The perils of being accessible

A discussion on the pitfalls of 24/7 access

 

Setting relief using digital tools

 

Being sick (or having sick children) used to be a curse.  It used to take at least an hour, if not more, to create or find worksheets, photocopy them, print rolls, and nicely bundle everything up for the administrator to pass on.  I even used to have to drive 30 minutes to take my work out to school.  And most of the time the work was busy work, rather than being productive.

My son had a sniffle today, so from 6.10 – 6.30am I was able to

– double check the unit plan was shared with my Year 10s (I use a Google presentation with a slide for each day with the learning outcomes, resources and links on it) and create an anticipatory guide for Chapter 4 of The Outsiders if they streaked ahead,

– book a set of Chromebooks for Year 13s and record a quick video showing them how to create a bibliography with Bibme.com, then shared that on the class Facebook page

– email my HOD to say I wouldn’t be at a meeting

Bliss!

 

But then …

 

Year 13 have an internal assessment due tomorrow, a written report.  They are panicking.  Foolishly, I emailed them to say that I wasn’t at school today but I would be able to read any drafts they emailed through.  

So far, I have read at least 10 drafts (700 – 1000 word reports) and given voice feedback, replied to five emails, and advised on research logs.  

Luckily, my son is not too sick and was able to amuse himself for good chunks of time, but is this right?

 

Whose problem is it?

 

It would have helped if my students were more organised, but they’re Year 13s and this week has seen Arts Week, a sports exchange, there’s a Spoken Word evening tomorrow … they are busy people.

I estimate my feedback will lift at least four students’ grades.  I hope I’ve also encouraged two students, who were very unconfident, that their work is worth submitting.  So it is worth it for lifting student achievement.

But where does the line get drawn?  When does a “sick day” actually mean you are incapacitated? 

I will also admit I’m feeling a little big smug – my students need me desperately and I fly to their rescue!  But I know that is not a beneficial relationship for any of us.

 

Recommendations

 

– Set a 24 hour cut off for assessment feedback.

– Do not reply to emails when I am not at school for personal reasons

– Keep building up my digital resources so students have access to my ideas and advice but not me!

In case of illness: take a tablet and go to bed.