Bloody Computers! Or....Digital Resilience 101

A couple of weeks ago, when I logged in to write my latest post, I discovered that the previous posts (that I'd spent a few good hours on) were gone. All I could find in my drafts was my original first sentence. Boo Hoo. Well obviously, I've gone off in a tanty and ignored my blog since then, which is not good practice! And not something I'd normally do, being that I'm a fairly stubborn person.
But I'm back now, and will hopefully be able to remember everything I had originally posted (by the way, the post was about the whole BYOD - Bring Your Own Device - issue). But it does remind me of something that a lot of people attribute the lack of take-up to: the technology itself.

It's easy to blame the technology when things go wrong, and a lot of the time it is the technology failing, and that's frustrating. But it's so important that we deal with it, so that we can continue to use it to improve what we're doing in our classrooms. This is where digital resilience comes in. And the best way to develop digital resilience is to be confident and competent.

So...here are 10 tips for working with technology:

Back Up
If you create with or use technology, the number one rule is to back up. Frequently and thoroughly. Given that storage is so cheap now, it's something that should really be A priority. I know that Apple offers Time Machine, which is a set-and-forget type service, you hook up a hard drive, and it backs up for you regularly. I'm sure that Microsoft offers a similar Windows process. Or, you can do it yourself. Once a week is best.

Back Up!
As in, have one. The thing about technology is, it doesn't always work. There could be a network problem, or someone's forgotten their password, or perhaps there's a device failure. You can't rely on it to work perfectly every time, so it's a good idea to have a backup activity up your sleeve. Then, if something fails, you can jump straight into the backup instead of wasting a lesson trying to fix it. Leave that until later.

Get Confident
I think it's pretty clear that technology's not going anywhere. And we're going to have to keep using it. So spend some time learning. Whether it's PD, research, or just playing, set aside some regular time to develop your skills and understand the types of technology that are out there. It's a good investment.

While we're talking skills...
The National Professional Standards for Teachers include many references to the use of technology, but I also think it's just as important for us to have the same skills that we expect our students to have: digital literacy, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication skills. The kinds of skills sometimes referred to as '21st Century Skills'. If these are the types of skills that kids need, then shouldn't we have them too?

Use the Experts
Our classes are full of technology experts, so it makes sense that we use them. While I wouldn't say that I completely agree with the whole 'Digital Natives' thing (more about that another time); there are always kids that know a bit about the technology. Sometimes because they have used it at home for a while, but also because they've seen teachers (and others) using it for a while too. So why not let them help?


Take care of the other stuff
I must admit, I've learned the hard way, but it's so important to look after yourself. If you're not fit and healthy; if you're working too hard; if you don't have hobbies and interests outside of school, then you're not going to be in the right frame of mind when things go wrong.The first step when developing resilience of any kind is to look after yourself.

The technology's not always going to work. Things don't always go to plan. But the benefits of using technology (I believe) far outweigh the risk of not using it at all. So developing digital resilience is our best bet.

(Social) Bookmarking

Bookmarking sites have been around for a long time now; you've probably heard of Delicious (one of the original bunch), or at least Pinterest, which is getting a lot of press at the moment.
But why bother?

Well, as you know, the internet is a BIG place. There are now more than 100 million registered domain names, 600 million people on Facebook, and the world watches more than 2 billion videos every day on YouTube. I found this information via an infographic on Mashable, a news source that brings together technology news for its 20 million+ monthly visitors.

So how do we sift through all the garbage to find the bits and pieces that inspire us, or really make a difference to what we do every day?

This is where social bookmarking comes in. Put simply, bookmarking sites allow users to bookmark something they've found and (if they want to) share it with others. Content can be tagged, so that people can search for boomarked pages based on their particular interests. Some sites also allow users to comment on bookmarks and create groups based on interests.

Again, why bother?
To me, there are a few advantages for teachers:

• You can always access your bookmarks. Put simply, if you've got an account with an online bookmarking site (and you're diligent about saving bookmarks), you'll always have that list of your favourite sites on hand.
• You can see what other teachers are using/doing: Teachers are way too busy to make everything up! If nothing else, the internet gives us a wealth of great educational content: cool display ideas, downloadable resources, inspirational videos, etc. But, finding it is a nightmare. But I know that if I'm looking for storytelling resources or classroom display ideas, someone else has already found them and bookmarked them!
• You can share specific lists of sites with people: While there are other ways to do it (I'll get to those in the coming weeks), bookmarks are a good way to share specific websites with your students (or your peers). Your bookmarking account (or a list within it) could also be your list of resources for a certain unit of work or research project. You've carefully checked the content on these pages, and know that they're just right for your students.

So, where to start?
If you want simple, Delicious is probably the best place to start. Diigo is a good one for annotating the content you find and forming groups, whereas Symbaloo and Pinterest offer graphic representations and thumbnails (good for the 'visual' folks among us!). StumbleUpon is cool too, it recommends websites based on your interests.

Wherever you end up, it's a good idea to have a bit of a play until you find one that suits your needs and your learning/organisational style.

And let me know if you find any cool ones!

The fine print...
Don't forget that when you're accessing web content, it's gotta be owned by someone and hosted somewhere. Most of the time this won't be a problem. but it never hurts to read the terms and conditions, particularly if you're using Facebook or Google to log into these sites. While it's a great way to do things (who wants to remember 47 different account logins?), it also means they've got access to lots of the things you do online.

New(ish) directions

I had a nice conversation yesterday, with a friend who liked to read my other blog (the deep, meaningful, personal one - you have been warned!). And they suggested that it's probably about time I resurrected this old fellow.

I started this blog about 4 years ago, when my interest in teaching with technology was really taking off. The blog-making task was part of a 'Masterclass' I was attending (run, funnily enough, by the team I now work for), and as you can see, the momentum didn't really last. But, it's been here waiting for an opportunity to come back to life.

I am now blessed to be working in a job that gives me the time and the opportunities to really investigate the types of technological and educational innovations that make a real impact in the classroom. Things that (I believe) will eventually change the way we teach and learn. When I was speaking with my lovely friend yesterday, he commented on the fact that I'm always brimming with ideas and enthusiasm and that, for the most part, I don't really get the opportunity to share it.

So, knowing that I was a moderately successful blogger (well, I had more than 50 followers, that's successful isn't it?) in my personal life, I thought 'why not try resurrecting my professional blog too'?

So that's what I'm going to do. The thing about technology in education is that it all just moves so quickly. It's not that teachers don't want to take these things on, it's just that they don't know how/what/when is the best. So I thought I'd use this blog to bring together the research that I come across, the great writing I find on various topics, and of course the really cool resources that are available to make learning more personal, meaningful and flexible. Things that I care very passionately about.
I will also endeavour to do it all with an ACT/Australian perspective, so that you know that it will actually make sense in your context.

So please, have a look, tell your friends, and keep coming back so that I can keep you posted.