Hot Stove Moments

First posted August 2008 on edublogs
We’ve become a nation of fear, which reminds me of one of Mark Twain’s quotes:
“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdomthat is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on ahot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again—and that is well;but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore. “
We’re going to have some hot stove moments this year. Rather than letting fear stop us from creating 21st century classrooms, we need to anticipate problems so we’ll be ready. Last spring we met with members of the State Super Computing Authority. They will help us train two people on staff at our school to help with technical difficulties. We teachers must remember that these two people will still have their other duties, and we cannot call them with every little problem. Also, their knowledge will be limited. We must teach ourselves the basics so we don’t burden them.
Next, we need to anticipate student behavior problems. First, there’s the potential for vandalism. By using Airset we can monitor who blogs, comments, and edits. Of course, we must carefully monitor the sites our students visit. There’s another problem that will be more annoying than dangerous. As students start using laptops in the classroom, we will struggle with keeping them on task, not sending out funny e-mails, chatting, playing games, etc. Furthermore, we want our students to think about and discuss what they are learning, not just mindlessly taking notes. Sometimes, we get so involved with our notetaking that we don’t really listen and fully participate in the lesson.
Finally, we must limit what the students do with their laptops if they finish an assignment early. We did not spend grant money on this equipment for students to play solitaire or go shopping. If students finish an assignment early, perhaps they can go to Airset to blog or do another teacher’s assignment. (Of course, they can always read a book!) That will be up to the individual teacher.
In his book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman urges us to “be good.” Our “electronic footprints” will follow us.
Let’s take one situation at a time. I certainly don’t want an entire class or the school to be punished by the actions of a few. This year will be challenging, but that’s part of the excitement.
Talking about preparation reminds me of another favorite quotation.
“Chance favors the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur
Please add your comments about other potential problems.
No limits,
Dawn