Laptops in the Classroom Tips on Monitoring Student Use

Sources y/classroom-management/ My son, Zachary, an 8th grader at Tripp Middle School in Turner, Maine

Classroom Code of Conduct Set Clear Expectations and Consequences for Inappropriate Use. You are empowered to see what they’re doing. Don’t be horrified when they make a mistake, they will - they’re kids.

Backwards Thinking We need to position ourselves so that we can see the student screens. We need to be behind the students. Try a 45 degree V-layout.

“Lids Down” Establish a command for closing the laptops. If students tell you they are using the laptops to take notes, ask them to those notes to you at the end of the class to keep them honest.

Use Your Instincts You’re good teachers. You know when kids have disengaged. You know how to redirect. Use the skills you already have. Pay attention to their body language. There is no substitute for eye contact.

Struggling Students Develop a system for students who are struggling with their laptops, so they can let you know they are having trouble. What can students do while they wait so they don’t get off task?

Help Each Other Allow students to help each other. Establish “local experts” for a varying tasks. There is only 1 of you and 25 of them.

Engaging Activities Plan and implement activities that encourage engagement. Ask for help from the technology integrator if you need to. Activities need a clearly defined purpose. The more structure, the better.

Teach Digital Citizenry Explain WHY they can’t during class. WHY we need to think before we post. kZeoWW0&feature=player_embedded

Tricks Our Students Think We Don’t Know Fn + F11 - Shows only the desktop Cmd + H - hides an active window Cmd + M - minimizes an active window The functionality of expose and spaces.

Expose and Spaces Dragging the mouse to the corner of the screen... Can put the display to sleep so it looks like the laptop isn’t even on. Can start the screen saver, so it looks like the laptop isn’t in use. Can show only the desktop. Can be used to place an allowed program in it’s own space.

What can we do? Set the expectation that students cmd + Q to quit all applications not being used as soon as they enter your classroom. Ask the student to depress the F3 key to see all applications running in the current space. Look for white dots below programs in the dock to see what’s running in the background or click on cmd + tab if the dock is hidden.

and... fn + F8 to see all spaces. Check Internet histories. If they’re deleted, that’s a red flag. Go to the top menu bar apple-->System Preferences-->Expose & Spaces to see how they’ve got their expose and spaces settings configured.

One Step Ahead Realize and accept that they will get around us and always be one step ahead. We cannot control everything they do.

The Good News is... They are problem solving. They are engaged in inquiry based learning. They are demonstrating the very things we want them to learn. We’ve taught them well.

Let’s Get Down to Business Let’s focus our energy and attention on integrating the laptops into our lesson planning and unit instruction. Let’s use the laptops in a way that adds value to the education we provide.