On the third day of school, a tech specialist knocked on my classroom
door. "Here are your laptops!" she chimed. A couple days prior, my
teammates advised me not to count on the laptops for a least a month.
Naturally, I was very pleased to see that they had arrived on the third
day school as opposed to the third week, or even third month of school!
My
first question was, "When may I begin using these computers? And how do
the students sign on?" The tech specialist's response was a little
wishy-washy. Apparently students used to use a standard user name and
password. Now, for security reasons, each student must have their own
user name and password. But... the user names and passwords have not
been created yet. She suggested that I try using the outdated
standardized user name and password. Problem: The tech specialist could
not remember the standard user name and password nor had she been told
when the individualized user names and passwords would be available.
So,
there I was. Three classroom laptops. No usernames and passwords. I'm
sure they will rise to the surface and be shared with the teachers in
time, but, how much time? My students were thrilled to see them lined up
neatly on our computer table, plugged in and "ready to go" when they
arrived to school on Friday morning. Let's hope the user names and
passwords arrive as promptly as the hardware did.
I'd
like for my students to have a PLN (Personal Learning Network) of their
own within our classroom. We are living in an age where "sharing" is
becoming more popular than "privacy". My students are eager to share
their thoughts, their work, and their life stories. In addition, they
need to work on their typing skills. I know for a fact, I, along with
the majority of my classmates, became incredibly skilled typists during
the years 2001-2003 via MSN Instant Messenger.
Most people
are curious about their peers' thoughts and experiences. I'd like for my
students to feel enthused when sharing their writing and reading
others' writing and I'd like for them to write not only for me, but for
themselves, and for a larger audience (their classmates). I am a huge
believer in personal journal writing as well. Thus, not all writing is
meant to be shared, but, when it is meant to be shared, I want my
students to feel comfortable enough with each other to share their
thoughts, comment on each others' work, and grow as readers, writers,
and technological navigators, together.
As
a side note, web PLNs may be especially beneficial for ESOL students.
The computer screen serves as a buffer. Students have more think time
before they share, and more think time while they interpret what others
have already shared. This creates a low-stress environment where each
student can relax, and respond without the pressure of "real-time".
I'd
like to experiment more with edublogs and edmodo, however, I must first
collaborate with my 2nd grade teammates to see if thy are at all
interested in participating. I'll also need to get permission from the
administration. Sometimes, I feel as though teachers have quite a few
hoops to jump through before they are able to experiment with new
programs, etc. One of the busiest weeks of my life was last week (first
week of school) and it was tough to get enough sleep, let alone
experiment with technology. But, it is something I would like to do, so,
I will find the time... sometime. Hopefully soon! Perhaps around the
same time my user names and passwords arrive!
Cheers to a new school year and to a new way of sharing.
Sincerely,
Me
I think we have all felt your frustration at some point, Kate. It's great when schools provide technology for our classrooms and students, but it's equally important that there is adequate and timely tech support to make sure the technology can be used. I remember teaching in a high school with one computer lab. When I was fortunate enough to nab it for my class, I'd usually get there to find a handful of computers not working and at least one of the printers blinking like a Christmas tree, indicating it was all sorts of jammed and malfunctioning. There was one tech person for the entire district, who, needless to say, was completely overwhelmed. On the bright side, my students and I became pretty bold about trouble-shooting (control+alt+deleting, etc.)! I hope you get the passwords for the laptops soon! I also hope you find time for technological exploration, PD, and PLCs. That is so critical!!
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