19 Tech Problems Every Student Can Fix
In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education.
Today’s tip: 19 Tech Problems Every Student Can Fix
Category: Problem-solving
Here are the nineteen problems that cause eighty percent of the tech stoppages in your classrooms. Review these authentically with students and expect them to master all nineteen before graduating from fifth grade:
Deleted a file
Open Recycle Bin (or Trash) and restore.
Can’t exit a program
Alt+F4 works 95% of the time.
Can’t find MS Word
PC: Right-click on desktop—select ‘New>Word Document’.
Keyboard doesn’t work
Push ‘Num Lock’ to see if it lights up. If it does, the problem is other than the keyboard. If it doesn’t, re-plug cord into digital device and reboot.
Mouse doesn’t work
Move it around to see if the cursor moves. If it doesn’t, re-plug cord into digital device and reboot.
Start button is gone
PC: Push Windows button.
No sound
Unmute the sound or turn it up from the lower right corner of the screen; plug headphones in (or unplug); reboot.
Can’t find a file
PC: Start>Search; when you find the file, notice where it is and/or resave to a location you’ll remember.
iPad: Open the app it was created in or go to the Cloud storage associated with the device.
Chromebooks: Push Alt+Shift+M to access File Manager.
Menu command grayed out
Push escape 3 times. This gets you out of wherever you were and activates the command you’d like to use.
What’s today’s date?
Hover over the clock in the lower right corner (depending upon your digital device, you may need to click); 2) from MS Word, start to type the date and it will prompt you with the current date; 3) from MS Word, use the shortkey Shift+Alt+D
Taskbar gone
PCs: Push the Windows button. If the taskbar is hidden, drag the top border up to expose it
Taskbar moved
PCs: Click on an open part of the taskbar and drag it to the bottom of the screen (or wherever you prefer it).
Desktop icons messed up
PCs: Right click on screen—select ‘Sort by’ and the method you’d like the icons arranged (name, type, etc.).
Computer frozen
Check solutions in this list. If nothing works, reboot.
Program frozen
Find a dialogue box asking for input and clear it. Or, the program may be blinking on the taskbar because it accidentally fell asleep down there. Click the program on the taskbar to reactivate.
I erased my document/text
Ctrl+Z.
Screen says “Ctrl-Alt-Del”
PCs: Hold down Ct+Alt—push Delete. This will either bring you to login or the desktop.
Program closed down
If the program is open on the taskbar, click it. If not, reopen; see if the sidebar shows a saved backup and select.
Toolbar missing at top of internet
Push F11 key
Sign up for a new tip each week or buy the entire 169 Real-world Ways to Put Tech into Your Classroom.
What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.