioner of Dan Zan Jujitsu
- very curious personality
- spends hours exploring new technologies and apps
- believes that his purpose in life is to make a positive impact on society in some small way
- father of 2 wonderful boys – 2 and 4 years old
- married to a beautiful and supportive first grade teacher
- owner of a golden retriever
10 Responses to “Jason Schrage: The ISTE10 Newbie”
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Recent Visitors
July 5th, 2009 at 8:02 p
Jason, what a worthy recipent of ISTE10 newbie!! Looking forward to following your journey this year after having enjoyed following you on Twitter for a while now!
Thanks again to you, Beth for keeping us up to date! Keep us posted on how we can assist as time gets closer!!
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July 6th, 2009 at 8:01 p
Jason – Congrats! I am so happy and excited for you and this new experience. I look forward to learning with you along the way!
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July 6th, 2009 at 8:08 p
Beth and the ISTE10 team,
Thank you for giving Jason this opportunity. He is both excited and honored. I wish I had a camera when he told me about this nomination so I could share with you the look on his face! It was like a child on Christmas Day! Again, Thank you!
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July 6th, 2009 at 8:21 p
I’ve known Jason for about three years now. I met him via a TAH grant in Southwestern New York State. He truly is an educator that puts everything he has into making his classroom a lively,invigorating place to be -exactly the kind of environment in which we all wish we could work and play in. He treats his students and fellow teachers with respect, dignity, and never shies away from sharing his boundless enthusiasm. He will be a tremendous asset to ISTE10 in Denver. Beth, thanks for taking such great care of us in New York!
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July 8th, 2009 at 6:40 p
You made a great choice! Jason is just the type of individual that I believe this program was created for. He is not afraid to walk along the cutting edge of educational strategies. He searches for help for himself, and offers his help to those in need. Nice choice.
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July 10th, 2009 at 4:11 p
Outstanding program! I am going to try to emulate this idea in my school next fall. Have one student and one teacher who is willing to go outside their comfort zone and create something new and engaging with technology. Kudos!
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July 24th, 2009 at 7:45 p
Jason is an ideal candidate. Your comment that is is not afraid to fail is right on the mark. He is very well planned and deliberate about how and what he does with his students. As his former building Principal I am very proud to have worked with him. His work and ideas can be seen in the excitement and learning of his students every day.
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Beth Still Reply:
July 26th, 2009 at 9:00 p
Jay,
I could not think of anyone that I would rather see go to ISTE 10 in Denver than Jason. He is an incredibly talented educator who is going to serve as a wonderful role model this year. I am excited that he will be able to share his ideas with his colleagues from around the world. I cannot wait until the spring when he gets to share the World War II Teach In Day. That is such a great project and I have a feeling it will inspire other teachers to start similar projects.
Thanks for your comments….your district is very lucky to have Jason.
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July 31st, 2009 at 6:19 p
Hi Beth…if I could add my two cents about Jason Schrage…I am the Horseheads district’s community information specialist, and so I’m always attending school events and looking for ways to make our district shine to the media, public, and taxpayers. Jason’s WWII Teach-In is my favorite event of all the hundreds going on each year. What he has done with this important topic, connecting his students with one of our country’s most precious resources – our WWII veterans – is nothing short of amazing and, as you said, inspiring. And with technology and his commitment and passion, the event just keeps getting better. I’m thrilled that you’ve chosen Jason as the next Newbie, and I’m hoping to spread the word about him and your program here locally. Thank you so much!
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August 4th, 2009 at 7:41 p
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