"Mr. Lammers, I think this computer hates me."
Yes, it does. It hates you like Arnold Schwarzenegger hated Linda Hamilton in The Terminator. In fact, your computer has just initiated a countdown sequence that will destroy every computer and network on the earth. That's how much it hates you.
Which, of course, I didn't say. Instead I reminded this student that computers don't act, they are acted upon, and they are machines that are sometimes prone to mechanical failure, not fits of emotional rebellion. Sometimes what is done can't be un-done, but most of the time, the damage can be reversed. You must be patient, you should back-up your work often, and you should learn the ways of The Force. (I actually said that one. At least it got the student to laugh a little.)
Other comments will from students will include (but are not necessarily limited to) "this computer sucks," I'd rather be using my PC/Mac," and my all-time favorite "this thing it taking forever." I wish I still had that Radio Shack TRS-80 computer that really did take forever just to boot up to demonstrate how far we've come. ("You want forever, kid? I lost a good three months of my high school career just waiting for the damn blinking "OK" to appear on my computer screen.")
Why do we do this? Why do we subject ourselves to learn a technology that is flawed - albeit better than it was long ago - and then turn it loose on our students? Sure, they may know more about Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social media, but it's up to us to take that knowledge and turn it toward the "bright side" of the force. Again, why?
Because without a little direction, the technology is merely a toy. Something to divert us, to titillate us, or to just pas the time. Oh, what a waste.
Can you write a paper on a blog? Probably not according to the Chicago Manual of Style. But can you formulate a thought and get feedback? Sure. Research? Probably, given a little direction. Answers to questions? Again, yes, with a little preparation. All of that can lead to formal papers, dissertations, essays and other scholarly writing with a little planning. Just a little.
It amazes me that with just "a little" forethought, direction or patience you can find a vast audience for your work - and thus create something better than you possibly imagined.
Forgive me for drinking the Kool-Aid, but I think the amount of access at our fingertips can be tapped to just about any one's advantage. If this masters program teaches me anything, it's that the tools we have access to are pretty powerful.
Which leads me back to what I read on page 9 of Disrupting Class (Christensen, Johnson, Horn) about when a country (which I read to mean "educational system") goes from "developing" to "established." Our country is in love with the technology because it is fun, it keeps us in contact with each other and lets people know what "is on our minds." We're established, we've accomplished advanced medical practices, we've gone to the moon. We've done our homework. What we are largely missing is the amount of information we have access to that can expand our knowledge to almost limitless proportions. Certainly a number of creative thinkers can point us in the right direction. The problem is that we still have people who are at that precarious moment that I illustrated at the beginning of this post:.
"This thing hates me."
There is no crying in Instructional Technology. There might be a little angst, time invested, trial and error and - OK, I'll admit it, I've done it before - yelling at inanimate objects of technology. But we shouldn't cry. We'll get there, those of us who are behind the curve. Play, experiment, try the applications in places they were never developed for. Keep notes. This is just as academic as hacking through Keats, Chaos Theory, imaginary numbers or the Malthusian Theory. The only difference is that it's just a lot newer.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/2192192956/
Lovely! Thanks for bringing up the "this computer hates me" phenomenon. No matter how often I say "save often" I always have students who lose something they worked so hard on. While they're starting over, I tell them to think about it...why did it happen? What was I doing when it froze? Why didn't I hit save?
ReplyDeleteIf you learn from your mistakes, they happen less and less...until you feel a warm, fuzzy "my computer loves me" moment
Bill, you have a gift. And that is all I need to say.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement to keep plugging along, even if we feel like crying. I'm so glad I work with elementary students. When they work on something, I can say--just push in your chair and leave your screen up. I will print it for you and bring it to your room. Or, I love when a student thinks they are printing something, but it never does print. They are usually fine with a copy of a classmate's poem or picture. And, I will sometimes say "you can come in during recess and do it again." And they are so excited so spend more time on the computer redoing it. We rarely have crying at this age.
ReplyDeleteYou are not only hysterical (couple of times I was LOL'ing), but you organize your thoughts in such well written prose. Glad to have you in our camp!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gabe! I am really glad I am in this cohort with you!
ReplyDeleteawesome!! how can you read my mind??!! I cannot wait to spend next week with this group!! :)
ReplyDeleteLammers, just wanted to add to the 'i love your blog' gang. Mentioning the Radio Shack TRS-80 brought back so many memories of staring at a green screen as a youth. I would spend hours painstakingly entering programming code just to see a frog jump! Now, if the computer doesn't load within 5 minutes I'm itching in my skin. In the words of those old poets and 80's great, Journey, "Who's crying now?".
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