Poopy Paws Means that Screens Need to be Washed

It’s 8:30 am and my tech ed professional development is about to start. Inevitably attendees forget their tablets. It happens often as many tech educators can attest.Attendees ask if there are spares, they race to a classroom that has a cart, or borrow one from the tech department. Cleaning tablets before and after use is a good habit to foster. However like all habits, sometimes cleaning gets forgotten especially after a long day that includes a long drive. As the facilitator for this professional development I have the cleaning materials up front however, few attendees take advantage. Why is it important to clean off the tablet prior to use?

In any position like mine, it is important to test all potential apps to see if they are classroom appropriate. If I am sharing an app with teachers, I need to make sure I know that app inside and out...especially if I am working with a tech skeptical teacher. I recently reviewed a motor skills game designed for cats, however, I wanted to know if it would work for small children as well.. The premise of the game is to catch the mouse. The mouse is bouncing around the screen and as it is caught it squeaks and then proceeds to run away. Murphy is my curious little monster who loves to play this game. He will pounce, slap, and paw at that mouse. When it squeaks he tends to jump up in shock and then proceeds to chase the mouse again. He loves this game so much that he will run off with my phone and put scratches in the screen protector.

What does testing my motor skills app out on Murphy have to do with cleaning tablet screens? Poopy paws is the answer. Cats don’t wash their paws once done with the kitty litter box. And now my tablet bears the brunt of Murphy’s bathroom habits.

Let’s be honest kids don’t wash their hands either. They put their hands in their mouth, eat sticky foods, play in the dirt, pick their noses, don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom (Honestly some adults do some of these things as well).

All of these scenarios mean that it’s imperative to wash tech before (if you don’t know who has used the tech prior) and after use.

Submitted by:
Drea Weiner
Traverse Bay Area ISD/Networks Northwest
REMC 2