1. Teaching students to use the technology or webapp
Actual instruction time within the class period is extremely valuable to any teacher, especially with the scope and sequence, pacing calendars, and looming state tests dictating what is to be covered and how quickly the teacher must accomplish that most daunting task of leading the horse to water and actually getting it to drink. Any teacher looks at the instruction time and effort needed to explain how to connect dialogue boxes in Popplet or helping Johnny find the "Forgot my password" link for the 4th time this week and shudders at the state mandated content that is sacrificed that now must be made up for at some point in the future.
2. Redesigning lessons for tech
Infusing technology is a time consuming process: researching new technology, webapps, and sites; experimenting with them long enough to establish pseudo-mastery of the necessary concepts and steps; figuring out which lesson(s) can be infused with said technology and/or webapp; and finally rewriting those lessons to infuse the technology. All while maintaining the necessary progress on the path to those little state exams in the Spring.
3. Internet Speed / Accessibility
The only thing more frustrating than problem #1 from above is having an awesome tech infused lesson locked and loaded, even after counting the requisite 5 min to help Johnny with his ever-mysterious password, is having 25 students staring at their browser's status arrow chasing its tail over and over and over and over... and all the while maintaining classroom management, keeping students dutifully on task while waiting patiently.
4. Tech failures
The projector and computer suddenly can't communicate properly...
That great website you found last night at home is blocked by lightspeed...
Johnny's left mouse button flies off due to excessive "forgot my password" clicking...
That great website you found last night at home is now giving you the dreaded "forbidden 403" message...
Technology will go down and usually at the moment that your principal drops in for a surprise walk through. And given the random nature of tech's little surprises, the teacher is left scrambling for a solution, a back up plan, or re-considering that job offer as a llama rancher in Boise.
That great website you found last night at home is blocked by lightspeed...
Johnny's left mouse button flies off due to excessive "forgot my password" clicking...
That great website you found last night at home is now giving you the dreaded "forbidden 403" message...
Technology will go down and usually at the moment that your principal drops in for a surprise walk through. And given the random nature of tech's little surprises, the teacher is left scrambling for a solution, a back up plan, or re-considering that job offer as a llama rancher in Boise.
Tyler, thanks for your honesty in this post! The barriers you listed are all valid barriers that can cause the teacher to feel defeated in a class! I will say that as far as the network, the high school was the last campus to get a complete overhaul on the infrastructure. You should see a vast improvement with connectivity next year! Yay!! As you saw in our first day together of Tech Academy, we all deal with the issues of how to work around issues when an app does not work exactly like we think it should. However, I understand that the class environment does change more drastically when it is students waiting for the new plan! Keep up the good work.
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