Bruce Umpstead's Blog (20)

I am back at MI-LIFE today (January 24) and we are discussing “optimizing leadership.” As a student of leadership, having read extensively on effective leadership in business, I am very interested in discussing what makes for effective leadership in K12 public education.

I started the MI-LIFE program today at the Eaton County ISD site (with Marion Ginopolis, program leader, watching me blog over my shoulder;

Ric Wiltse, Mike Porter, and I are at Apple Headquarters today (12/6) on behalf of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) to exp

Did you know that last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (11/29-12/2), Wayne County RESA hosted a lesson plan alignment workshop at Boyne Mountain where 50 educators joined 6

Today Ron Faulds and I visited Forest Hills Public Schools in

Today I am attending the MACUL’s Collaborative Tools for Learning Conference at Macomb Intermediate School District. Once again they asked me to introduce a conference on tools that I am not that knowledgeable about.

My actual birthday was Wednesday, July 25. Back in Michigan, I took the occasion to help Sherry McVay, DeWitt Public School’s Technology Director, and good number of volunteers install computers at Schavey Road Elementary School.

So we’re in Washington and feeling “political” so we tune into the 2008 Democratic Presidential Debate on CNN (we overlook the fact that it is way too early for an event like this to occur …). And what do we find?

All the questions for the debate originated on YouTube. Here is the link to our f

Wednesday, July 25, was officially my birthday, but the entire week has been fun. I recommend turning 38 to everyone!

Over last weekend and through Tuesday, my wife, Gina, and I traveled to Washington D.C. on behalf of the State Educational

Yesterday I attended a session of the Red Cedar Writing Project’s Summer Institute at Michigan State University. Writing teachers from across Michigan applied for this 4-week Institute and received a stipend to partic

I am at family camp this week and July 4th rolled around. It was a lazy day and the camp staff organized a makeshift parade. There were streamers and faces painted red, white, and blue, but not much else.

I snapped a couple of pictures and enjoyed the warm day and thought to myself: "Look at all the children having a great time. What would it take to create the same enthusiasm for learning in our children as this impromptu parade did for the 4th of July?

"They didn't know they w

I returned to Michigan and decided to fix the half-a-head problem with my MACUL Space picture. I am sorry to leave the half-a-head club, but Ed Tech needs my entire concentration.

I also pushed through editing some of our 2008 Title IID competitive grant applications, which should be live on the MDE "MEGS" website by the end of this week. The announcement letter will soon follow.

What I can tell you is that we have ten projects this year and seven are new. All of them focus on b

From all the thinking SETDA/NECC is causing me to do.

This is my first conference and five days is too much. Yesterday I decided that I had enough information and ideas on how to improve education through the appropriate application and use of technology to last me an entire year.

I spent most of my time thinking about project-based learning, and how it can provide a rich and engaging experience for students AND the State doesn't have to much to get more projects started.

This week I am in Atlanta, wrapping up the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) annual conference and pushing through National Educational Computing Conference (NECC). 5 days of meetings is intense, so I am taking some down time and starting my MACUL Space blog.