She Snoops for Scoops: The Personal Side of the EdNET Community

She Snoops for Scoops: The Personal Side of the EdNET Community

Vicki Smith Bigham — Friday, December 16, 2011

Happy holidays, happy holidays....I am singing the tune and in the holiday spirit! How about you? I can tell the work is winding down for some of you—still more going on here than I like, but I will not complain about having work. And the Snoop does not consider collecting and sharing my scoops real work, so before you head out to what is most likely a busy weekend, be sure you check out my news for you....

New LFA Board members....

The Learning First Alliance (LFA), a partnership of 16 leading education associations representing more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools, welcomes new board members as executive leadership at six of its member associations changes hands. Newly appointed board members include:

  • Dr. Michael Redburn, Executive Director, American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA)
  • Francine Lawrence, Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
  • Dr. William Waidelich, Executive Director, Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)
  • JoAnn Bartoletti, Executive Director, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
  • John Stocks, Executive Director, National Education Association (NEA) 
  • Eric Hargis, Executive Director, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

Congratulations to these individuals and thanks for their collective efforts on behalf of our nation's educators and all of us.

A new website....

The BLEgroup today has launched a terrific refresh of its website with great resources and a Facebook and Twitter service focused around critical issues to both the school and the business side of our community. Take a look at the new site and say hello to BLEgroup Founder and CEO Eliot Levinson at eliot@blegroup.com.

Exciting travels....

I have been enjoying a travelogue from Dr. Nelson Heller, President, The HellerResults Group, as he and his wife Pam are spending much of December visiting sites in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. They are having grand adventures, to be sure, and seeing beautiful and interesting new places and things.

And a sad note in closing....

We have lost an amazing advocate for educational technology. Jeri Hodges passed away on December 8th, 2011, after a long battle with cancer. Taking some of the information from her obituary....Jeri began her career with the Dallas Independent School District as a special education early childhood teacher. She was then promoted to resource teacher and in the early 1970's realized the potential for utilizing computers in the education of children. She then embarked on a 15-year career to integrate technology and the teaching capabilities utilizing computers into the entire education process throughout Texas. As she formulated visions and initiatives, she began to rise through the ranks of the Dallas Independent School District to the point where she held the position of Executive Director of Instructional Technology from 1992-2000. She designed a district-wide program for the integration of technology into special education classrooms that was the first recipient of the National School Boards Association "Innovative Uses of Technology in Education" award in 1990. In 1986 she launched the Special Technology Advisory Committee, which was a one-of-a-kind initiative that brought special educational personnel from various instruction disciplines to receive training in computer basics and utilization of software. Her journey in education moved to the Texas Education Agency as the Technology Consultant and Grand Administrator on projects such as the Technology Applications Teacher Network (TATN, 2000-2010), the Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP, 2002-2008) and Vision 2020 (2008-2010). She loved this work and was a champion for technology grants in rural and disadvantaged districts. The visionary became witness to the vision.

As a lover of the outdoors, Jeri became very involved in the construction of the homestead family ranch in Palo Pinto County, Texas, on the cliffs overlooking the Brazos River. Her greatest joy was spending time among the wildlife at the family ranch. She took a great interest in wildlife of all types and was the founding secretary and organizer of the conservation movement that became the quail tech alliance through Texas Tech University. Her guidance and skill in providing the documentation for this program has added greatly to her legacy. Jeri became an accomplished hunter and wing shooter and an accomplished pheasant hunter. She loved travel and the arts and served for many years as a board member of the Equest Therapeutic Riding Program based in Dallas and contributed to its growth as an organization, promoting therapeutic riding for individuals of all disabilities.

The impact of her vision and accomplishments will be manifested in educational programs throughout the state of Texas for generations to come. Her pioneering leadership with regard to the immersion of technology into the educational process has enabled school children throughout the state for multiple generations to benefit and have every advantage, whether from urban upbringings or the poorest school district.

As a mother and new grandmother, Jeri was steadfast in her provision of limitless love and caring for her family. To her daughters, she served as guide, counselor and friend. She took great pride in the arrival of her first grandchild in November of 2009. Abigail Elaine Berger became the true light of her life and the recipient of Jeri's unending love and kindness. She was a truly remarkable woman who carried herself with a sort of strength that most can only aspire to possess. I was personally blessed to know and work with Jeri.

A memorial service was held on Monday of this week. An online guest book is available to share your memories or express your condolences.  Donations may be made to the Jeri Hodges Memorial Fund at American Bank of Texas, P.O. Box 1619, Frisco, Texas 75034. If you wish to make a donation, please specify if you would prefer your donation to go to the Jeri Hodges Wildlife Endowment at the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University or the Jeri Hodges Technology in Education Scholarship at Region 10 Education Service Center. And if you would like to send a card to the family, it may be sent to: Charles, Christie, and Courtney Hodges, 5426 Lobello, Dallas, TX 75229.

They are in my heart and prayers now.

So now, friends, as I close the last Snoops column for 2011, thanks for the many holiday cards, letters, e-mails and pictures from many of you! I so love our community! One more shopping weekend left, and I will be starting my annual mass-baking extravaganza and will be in the kitchen a lot this weekend. Though I don't care much for sweets, this is the time of year I enjoy turning out tons of goodies from nearly a dozen recipes for distribution to around 40 neighbors, friends and people who support us throughout the year. If you lived nearby, I would add you to my list!

Please accept my personal thanks to each of you for sharing of your professional and personal stories with me and with all of our friends and colleagues this year. I am grateful for my many dear friends in this industry, and I appreciate all your messages and remarks to me about this column. It is a way to keep us all connected! After all these years, I do know a lot of people, but if you are reading this, you too are a friend, and you are welcome and encouraged to send me your stories and news throughout the year.

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, but I also know that the holidays will be especially difficult for some of you. I am wishing each one of you and your loved ones a most blessed holiday season and will pray for joy and peace for all of us in the new year. And I will be listening for your news and scoops in 2012...My best always - Vicki, the Snoop