My wrist is vibrating, vibrating, vibrating…my sleepy eyes lock in on the face of my smart watch, and I tap to end the vibrations. Sometimes I get up, sometimes I snooze. When I get up, I run through my morning routine and head to school. Over the past year, I decided to avoid looking at my smartphone until 8:30 am on work days. If I walk to school (500 m), I might check my phone for messages, depending on what I am expecting, both personal and professional.
As I set up in the gym office, I fumble through 2-step authentication. If you are unaware, there is a group of penguins in Antarctica trying to access the information housed on the Horizon servers, thus requiring 2-step authentication and frequent password changes. I open my work email, smile because as the PE teacher. I am of low importance, and the gym is not needed for another random presentation or event.
I log into Chalk, a planning service known as Planboard. I double-check my plans for the day. Once everything is confirmed in my brain, I open up a shared Google Doc and input what activity will be in the gym during my lunch supervision. As I wait for my first period, I usually start watching YouTube for different sports and games ideas. If I am teaching classes from grade 7 and up, I will have to access MySchoolSask to input attendance or enter marks if needed. The rest of the day will be spent checking sporadic emails on my phone or receiving a few random messages through different services…
Messaging and communicating go through (too) many services in my life. Professionally, email is the number one form, but I get the odd text message if it is deemed more urgent. Apparently, in the 90s and earlier, no such urgency existed. Personally, I use text, email, WhatsApp, Facebook (Messenger) and TeamLinkt. Depending on what sport, club or event is happening. These modes of communication can run my day after work and on weekends.
As a classroom teacher, I would typically rely on Google Classroom as a means to support online work and serve as the online meeting point for my students. I still use it for my Wellness 10 class and PE 7-9, but very sparingly. The majority of communication with students is face-to-face, while my communication with parents is via e-mail, unless very pressing (like an injury), it would then be a phone call.
Overall, I am a passive user of social media. I skim through Reddit and Facebook, and if I am connecting with friends and family, it is done by text message.
Oh yeah, I guess I should make a note of AI. In my personal life, I have not actively engaged in the usage of AI, but I am aware that it is lurking in the background. As a teacher and grad student, I have dabbled in services like ChatGPT and Gemini. I use Grammarly to support writing conventions and have used TeachMateAI to help create plans and comments for email, but not very often. At this time, AI isn’t a big part of my daily Tech life…at least that I am aware.
Hi Dustin,
This was such a fun read! Your reflections on the many layers of communication tools really resonated—sometimes it feels like we need a personal assistant just to manage the apps!
Thanks for sharing a great snapshot of your tech-filled day!
—Kaela
Hi Dustin,
Thank you for sharing such an honest and relatable look into your day! Your comment about how schools functioned before all this technology really made me reflect on how things have changed since I started teaching …….and wow, the evolution of technology in this field is unbelievable! I also admire your intentional approach to not checking your phone until 8:30 a.m.—that is something definitely worth trying.
I completely understand the frustration with Microsoft Authenticator. This past year, I was in different classrooms and using different computers, and if I didn’t have my phone with me, I couldn’t log in and it added unnecessary frustration throughout my day.
In terms of Planboard, a colleague introduced it to me and I was blown away with its potential. Once my lessons where planned, I could print, save and share them (making it great when I had a sub come in!). I could attach PDF’s, links to videos and access the app from my phone. This digital day planner was a game changer for me!
Your point about juggling communication tools hit home. Between work emails, texts, and app-based messaging, I feel there is never a clear boundary between work and home. A few years ago, I used WhatsApp with my leadership group, and students would message at all hours—what felt late to me seemed completely normal to them. Eventually, we had to set clear expectations around communication times. This makes me reflect on what is appropriate and reasonable expectations to my availability to parents and students after school hours.
Thanks for sharing Dustin!
We do not use many of the same platforms during our school day. For attendance and grades, our division uses Edsby. I am curious about the platform your division is using, MySchoolSask. Additionally, after work, my life is totally scheduled through TeamSnap, TeamLinkt or whatever app the teams are using that season. Over the past two years, I have had to remove my smartwatch during work due to the notifications. I find the constant notifications really distracting!
Ugh, the dreaded Microsoft Authenticator app. Those nefarious penguins indeed. That thing has single-handedly absorbed more of my time than any other ‘helpful’ app. I have spend a shameful amount of time as an administrator supporting teachers who cannot access their basic login for attendance or even simple computer software.
I really enjoyed your humorous take on the life of a PE teacher. I’m sure your humour serves you well in connecting with your students too. Sooo much sarcasm to be had!
Also, several folks have mentioned this mysterious teaching treasure Planboard and it was great to read about it on your blog and also Leanne’s comments. I love seeking out new tools that could make my own and my staff’s lives easier! Wonderful stuff, thank you Dustin.