More bloopers in the classroom
I swear, I must be jinxed when it comes to using technology in the classroom. There are days when things work the way they're supposed to. But there have been more instances when everything backfires on me.Today was no exception. I planned to show a film entitled America: Hunting for Sleeper Cells (part of a series called The Third World War: Al Qaeda) in my class. I previewed the DVD twice on my roommate's laptop last night. No sweat, right? I even prepared some notes, which I could use to frame the discussion.
So I arrived in class a few minutes early, made some announcements, and slipped the DVD into the CD-ROM/DVD drive of the computer in my classroom. For some reason, the damn thing would not play. I don't know if the computer got scared or intimidated by the topic of the film (terrorism) and/or the scenes showing the faces of George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden. It just didn't play at all. It took me about ten minutes to figure out that the application I used (Windows Media Player) might not recognize the DVD, for which I had to switch to another program (like RealPlayer). It took another five minutes for one of my students to help me figure things out and set up RealPlayer, as well as the volume control settings. Sheesh.
Because of the late start, my students ended up staying for three extra minutes to finish watching the film. Most of them didn't mind, although I could see that they were getting restless and they started putting their things away. But some of them had to leave about five minutes before the film ended, so they wouldn't be late for their next class. The student who helped me figure things out was one of them.
If we had proceeded according to schedule, I would have shown clips from this other documentary entitled Terror's Children, made by a 24-year-old Pakistani woman (click here to watch the video online), so that my students could look at the issue of terrorism from a local and an international perspective. But I suppose that will have to wait until our last class on Friday the 9th.
Oh well. A lot of students didn't come to class today, so at least there weren't that many people who witnessed my bloopers. And most of the students who showed up ended up staying to finish the movie, even if they would be three minutes late for their next thing. One of them just e-mailed me to ask a question, as well as to inform me: "I really liked the video in class today!"
found herself @ 2:04 PM
12 Comments:
natakot nga natakot ang media player nong nalaman nya na terrorism ang ipapalabas hehehe...
buti hindi sila masyadong na bored...alam mo naman pag mga ganyang sensitive film o topic nakakaantok talaga.
Ate Malaine: Hahaha :)
Yup, hindi naman sila nainip. Seryosong-seryoso nga 'yung iba. I saw several students taking notes. Mahilig magdebate ang mga estudyante ko kaya sa susunod na klase namin, feeling ko magiging hyper sila 'pag pinag-usapan namin ang video.
Hi Di, interesting yong topic :) gusto ko rin!
mukhang interesting yang film ah. sayang, wala dito yan!
Nang Ethel: Thanks! Punta ka dito, panoorin mo ang DVD bago ko isauli sa library. Isama mo si Churchill. Hahaha :)
Ito 'yung isa pang video na ipapakita ko sa klase ko bukas. Panoorin mo na lang kung gusto mo. Ay, ano ba 'yan lumabas na naman ang pagka-teacher ko, sus ginoo! *wink* Ingat ka diyan! *mwah*
Mommy Neng: Ganon? Hehe punta kayo dito, panoorin natin ang film sa apartment ko, kasama si Nang Ethel at si Churchill. Hehe :)
Laurentina: I'm leaving on Wednesday the 14th (flying Northwest Airlines). Where in the Philippines is your friend from? Take care!
hi! i hate when that happens! i prepare perfect lesson and than technology takes a vacation!!! enjoy your weekend!
hey,Di!
astig ka palang magturo..ang bigat!!heheehe...pero,ang galing...lalo na siguro ung mga class discussions nyo no?
imagine...terrorism..hmmm
ok,sis..ready na ba ang mga luggages mo?:)
malapit ka na...(pumunta sa bundok for ur friend`s wedding?)hehe...
ok,goodluck to all ur activities...and take a lot of ingatss!!*mwah*
luv u,
ghee
It wasn't a total bad experience since someone appreciated it. As for technology, you are not alone. As fast as technology is advancing it is hard to keep up.
Hi Di, pano kami ni churchill maka punta jan eh uuwi ka sa pinas :) lapi na ang flight mo :) ingat lagi jan muaahh
Lyra: That happens to me all the time. I think I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Have a great weekend, too! Take care!
Ate Ghee: Hehe ganon ba? Thanks. Kelangang pag-usapan 'yon eh, kasi Social Problems ang tinuturo ko. Haha, hindi noh, feeling ko medyo detached ako sa pagtuturo ko.
Waaah! Di pa ako nag-eempake. Di pa rin ako masyadong nag-shopping, at di pa rin ako nakakabili ng regalo para sa kaibigan kong ikakasal. Tamad akong pumunta sa mall.
Ingat ka rin. Luv you too. *Mwah*
Patrice: You're right. I guess it wasn't so bad, after all. And we all have our own bloopers when it comes to technology. Take care!
Nang Ethel: Hehe :) Punta na lang kayo dito pagbalik ko *wink* Ingat ka rin lagi diyan. *Mwah*
Goodluck on your trip. Have a safe and happy one.
Niceheart: Thank you! Take care. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family.
Fafa Kadyo: Thank you po. Merry Christmas at Happy New Year rin po sa inyo ni Ann at mga chikiting niyo. Hugs and kisses to the kids, especially Joshua. Ingat po kayo!
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