Let's Discuss That

I'm a talker. I always have been.  I have never been accused of being shy, withdrawn, or introverted. I am going to date myself here, but as a child, my parents would good-naturedly start humming the Jabberjaw theme song to gently remind me to zip-it for a few minutes. It worked. For a few minutes. Then I was at it again yapping to a parent, sibling, friend, dog, stuffed animal, wall...I'm not picky.

Jabberjaw Theme Song

image from: http://thesweetestplum.com.au/2013/02/03/63-the-denial-of-self/

There are some up-sides to being chatty.  I meet people easily, can carry a conversation with just about anyone, and am generally viewed as friendly and approachable. 

There are some huge disadvantages that I recognize as well.  I can wait-to-talk instead of listening, dominate a conversation, or generally not allow the precious silence some people prefer.  When I ask people if I can reach out for a "quick call," sometimes (even thousands of miles away) I swear I hear their eyes roll. 

As a teacher, I adored the extroverts in class.  I often found the loquacious students amusing, fun, and interesting.  Often, but not always.  During class discussions, despite all my efforts with timers, signals, pre-determined orders, and a last-ditch failed talking-stick-fiasco, the unreserved conversationalists would battle it out for air-time and the less verbose students would shrink into their chairs.  It was a real problem- until I found the perfect solution!

Using Discussions on My Big Campus leveled the playing field for my students.  It didn't matter how reserved or wide-open my young scholars were.  Each had an equal voice when we moved the discussions on-line. No one had to cut short what she/he wanted to say due to time allowances, taking turns, or being interrupted.  Sometimes the most astute postings were from students that simply had a fear of speaking aloud.  Furthermore, students could read and re-read each others' contributions.  They could formulate more complex ideas rather than just having to respond right in the moment. Students could respond to each other asynchronously and revisit threads they wanted to contribute more to.

In verbal discussions, there was a momentum that drove the conversation down a very linear path. With on-line conversations, the threads and expansions created a rich web in which ideas were thoroughly developed, debated, and extended.  We could all go back and read everyone's contributions, then thoughtfully respond.

I appreciated that on-line discussions could be continued indefinitely.  Sometimes an idea from a current theme sparked a prior-knowledge chord in students.  Reading their new comments on previous Discussions let me know they were making connections, retrieving antecedents to the present lesson, and truly developing instead of just having static thoughts.

The main draw to Discussions is that students like it! In fact, I would occasionally ask if they would prefer a face-to-face or on-line discussion about a topic and (without fail) the consensus was to have the discussion on-line. These digital natives enjoy the format as well as the affirmation through comments and "hearts" that their opinions matter and even evoke further commentary from their peers.

Whether your students are chatterboxes (like me!) or a bit more reticent, My Big Campus Discussions offer a positive venue for your classes. Give it a whirl- here's how to get started: http://j.mp/103BmiP .

The internet could be a very positive step towards education, organization and participation in a meaningful society. ~Noam Chomsky

Well said, sir. Now let's discuss that!

Why Would I Use That?

My formal training on My Big Campus went something like this:

Tech Director, "Hey Steph! Here's your log on information for something we want you to try out. It's called 'My Big Campus.'  Go ahead and click around because you won't break anything. After a few months, we'd like you to train the staff so we can roll this out schoolwide. So- off you go! Any questions?"
Me, "Do what?!? Ummm. Ok."

Image retrieved from: http://carrierubin.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/confused-woman.jpg

Now do understand that my Tech Director was a friend of mine and would never throw anything at me he did not think I could handle. Understand, too, that our technology department had fallen victim to budget cuts.  For several years we had to fill in the gaps by using some of the tech-savvy teachers as ITRT roles.  I didn't mind being tasked with this, but I also was super-skeptical.  I had gone through more than one hot new tech trend that either did not deliver what I needed or was way too complicated for practical use.  At worst, I even tried some tools that really were just using technology for the sake of using technology with zero apparent gain for my students nor me.  I think of the latter as the useless bath-water thermometer I received upon the birth of my first child. I could either appease the buzzing sounds of the thermometer by getting the temperature in the correct range- or I could just stick my hand under the faucet.  I was fairly certain My Big Campus would fall into one of these categories, but wanted to give it an honest try.

Wow, was I wrong.  I could give you countless reasons such as ease-of-use, connecting with other educators, and sharing resources, but most teachers want to know how using My Big Campus can improve their day-to-day classroom.  I started with the practical ABC's of why MBC is so great, but it ended up the ABCDEF's (and even then I had to restrain myself from venturing further into the alphabet for the sake of brevity).

