Finding Your Balance with Technology

If you stop to think about it, with the internet as we know it having been "born" only about 25 years ago, it's fairly miraculous that we already have so many technological tools for staying connected with students and doing things with them, even as we undergo a deadly worldwide pandemic. 

On the other hand, it’s all of course a little exhausting -- so much to learn, and no end in sight. It’s no wonder we’re all so chronically tired just now. Our minds and bodies are badly needing the fall break that isn’t officially on our calendar, especially when we essentially skipped spring and summer breaks to crash-course our way through things.  

As much as our team loves sharing it all with you, balance is important. We hope you aren’t using technology for technology’s sake. We hope you’re using it mindfully, perhaps even with restraint, as all of us (including our students) are overwhelmed and overwhelm-fatigued. Which new pieces of technology have been your best values of ease and functionality so far? Which ones are adding unnecessarily to your administrative load just now? Often just one new piece of technology in a semester, if it is a great fit, is gracious plenty. 

As you adopt new technologies, be choosy. Be gentle with yourselves and your students. Look for simplicity and ease as much as you look for super-technical feats of programming. Keep your connections with your students and your learning goals at the center. Remember that technology is the boat, not the shore on the other side, and finding your own balance in that boat is when you’ll feel that teaching “magic.” 


Boat on calm water
Published: Oct 12, 2020 7:19pm

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