The learning curve for computer use, like that for any other
new skill, has created a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding
among those struggling to master -- and those struggling to help
us master -- the technology. This month, members of the Education
World Tech Team share some of their funniest teaching (and learning)
moments. Included: Shocking photos of computer
abuse!
Anecdotal evidence indicates that the most frequent reason for
computer illiteracy among adults is the fear of stupidity -- not
the fear of turning stupid, of course, just the fear of looking
stupid. That fear, observers say, is particularly pronounced among
educators.
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| "But I thought
EBay accepted Visa cards?" |
In order to allay those fears, and thus promote increased computer
use among teachers, we asked members of the Education World Tech
Team to share some of their funniest teaching and learning moments.
Although it might not be totally true that the only stupid question
is the unasked question, it is true, our experts assure us, that
nothing is so stupid that it hasn't been said, done, or asked before.
To prove the point, members of the Tech Team share the following computer
bloopers with you.
 |
| "How come Scooby
don't?" |
"As the technology specialist at a K-5 school in California, I
conduct classes in the Macintosh computer lab for students in grades
1-5," Lori Sanborn told Education World. "A couple of years ago,
I installed Apple's Network Assistant, which allows someone working
at a single administrative computer to control all the lab's computers.
One of the program's features is the ability to talk to students
at individual workstations through their headphones. We decided
to test the talk feature with a class of third graders. While students
were engaged in a Kid Pix project, the teacher used the administrative
microphone to give individual students such directions as, 'Don't
do that!' or 'Don't put that there!' Many students, on hearing this
voice from above, turned around to see who was behind them; they
obviously were puzzled to find no one there. It was very comical
to watch. The best response, however, came when a student hearing
'Don't do that!' through his headphones, took them off, and used
one of the headphones' ear pieces to reply, 'But that's what I'm
supposed to do!'"
"We once had to replace a keyboard because the classroom rabbit
mistook it for a litter box," Stew Pruslin recalled.
"When discussing computer viruses," said Lydia Nelson, "one student asked if he
should be wearing gloves."
 |
| "Am I missing
something?" |
"I think the funniest technology misunderstandings often arise from
the dual usage of words," said Jennifer Wagner. "For example:
- We have a 'Drivers' notebook in the school office. I wondered
why the notebook was in the office and not in the computer lab
-- until I realized the notebook was for parent drivers
for field trips.
- In our school discipline policy, different levels of behavior
are indicated by different colors. When I tell my students to
change colors in a program such as Kid Pix, they always look startled
and wonder what they did wrong.
- A teacher recently asked me to put a file of students' names
on her desktop. I opened Word, created a document with the children's
names in it, and saved it to her desktop. Unfortunately, she wanted
an actual file on her classroom desktop, not a Word file on her
computer desktop.
- If someone mentions 'virus,' I immediately think computer virus
and seldom worry that someone might be coming down with a cold.
 |
| "Online gambling
sure isn't all it's cracked up to be!" |
"My favorite question in my role as technology coordinator, however,
has to be, 'Why isn't my printer printing?,'" Wagner noted. "Most
often the answer is 'You didn't remove the plastic safety sticker
from the ink cartridge!'
"I also am amazed at the constant repetition of the question, 'Why
isn't my computer working anymore?,'" Wagner added. "That's usually
followed by an enthusiastic story about the great screensaver they've
just downloaded from an obscure Web site."
 |
| "Technology
-- you gotta love it!" |
"A colleague rang me at home for help with a problem with her home
computer," Michael McMullin told Education World. "In my best 'support
line' voice, I said, 'First, I want you to click on My Computer!'
There was a pregnant pause, followed by a timid voice asking the inevitable…'How
can I click on your computer from here?'
The Education World Tech Team includes more than 50 dedicated
and knowledgeable educational-technology professionals who
have volunteered to contribute to occasional articles that
draw on their varied expertise and experience. The following
Tech Team members contributed to this article:
* Michael McMullin, resource teacher working with special
needs pupils, Dromore
National School, Killygordon, County Donegal, Republic
of Ireland
* Lydia Ann Nelson, instructional technologist, Curry
College, Milton, Massachusetts
* Stew Pruslin, third grade teacher, J.
T. Hood School, North Reading, Massachusetts
*Lori Sanborn, K-5 technology specialist, Rancho
Las Positas School, Livermore California
* Jennifer Wagner, computer coordinator, Crossroads
Christian School, Corona, California
Photographs were provided by:
* Ernest E. Sinclair, training director, Texas
Computer Education Association (TCEA), Austin, Texas |
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Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2004 Education World
05/28/2003
Updated 12/20/2005
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