Technology: Friend or Foe?

Yesterday, in EDU580, we began presenting 20 minute lessons that incorporate technology. All of the lessons were really great. We learned how to create animations, we learned how former U.S. Presidents felt about slavery, and we even learned how to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. Everything went pretty smoothly . . . except for one. Our classmate, Jordan, created a really cool lesson about the Pythagorean Theorem. Jordan's lesson was supposed to incorporate a website in which the user can manipulate shapes in order to properly prove the Pythagorean Theorem. I checked the website out before class began and it looked like a really interesting lesson. Unfortunately, when it came time to teach her lesson, the website seemed to be down. Everyone in class who tried to get to the site was unable to. This left our classmate in quite a pickle. She had to teach the "old-fashioned" way. She simply used a white board and markers in order to teach us the material.

So, the question is, what can we learn from this experience? In my opinion, Jordan did exactly what she needed to -- she just kept going. When we're in a situation where technology is not going our way, we need to have a back-up plan. Technology is wonderful when used correctly, but let's be honest, sometimes it just doesn't work. We have to prepared for times like these. As interesting and cool as lesson may be with technology, we need to be prepared to take another route if something goes awry.

Should we let this deter us from using technology in the classroom? Absolutely not. We have great opportunities to incorporate technology in our classrooms, and our students can benefit from our use of technology. We cannot be afraid. If something goes wrong, then so what. We just need to expect the unexpected. Have a back-up plan just in case something were to go wrong. Then we don't need to be scared of our technology not working. We are ultimately responsible for teaching a content area, and whether we use technology to aid us in that process is solely our choice as educators. But we need to be able to teach content both with and without technology. We cannot solely rely in technology and we cannot completely ignore it. We cannot trust it all of the time, and we cannot be afraid all of the time. In times of crisis in the classroom, we can look to the old adage of the stage: The show must go on!