Technology: Solution or Problem?

UGH! I've been annoyed with technology lately. I know it motivates and engages students. I know that it can literally open up the world and brings it to their fingertips. I know that using technology in the classroom gives students skills that they need for the digital world. I know that students ask me on a weekly basis, "Can we use the computer?". They love it, they crave it, they would probably marry it.

So why am I so frustrated? Last week, I planned lessons that incorporated technology and the technology failed to work properly.... again. When I only see kids every other day for 45 minutes and we spend 10 minutes trying to figure out technology, I see it as wasted time. I have an amazing tool that can help student learning if it works properly, but 7 times out of 10 it doesn't. The website I'm referring to is Lingt Language. It was created by an MIT student who was studying Mandarin and wanted a better way to learn. It's an amazing tool when it works. Teachers can tailor make activities that have students reading, writing, listening, and speaking on the computer. Here is an example of one activity that I created.

The problem is that the listening portion and the voice recording portion works sporadically. You can't always hear the questions being asked and the students aren't always able to record their voices and play it back so they can hear their own language learning. Students are still able to read and write, but the strength in this website is in the ability to listen to speech and use oral language to express oneself. I really want to use this technology and the students want to use it too, but when technology fails to work so much of the time, I begin to lose faith in the power of technology.

There is one simple solution. Turn off the computer and talk face to face. Remember that? The way we all learned to speak language is still the best (and most reliable) way. ¡Vamos a hablar!