Image retrieved from: http://cdn2.content.compendiumblog.com/uploads.gif

Accountability
When using features such as Schoolwork, Resources, Announcements, and Calendar, there is 100% accountability both on the student and teacher side.  Every student receives the information, thus eliminating all of the potential "I didn't hear you" or "you never told me" or "I was absent that day" or even "I didn't know what the quiz was on." Start by adding an event to the calendar and attach a study guide. Viola! In thirty seconds or less, you just held every student accountable!  Furthermore, start operating through Schoolwork and you will be immediately impressed that there are no more misplaced assignments and no more lost copies (bonus- no time at the copy machine for you!).

Bob Campus
If you've ever experienced one of those "stuck" moments while using technology, you know that sometimes even finding where to find the help you need can be stressful.  Problem solved. Bob Campus is available 24/7 for you and your students with timely, informative, and helpful answers to anything the arises during your My Big Campus experience. You are not alone-ever. Bob's got your back!

Competency
How do you know that your students are learning?  I know that for me, giving an assessment meant that I needed to collect the assignment, grade, then disaggregate the data in order to plan for the next activities. With over 150 students, I tried my best to be efficient, but sometimes it took longer than expected. I had to make assumptions that were fairly accurate, but were not data-driven until the process was actually complete.  I was astounded at how my pacing and efficiency improved dramatically with MBC reporting. Not only could I run Live Reports to get a view of how my students were performing right at that very moment, but I could also look at their performance based on standards over a longer period of time through Academic Reporting. Need to show evidence of student growth? Run a report, print screen, DONE!

Digital citizenship
I suppose in my teaching contract, my job title read "Spanish teacher." In reality, I looked at my job more as to teach students to be better at life through a Spanish-based curriculum. This meant focusing on some soft-skills that aren't really quantifiable at the end of the year, but I would argue are more important than whether or not a student can conjugate "hacer" in the imperfect subjunctive in twenty years. These included discipline in study habits, recognizing one's own strengths, and working collaboratively. Whether or not students went on to higher learning or entered the workforce, I also felt that promoting digital citizenship was paramount to the success of each child in the future. The problem was, I had a hard time tying it into my curriculum before MBC. One of the first things I noticed was how naturally this happened from the first time my students logged on. We decided to set up accounts and add profile pictures- BAM! Perfect opportunity to discuss appropriate versus inappropriate images on-line (and encourage them to convey this to their personal social-media usage).  Each Wall post, Discussion, Chat, and interaction was an opportunity for a teachable moment.

Engagement
Teaching 101 will tell you that when students are engaged, everything else falls into line. Discipline issues decrease, academics improve, and overall attitudes about learning receive a boost.  Through the MBC Library, teachers can unlock interactive websites, captivating videos, and fascinating presentations. Differentiating for student needs is simply a few clicks away as well. Furthermore, students can create work they take pride in through Bundles, MBC Docs, and Blogs.  My students loved Discussions in particular as they all had an equal voice and could express themselves sometimes even months after the initial posting if something crossed their minds. Feeling a part of an on-line community of learners is appealing- and if you can get your students itching to participate, the days really do fly by seamlessly.

Fun
It may sound trite, but using MBC is fun. It was rejuvenating for me as a teacher to be able to step away from my board and become a facilitator to student learning rather than a content deliverer. It was fun for my students to explore Spanish in ways much more appealing than a lecture-worksheet-quiz format.  It was fun for parents to rejoice the successes of their students. I had the type of classroom that administration loved to visit because the kids were on-task and smiling (and not just for show!).  My pupils were engaged because they genuinely liked what we were doing.  I attribute this to the tools MBC provided to let me teach with the resources I knew would best fit my students.

So- I didn't really adhere to my promise of brevity, and I may have to follow up with a G-Z list of why I choose to use My Big Campus.  As an initial skeptic, my question was, "Why would I use THAT?" I am at a point now that I frequently ask myself, "How did I get along WITHOUT it?!?"

HELP!!!

"Where is my file?"

"What is this icon on my app?"

"Did that submission go through?"

"Where do I find my blog?"

"How do I disable my chat tab?"

"Where can I learn how to flip my classroom?"

image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominic/3678910353/

Sound familiar?  Never fear! MBC help is here!  For teachers and students both, My Big Campus has a myriad of solutions for you to get the answers you need, when you need them!

