A bit of a rant...

It is difficult, no unnerving, to create content lessons that depend heavily or even exclusively on a computer or access to the internet.  More than once, I have found myself standing miserably at the front of the room, desperately pulling together "Plan B" when the internet connection has failed or the computer delivered the BSOD (blue screen of death).  Or the program that worked fine previously, suddenly has a major glitch, locks up completely or decides to go places unknown.

It's not just the internet that is the only technological reliability challenge.  Data gathering plans with probeware have had to be scratched when too many devices failed to operate or instructions for operation were so vague or so confusing no one could figure them out, including me.

Granted, my students have been entertained somewhat, watching me frantically try various solutions to no avail.  The running joke among the IT people has been, "computers come to Mrs. Smith's room to die."

After several times finding myself in that place I call "Techno-purgatory", I try to always have a backup plan that can quickly be pulled in to replace the technology-based lesson.  It usually consists of my zero-tech notes or activities.  I've used these for years so I can wing-it pretty easily.  I don't like it,  but I can do it.

I like using my document reader, smartboard, projector and student response system and I had great plans to put together some awesome lessons.  I know I'm blessed to have access to all this technology and want to use it to its fullest extent.  So why haven't I?  What is holding me back?  Am I so overloaded at school I can't find the time?  Somewhat, but that's not the main reason.

It's the frustration that holds me back.  My lack of knowledge of how to fix what are probably small problems to a computer-savy individual.  My document reader doesn't "talk" to my smartboard-they have totally different software.  My room is apparently a random dead zone for the wireless internet, so it just cuts out...whenever.  I have so many different devices connected to the laptop with completely different software, I think that may be why it crashed. I ended the year with a laptop that only occasionally worked with internet that was randomly available, a student response system that would not recognize the clickers and a projector that completely died-not the bulb-the projector, died.

I was devastated by the last week of school.  I had become so dependent upon the projector and the document reader, pulling that overhead out of the corner of the room and clicking it on felt like a huge failure on my part.  I failed to make it all work.  In fact, I failed to make any of it work by the end.

Reliability and ease of use will make the biggest difference for me realizing my technological potential.  So here I am, trying to educate myself in the language of technology, in hopes that one less obstacle will be in my way.