On my way home from school today I accidentally dropped my back pack on my driveway when pulling it out of the car. I initially had no concern for the bag's well-being as this was not the first time that this has happened. However, my panic level suddenly spiked as soon as I remembered that my computer was in my backpack!! So I scooped up my bag and rushed into my house to make sure that my computer was alright after its tumble. Luckily it was.
For that period of time between realizing that my computer was in my bag to being able to check the state the my computer, I was imagining pulling out two halves of my used-to-be computer. My mind then raced to all of those assignments that I had started, those files that I had saved, and especially the notes that I had taken to help me on my midterm and I worried about my inability to access these files. Although my computer turned out fine I realized how it was necessary to be able to access my files from different computers.
The fabled excuse of a dog eating one's homework may be replaced by a simple excuse about how one dropped their computer on the ground. This made me realize that I need to really use file sharing applications like Dropbox, Google Drive, or even a website. Even with my students I should use this type of technology. These file sharing applications could allow me access to each student's project and I can see how much they have done on any given assignment at any point in time. This may give me some great feedback as to how my students are thinking and how I can help guide their thinking better. Plus, by using file sharing applications we can keep files from years ago and pull them up on any computer (old, new, home, or school). These applications would not only limit excuses of not finishing homework but they could increase class-time efficiency by helping out with the summative assessment during, and between, classes.
Even though I was fine this time I really would have been out of luck had my computer been damaged. Not only would I be unable to afford a new one but I would have to rebuild any resources that I had started to accumulate, restart any projects that I had done work on, and lose notes on discussions that I probably will not have the privilege of having ever again.
Lesson for the week: Take preventative measures in protecting important files because you never know when something unexpected might happen. Also, make assignments accessible from multiple computers.
Very good point! I can't wait until I have my own classroom and can set up collaborative Google Docs assignments, use Drop Box, etc. Right now our classroom does not easy access to computers when I am with them so it is too hard to set it up during student teaching but it is definitely something I will be using when I have my own classroom and can build it into our schedule.
ReplyDeleteFunny enough, today one of our students asked our teacher for his assignment. Being that he is a new student he didn't have access to the school computers yet so she had logged him on using hers for the past few weeks and had been emailing his work to herself so she could have a copy. As you can imagine, with all the email she gets for school and other things, the student's work was lost. When I asked her why she didn't just put it on Google Docs she told me she had never even heard of it!
It's a very handy thing cloud computing. I have google drive, skydrive, and dropbox now. Though, I do wonder about entrusting everything to big, anonymous companies sometimes. I'm not sure how one would get around that, because if I bought a domain name a big, anonymous company would be managing it for me. But, I'm happy sharing all my teaching resources with colleagues, so why shouldn't google have it?
ReplyDeleteOn a totally unrelated note, I have some posters I'd like to post (because what else would I do with them, right?) in the Music Building. Where would I need to go to get them approved/stamped, or can I just put them up?
Good point Mr. L! I never thought about the property rights in using clouds. In regards to the music school question, I think that you can just post them up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I hope that your placements are going really well! I look forward to hearing about your experiences!