An aborted BBC Session

I know what I would like to do to BBC with this pen knife - funny it should feature on the front page of their site!

How frustrating! Was really looking forward to our final session for the year with all the ementors and echamps in BBC. However, BBC had other ideas and would not play ball. I could get in and then it did the St Vitus dance and froze my sound and text. After rebooting a thousand times and re-entering the room a thousand times I gave up. Never has that happened to me in the classroom before. I am beginning to feel relieved that we have not yet been upgraded to the new version!

It got me thinking though, how  new users of technology must feel each time they attempt something new. I am what I consider a fairly experienced BBC facilitator and the room was full of gurus and between us all we could not get it to work. I am sure I would eventually lose interest in learning about new technology if each time I tried to enter the classroom it misbehaved to the extent it did today. I am reflecting on my feelings when I could not get in. How did I feel?

I was definitely frustrated, angry and perplexed but also despairing because I had organised a great chair picture and could not use it, could not speak to anyone so felt completely isolated and cut off. Only one person answered my frantic SMS's and I consumed a whole Twix bar in frustration! I really felt as though I was missing out on what was being discussed and  I still have no idea whether they decided to abandon the session or keep going with the few who seemed able to participate. If they kept gpoing then what did I miss out on? No doubt a message will go around - perhaps in the Moodle about what we will do next. If I was feeling all those emotions, it reminds me that when a new learner has difficulty accessing the classroom, how much more frustrating, perplexing and isolated must they feel? Makes me even more determined to keep my mobile phone next to me at every session I faciitate so that the person can at least know that I am aware of their predicament and can let them know other ways they can access the information.

As my son said on FB today "It could have been a better day...."