Day 2 of the Easter break.
I set myself the task of migrating my old blogpost site to WordPress. Not the most exciting task granted, but completely necessary if I want to continue to blog easily from the classroom.
Previously, I had enjoyed the simplicity of Blogger. I was able to add a new post to the blog quickly and easily. My progress was halted unceremoniously by ios10. From that fateful day , Blogger was unresponsive. A change was needed…Wordpress being the answer. What follows is an account of how this seemingly simple task turned into a trial. Even the most feared minds in my tech world couldn’t easily master…it is in fact a cautionary story when using tech in any situation.
First hurdle to overcome: remembering the password. I have two factor authentication on my accounts as it is recommended by Apple. If I am advised to do use this method of access by a ‘wiser more experienced counsel’, I generally go with it. But with no joy…three attempts and endless checking of notes and keychains later…
This is when the fun started, by resetting the password via email, I inadvertently made a typo in the email (the ‘j’ is right next to the ‘k’- easy mistake) but this then set up an avalanche of issues, compounded by a magical app called Clef. This app was added into the mix when it was promised that I wouldn’t have to remember any passwords just hold my phone up to the iPad to unlock my website without an added layer of encryption – I was in awe! This wonderment managed to do, quite reliably it has to be said, exactly what it promised, right up until today. Reader, Clef was a good idea – magical in fact. However, now I have learnt that this too is being disbanded. Leaving me with an further issue of access on my accounts. So two hours later I still have no new password or any access to my website which contains the historical blogs that I wish to migrate to my new blog site.
After a tedious, jazz music accompanied phone call to the domain company, I was finally ‘able’ to unlock the site. Well at least that’s what I thought. Until after going through the whole process and carefully inputting the new data, checking for typos and taking screen shots of every new action – I pressed send to update my password attached to my email details – full of expectancy
I got this familiar message …
Not sure whether to laugh or cry at the “Need help?” option… arrghhh.
This frustration is exactly why technology can and does get such a bad press. It makes you feel as if it is impossible to crack. An unreachable goal. It makes you look stupid and leaves you frustrated. This unknown and slightly ‘magical’ world of accessing technology is other worldly to me, I teach. That’s my domain. I love technology and can see the benefits of using these transformative devices to aid learning. What really concerns me is that in order to achieve membership to the club, I have to jump through a load of hoops that quite frankly trip me up! Digital Genius? Nah!
Although no one was harmed in the making of this blog post, I’d like to thank ‘Panda’ Dan and Troy for their incredible skill and patience is retrieving the seemingly impossible. I am indebted.