A Storehouse of Education Technology

Last year I took over my middle schools media technology class. The class had no formal lab / studio at the time. I spent the summer converting what amounted to two storage closets into a studio. During that time I battled a jungle of old equipment cords, forgotten computer components, and a slew of discarded tech junk. All purchased at one time to help teach kids. As I worked through and cleared the mess, reminders of Rudolf’s Island of Misfit Toys came to my mind. Was this storehouse of education technology the result of a lack of training? Use? Compatibility? Did these purchases spend any significant time in students’ hands or even their classrooms? The question that still lingers: Where will our future purchases get stored if no one uses the new equipment?