Challenge Failed

Before Christmas, one of my coworkers asked me to incorporate Botball Robotics into my Tech Club curriculum.  Since I had been tinkering with hour of code, I thought my Tech Club would enjoy this! BOY - was I in for a shock when I began to realize the type of coding I was going to be working with.  For you computer programmers, it is C programming using KISS software!  For those of you who know nothing about computer programming...welcome to my world!!

        

I spent quite a few hours trying to learn enough so I could teach it. After several hours going through online tutorials and PowerPoints, I wrote my first code.  I tried to compile the program, (transferring it from the computer to the robot) but was unsuccessful repeatedly!  WHAT was I doing wrong?!?! I worked with my coworker, my cousins, and anyone else who would attempt (even if they just looked to appease me) to help me figure out what was wrong, but couldn't get the robot to move!  As my momentum dwindled, the students' excitement and enthusiasm was ramping up with unplugged activities!  Angela and I sat down to troubleshoot once more. We found I had simply started in the wrong level of the program and with a quick switch, the new program made the robot move!   I cannot explain to you the sense of satisfaction I felt the day it worked!!!

If I got that excited about making the robot move, I knew the kids would be ecstatic when they did. Within 30 minutes of starting on the computer, some of my kids successfully made the robot move! (Of course they learn faster than we do!)

                                       

As the students progressed through the different challenges, I could tell who really was enthusiastic about coding.  We worked one day a week and the kids could roughly work out a challenge in about 45 minutes.  After a rough draft of numbers, the students then had to use math and figure precise changes to complete the challenges.  The precision of completing the tasks and the upper tasks became increasingly difficult for the students, but they kept working.  The perseverance among my students amazed me even when the challenges became difficult.  

One group of boys could not figure out the line/light censoring challenge.  Neither myself nor the other coach could help them.  After calling in the Botball expert, the students completed the task.  They were so eager to learn and try more.  Achievement after trials was turning out to be inspiring for both the students and myself!! 

The competition was set up for students to practice until they were ready to complete the challenge for a judge.  I took twelve kids, two teams, and two groups of 3 within each team, to compete.  Early Saturday morning we arrived in Norman and began a long day of just playing with the robot.  One of my teams completed two challenges first thing and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the rest.  The other team struggled to get any one challenge precise enough to compete.  I could see the frustration and boredom in some of their eyes...we were failing and they were getting discouraged.  Some were even ready to quit.  After lunch, I brought the six girls (1 team, 2 groups) together and went to an open area where we could really focus.  With the support/encouragement of parents and Ms. Rudd, the girls successfully worked their way to complete Challenge 1, soon followed by challenge 2!  It was successful.  Accomplishing these two challenges were exhilarating and gave the girls a new energy!

This got me thinking.  As teachers, so many times we feel defeated or discouraged.  In fact, so many times I see, hear, and feel the feelings of failure among teachers.  These feelings come from having to call the office too many times, low test scores, getting frustrated when we should have kept our cool, being short with our students, students continually misbehaving and not following directions, missing paperwork deadlines, extra paperwork piling up, etc.  None of us like these feelings or want them, but they come anyway.  The awesome lesson I've learned through this, is that the moments of success will be even grander and worth celebrating because of the challenges we face.  Our job is full of challenges and roadblocks, but let's be like these kids and persevere.  If it calls for us to join together and work as a close team then work as a team, if it calls for us to encourage one another then encourage one another, if it calls for us to recruit help from parents then call on volunteers.  We can push forward and make it through the next few exhausting weeks!!!  

It must be love...

Really, it was love at first sight, or maybe infatuation! What can I say?!  As soon as I heard him I knew it was the way to go.  I couldn't get enough!

It all began 3 long years ago in Nashville, TN.  I was attending Model Schools Conference and all I kept hearing was iPads this and iPads that! Computers enhance learning!  Engage kids through technology!  I was hooked.  What teacher doesn't want to be more engaging? 

I returned to school on the prowl for any and all technology.  I got a MacBook.  Then a class set of iPads.  After that, I wanted new programs for screencasting and creating interactive lessons!  All leading up to where I am today! 

But what really makes this relationship between myself and technology true love is the fact that I keep going back.  I mean technology glitches, technology fails, Wi-Fi goes down, Configurator, well it just sucks sometimes…and other times, like lately, it's extra temperamental. 

It started with my desktops not working! No network on this one and no internet on that one! #19 turning off and on repeatedly. #13 freezing. The keyboard on one randomly typing. The IT guy spent many hours in my sauna trying to fix the desktops.  Now, those are running smoothly.  
In the mean time, we got iPads out with the younger kids. Well, I thought I had created a backup and made folders for all the apps, but come to find out, configurator decided to only put the backup on half the iPads.  Without the backup, there were no folders, and no guarantee the correct apps were on the iPads.  This meant the kids couldn't find the right apps.  Trying to teach 20 kindergartens how to find a certain app...whoa, it's like trying to progress monitor half your class weekly, or fitting 26 math lessons into 19 days or taking a class full of kindergarteners to the bathroom!  Next to nearly impossible.  So I plugged my iPads back in and reconfigured them...it had to work the 3rd time!! Or not! So there I was, trying again to make it easy for the little ones and technology just FAILED me!  I'd get frustrated, go vent to the librarian and then go right back to the technology I love. 

