3.5 Basic Troubleshooting
Candidates troubleshoot basic software and hardware problems common in digital learning environments. (PSC 3.5/ISTE 3e)
Unstructured Field Experience – Troubleshooting a problem in my school
The Unstructured Field Experiences have been rewarding during my ITEC Ed.S. program. They are they evidence of my ability to choose a task related to my new skills and to practice what I am now equipped to do. A technology leader must develop the dispositions and interpersonal skills needed to work with teachers, and this unstructured field experience taught me much about that dispositional awareness. My classroom neighbor is a veteran teacher who is a novice with technology. I gave her support in setting up and troubleshooting her hardware and software when our devices were updates. Further, I continued work with this teacher through the first semester. I helped her to understand and meet the technology requirements for our websites. The result was a confident next door neighbor whose thanks made me realize that connecting with another teacher and helping out according to her needs is the best way to practice my new skills.
In August of 2018, teachers in our school got new laptops and one new student computer in their classrooms. The new technology was received favorably, but since the devices had not been updated in about seven years, the new devices themselves were sleeker, more equipped and of course, troublesome at first. My next door neighbor struggled to use her laptop since the keyboard was different and some of the touches on the trackpad were very different from our last version. She stopped in to ask me how to set up her new student computer, and so I helped her to do that. But I also found a complication common in digital environments. She was having a difficult time interfacing with the ne hardware, and she was not getting online because of it. We sat together and made a list of her concerns and questions. Then, I mapped out a plan that she agreed to to learn one thing per day until she was caught up. First, we worked on getting her student computer to communicate with the projector system. I realized that it had been wired correctly, but that the new control box on the wall for the projector had different labels on it since the technology we were using was also new. We made new labels for her box and affixed them. Then I showed her the pieces of her hardware suite and how they interacted together.
Next, we worked on establishing her webpage and the digital tools on our LMS since having and using one is part of our teacher evaluation system. I showed her how to set her webpage up to look like the format the school wanted. Then, I showed her how to add content to her site. Since she teaches sheltered classes, I also showed her how to add accessibility functions that would increase functionality for everyone in the classroom. But she was most impressed at a feature I had not expected her to enjoy. One morning in December she rushed into my room and thanked me - she has posted a video with pictures of her for her teacher intro page. She had also created some assessments using a game tool I’d showed her. When the game wouldn’t function properly in the view of the screen, I showed her how to embed the content into the page so that it loaded correctly.
My next door neighbor uses her webpage almost everyday, and each day I come in, she says a warm hello and makes me feel appreciated and welcome. What I’ve learned is that every single teacher can learn and deserves attention, even if that first attention is so basic that it is somewhat unbelievable. I also confess that when I first saw her rudimentary skills with our technology, I prejudged her ability to excel with it. Instead, I’ve learned that a patient disposition and a considerate approach to another teacher’s honest concerns yields the best conversation about how to improve. When I work with other people now, I remember what I’d do differently if I could...I would wait to judge their ability until I’d seen the progress they had charted and made for themselves.
This teacher had been cited for not adhering to policy for updating technology in her classroom. She had gotten consistently low marks on her evaluations, too. She simply didn’t have the skills at that moment to succeed like she wanted. She had taken advantage of every workshop offered by our tech team, but she reported they really didn’t take the time with her that she needed. I can say that the time I spent with her has made her practically better as a teacher than she was one year ago. It’s the contribution to our school that I'm proudest of during myprogram. It is the kind of coach I want to be - consid=erate and kind, helpful and present.
The Unstructured Field Experiences have been rewarding during my ITEC Ed.S. program. They are they evidence of my ability to choose a task related to my new skills and to practice what I am now equipped to do. A technology leader must develop the dispositions and interpersonal skills needed to work with teachers, and this unstructured field experience taught me much about that dispositional awareness. My classroom neighbor is a veteran teacher who is a novice with technology. I gave her support in setting up and troubleshooting her hardware and software when our devices were updates. Further, I continued work with this teacher through the first semester. I helped her to understand and meet the technology requirements for our websites. The result was a confident next door neighbor whose thanks made me realize that connecting with another teacher and helping out according to her needs is the best way to practice my new skills.
In August of 2018, teachers in our school got new laptops and one new student computer in their classrooms. The new technology was received favorably, but since the devices had not been updated in about seven years, the new devices themselves were sleeker, more equipped and of course, troublesome at first. My next door neighbor struggled to use her laptop since the keyboard was different and some of the touches on the trackpad were very different from our last version. She stopped in to ask me how to set up her new student computer, and so I helped her to do that. But I also found a complication common in digital environments. She was having a difficult time interfacing with the ne hardware, and she was not getting online because of it. We sat together and made a list of her concerns and questions. Then, I mapped out a plan that she agreed to to learn one thing per day until she was caught up. First, we worked on getting her student computer to communicate with the projector system. I realized that it had been wired correctly, but that the new control box on the wall for the projector had different labels on it since the technology we were using was also new. We made new labels for her box and affixed them. Then I showed her the pieces of her hardware suite and how they interacted together.
Next, we worked on establishing her webpage and the digital tools on our LMS since having and using one is part of our teacher evaluation system. I showed her how to set her webpage up to look like the format the school wanted. Then, I showed her how to add content to her site. Since she teaches sheltered classes, I also showed her how to add accessibility functions that would increase functionality for everyone in the classroom. But she was most impressed at a feature I had not expected her to enjoy. One morning in December she rushed into my room and thanked me - she has posted a video with pictures of her for her teacher intro page. She had also created some assessments using a game tool I’d showed her. When the game wouldn’t function properly in the view of the screen, I showed her how to embed the content into the page so that it loaded correctly.
My next door neighbor uses her webpage almost everyday, and each day I come in, she says a warm hello and makes me feel appreciated and welcome. What I’ve learned is that every single teacher can learn and deserves attention, even if that first attention is so basic that it is somewhat unbelievable. I also confess that when I first saw her rudimentary skills with our technology, I prejudged her ability to excel with it. Instead, I’ve learned that a patient disposition and a considerate approach to another teacher’s honest concerns yields the best conversation about how to improve. When I work with other people now, I remember what I’d do differently if I could...I would wait to judge their ability until I’d seen the progress they had charted and made for themselves.
This teacher had been cited for not adhering to policy for updating technology in her classroom. She had gotten consistently low marks on her evaluations, too. She simply didn’t have the skills at that moment to succeed like she wanted. She had taken advantage of every workshop offered by our tech team, but she reported they really didn’t take the time with her that she needed. I can say that the time I spent with her has made her practically better as a teacher than she was one year ago. It’s the contribution to our school that I'm proudest of during myprogram. It is the kind of coach I want to be - consid=erate and kind, helpful and present.