As Dr. Seuss has stated "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple" has held true as I became a 1:1 classroom. There is no denying it, I like shiny things (such as jewelry and technology) and trying things out. When we went one to one with iPads, I became one of those people, the type of person who had to ask the questions knowing there were no answers. Instead I learned along the way that there are some pitfalls to becoming an early adopter of something technology wise in your classroom.
- There is no one to show you the “right way” to do something. I was mostly learning by trial and error, when I was officially trained on Schoology had to unlearn my bad habits. YouTube and Google became my best friends. Luckily Schoology has built in multiple ways to accomplish most tasks. So while I may not have learned the easiest way. The first round, I have found ways to accomplish what I want to do.
- People think you are crazy. Not in a CRAZY sort of sense just slightly crazy because you are trying to explore a new app or piece of software. You get a look in your eye and it consumes you.
- People will expect you to be the expert in the program but then also not really trust you since you taught yourself. There is always the second guessing game where people ask you a question, you give them the best answer that you have found, they do a little research and find a different answer, then they ask you about the answer they found. I have been using Schoology with the iPads for over three years, now that the district has been using Schoology for the past two years we have many experts in the building.
- There is no one to be your cheerleader or support network. When I was first working with Schoology I would get really excited when I was able to figure something out. I had no one to share that success with. At school they didn’t want to hear about it. On the flip side of that there was no one to talk me off the cliff when things did not go well. Or to be able to brainstorm ideas or suggestions on how to use Schoology effectively within the classroom. You need people other than the students around to cheer your successes and also listen to your frustration. Those people become crucial to your support network.
- The uncertainty of not knowing if your hard work is for nothing. When you believe in something so much, as I do with Schoology, when people don’t buy in or bad mouth it (because they don’t understand something) I start to take it a little personally. There have been many times that I hear “Well we aren’t sure if we are going to keep Schoology” and each time it chips away at me just a little bit often times causing me to second guess myself and my students.
Even though I dealt with each of these pitfalls when I was figuring out Schoology, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It allowed me to be on the ground floor of using Schoology at the district level, I can see the excitement and share that excitement with people who are LOVING Schoology as much as I do. I get a renewed sense of learning each time I can sit with a new Schoology user and see how they can make it work within their classroom.