My Big Campus Support Center

The Support Center at MBC has an answer for you!  Hover over your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Help" from the menu to access immediate answers to the most frequently asked questions. Type in your question or key word search in the prompt to see the results of your search. Questions are loaded with screen shots, explanations, step-by-step instructions, and student and teacher views. All of the answers to the most common questions are available right at your fingertips!

Bob Campus

Need a little more personal attention? Can't find what you are looking for in the Support Center? No problem! Bob's got your back!  Bob Campus is available for 24/7 live help for students and teachers in need.  From your Activity Feed, Bob can be accessed simply by clicking on his name. Type in your questions on Bob's Wall and then relax.  Within moments, you will see a notification that Bob has an answer for you! This hard-working robot will work with you through any inquiries, any time of the day or night, any time zone.  No questions are too big or too small for this droid! Rest assured that teachers, students, administration, technology specialists, and any other MBC users can access the help they need any time!

support@mybigcampus.com

Have an inquiry you don't want to post on Bob's Wall? That's ok as well. Email support@mybigcampus.com with your questions for our experts.  Use as many details, screen-shots, usernames, and examples as possible to help us troubleshoot in the most efficient and detailed way. Our panel of problem-solvers will get back to you in a timely manner to help you with any queries you have!

Live webinars

If you are ready to get a walk-through from one of our Mobile Learning Experts in a live webinar, this is the place for you! Are you interested in an overview of what My Big Campus is all about?  Sign up here: http://www.lightspeedsystems.com/mbc-teacher-webinar/  If you are interested in more specialized webinars including Bundles, E-portfolios, Using MBC on the iPad, Groups, NROC, NBC Learn, Emergency Contacts, and Schoolwork, sign up here: http://mbcurl.me/RQS. Come ready to learn or even armed with your questions for these open-mic, interactive webinars with the people who know all the tips and tricks- and are prepared to share them with you!

On-demand webinars

Prefer to learn on your own time? Great! We have a series of webinars for teachers and IT that you can watch at your leisure.  Check out recorded versions of the Live Webinars, plus topics including Hosted School Websites, MBC Docs, and an IT Overview.  You can pause, rewind, re-watch, and even show your faculty these recorded versions of the most popular features of My Big Campus! Join us here: http://www.lightspeedsystems.com/demo/webinars/ for these on-demand webinars.

image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2000px-ok_x_nuvola_green.png

My Big Campus prides itself not only on being user-friendly, but also making sure that users feel a-ok with their MBC experience.  We welcome all questions from all users- all the time! With the levels of support offered at My Big Campus, we are sure you will find the answers you need when you need them! Reach out- we are happy to help!

My Big Safe Campus

"Nice shirt." That's all another student had posted on Julie's* Wall.

Julie walked into my room and I tried to size up what was at first glance a benign instance of students just acting like fifteen-year-olds.  Julie looked cute in a Hello Kitty shirt and jeans and seemed to be in her normal mood.  I was unsure of when Hello Kitty had made a comeback from my 1980's childhood, but over the past few years even the high schoolers sported Hello Kitty backpacks, hoodies, and an occasional hair clip. Nothing seemed alarming or distressing.

So, I focused my attention on Abby. Abby had obviously seen the post on Julie's Wall as she had clicked on the "Report Abuse" option and tagged the post as "Bullying."  She was looking down and biting her nails and looked seriously uncomfortable in her own skin.  Julie and Abby did not seem to be particularly close, and I had a lack of any sort of intuition or sense of what was going on. I pulled Abby aside and asked why she had flagged the comment on Julie's Wall.  After all, it only said, "Nice shirt."

Abby, a quiet, calm, mind-her-own-business kind of young lady was overtly distraught. She told me Julie was being picked on by three girls, one of whom had posted the "Nice shirt." comment.  She explained that the girls were relentless in their verbal attacks and honed in on Julie's clothing, hair, lack-of-makeup, voice, walk, lunch choice, etc. You name it, they criticized it.  Abby overheard them every day in a shared class, but was too scared to stand up for Julie and of potential backlash from the three others. When asked what the teacher was doing about it, she assured me the teacher had no idea. Abby said they were incredibly careful to not get caught, but that the teasing had been going on for weeks. Today the girls had specifically targeted Julie's shirt as being ugly, juvenile, and other choice adjectives reserved only for hateful commentary. I assured Abby her anonymity and that she did the right thing.

image from: freedigitalphoto.com

It was simply heartbreaking.

