Hanging a curtain rod...

We have lived in our house for 3.5 years and during this time my wife and I have had wood blinds in our bedroom with no curtains.  Last week my wife came home from a trip to the mall with curtains that she said she wanted me to hang in our room.  Now I'm not sure why we all of a sudden needed curtains - but what is the saying - "happy wife, happy life"?  So I made a trip to Home Depot and bought a curtain rod (which she didn't like and went to buy another one that she did like) and planned on hanging the curtains today.

When the time came to hang the curtain rod my first move was not to get a drill and get to work - the first thing I did was go to my computer.  I wanted to find out how high off the ground curtains should hang, how far outside the window the rod should be and what the best way was to make sure everything was level.  I have hung several curtain rods in my lifetime...so why was my first step to go to the computer to get more information?  I didn't want to make a mistake and I wanted to double check everything.  While searching I did learn a few things - like the curtain should hang 1/2" from the ground, the rod typically goes 3"- 6" outside the window and using a measuring tape and a level ensures the rod will be level (duh).

I started thinking about my students as I was doing this and I figured they were just like me.  No, they are not hanging curtains for their wife - but when they have a problem they probably go to a computer (or some device) to find an answer.  If I assign a stoichiometry problem in class some students will be able to set it up and solve it.  Others may ask a friend for help, some may wait for me to offer help and many (if given the chance) would take out their cell phone and Google how to solve the problem (or for you iPhone users - they would "ask Siri).  So why is it that many teachers/schools/districts do not allow this to happen?

As teachers we are always saying we are preparing students for the future - setting them up for success in "the real world".  So if that is true then why don't we give students the tools necessary to be successful in our classrooms?  I hope that as teachers, admin and district tech personnel start to see this more and more - that we start to see classrooms with 1:1 technology - or at least come to terms with implementing a "bring your own device" policy.  We need to get tech in the classroom in order to give our students the best chance at success in "the real world".

By the way - here is a picture of the final product (curtain hold backs were on back order...should be here in a few weeks):