“Control C, control P” was one of the first tricks I learned on the computer. I remember my teacher showing me how to do this and this forever impacted my outlook on technology. Through technology, I was able to design efficient presentations, learn at my own pace, and become informed about Microsoft Office programs. Having access to these tools have been a positive experience for me, so I hope my students would have the opportunity to see these new pieces of technology in action!
I am an advocate for technology in the classroom because these would be the tools our future leaders will be surrounded with. They need to be exposed to this technology, so they know how to use them properly and be successful in the fields they are going into. While I will be continue to be a supporter of the use of technology, I personally believe tech savvy teachers need a back up plan.
There may be times when the video isn’t loading properly, the power is out, or the piece of tech does not cooperate as much as you would hope. These situations are very common especially with new technology. New technology offers great possibilities, but they also can create new problems. For this reason, teachers need to be able to return to the “old school” way of teaching with their lesson plans. They need to have plans a, b, and c, when the link does not work or the power mysteriously goes out.
While students have access to technology, this unnecessary lag time of buffering videos and power outages, can drastically change the atmosphere in the room. The once excited students may lead to boredom and thereby misbehaviors. When teachers plan ahead and think through potential negative situations, they can successfully use the technology given to them.
Could not agree more. Teachers need to have a backup. Especially as tech gets more complex in school – devices, network, apps. Lots of places to hit a glitch. Need some old school tools in your kit just in case.
I completely agree with the point that teachers should always come prepared with a back up plan so they are never caught off guard in front of their class if the technology does not work. As technology continues to advance in schools we as teachers should be prepared to take on this new technology but not forget the classic tools that we can pull out of our back pocket if technology is not working. I also think it is important like you said to not always rely on technology as it can have long wait times which lead to students becoming impatient and may possibly lead to more behavior problems and classroom management issues.
This is so true Melissa. With or without technology, teachers always need to be prepared with a backup plan, and even a backup plan for their backup plan. I have been in classrooms for field experience, or even college classrooms, where teachers struggle to get technology to work for a lesson, and it completely ruins the flow in the classroom when they’re scrambling for something to do next. When this happens to me, as a 20 year old, I lose interest in the lesson, so I can only imagine what a 5 year old would feel like. It is crucial to have a backup plan for when technology fails you (which can happen often), a great classroom management strategy. 🙂
This is so important to keep in mind when planning a lesson. Technology is still kind of new and there are always new issues popping up at just the wrong time, like in the middle of testing or a presentation, but I think going back to basics like you said is one of he best ways to deal with these problems. However it is also great to check in with the class to see if they know how to fix the problem, they might know a trick that we don’t yet and can get the original plan back on track.