The next time I buy a house, I will make sure that cable and Internet are connected before closing. While it sounds like a weird contingency and is certainly something that I didn't anticipate to be a problem, buying a house that Comcast/Xfinity won't service until April-ish has really opened my eyes to how much teachers do outside the classroom and on the Internet.
Over the past few weeks, I've answered emails, posted grades, and conducted research for lessons and classroom activities from my smartphone and laptop thanks to my iPhone's tethering capabilities. And because of this, I am realizing how limiting this situation really is.
In this day and age, teachers are expected to respond quickly. When a parent emails, I try to respond within 24 hours. If it weren't for my smartphone, some would go unanswered until I could return to work. I'm even imagining a situation where I didn't have my own laptop. I can't begin to consider how I could accomplish all of what teachers do with just the desktop in my classroom.
And all of this makes me think about how we too often assume that students have access to technology at home or that it's just easy to go to the library to type a paper. Except this house isn't near a coffee shop. My local library closes early on Saturday and isn't open on Sunday. My neighbor's wifi is out of reach, and the other's is password protected. (Admit it: You've siphoned someone else's connection before, too.)
After owning a house for two weeks now without Internet, I've realized how difficult life really is without it. I've had to plan my days around when I could get access, something I've taken for granted before.
I really appreciate Cindy's flexibility and patience as I await a home internet connection or finally give in and pay exorbitant cellular data fees out of frustration.
Over the past few weeks, I've answered emails, posted grades, and conducted research for lessons and classroom activities from my smartphone and laptop thanks to my iPhone's tethering capabilities. And because of this, I am realizing how limiting this situation really is.
In this day and age, teachers are expected to respond quickly. When a parent emails, I try to respond within 24 hours. If it weren't for my smartphone, some would go unanswered until I could return to work. I'm even imagining a situation where I didn't have my own laptop. I can't begin to consider how I could accomplish all of what teachers do with just the desktop in my classroom.
And all of this makes me think about how we too often assume that students have access to technology at home or that it's just easy to go to the library to type a paper. Except this house isn't near a coffee shop. My local library closes early on Saturday and isn't open on Sunday. My neighbor's wifi is out of reach, and the other's is password protected. (Admit it: You've siphoned someone else's connection before, too.)
After owning a house for two weeks now without Internet, I've realized how difficult life really is without it. I've had to plan my days around when I could get access, something I've taken for granted before.
I really appreciate Cindy's flexibility and patience as I await a home internet connection or finally give in and pay exorbitant cellular data fees out of frustration.
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