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The Plug is Pulled

Last week was one crazy week!
We took our annual overnight camping trip to the Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H center where students focused on leadership and teamwork skills.  This was a time to disconnect; no cell phones, tablets, laptops, or computers.  Just nature and its beauty, some mosquitoes and spiders,a beaver pond and fall leaves, campfire songs and great weather.  And let us not forget the horrible skunk smell in my cabin, which I kind of got used to by the second day; No, not really! It was a wonderful experience for our students and a great way to stay connected to the natural world.
And we were back to school on Friday when the email came.


We received the email Friday morning around 8:30.  The email stated that due to quality issues, the tablets, covers, and chargers were to be collected from the students throughout the county until further notice. I knew there had been problems with the tablet glass breaking easily; even 2 of our own teachers experienced this early on.  They were breaking too easy.  There had also been too many issues with the quality of the cases; the keyboard connector breaking easily, the keys popping off.  And this was happening to students who were taking good care of their tablets.  The email was unexpected and a bit shocking, but was validated when we were later notified of the tablet charger that had melted.

I feel a sense of disappointment and a lot of uncertainty as to what the next step will be; but completely understand and support that the safety of our students comes first.  So, we collected the tablets and joked with the students that their "Tablet Separation Anxiety" would soon pass.  Some students didn't want to give it up and some did. Some teachers couldn't imagine the rest of the day without the tablets, some couldn't collect them fast enough.  And here were are.... till who knows when.

For the naysayers, and people who say "I told you so":  The personalized learning initiative has not failed.  The idea of putting technology into the hands of every student is not over.  The device quality has simply failed to meet the initial expectations.  This is only a small roadblock; a small hiccup in the much bigger picture.

We will use this time for positive gain......
A time to decompress, 
a time to reflect (which we never have), 
a time to plan and learn, 
and the tablets will come back bigger, better, and stronger than ever. 











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