Technology Setbacks

Technology is certainly a wonderful thing.  I can hardly imagine my day without having my iPhone or laptop.  However, it is not always the best tool when it comes to reliability.  There are many times when we need technology for various projects, homework, etc., and it seems like it always fails us at the worst possible time!  Although I love technology, there have been many times where I wished we would go back to a good old fashioned pencil and paper.

My most recent technology crisis occurred about two weeks ago.  I had to fill out an application online for school, and I needed it to be mailed in the day that I filled it out.  I tried opening the application on my Mac, but for whatever reason, it would not open no matter what I tried.  Thinking I might have better luck on a PC, I rented a laptop from Xavier, and was able to open the application just fine.  I was so excited that I was able to open it, and proceeded to fill out the whole application.  Thinking all I had to do was print it, I sent it to the printer, and waited…. nothing.  So I sent it again thinking maybe I just clicked the wrong thing.  Once again, nothing.  So I looked a little bit like this:

At this point I started to panic, because this application was really important and I really had to get it in the day I was filling it out.  So, I did what I always do in a time of crisis, and I called my mom.  Thankfully, she was able to pull it up and print it out from her house, and I had to drive all the way out to where she lives and meet her to get the application and put it in the mail.  

This was a time when I was very lucky, though.  Sometimes technology just doesn't want to work for us.  Something that was created to make our lives so much easier sometimes does just the opposite.  Luckily, I was able to get my application in that day with no problem, but if she had been busy that day or if it didn't work on her computer, I have no idea what I would have done.  It's times like those that I wish computers did not exist.

Modern Technology in the Classroom

For this blog post, I decided to look on YouTube to see what kind of modern technology is being used in the classroom today, and I found something I found really interesting, called Skwirk.  It is actually offered in Australia to Australian students, and it is a learning tool that is used by a lot of teachers there, who can use it to help with their lessons.  It is a great teaching tool for the teachers because it allows the students to learn through the use of technology.  Skwirk provides lessons, worksheets, videos, and other materials that are very useful for the teachers who use it in their classrooms.  It really helps benefit the students with their work.

On their website, this is what it says about Skwirk:

"Designed for all Australian school students, it features content written specifically for the syllabus in each state.  In addition, Skwirk contains thousands of animations, videos, exams, podcasts, learning objects, worksheets, and other rich media features that cater to all learning styles.  Skwirk also makes studying a rewarding experience, literally.  As students complete activities, exams and quizzes on the site, they earn points which can be redeemed for prizes and rewards. (schools excepted)"

For more information, the website can be found HERE.

Also, here is a video that shows some teachers talking about this program in Australia: