Back to the Dark Ages!
Today Unit 5 was internetless, if that’s even a word (take note, Merriam Webster!). Without access to the web, we had no internet (obviously), no phones, no copy machines, no apps, and it was a domino effect to mess up everything from the obvious classroom activities to lunch count, attendance, administrative tasks, and the ability for parents to contact us. Might as well just shut ‘er down and come back tomorrow, right? Well, we can do this! Let’s start with “Plan B” since Plan A is already out the window!
Welcome to 1975! …Well, not even, because they could even duplicate copies, where we can’t! Okay, so Plan C…
As I look at my plans, I am shuffling things around and trying to figure out alternate activities for those that involve technology that is now not working. Well, can’t copy anything, so that’s not an option. Can’t get onto my Google Drive to grab an idea, so that’s a no-go. Well, I do have my 4G on my phone, so there’s that! It’s really slow currently, but at this point, I would take dial-up if I had to.
I’m about on Plan F because Plans A-E have failed, but as a flexible 20th century teacher, you just have to keep trying until something works.
How has this affected my day so far? Well…
- Attendance and lunch count were done on a sticky note. Not terrible – it’s pretty standard for when subs are here.
- Our center podcast lesson wouldn’t work since it was on an iPad app. I instead let the kids use my phone, but told them not to answer calls or texts from my mom (during both iTime and Reading Workshop).
- The kids who would go on the Epic! app instead went old school and read from their book boxes (during both iTime and Reading Workshop).
- No GoNoodle brain breaks – Asked WWMD? – What Would McGee Do? – Mrs. McGee is our PE teacher and she has the kids come in and do warm-ups that are written on her board. I asked the kids what are some of the warm-ups, so we made a list on our board and did 5 different exercises together to get a little movement in and shake our wiggles out.
There was a glimmer of hope when the blinky green of the router went to solid green and then blue. Cheers erupted from the crowd! It was a little before lunchtime when the hard-wired desktops started working. PRAISE JESUS HIMSELF because the kids now can watch Dino Dan or Wild Krats during inside recess instead of completely losing their ever-loving minds!
Now, did any laptops or iPads work? Nope. Okay, well we’re getting there! We see the wifi is trying, so I restarted aaaaaand nothing. Alright, I shut down completely and turned my laptop back on and still nothing! Since this was futile and no amount of willing the wifi to work would be beneficial, I decided to quit and go to lunch.
Was there cookie dough dip at lunch? Yes. Did I have a little too much because I was frustrated? Also, yes. Was it delicious and worth it? Absolutely!
Ok, bell rang, back to the restless children. They’re yelling at me about peppers. WHYYYY? Oh, my fault. I forgot to put them back in my lunch bag and am carrying them. Oops. Okay, I get behind my desk and…and…it’s a miracle!!! The internet is working and all is right in the world!
So, how did I feel about this morning without tech? A little frustrated, a little panicked, a little refreshed, and a little proud. I was frustrated because I had to alter my plans on the spot. I was a little panicked because if you don’t keep 22 6-year-olds busy every waking minute, the results will be disastrous. They can smell chaos and fear and will take full advantage to make it 1000x worse. I was also a little refreshed because it was nice not to have kids glued to screens or dependent on them. They had to problem-solve and figure out things for themselves, too, like what station they were supposed to be going to during iTime. Finally, I was a teensy bit proud because we did it! We were able to succeed without going online.
Technology is wonderful and amazing when it works, but it throws a huge monkey wrench in things when it decides to take a vacation. I think this was a gentle reminder to always be thinking about how I could do things differently if this were to happen again. If we were 1:1 dependent on tech, this could have been a huge disaster, but I need to remember to stay grounded and be creative with what we are given.
I love this post and empathize completely! We’ve had a couple days in my district where the internet has gone down, too. We were fortunate and it came back fairly early on, but it definitely creates an automatic panic mode. Even when my doc cam isn’t working I can freak out a little bit, despite the fact that I do have other options. It really does make you realize exactly how reliant we’ve become on technology. It seems like the more tech we have, the more essential it is to have an old-school back up plan just in case everything crashes and burns. And you’re absolutely right–when we do survive a day without tech, it feels like a major accomplishment! Particularly when we’re dealing with kids who have maybe never had to cope with the absence of computers and devices.
My friend works in Unit 5 and was texting me this day freaking out! She said it really made her reevaluate everything in her room too! This statement in your post really stuck out to me. “I was also a little refreshed because it was nice not to have kids glued to screens or dependent on them.” My students earn technology breaks after they work. Since I’m in a self-contained room, we usually have enough technology per each student. However, there’s still arguments over iPads and computers, and even what computer they get (even though they’re all the same). After winter break when I gained four more students, I didn’t have enough technology options for everyone to have technology breaks all together. I have separated their breaks so some played with blocks, legos, playdough, or cars, while others were on iPads or computers. Some students began to give up their technology breaks to play cars with each other, and these breaks seemed to be more beneficial for students. They often became upset on iPads or computers when they couldn’t beat a game. This break kept them calm and improved their social skills. I definitely still keep technology in my lessons so students are using it, but they hardly use technology for breaks, and the results have been great! I think they also appreciate using it during lessons more when it’s meaningful versus playing a game alone. The technology is great when it works, but I think reminders of various activities are also helpful!