In talking to Julie afterward, she reluctantly confirmed the situation. She seemed frightened, humiliated, dismal- and then relieved when we told her that it was all over.  Julie had no idea of the comment on her Wall (which we deleted, but was reserved as concrete evidence in the My Big Campus reporting system) as she had not logged in to My Big Campus since it had been posted only thirty minutes earlier. We called her parents in to talk and they were also completely unaware of Julie's dilemma at school. They had, however, noticed an unusual reluctance to attend school, refusal to participate in extra-curricular events, and being generally withdrawn.  Julie attributed this all to this vexatious and exasperating few weeks, which began when she had inadvertently tripped one of the three in a PE volleyball game.  She wore a brave, care-free face at school, then admitted to going home in depression and distress, often crying alone in her room.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later when all three girls had been dealt with from a discipline standpoint and I saw Julie laughing at a basketball game. I was thrilled to see her enjoying her high school years without worrying about threatening banter and other antics. In processing how she had gotten to this much more peaceful, healthier place, several aspects of how My Big Campus is such a safe platform jumped out at me.

#1- Users report abuse. It wasn't even Julie herself that had reported abuse.  ANY user that sees ANYTHING suspicious is encouraged to report it.  With the flags going to specific designees, this reporting can be kept anonymous if necessary.  Furthermore, by designating several recipients in a building or district, students and parents can be assured that reaction times will be swift.

#2- Reporting. The My Big Campus reports can be generated by both teachers and administration to see any and all activity- whether deleted or not.  Reports can be filtered by type of input, user, time frames, and keywords.  Since all activity is archived, there is no question when it comes to user activity.

#3- No anonymity. There are no untraceable posts, uploads, messages, commentary, or actions. All activity is traceable back to a verified user...and speaking of which...

#4- 100% verified users. Every account is initiated by a verified educator. Each user actually exists and is tied to one user account.  This makes activity monitorable and holds all users accountable for their on-line behavior.  100% verified users also means no spam accounts or false activity.

#5- Profanity filter and flesh-tone image scanning.  All content has to make it through a Spanish and English profanity filter in order to be posted.  Comments including lewd or tasteless verbage will not be displayed. All images are also scanned to be sure they only include files appropriate for school.  As an added safety measure, all videos are also watched from start to finish in the MBC shared resource Library.

I have heard stories similar to mine - reporting from My Big Campus saving students from potentially harming themselves or others, keyword searches that allow adults to reach out to students in need, users reporting abuse to prevent inappropriate interactions, and students learning lessons about digital citizenship from their own on-line behavior. These are some of the many reasons users love My Big Campus; not only are we an on-line community that grows and learns together, but we do so with safety at the forefront of our social-academic platform.



*all identifying information for students has been changed

Tis the Season...for Parent Conferences!

Deck the hallways and hang the welcome signs!  It is Parent Conference season!  

This day is filled with mixed emotions for students, parents, and teachers as well.  There is little less pitiful than a student begging you not to tell her parents about her homework allergy or that time she "accidentally" mixed together the chemicals you specifically told her not to and created a small stink bomb in the chemistry lab.  I have even  been offered bribes, to which I simply had to shake my head and point to the sign one of my former students made based on my frequent one-liners.

There is also little that is more rewarding than seeing a parent beam when I tell them I wish I could clone their child and even file for adoption if they were willing.  I love delivering that news!

Again, parent conferences are a mixed bag- but there are several ways to use My Big Campus to help make each conference the best it can be!

1- Show examples!  Since Schoolwork is stored on MBC, you don't have to worry about collecting work samples or making copies. You can retrieve exemplary examples of student work- and also the less-than desirable samples to come up with strategies for improvement. Using concrete pieces of work helps define where trouble spots are specifically and establish patterns of achievement. And with the Parent Portal enabled, parents can see these for themselves any time they desire!

2- Show them around Campus! By making parts of your Group (or even the entire Group) visible to anyone on the Internet, you can show parents how to access what you are doing in class, see future assignments, and even watch the same videos you are showing in class to help students at home.

3- Sign them up! Show parents how to subscribe to the Group Calendar to view the class from the ease of their own phones.  Parents can see any Events and Schoolwork you place on the student calendar automatically!

4- Reach them where they are!  Remember that your comfort level with technology may be different than that of the parents you are talking to.  Be sure to not assume that all parents understand the MBC lingo and terminology.  If you are creating hand-outs, include lots of screen shots and step-by step instructions!

