Instructional Objectives Determine Selection of Tools

It happens to every single teacher. We write a good lesson plan that outlines all of the necessary material, exhibits the information in an interesting light, and includes helpful homework. Then we try to use it in the classroom, and it falls flat on its face. Why is this? However much I’d like to think it happens because of the children’s behavior or the really crummy weather outside, it is probably because we, as teachers, didn’t know how to use our tools properly.

I will be the first to admit it: I am the worst at technology. I am still finding out things about my smartphone, and I cannot, to this day, use my projector and DVD player in unison. I am a mess, but I am working on it. This has ultimately been my downfall with most lessons that include any kind of technology. Sometimes, luck strikes, and the iPads are all on air and the Internet isn’t down, apps work, and no one has to go see the IT guy, but more often than not, I am always trying to find a way to work around the digital age; however, there are certain tools that I really do like to use.

Skype is my saving technological grace. If my parents, who just discovered the Weather app and were mystified as to how I knew the day’s temperature, can handle Skype, then certainly I can as well. And I have utilized it successfully in the past, though I do think it was due to the fact that I used outside school wireless connections and had it planned for the better part of three weeks. I had my class tune in to my class in Argentina from a few years back. As far as the language barrier went, that part was semi-difficult due to the nature of my students’ Spanish, but the Skype went off without a hitch. True, I had to rewire the wifi and make sure the class in Argentina would be able to join my class for the day, but when planned correctly, it went decidedly well. Instructional objectives were met, and learning objectives for the week were met.

On the other side of the spectrum with technology, I am certainly the recipient of the “uh-oh Ms. Randi, my iPad froze, can I go see the computer guy” question more than any other teacher I know. It probably has something to do with the fact that the days I decide to miraculously use the iPads is the day that the gods laugh at me. The process usually goes like this: I decide at the last minute to use the technology because I think it would be a “fun and cool” addition to the classroom. I normally don’t test it until the next morning at school during homeroom, where the app works well and the Internet complies. Then first period begins, and the app is freaked out by the 25 users on it all at once, and the Internet is overwhelmed with students logging on its server. Not my finest work.

This activity told us to write a blog post about how instructional objectives are imperative to using technology in the classroom. I think my past experiences, though I rarely seem to learn from them unless I have enough time, are proof enough that practicing and mastering the technology are dire skills to have before throwing it into the classroom. While I can’t control the rest of the digital world, I can control my world within my classroom, and having a plan to execute is the first step.