Yesterday I was not a good teacher. The lesson was not inspiring; it was not empowering to my students. They did not become awesome creators of amazing digital content. It just didn't happen. The wifi was weak. There wasn't enough to carry all 24 iPads as we tried to get Drive and Docs set up on the 4th grade iPads. There was also just enough wifi that I wouldn't give up on the effort and move on to plan B, C, or D.
I ran around the room trying to make devices work as many of the kids called my name, reminding me of baby birds at feeding time. I was stressed and not doing any good. How could I have saved this lesson? Looking at the accounts, 80% of the kids did get Drive set up and started a document, meeting the goal of the lesson. Why don't I feel like I passed? My fourth graders spent much of the time either frustrated or disengaged.
Teaching tech we sign on for failure, but how do you know when to pull the plug and go to plan B. When the power goes out the choice is easy, but how long do we struggle with weak connections before we break out the pencils?
Leave a comment and share your perspective, maybe it will help me do a better just tomorrow.
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