A recent after school PD reviewed the importance of establishing clear expectations and classroom management practices in a 1:1 environment. These could include:
- Making technology use intentional. It should not be the default; it should have a clear added value to the activity students are doing. Why? Rigorous, experimental studies have shown that simply adding technology – whether it is using laptops to replace paper notetaking, adding home computers to households previously without one, or adding computers/broadband to a school – have a null or negative effect on student achievement.
- Don’t use laptops for notetaking – by allowing students to type verbatim, they are less likely to process the content and will have poorer performance on tests.
- Restructure the room so you can see student screens. Classroom management by walking around is the best way to ensure students are on-task, and a U-shape for laptop work facilitates your ability to see all screens at once (and prevents students from knowing when you’re paying attention to them or not).
- Establish routines:
- At the beginning of class or prior to using computers for a task, ask students to quit their apps, close extra tabs, and put away/make silent their phones
- Use consistent language for calling students to attention from laptop work, like “45 your screens” or “close lids”
- Have a green/red light sign for when it’s OK to use devices in class
- Use timers during independent work
- Show them you know their tricks. Students think they can hide their “fish-touching” (off-task behavior on laptops). If you show students you know how to go to their browser history, use command-tab to see running applications, and four-finger swipe left and right to see hidden desktops, they may be less likely to think they can multitask and get away with it.
- Report students for AUP violations and tell them when this happens.
- Students need direct instruction in tech skills. Be prepared to do this, and Matt K can support you with how!
- Make posters with your expectations. These could include:
- What “45 your screens” and “close lids” mean
- Where to upload work, like videos
- Where to find your online course presence
- What a “credible source” is