Managing technology peripherals in the ESL classroom

At ISB, we have a lot of technology tools (peripherals and equipment) and resources available to teachers and students K-12. As a high school ESL teacher, I am lucky that most of these tools are located and stored in the classroom or offices. Laptop computers for teachers and students, SMART Boards, wireless Internet, printers, video projectors, scanners, televisions, VHS and DVD players, audio cassette and CD players, document cameras, copiers, speakers, and more. Our library media center and EdTech departments also store overhead projectors, digital and video cameras, and external microphones for class use, but as most students and teachers in the High School have their own digital cameras or phones, I rarely have need to borrow these peripheral tech tools. The library DVDs are a digital resource I often make use of but again just as often I am able to download videos from the Internet that meet my classroom needs. This week's blog post question is "How do you manage the use of technology peripherals with students? What are some things you've learned (from this course) and hope to implement."

In terms of managing the use of technology peripherals in my class, most of the peripherals are attached to my computer and used with me or by me in the classroom so classroom management of these devises has not been an issue. However, what this course has taught me is that there are many other teaching, learning, or creative applications for these technology peripherals in the classrooms K-12 with the tools in the hands of the students rather than the teacher. In doing so however, I worry about two laws and one hypothesis aptly described by my fellow cohort member Rub Rubis in his weekly blog responding to these same two questions:

1) Murphy's Law—"If it can go wrong, it will"

2) Sod's Law—"A demonstration will always fail in front of an intended audience"

3) "Horseshoe Nail Hypothesis for Educators"—"For the want of a widget the lesson was lost.

However, in fear of these two laws and a hypothesis, I will not be discouraged from moving forward and creating a 21st Century classroom where technology tools are increasingly in the hands of students and teachers for the enhancement of student learning. For whenever Murphy's and Sod's Laws and the Horseshoe Nail for Educators for hypothesis enters my mind and discourages me, I will remember the following three quotes instead:

1) Quote: "You learn from your mistakes" (Thierry Henry)

2) Quote: “Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.” (Frederick Smith)

3) Quote: “You have to be willing to put in the time and be very patient with the technology” (Suzette Kliewer)

The last quote is from this week's readings from The New York Times, Industry Makes Pitch That Smartphones Belong in the Classroom.