Technological Flat Tire

            As I write this post, I am sitting at Firestone getting my tire fixed.  While waiting, I think to myself that if I didn’t have bad luck, I would have no luck at all.  I am on my way to the beach to soak up the sun and celebrate my 15^th anniversary with my wife.   The problem is that this is the second flat tire I have gotten in two weeks.  This is definitely not the best way to celebrate my 15^th anniversary!

            Also on my mind is school, because it starts at the beginning of August.  Most of you know that technology is a big part of my classroom.  I feel as though many teachers get “technological flat tires”.  What I mean by this, is that most teachers start with an open mind with using technology within their classroom, but many give up very easily when something goes wrong or doesn’t work quite right.  Then they proceed to share their thoughts of disbelief with their students and coworkers.   This starts a bad cycle of negativity.

            What I have learned throughout my years of teaching is that my students have achieved more with the infusion of technology into my classroom.  When I first started using technology within my classroom, it didn’t always work the way that I wanted it to.  In fact, it still does not always work the way I would like it to.  At times it can be frustrating, but I always embrace the opportunities the technologies will create for my students.   As comparing this to a metaphorical tire, you can either simply mend the puncture in the tire or get a new tire altogether.  This goes right along with our mindset on technology.  We can either find a quick easy fix or grasp a new mindset altogether.  If we do not take the time to grant students the opportunity to use technology, we will not allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential.  Now that I am sitting in the sand and listening to the crashing waves, I realize that maybe that flat tire was not such a big deal after all. The end result was well worth the inconvenience.