I'm sure you are thinking one of two things:

1. DUH, technology is stupid, I hate it and it always fails so why use it.

2. Nothing else could have possibly gone wrong! 

But let me assure you, it just kept slamming me; yet I chose to still love it.  After I made nice folders on the iPads, (connecting them 10 at a time.)  I was sure they all had folders and the same apps.  I pulled one out of the cart and played with the app I wanted to teach kindergarten.  Notability...kid friendly, does everything I want. I made an example and was ready to go!  I got the iPads handed out...low and behold...what do you know...it's NOT there! Seriously?!? 

I decided to plug the iPads in and add the app quickly before class the next day! No biggie right?! WRONG! I plugged them in, downloaded the app, checked a couple, they did their thing, so I assumed they all did their thing. Class came around, kindergartens were sitting in my room and I started calling kids to get their iPads..Sam #1 Tom #2 Betty #3... As the kids began opening up the iPad to start playing, 5/6 of them were on the "welcome to the iPad" screen! (For those of you who don't know...that's like the "your iPad is back to factory settings and you need to set it up because you have NOTHING on it" screen.) Guess we weren't supposed to do iPads that day either.  Last week on Friday  I ended up plugging each iPad into my computer individually and making it look the way I wanted. (Thankfully a teacher friend (thanks Rudd) stayed and kept me company for the 5 hours it took!!)  Once again I was so excited to use the "newly" set up iPads! 

Monday rolled around and guess what?!? My kindergarteners were able to practice finding letters on the keyboard by typing their color words.  Then they took pictures with of different color objects.  SUPER cute and they had a BLAST!  Today, my kids wanted to do multiple colors and some did. 

Two life lessons and thoughts to leave you pondering as I close this blog…

1. Just think about it, things fail and as teachers we just ROLL with it! The whiteboard markers run out and you can't write on the board!  The pencil breaks while helping a student.  The book you are supposed to read magically disappears right when you want to read it.  You realize you made copies of the wrong assessment after all the kids have started.  As much as we teachers plan and like to control, our day is out of our hands. Whether you use technology or not, we are thrown curveballs daily. Remember, be kind to everyone even when you are thrown a curveball.  Everyone includes other teachers, students, support staff, and parents.

2. Really, it's true love and love is a choice!  Technology makes me so mad sometimes because it fails, just like a human does, but I make the choice to use technology and give it a billion chances.  Loving technology is only a silly metaphor, what really matters is loving people!  I make the choice to love my brother and give him a billion chances even if he torments me.  I make the choice to love my students even when they make bad choices.   Are you making the choice to love even when someONE is making you mad?  Because Jesus chose us and loves us knowing we would mess up, we should do the same.  Even I messed up today! (And probably owe that person an apology!) 

Almost Catastrophic Technology Fail!!

Well even the biggest technology users have technology fails sometimes!  The thing that matters is if you roll with it and quickly recover.

Our district prints our Benchmarks for us because it is so much paper, but I had opted out.  Who needs paper pencil tests when you have technology?  It was going to be perfect...BENCHMARKS on the iPads.  Bubblesheet automatically imports the scores into Mastery Connect - piece of cake.  I even heard cheers about benchmarks when the kids found out it was on the iPads!

I knew Thursday (a week ago) I was having some problems with my iPads when two kids brought them to me because it said "plug into iTunes."  Never a good sign when nothing is on the iPad.   My amazing district tech specialist came out to help me the next day.  As we began looking at the iPads, we noticed about 5 of them now had that same sign.  I toted those few home to fix over the weekend because I needed them Monday for two tests.  After a few hours on Saturday, those iPads were restored and ready to be used.

I got to school on Monday morning and plugged those five iPads in along with the rest to make sure they had that final charge before the test!  The kids got the iPads out and we went to specials.  When we came back, we got ready to take the benchmark and as the kids started opening their iPads I heard chaos erupt as one kid started with, "Hey! What's wrong with my iPad?" and then another and another and another and ANOTHER AND ANOTHER...15 kids!  Their iPads were now saying the same thing that the five over the weekend had said!  With 15 iPads out there was NO way the test was possible with technology, but we had to get started!  I got another teacher to cover my class and frantically ran up to the work room to make copies!  Thankfully, the 'Wonderful Monday Copy Mom' was up there and made the rest of the copies while I went down and got the kids started on page 1!  During lunch I went and made the second benchmark copies for the PM testing session.  (Oh and the good-front-to-back-staple your whole packet copier was BROKEN TOO)

My dear friend and technology specialist came back out to my class and worked furiously ALL afternoon and into the evening so we could have iPads working for Tuesday's test.  WE DID IT!!  Tuesday morning, my kids were able to download the reading test into their "Note Anytime" app and write all over it!!  Saved by Kennemer!

Although we recovered the iPads so that we could take the benchmarks, there is still something not quite right with Apple Configurator and the iPads.  I must unsupervise my iPads, wipe them clean, and start fresh, but not until we looked over the tests on the iPad because we will loose everything!

Technology fails...just roll with it...make do...and keep fiddling with it!