Whose Afraid of...the Internet?!

What concerns me about using the internet in my classroom and how can I alleviate those fears?  Well, that is the million dollar question, now isn’t it?

Deciding how to use (or if to use) all the different internet-based technology available is a difficult task.  First, it is big.  There is so much out there and what isn’t already out there, prepackaged, ready to use is available to anyone with the time and talent to piece it all together.  Second, it is scary, like Gotham scary.  There are people out there pretending to be what they aren’t.  Domains that were good and child-friendly one day, are porn sites the next.  There are no guarantees on the internet.  Third, it is unpredictable.  You never know if your connection will work (especially if you are on a wireless network), if the site you are wanting to use will be having technical issues, if you are going to be able to do today what you did yesterday or the day before (even the minute before, for that matter).  The weatherman has been known to be more reliable than our school’s internet!

So what do I plan to do about it?  The first thing I have to do is give myself a specific amount of time to explore, then make a decision, and finally, use what I find.  I am notoriously awful about spending inordinate amounts of time finding really cool things and then never getting around to using them (I am the queen of overplanning-there is never a chance of being left with nothing to do in my classroom!).  Then, if at all possible, I will come up with at least two other options (just in case), only one of which is not technology-related, and both of which take up a different amount of time (this will cover all the usual bases-not enough time, the internet is down, the site is having problems).

I think the other key to my using technology more effectively is to work on the design of my room.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but technology is like everything else, if it isn’t convenient it won’t get used.  I have to make my room ready for using technology.  I need to have things ready and set for the natural integration of technology into my regular, every day routine.  This is really, for me, probably the single biggest factor in my using technology with my students.  Because if it is important enough to me for it to influence the way I have my room arranged, then it is going to be important enough to do! 

What's to know?

Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint.  Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Safari, Google Chrome.  Discovery Streaming, Accelerated Reader, HeadSprout, Learning A to Z.  The list of computer applications that I use on a regular basis makes my head swim just to think about.  There are days I would love nothing better than to retire my computer, my iPad, my cell phone and go on a technology hiatus.  I am surrounded by technology and, as I like to say, know just enough about it all to be dangerous!

I have grown up with technology.  I had computers in my home before I had air conditioning.  I remember DOS-based machines and the advent of Windows.  I don’t think my ability to use computers and technology is a significant issue with my lack of technology integration in my classroom.  Losing my laptop would be like losing my purse.  I cannot imagine teaching without the availability of a computer.  My lesson plans are in Word, my grades are in Excel, my newsletters are in Publisher, and I have presentations in PowerPoint.  Though there are many tools out there that I am not familiar with, I honestly do not think that I am lacking in any way that impacts my efficacy as a teacher.  Quite the contrary, I sometimes wonder if technology and all the distractions that come with it are not part of the problem.  I get lost on some tangent when I am trying to get something accomplished.

What I really need is to be more focused in my use of technology and not get diverted by all the shiny things I see.  So ambitious or not, I am not looking to “improve” my software skills.  There are absolutely applications out there that are not part of my general repertoire and I do intend to continue expanding my technological horizons (if we do not move forward, we are quickly left behind), but insofar as creating a plan of action and having a technology “bucket-list” of sorts, I am not seeing it.  I will learn whatever comes my way that appeals to me and seems to have value in what I am doing in my classroom and as a professional.  Right now, the Google Apps and Google Docs fall into that category.  I am also learning how iPads and iPods can be used with my students to improve their learning.  What comes after that?  Well, only time will tell.  It may be something that hasn’t been developed yet, I really don’t know.