As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!
Q: I sat down to type, start in on a long project with an imminent deadline, and nothing happens. The cursor blinks… and blinks… and blinks… but goes nowhere. What do I do?
A: Before you go buy a new keyboard, try a few things:
- Is the keyboard’s power light on? If it is, check your screen. Is there something that’s preventing you from typing? Maybe a dialogue box that wants an answer? If the light isn’t on, continue down this list
- Check the plugs. Maybe the cord that connects the keyboard to the computer is loose or fell out.
- Reboot. Sometimes the stuff in the computer’s boot-up sequence that makes the keyboard work gets lost. Restart your computer so it can re-establish itself.
- Do you eat at your keyboard? Does anyone? I say this next solution hesitantly: Bang on the keys. Sometimes they get food between them and get stuck. If that doesn’t work, turn the keyboard over and see what falls out.
None of those work? Throw the darn thing out the window and buy a new one. They don’t cost much any more.
Don’t want to wait 169 weeks for all the tech tips? Purchase 169 Tech Problems from the Classroom and How Students Can Solve Them by clicking here.
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, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
