1:1 iniative presents challenges when Wi-Fi goes down

When a school undergoes a
technology transition as big as the 1:1
iniative this year, there are bound to be
some hiccups. Chromebooks get dropped.
Smart Boards stop working. And,
occasionally, the Wi-Fi goes down.

These technologies are here to help
teachers teach and students learn. But
when such incidents occur, more often
than not learning stops. A student has
to leave the room to get a replacement
Chromebook. The teacher can’t display
the lesson on the Smart Board. And,
because teachers have been encouraged to
save their materials on Google Drive, they
might be unable to reach any of it when
the internet is unavailable.

All of a sudden, technology is no
longer helping; it’s hindering. When the
Wi-Fi shuts down, so does the school. But
it shouldn’t have to be that way.

It’s important for students and
teachers to be prepared for technological
issues, because there will be more in the
future. The IT department practically
works miracles to keep everything
running smoothly, but they’re not perfect,
and sometimes problems arise that are
out of their control.

In January, the entire district’s Wi-Fi
went down for over a day due to a change
made by Charter. In such a case, all the IT
department can do is wait.

“When it comes to technology, there
always needs to be a backup plan,” Scott
Gowan, director of technology, said.
It’s understandable to be frustrated
when technology is not as reliable as we’d
like. But students and teachers must resist
the temptation to abandon it in favor
of tried-and-true methods — like paper
assignments — that don’t rely on Wi-Fi or
computers. The technology department
encourages teachers to use a combination
of online and offline assignments to help
with this problem.

“We’ve always communicated to
do both,” said Gowan. “We still want
to continue with that form of teaching
[with offline assignments], but we also
want it available on LMS so the students
can access it at home. We don’t want
[teachers] to not use technology because
that serves as a backup plan for the
students who can’t attend school or don’t
get it [the material] the first time.”

It’s more important than ever for
students and teachers to understand how
to use technology effectively. A part of
this is learning to be flexible and keep
backups of their work. It’s not always
easy compared to the old methods, but in
the end, the payoff is well worth the cost.