rollin, rollin, rollin...

I can't believe it's already mid-March.  Next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) and it seems far too soon.  As they say, time flies when you're having fun.  It's actually been a bit of a challenge finding time to write a blog as things have been clipping along at a pretty good pace from day one back in January.  I've been looking forward to filling you on all the things that are going on.  Actually...I doubt I could fill you in on all of it.  I'll have to try to select the most noteworthy parts.

I've been traveling a fair bit, back and forth from Matagalpa to Managua, a 2-2.5 hour trip.  In fact, I'm getting close to breaking my record for days-in-a-row spent in Matagalpa.  I've been here for almost a full a week now, and just spent my second full weekend here.  That's a lot of back-and-forth, and while it's fun, it is nice to also have a bit of stability.

All of the new families gathered at the Open House.

The new job which started in January is an entirely new position with NCA (Nicaragua Christian Academy), and is still really taking shape.  For a short time at the very beginning it was going to be a position focused entirely on NCA Matagalpa, the third and newest sister of the growing NCA family of schools.  I was going to teach the teachers of the school how to integrate computer technology into their classes to improve the level of education.  While we were still talking about what that would look like, a new idea was introduced.  That idea was to create a new association level position that would oversee and develop the vision for technology in all three of the NCA schools, not just as NCA Matagalpa.  At first I was overwhelmed and wanted to focus on just one school.  However, seeing the need and getting used to the idea, I started to embrace this concept.

As it stands, I am developing the new position of Director of Technology, with responsibilities to and with all three schools.  Timing is good for the creation of this position as so much change is afoot.  NCA Matagalpa is obviously brand new, a fledgling school just getting off the ground.  We have a mere 39 students in grades 1-7, and hope to grow to 75 by the end of the year.  My focuses here have been on setting up an entirely new network including a server and 25 mini-laptops that are available for teachers to use in their classrooms, and training the teachers in using the computers.  The hope is that once they really feel comfortable with computers and have been exposed to their power in he educational process, that they will begin to use them more and more as way to add meaning, depth, and relevance to their lessons, and that eventually the students will leave the school better educated both in terms of dominance of technology, but also with a grasp on what it means to use computers according to God's plan.

International, Nejapa, and Matagalpa Admin teams
together for first time ever to collaborate.

NCA Nejapa is also experiencing large growth and being pushed forward in terms of technology.  They are surpassing the 400 student mark (already significantly bigger than NCA International, the first of the three schools), and doubling up all the primary classes (two first grades, two second grades, etc.).  Next year they will have to face that larger student body as it ages by starting to double up all the high school classes.  At the same time, they are replacing a very old and far-to-small computer lab full of desktops with a computer lab full of laptops that will eventually be placed on a cart and made mobile to serve each classroom where they are.  They have purchased 45 laptops, with another 30-45 coming in the next year for a second cart.  With this huge growth comes a huge need to build a robust wireless local network so that these computers will have internet access from any room.  The teachers here are much more computer savvy, but have very little experience integrating them into their classes and using them as a teaching tool.  Here computers are still seen very much in the traditional way--there is a lab where students go to learn about them--although they are already being challenged to plan lessons around using computers as a teaching resource.

First graders open the year with
heads bowed and hands folded.

NCA International is the furthest along and most developed in terms of technology, but they are also beginning to think about the need to expand their vision for technology in education as more and more students are bringing smart phones and other mobile devices to school, and as old ways of teaching are becoming increasingly obsolete.  They also have on their schedule a major equipment upgrade--both computers and network infrastrure, as well as possibly add some programming classes into the offerings of the school.

As all three of these schools are feeling growth pangs in their own ways, I am the one who will try to help them move forward in intentional ways, working together and developing an overarching approach to technology that will allow them to make the most of the resources available.  It is exciting, but it also a lot of work. A typical day starts at 7 with faculty and staff devotions in Matagalpa.  As they day goes on, I am available to teachers during their free blocks to learn more or to help plan a lesson that utilizes computers.  Even though our teachers are new to computers, there have been several of the that have worked them into their classes and who have been creating lesson plans around resources they've found online.  I also spend my days working on configuring the laptops, a few desktops, and managing a couple of servers.  I have also done a series of after-school trainnings for teachers.  Topics have ranged from using Google Apps, to using the school database for keeping grades and logs of communication with parents among other things, and a variety of other resources.

Fourth and fifth graders during their first
class with computers, their teacher leading the class.

Yet, through all of the whir of change, growth, and development, I am constantly reminded that real, meaningful change takes time.  It takes a personal relationship, it takes continued investment, and it just plain takes time.  After all of the trainings that we've done, a teacher came to me today and confessed that she'd tried unsuccessfully for 45 minutes to get into her database account from home.  Another teacher reported that he was unable to copy and paste a video from his computer to the desktop on the student computers using a usb memory stick.  I've also been surprised that not one of the teachers I've talked to knew that the "F" and "J" keys on the keyboard have raised bumps so that you can find the keys without looking.  Yet, I am impressed by their eagerness and resilience in the face of this new challenge. Most of them have used the laptops in their classes now at least once, and some of them have used them several times.

7th graders with their teacher.

These teachers need someone who is willing to invest into them.  Nejapa needs someone to come alongside them to also invest in their teachers and their vision.  NCA needs someone who can invest in in setting up a wireless network that can handle hundreds of school and personal devices, and someone to help move them forward with their curriculum.  And someone has to be the force that tries to tie it all together and push it forward under the Lordship of Christ.  That someone is not actually any someone, but a whole bunch of someones.  I hope to play an important role on the leadership team of NCA as it grows, but without many someones just like those of you who support me financially and through prayer, I wouldn't be here.  Thank you for your commitment not just to me but to the work that I am doing and the people I am serving.  NCA is affecting hundreds and hundreds of lives during very formative years.  And NCA is a leader who will also affect many other schools in Nicaragua and beyond.  Together we will serve faithfully where the Lord has called each of us.  May His kingdom come and may His will be done.

Oh, one more thing, please check out our facebook page here: facebook.com/nca.matagalpa.  You can see it even without a facebook account.  There you will find several staff bios and a whole bunch of great photos!

Prayer items:

Two students head home after their first day
of classes.

• Pray for more students at NCA Matagalpa, that we might reach financial sustainability as soon as possible.
• Pray for creativity and for minds to open as we explore computers and get connected to the world around us.
• Pray for clarity for me as we try to envision how technology and education go together, and as we try to pass that vision along to those at every level of the schools.