Have you ever been frustrated by technology? I know I certainly have. I deal with tech every day and experience successes and failures. Having a healthy way to express our frustrations at failures is important for ourselves and our students.
FAIL = First Attempt In Learning
While it’s hard to apply the FAIL acronym to broken tech or that darn printer when it won’t print its a good one to keep in mind. Technology Services deals with failures, puzzles, and challenges every day. We aim to move failures to successes and try to learn from every case.
Who’s in your audience?
Have you used voice calling in your vehicle or Siri/Cortana/Google Assistant and ever had a problem getting them to recognize what you are asking? How do you react when it doesn’t understand you? Is it different that how you react to a child or an adult that doesn’t understand you?
I recall having a hard time getting voice assist to understand me in my wife’s car and I was thoroughly frustrated. Fortunately I was alone in the car and parked. I realized that the voice commands may not have been understood because I was frustrated. When I slowed my voice it caught on, eventually…
Another time I was trying to load scratchjr (great programming app for pre-k to primary) on my ipad for my daughter to try and everything else was updating at the same time because I had it turned off for a couple of weeks. I could sense my frustration as the ipad was unresponsive but I moderated my reaction based on my audience, my two little girls. I realize it is more important to show them patience with a challenging tech issue. I’m not always patient but I want them to be resilient in the face or difficulties, not angry or frustrated.
Modelling
When in front of students how do you react to tech challenges? Do you think they’d lead to resilience and grit in students or kids throwing their hands up in the air?
Please keep your audience in mind when you deal with tech challenges. Our students learn much from us beyond the curriculum we teach!
Sometimes anger and frustration at a tech problem is cathartic, but please consider your audience and choose your reaction appropriately. Deep breath.
Future
How will your reactions change when the tech has artificial intelligence (AI) and may have feelings of a sort? I’ve contemplated this and now make sure I say please and thank you to Siri when asking for a timer, the weather or a phone call. Siri works one way or the other but my decision to be polite is also a decision to model for my audience.
I Need Help
If you need help with your tech, please give Technology Services a call at 250-785-HELP, we would be happy to.
If you need help with how you are feeling, please connect with the Emergency Family Assistance Program – http://www.prn.bc.ca/ts/?p=952 .