I have been plagued with a question over the last few days. When students ask me questions about computers (mostly software, how-to type questions), I most often take the easy path and show or tell them. But they don’t remember how to do it later. So the question that’s been on my mind is how much should I let my students flounder around and try to figure things out? I mean, that’s how I learned my way around a computer. I poked and tried until I got it to do what I wanted to. Sometimes it took hours. But later on, I was able to do it on my own. I value that learning in myself, but I don’t think I am fostering it in my students. If they ask me answers to problems or issues that come up with their reading or writing, I don’t always show or tell. Sometimes I throw the questions back or tell them to think through it a little harder. So why don’t I do that with computers? Should I do that with computers?
To that end, I began a new feature in my classroom blog called Tech Tips. Each week, I will explain how to do something. I have already subscribed all my students to the blog, so ostensibly, they should have access to the tips and can make of them what they will. One of my frustrations as a teacher is how little my students appear to use the classroom blog. I haven’t yet become so frustrated I felt I should just quit, but I have come close. Which brings to mind another frustration I have. Students are willing to learn how to use Facebook or IM, but it frustrates me that they won’t poke around my site and learn to use it as well as they do other tools.
I do think it’s valuable to flounder around and even fail for a while before you get it. So how do I put that into practice without feeling like I’m being unhelpful?