Last monday while I was leading a PD the inevitable happened. The projector I was using started to flicker on and off. While a few of us were trying to trouble shoot it a coworker uttered the following statement:

“That’s Why I Don’t Use Technology…..it’s always breaking”

This comment really bugged me. Yes technology doesn’t always work BUT that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use it. When I was in high school there were several times where my cutting edge technology at the time, a pencil, broke. Did that excuse me from doing my work? Of course not. Instead of throwing my hands in the air and decrying the use of a pencil, I got up and walked over to the pencil sharpener and fixed my problem. As a teacher you have to be willing to do the same when you use technology in your classroom. If your projector doesn’t work properly post resources on your website. Your PPT not working? Be prepared to teach without it. (Yes it’s possible!) If your sole reason for not using technology in your class is because things could go awry please also remove the following from your room:

1. Pencils
2. Pens – What happens when it runs out of ink?
3. Paper – It can rip in half and destroy your work!

Sadly this is not the first time I have heard this comment from teachers. Let’s just say it now….Technology is going to break. Technology is not going to work  correctly…..and that’s ok. Things can go awry in a classroom at any point so instead of avoiding the problem search for a solution.