Back-up Plan Needed in Classroom Using Technology

I just got back from an observation at SLU high in which a teacher (which I will remain nameless) brought in a tape of Othello to play for the class. For one reason or another, the tape would not play in the VCR and left a blue screen when the teacher pushed the play button. After ten minutes of struggling with this VCR with some of his technologically gifted students with no results, the teacher decided to just give them a reading day and the rest of the 35 minutes was spent in quiet study time.

I thought this was a good example of what not to do in the classroom. We get told time and time again to have a back-up plan in education classes in case the PowerPoint, video, or other multimedia device does not function properly. This seems logical; however, with teachers as strapped for time as possible, two lesson plans can be really taxing. It can thwart use of technology in the classroom. As such, I have decided to have back up lesson plans that I can pull if something goes awry that's useful. It does not necessarily have to do with the novel that we are reading and this can certainly be a nice change if the students are having trouble getting into a novel or other body of work. That's my new plan. It incoporates time efficiency and smart-thinking with a back-up plan in one!