Monica the technophobe

This part of the English course came very timely. The school where I work have been selected to participate in an education regarding reading and writing with the help of ipads. I felt that this could inspire all children to an active participation during the lessons. It could also make the school work easier for children in need of particular support. The problem with new technology is my own lack of interest in technology. I therefore laughed out loud when I read about being a technogeek or a technophobe in ”How to… teach English with technology”(2007:9) by Dudeney and Hockly. When I switch employment last year, I discovered a projector in the ceiling which could be connected to my laptop to view movies, pictures etc on the whiteboard. I thought it was a great asset in teaching but in the beginning I did not know how to use it, but with a little bit of help from colleagues and me being stubborn, it worked out well. Today I use the projector daily in my teaching. I got the same feeling when I got the opportunity to participate in the project regarding ipads I mentioned earlier. It has taken quite a few hours to install wireless keyboards and different apps and also to find a way to print the children’s texts when I don’t have a printer connected to the ipads.  I felt like I didn’t have control over my work situation.  I had access to the technology but I didn’t have the knowledge. That, combined with a lack of confidence was not the best condition. But I forget all that when I see the children’s enthusiasm when they are working with their ipads. They are working in pairs with the texts and having conversations about how to spell a word or which letter to use and were to find it on the keyboard. There are also a lot of apps with fun games in Swedish, English and mathematics which opens up new learning opportunities. Apps the children know more about than me, so now I have bought a private iPad and have downloaded games that I try on my way home from work on the subway to be able to select games suitable for my seven-year old pupils. I may not yet have overcome my fear for technology, but I might have taken a few steps from being a technophope…

 

Monica Franzén

1EN06U