Failing in the Classroom
In class, I experiment on my kids. A little radiation here maybe some cosmic rays there followed up with a healthy inoculation of Chrome extensions. So far, none of my students have developed super powers, but they have learned a thing or two about using technology for the forces of good. My students have also learned a thing or two about how Mr. Clark's genius ideas can royally crash and burn.
So, last week I screwed up. It happens from time-to-time and I try not to get all bent out of shape about it. The key to experimenting in the classroom is to always have a back-up plan and I always do (usually). Before I get into my screw-up, let's talk about some best-practices for experimenting in the classroom:
- Always have a back-up plan
- Test, test, and test the product again before trying any new tool with your students.
- Be prepared for failure.
Last week we tried to use Realtime Board in the classroom. Realtime Board is a collaborative whiteboard application where students can work together in small groups on a virtual whiteboard. Why use Realtime Board rather than a regular whiteboard (because we have those you know)? As much as I like our Steelcase whiteboards I have a terrible time loading pictures and videos on them. In theory, Realtime Board can do all of these things.
Now, I have had problems with Reatime Board in the past, but I was promised that those bugs were eradicated -- and they were! My students collaborated in small groups and created these really cool documents using pictures and video. I was pretty pumped until students needed to save/share the document -- that is when everything went wrong. Realtime board has a process to send documents to Google Drive, but it is cumbersome and confusing. No matter how well the collaboration piece of the product worked it has no value to me if it is not easy for students to share their work.
So, we went with a back-up plan and I had students screenshot their document so that I could see their work. That was a real pain in the tuckus and took a bit of time, but at least the day in class was not lost.
Long story short, I always let my students know that we are experimenting with a new product and I involve them in the process. I ask them for their input and they are usually pretty open with suggestions. I never pretend that I know and/or understand everything because I don't. I always explain the benefits of the product I am using and assure them that I have a back-up plan. When you involve students in the process of experimenting it takes the pressure off of you because now everyone is working together; it is no longer about how your idea will fail or succeed it becomes about how you and your class can make this new idea work.
Also, experimenting with new tools is a great time to discuss the idea of failing-forward. I am not a big fan of buzz words, but this one is important. As teachers, we must experiment and try new things and we must be prepared to fail and then learn from our mistakes. Please do not be afraid to try new things; I know that it can be scary and many of us have a fear of failing in front of our students, but if we do not try new things we will get stuck in the same old rut year after year and that does not benefit anyone.
