Technology Desserts

We all know the predicament (or one of the sort):  you just made a truly scrumptious dessert.  I, for one, love cupcakes. They look, smell, and actually taste amazing.  And then the decision comes: do I horde this and eat it all or share this with others who just might fall in love with it too, leaving me with far less to eat?  Usually (and hopefully), we end up sharing because we get to see the look on others’ faces when they take that delightful first bite.

Technology is like this in our school.  We have 3 projectors that are to be signed out the week before use.  My temptation is to take what I’ve learned and horde that technology.  If I don’t help others out, then I can at least guarantee that I will have a projector when I want one, and better yet, have the projector that is on the same floor as my classroom.  If I share, I might not have one when it is most useful to me or I may even have to climb a flight of stairs to pick it up before my class.  This same rule applies to student laptops in our school.

So to say how I am going to serve as a “teacher leader for technology integration in [my] professional setting” may be giving me too much credit.  Maybe I just want to keep it to myself… at least that’s my first thought of self-preservation.  Then my mature side comes in and tells the little devil on my shoulder that I am being totally immature and should probably share with others.  

I find it very difficult to lead other teachers informally.  Teaching is one of those professions in which there are about as many good methods as there are personalities.  Teaching is so incredibly personal, in a way an extension of who we are, that to show others how to improve is a delicate endeavor.  I’ve noticed that I am most influenced as a teacher by the example of others.  We all get glimpses of each others’ teaching lives as we work together.  These glimpses are often enough for me to get ideas of how to grow as a teacher.  I think that example is a profound means of leadership.  If I am using technology well in my classes and the students get excited about it, word will spread.  As my own standard of work rises, others around me may well follow along.

Worthy of the Calling

Over the past week or so, I've noticed a phrase (or variation of) in my reading come back again and again, "that they would be considered (or counted) worthy of the calling they have received."  How can I read that without wondering, "what does that look like?"

The past couple of weeks have been a bit busy.  Of course, sickness always makes life a little hectic because there's another something on the list of things to do: more sleep!  As I read about the life of Paul, he seems like a pretty busy guy.  He often worked so that the people could not accuse him of laziness or taking advantage.  So he was serving the people while working to support himself.  Everyone who works in a non-C job can probably understand this struggle.  Go to work, get home, how can I serve my fellowship and how can I reach out.  Even though we can be lights in our work, there's also a pulling to continue to serve.  Now, I consider my job "service," but at the same time I feel a pull to serve the community, the Chinese people.  How can I help them and spend time with them?  But by the time I get back from a full day with middle schoolers and racking my brain to think of creative ways to teach, I don't have much left to give.  Put a masters course on top of that, along with an attempt at a social life and the study of Chinese, and what do I have left to give?

But is that what we have to do to walk in a manner worthy of the calling?  Run ourselves silly?  I don't think so.  In 2 Thessalonians 1:12, I see a very relieving phrase added on to our repeated call: "according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."  I don't think that phrase needs much explanation.  He knows us.  He knows what we need.

Despite this, though, I often feel the urge to DO more.  At the same time, I think of the call to lead peaceful lives.  I guess the key to the directive to be counted worthy is to allow less to be more.  Our less is used by Him to be more... and we always are less, no matter what we do, because He is more.

Internet oh internet, why are you so sporadic?

The internet is a precarious thing in China.  One minute we have facebook, the next we don't.  One day my VPN works, the next it has been blocked.  I only have to move five steps in one direction to lose the wireless internet connection in my apartment.  If I have these difficulties,  I can only imagine my students have the same.  My main concerns for using internet in my class are all related to its sporadic nature.  Even within our school we cannot trust that our classroom will have enough internet "bars" to do what we need to do.  My greatest concern is planning wonders and never getting to achieve them.

There is only one way I can think of to alleviate this concern: ignore it.  If I never planned a lesson that could go wrong, I wouldn't have very many lessons in my book.  I can be understanding for students who lost internet the night before an important project and I can prepare backup lessons for times when the school server is weak, but I can't completely cut out internet use merely because it is erratic.  I'm really taking a step out in my plans for the technology enhanced lesson plan; hopes for grandeur.

So even if I can't use youtube or facebook or blogspot in my lessons, my students will not be lacking in internet proficiency.