The kids worked for weeks creating and marketing exciting products for their economic class and were anxiously awaiting their big day, the day when they would present their products, along with the ad campaigns they have created to their class and their invited guests. They arrived in school early, all dressed in business attire, raring to go. The room was packed with people who had come in an hour early to see this presentation.
And then.....the computer did not work. There was no possible way to show off all this hard work
The guests had arrived for nothing.
The teacher was embarrassed.
The kids were devastated.
TECHNOLOGY WAS SUCKING BIG TIME!!
In the past, these presentations were done live. They went off as scheduled. The kids shined and everyone was happy. I believe next year the teacher is considering a return to the past.
And then.....the computer did not work. There was no possible way to show off all this hard work
The guests had arrived for nothing.
The teacher was embarrassed.
The kids were devastated.
TECHNOLOGY WAS SUCKING BIG TIME!!
In the past, these presentations were done live. They went off as scheduled. The kids shined and everyone was happy. I believe next year the teacher is considering a return to the past.
6 comments:
Everyone pitches technology as the be all and end all - and it is nothing more than a tool. It is a wonderful, sophisticated tool when it works well. And a boat-anchor when it doesn't.
not all tech foul-ups can be prevented, but in the event of an important presentation, i am curious to know why the computer wasnt tested ahead of time and/or a backup computer/laptop made available. depending on whether a tech support person exists at phs, or the teacher placed too much trust in doe infrastructure, the lesson learned here is test ahead of time, and prepare backups for your backups. it's too bad it didn't work out, kids love seeing their hard work displayed via technology.
It's all well and good to suggest that we have back-ups for our back-ups and contingency plans A through Z, but sometimes we just don't have time to check the infrastructure.
It's the worst when it's the kids whose great expectations get whacked.
Sorry to hear about this.
apple--in a school as large as Packemin, what you suggest is not possible. Our first class starts at 7:15 and our last one ends after 5. There is not enough equipment around to have a backup and their is no way to guarantee when you leave one day that it will be working the next. As for the tech support person, there is ONE in the building. He does not work all day and has more work than any one person can handle.
Still ... this may be the most important lesson of the whole day. If all these kids are depending on one piece of equipment performing flawlessly, then part of the whole-class plan should have been to at least consider this contingency.
They developed products. They planned each of their presentations and practiced their deliveries. They scheduled the room and the equipment. They scheduled the parents and visitors. A tremendous amount of coordinated effort went into this. Seems a shame to have all that go down the tubes because of one computer.
The marketing teacher should have taken one 30 minute time slot a week ago to pose the question, "What If?" and all that creativity could have resulted in a score of ideas, one of which would have saved the day. If nothing else, many of the kids might have been willing to "go Live and wing it" to salvage something.
I think the teacher learned that for next year
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