Problem Solving with Technology

When integrating technology in any educational setting there are undoubtedly going to be some issues at some point.  One of the greatest skills we can learn as educators in the 21st Century is to problem solve some of these issues.  (In fact, this is something we should be teaching our students to do, but you can refer to my blog on ISTE student standards for more on that thought.)  Let's take a few minutes to highlight some of the basic steps you can do to solve some issues with technology of varies kinds.  Here are my top 5 items for problem solving technology issues.

1)  Check to cables - Often times cables are the root of the problem.  Check to make sure they are properly plugged in on both ends (power source, projector, device, etc).

2) Restart the program - Often times the program that is not running correctly and simply needs to restart.  Something may have happened on start-up or a while you were working that causes this issue.

3) Check your wifi - Many issues today revolve around not having internet access.  Due to the fact that wireless connects are far more prevalent today, checking the wifi connection is a good place to start when there are issues.

4) Restart the device - Again there can be issues on devices where they just need to be reset.  A simple shut down, pause for about 10 seconds to let everything fully shut down, and then restarting can get you going again.

5) Check your login - With the number of programs that require a login, sometimes you need to be sure your account is the right one.  Often a warning will come up for this one.  Be sure you know passwords for your accounts.

Of course, there are more ways to solve issue, but these at least give you some place to start.  If you don't get the results you were hoping for from these you can try a search online (provided that isn't the issue) for your specific problem.  There are lots of help chats and videos that can walk you through some problem solving techniques.