Clip from:  Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtIFbCj5ndI

5- Make a presentation! Use MBC to show parents a brief overview of what class looks like for their students. Highlight the increased differentiation, accountability, and safety that MBC offers students. One idea is to make a bundle presentation. Publish it beforehand and share it with parents when confirming their appointments via email—this is not only a time saver, but also allows parents to think of questions ahead of time. “Welcome to Your Child’s Class” bundle can include: What we’re doing in class, What’s next?, How MBC is used, Why MBC is safe, How parents can use MBC, and include how to subscribe to calendar. Show parents how you would recommend they use the site for your class, too!

6- Remember all of the regular Parent Conference Golden Rules!  Bookend a negative with two positives. Stick to your time limits to avoid getting behind (schedule follow-up appointments if necessary). Have a comfortable, circular seating arrangement to put parents at ease. Emphasize that you are all on the same team with the objective of making their student the very best he/she can be. And, of course, smile!

Parent conferences are a great way to show off the best side of your class as well as highlight the best in each student.  Use this opportunity to help everyone improve, grow, and learn together!

I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick

Everyone in my household had gone to bed just fine. We read books, gave hugs, squeezes, and kisses and then fell asleep content and well. Yet somewhere around the 2 AM witching hour both kids were up with various symptoms.  By 4 AM I was positive no one was going to school today...including me.

image from: www.essentialbaby.com.au

There was no question where the illness had come from or who had been the carrier.  As a public school teacher, I was a victim of every coughed-on, mystery-stained paper my students handed in- not to mention exposure to thousands of individuals, some of whom really liked to high-five and shake hands.  Especially when I was an elementary teacher, I walked into my own home and immediately began a surgical scrub-down- but not before playing "Guess What's on my Pants." Elementary teachers know this game. Little children with sticky hands feel compelled to hug, and most are about hip-height. This inevitably produces splotches, varying in color and size and placement on the pants. Could be chocolate, could be ketchup, could be paint, could be much, much, worse. Regardless, the pants and I needed a thorough cleaning before I wanted to love on my own children.  Even with the best intentions, though, I know I passed along a funk to them and we were going to be home for the next day or so.

This kind of scenario always left me in a bit of a panic in terms of lesson plans. I really didn't want to leave a movie (to be honest, NO ONE wanted me to leave a movie), worksheets never quite worked out (too many "I never got one's" and "I didn't know how to do it's"), and if I didn't leave something engaging, I would be left with an evening's worth of phone calls due to "the note" from the substitute about students finding creative ways to entertain themselves while actively not doing my work.  As most of our substitute pool did not speak Spanish, there was little chance I could introduce a new concept via the stand-in without a total disaster as well. The other problem with in-class assignments is that if I left paperwork, I would not be able to get to it until I arrived at school, so I would have no gauge or indicator of progress until I returned.  Obviously, this would put me yet another day behind. Another choice was to pack up my children and run to school and try to put together stations or activity centers, but subjecting two sick children to a 25 minute car ride there and back just seemed cruel. And then it hit me- Bundles!

from bundle: http://mybigcampus.com/bundles/my-teacher-is-absent-what-should-i-do---53613

From my own home, I could create absentee lesson plans that were almost as good as having me there in person. Here's why:

1- By assigning a bundle to the students, I eliminated the middle-man.  There was no more lost-in-translation of what I was asking from the students, no more "I didn't get it"s, and no more "the substitute must have lost it"s. Instruction, materials, and activities went straight from me to them.

2- In Bundles, I could deliver content through videos, websites, and tutorials.  I didn't have to put a lesson on hold or fall behind in my scope and sequence. Since I could unblock the resources I needed, I could find relevant, interesting materials to deliver the content.  I could even record myself giving the lesson and my students could pause, rewind, and watch it as many times as they needed.

3- By attaching Schoolwork either straightforward in the Bundle or through a Bundle Lock, I could keep my classroom barometer in-tact in terms of student progress.  I could even give formative assessments that automatically graded the work, so when I returned to class, I could pick up where they left off.  Since the Schoolwork is all stored in My Big Campus, there was also 100% accountability- no more "misplaced" assignments!

4- I could link a Discussion in the Bundle for students to ask me questions and get clarification. This hotline directly to me also allowed the substitute to not have to be an expert in content- particularly relevant in subjects most of us have not delved into since college or maybe even high school ourselves!

