Blogs About Lesson Plans Using Technology

Friday, January 09, 2009

Technology lesson planning 101

On the excellent Doug Johnson Blue Skunk Blog, there are two recent articles well worth reading: one is Seven brilliant things teachers do with technology, in which I particularly like the idea that we should "use technology's engagement (not entertainment) power" [>> more].

The second is Seven stupid mistakes teachers make with technology, "stupid" being a word he uses with some reservation.

I've got the same reservations myself about "stupid". "Can I ask a stupid question?" people sometimes ask me in technology seminars, meaning a question that might seem stupid to experts, an idea that embarrasses the questioner. But the question never turns out to be stupid: "basic" is perhaps the word being sought.

As regards using technology, let's call it "silly", shall we? To my mind, the silliest mistake you can make as a teacher is not having a Plan B in case the technology goes wrong, as at some point it inevitably will.

"Silly" is a word I hear teachers use: they say, for example, "you just look silly in front of all your students when there's no Internet connection".

But that's the great thing about having a "Plan B": if you do, you won't look silly, on the contrary, you'll look slickly professional, which as a learner is how I like my teacher to look...

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