Technology is not usually my friend

Monday, October 17, 2022

And today was no exception. I was giving a test in both US History and Human Geography today. The tests in these classes are always online. Since I am just filling in for the other teacher, I don’t have to create the tests; I just show up and wrestle the kids into their seats, push the button that makes the test available to them, then walk around saying, “It’s a test. Stop talking,” and “It’s a test. Sit down.” You know – the obvious. Then, when some of them are finished in 7 minutes and others are finished in 46 minutes, I try to get them to do the next assignment or at least keep them sort of quiet.

First hour is actually the high point of the day. The kids are juniors and are interested in participating in school. Yay! Win! They asked for a few minutes to review – then actually reviewed. Yay! Win! I collected their packets and pushed the button to make the test available. But it didn’t become available. I made sure I pushed save changes. Yep. Saved changes. I tried again. And again. I rechecked the hour. I rechecked I had the right test. I pushed enable and save about 7 times. Nothing. At this point, I felt like my brain was just flipping through a rolodex, trying to find any other thing to try.

I was literally staring at my computer, wondering what else I could try and not coming up with anything when suddenly everyone started saying, “It’s open. It’s here now.” I hadn’t touched anything in at least a minute. Yay? Win? I’ll take it.

Next came ninth graders in Human Geography. Since we were having a test, I got them into their seats in record time – about 4 minutes. Feeling UTTERLY CONFIDENT, I collected packets, pushed the enable/save combo and told them to go for it.

Yeah. Nothing happened. Again. And again. And again. I stopped and stared at it because it worked last time. Nothing. I ran next door for help. Luckily, prep is happening next door. She clicked and clicked and clicked. She asked for a student’s computer. She clicked and clicked. I am SO heartened when I am not the only one that can’t get the technology to work. Suddenly, it opened. Yay! Win!

I zoomed back to my room and said it was ready, go for it. Everyone got busy. Click. Click. Click.

“Mrs. Thompson, there are no questions. It’s just empty.” Repeated about 36 times.

I retrieved more help who ascertained that indeed, there were no questions in the test. Pivot! Let’s do tomorrow’s assignment and have the test tomorrow! Yay! Win! said all the people who hadn’t done anything about learning prior to today’s test.

But since I wasn’t scheduled to access tomorrow’s notes until tomorrow, they were not in my Google drive yet. (I actually had to ask for help finding my Google drive on the smart board because…well, there were some changes to it, but basically because I have very little clue how my smart board works.) A bunch (dare I say or hope? MOST) of the kids actually opened up the notes and wrote things down. It was so weird. And so great. Yay! Win!

I was ready to postpone the test in the next hour, but the EL (English Learner) teacher came in and said she found the test. If we didn’t just click on TEST (too obvious), but opened one thing, then the next thing, then the next thing, then scrolled down and clicked on assignment 11, it was there! The two of us explained that process and nearly 11 people listened. We clicked and scrolled for everyone else. Test was underway! Yay! Win! It was all good, except for the part where it didn’t import the grades. Oh, well. I copied them over by hand. yay. win.

Next hour is the tough one. We survived. (Staaaaaaahp talking!!!) The last bell rang and they left. I looked at my 182 packets – 18 pages each – that I need to correct, and felt very tired. But correcting just takes a pen and no technology. I was very optimistic and got at it.

As I walked out of the building, I looked at my phone for the first time since waking up. I had a text inviting Keith and I to eat chicken sandwiches at the American Legion with Jenny and Bruce. YES! YAY! WIN!