5- By Bundling my lessons ahead of time, it was simply a matter of adding some instructions and support for lessons I already had and then I was done! I didn't feel under a time crunch and students knew the lessons were not slush-substitute plans (they have a radar for those lessons!).  Everything goes smoother for the students, substitute, and returning teacher when students are engaged in meaningful instruction.

Flu season is just around the corner.  Stock up on tissues, hand-sanitizer, and vitamin C.  But if those germs blast their way through you or your loved one's defenses, rest easy.  With Bundles, your class can carry on while you tend to getting people on the mend! 

image from: www.rcgroups.com

My Technology Broke

I was teaching at Cumberland Elementary School in a fairly new building that had just undergone a technology face-lift. Interactive boards, cameras, computers, iPads, tablets, Bamboo, projectors, and just about any program or software we asked for was given to us so long as we justified its classroom benefit. More than one lesson went as such:

Me: So, the plan for the day is that I want you to rotate through these stations in the groups of six that I have posted. Group one, you will be playing Jeopardy on the desktops. Group two, you will use the electronic flashcards set up on the iPads to quiz each other. Group three, you are with me at the Promethean to play conjugation baseball. Group four, you will watch the video I have set up, then write me a quick summary as a group of what you saw.  Directions are written at each station as well.

And then the power went out.

Me: Ummmmm....

And then we were sitting in darkness.

image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliciaparkes/5436875202/

That year, the year we were given just about every tool we could dream of, we lost power an average of once a week. Sometimes for hours, sometimes less, but it was draining. They were building a new high school/middle school complex and somehow the power line that was involved directly impacted the elementary school's power. It was so bad, they issued us all flashlights.  Along with fire and tornado drills, we practiced proper power-outage behavior.

If you are a thrill-seeker, go to an interior classroom with twenty-five third-graders and cut the lights. There will be at least one crier, several shriekers, multiple touchers, a runner, and (more often than not) students whose bladders are affected by the outage and they must venture out into the dark building "right now or else I am going to have an accident." This will be accompanied by the pee-pee dance which includes hopping from foot-to-foot and grabbing at one's self.  It is not for the weak-hearted.

image from:  http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1439R-1072561

I noticed that year that teachers, instead of delving into all the new technology, were actually pulling away. This worked out well for me as we shared resources, so the equipment was available for me to check-out without a waiting list. But I was curious as to why. I asked several friends and they all replied that technology is not reliable. Furthermore, with the predictable outages, they didn't want to plan a lesson involving technology only to have the power fail.  Well, that's understandable...or maybe not so...

The problem is that if we do not give the students the 21st Century skills they must have to move on in a career field or in higher education, we have failed them. Furthermore, that makes about as much sense as not driving anywhere because of fear of a flat tire. Withholding technology for fear of it breaking is terribly limiting. It also models for students that technology itself is something to be hesitant and anxious about. These are certainly not the values we want to model in the digital age.

My solution is this- have an arsenal of "anytime activities." For me in the elementary school, it was having a shelf with a few unplugged activities as well as my own small list of back-ups.  I had a hot-potato-like game we could use no matter what verbs we were conjugating, discussion starters appropriate for any time in the year, Spanish Scrabble, cultural crafts, a battery-operated boom box with CDs of songs, pneumonic devices, and even worksheet-accompanied activities, etc.

No, these were not the ideal lessons for the day.  I experienced outages during on-line testing, "please excuse us while we are experiencing technical difficulties" when I had planned to use a particular site, and crazy-loud-make-your-heart-stop pops when a projector bulb blew.  That's ok.  I also taught through flu-seasons that wiped out half of my class, fire-drills, the entire student-athlete population repeatedly missing classes at the end of the day for away games, snow-days, and other disruptions.  We teachers improvise, modify, and keep going.  Technology is no different.  It is a critical component for effective K-12 education and if it has a hiccup sometimes, then anticipate an alternate plan- just as teachers do for any other unexpected schedule change.  The benefits of technology in the classroom including increased student engagement, improved student motivation, fewer instances of classroom disruptions, and escalated student achievement far outweigh the minor inconveniences if that technology falters.  And again, prepare.  I never had to be fearful of using technology, though, because I had plenty of constructive activities that we could do with or without power, with or without Internet, and even with or without lights.

So we didn't do stations that day in class. But we did have one mean game of Chico Chile!

¡Olé!

image from: http://www.amazon.com/Chico-Chile-Classroom-Spanish-Drill/dp/B0055756YS