Creative Excuses Not to Use Technology

Okay, I spoke to a teacher yesterday that had a great excuse for NOT taking her kids to the computer lab:

"It takes 7 minutes to get there. If it takes seven minutes in both directions, that is 14 minutes out of the day. Too much time wasted!"

So, that leads to today's contest:

What is the best excuse you have ever heard from a teahcer NOT to use technology?

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Tags: and, excuses, learning, teaching, technology

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Permalink Reply by Helen Otway on January 1, 2008 at 10:52pm

An excuse from administrators - "This isn't our priority. Literacy and Numeracy are!"

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Permalink Reply by dave garland on December 11, 2008 at 5:12pm

yes we need to be able to read C 19 books and do C20 sums for the age before electronics.....

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Permalink Reply by Dean Groom on July 17, 2008 at 5:05am

'I have a full teaching load, if they want me to learn new things, then they need to get me off class to do it'

'teachers are too busy preparing work and marking' - assume analogue activities

'we can't get into a computer room' - (never meaning, I might need to plan ahead by more than an hour)

'im not a computing trained teacher, so it's not my job'

'I can't get access to a projector' - we have 2 portables, used 4 times in 12 months!

'I use a text book - because they have to actually read that, not click it'

'if I had a laptop, then I might use it' - (or take it home, never to be seen or used again)

'I am cant use a computer' - (unless looking for a new house on RealEstate.com, checking eBay, Hotmail, FaceBook, the Bank Account, Paying a bill - ie WHEN IT SUITS MY NEED)

'I've managed to teach for 20 years my way, why would I change now?' - (old people)

...the list goes on.

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Permalink Reply by Helen Otway on July 17, 2008 at 7:06am

and on,
and on.....!

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Permalink Reply by Anders on July 17, 2008 at 8:27am

Waooo... this is some kind of an international agreement from many teachers. Digital competence is nothing that I want to participate in... ;)

Why must school (learning?) be based on text and nothing else? Read, write, analyse a text.... that´s ok... but what about pictures, video, art, music and so on...

It´s NOT about you as a teacher.... It´s about the next generation, and they live in a digital world. Soooo... join the classroom20 network. It´s rocking :)) and soon reach the 10.000 level of envolved peoples that will make some change... hopefully.

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Permalink Reply by dave garland on December 11, 2008 at 5:11pm

'I've managed to teach for 20 years my way, why would I change now?' - (old people)

that is not fair on "old" people

i have been teaching for 30 years and in each and every year i have embraced technology for learning

what would stop me is someone saying... you're too old to ....

be on facebook
play games
podcast
mountain board
surf
dance
etc etc

never play the age card.. please

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Permalink Reply by meL on December 11, 2008 at 12:24pm

"Because I have managed to teach without it for the last _____ years and gotten by just fine" - and then they proceed to complain about how the kids don't pay attention! (duh!)

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Permalink Reply by dave garland on December 11, 2008 at 4:56pm

I"'m too old to learn powerpoint"

i wept...

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Permalink Reply by Cyndi Danner-Kuhn on December 12, 2008 at 8:34am

This is just a priceless list. I just had to link this discussion off my website. http://www.cyndidannerkuhn.info I think I am going to show it in my pre-service teacher class next semester. Maybe it will get them thinking!!

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Permalink Reply by Sean Nash on December 12, 2008 at 10:55am

"Having that fancy probe stuff make the graphs for the kids is dumb. They need to be able to use graph paper and pencil to plot the lines by hand first... that's the only way they will learn it. And then maybe... maybe we will use the probes."

Sean

(though not MY quote)
;-)

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Permalink Reply by Bill Diamond on December 7, 2009 at 3:06pm

I haven't heard any excuses at this time for NOT using technology. All my kids' teachers use technology to help enhance the education they are currently receiving. We are fortunate to be in a school district that believes in utilizing technology with traditional classroom methods.

http://molaah.com

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Permalink Reply by Alline Sada on December 11, 2009 at 10:54pm

"Can't go to the lab today, the kids are doing their Geography worksheets. We can't waste on the web or playing."

The class was scheduled to go on Google Earth that day...