Sink or swim!
Jump in with both feet!
Dive right in!
Thrown into the deep end!
My 5th grade Literature class had been studying idioms prior to the break. As I think about our new way of learning — especially in regards to technology — as a school community, these were a few idioms that came to mind.
I don’t know why all of these idioms are water related. Maybe it’s because of the sensation of drowning I am experiencing as I am learning new things?
This morning I started a list of things I’ve learned – technology wise — since last Friday. I plan to add to this list as I go. I am anticipating that it will reach upwards of a 100.
So, I thought I would share a few of them with you as an encouragement (or maybe for a quick chuckle) as our school community embarks on our Distance Learning Plan.
1. How to convert a jpg to a pdf file.
2. How to put a Dropbox link in a Google doc. (“What?! You can’t just copy and paste?!)
3. How to Zoom.
4. How to Loom.
5. How to …
Ok the list continues, but you get the picture.
I am 51 years old. I went through college using a Smith Corona (no pun intended!) typewriter. I graduated from seminary in 1998 while writing every research paper on a Brother typewriter/word processor. I got my own first personal computer in 1999.
In fact, in my high school computer class in the 80s, the highlight of my technological achievement was to type in the BASIC programming language: 10 Print “Stephanie” and 20 “Go to 10” and the screen filling up with my name. I thought this was delightful. Such is my computer background.
Fast forward to now: I may or may not have said out loud in my 5th grade class before when trying to play a video clip from my computer, “Which slot does the HDMI cord go in on the side of my computer? or “Oh, wait, I have to turn the doc cam off first. Got it.”
I am grateful (and humbled) for my tech-wise students who jump up and point to the right spot or remind me to turn off the camera. This is no time to be proud or unteachable. “Yes, please help me!” is always the right answer.
So during our DLP, let’s all take that tack. Let’s be willing to ask questions or offer to help out. Let’s be empathetic and supportive. We are all in different cars on the technology train. And, yes, we may be learning from our children.
During this past week, I joined in on the various online technology Q and A sessions that our school offered. Each time I learned something. One teacher reminded everyone how to flip their camera on the Loom videos so that our books/pictures with words would not appear backwards to our students. I learned that after making my Loom intro video. I now know how to change that. Another teacher piped in with how to scan items on his phone into Dropbox. The tech support crew (a.k.a. our Advancement team) offered excellent advice on how to improve your bandwidth if multiple devices are used in a home simultaneously.
I am thankful for our Admin team, other teachers, and now, parents and students joining together into this thing called the DLP – Distance Learning Plan.
We are learning things that will carry on with us into next year and beyond and will make us all better learners — teachers, students, and parents alike. We are benefitting from the expertise of our friends and colleagues, and we are learning to empathize with each other along the way.
This is taking parent partnership and lifelong learning to a whole new level!
Working together in concert while employing our various gifts and trusting in the Lord, we can do this!
I am happy to be in the “deep water” with you all!
In all things Christ preeminent!
by Stephanie Boss, CCS 5th grade teacher
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