Friday, April 18, 2014

Persevering through my own frustrations--help is out there!

When I first learned about and used the Subtext app ("Turn any book or text into a digital classroom," their motto promises), I'll admit that I was a little overwhelmed and therefore put off. I tried to overcome and used it with one short story last fall, and it went ok, not outstanding, but fine. The problem was that some minor things went wrong and the kids had a few too many questions I didn't feel comfortable enough trouble-shoot, so I got intimidated and didn't persevere (my bad).  However, I was fortunate enough to take an in-district course taught by my amazing colleague Jen, and she helped me through most of my confusion. Also, even more important than teaching me how to use the app, she showed me that she didn't let obstacles stop her. When I asked her questions she didn't immediately know the answer to, she went straight to Subtext support and got us the answers (the support staff at Subtext is impressively responsive and helpful, FYI.).  Since then, I've used the Subtext regularly and it's changed the way I approach teaching literature (this is not hyperbole).

Diving into this world of technology still intimidates me two years into this iPad one-to-one process, but I've realized that I can't just get frustrated; for every obstacle I encounter, there is a usually a (relatively) easy way to find an answer or alternative if I am willing to put in a few minutes to look or ask. Sometimes I'm actually overwhelmed with how many options and resources are out there because I feel like it's an impossible feat to keep up with it all, but that same obstacle is also a godsend when I need help, so I'll just keep plugging away!  

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