Every day of every week, App developers are coming up with
new products and tools to make it easier to organize, impart, share and
instruct us. There are so many tools
that can be a positive influence on our young people, and a few of those that
are making the rounds as of late, or making a resurgence can be found easily by
consulting with your district technology coaches and/or by doing searches for
new tools. However, this Blog post will focus on the most important tool in the
education business: the Classroom
Teacher.
The Classroom teacher has always been and will always be…the
most important teaching tool in the classroom.
The teacher is the one that sets the tone. The teacher creates the learning environment
and drives instruction. The teacher is one
who looks at the students’ strengths and weaknesses, their learning modalities
and determines the best way to deliver material. Some students will learn best by hearing the
information (Auditory), some will learn best by seeing the learning
demonstrated (Visual), and some will be better served if they are allowed to
participate in the learning (Tactile). There
are those students that perform best when using some of these modalities in
combination. Whichever ones are used in
a particular lesson, the best tool for all of the learning opportunities is
STILL the teacher!
The teacher, however, must deal with things that are
distracting to the teaching process.
Discipline among the most common, others include, being a mentor to
small groups, advisors of career paths to others, club sponsors, duty station
managers, and to a certain extent, a counselor of life…all stress builders.
Going one to one with devices can also be stressful if not
managed properly. It is great to have a
one to one device program in your building; however, this “blessing” can also
be a distraction. We constantly hear
that students are going places on their devices to watch movies, check unapproved
websites and social media platforms, and play games to mention a few. We must realize that there are new websites
that come on line every day, and the creators of these are always trying to
find ways around content filters put in place at the schools. We have even found a few that tout ways to
get around school content filters…and if you see these, then you know that
their mission is not in the best interest of the child, but in securing traffic
and users for their sites. Keep in mind,
putting into action a good system of management now, makes it easier to handle
as you move along in the school year.
Here are 10 Tips that
will help with device management and cut down on the stresses they bring:
1.
Remind students of any Acceptable Use Policies
you have in place…including their agreement to follow those policies. It might not be a bad idea to review this
often in your classroom.
2.
Practical Utilization: Only allow device use when specific lesson
plans call for their utilization.
Otherwise, devices should NOT be activated, open or even powered on. It would probably be a great idea to have
some sort of sign posted in your classroom that all can see that reminds
students to stay in authorized areas on their devices.
3.
Use Courtesy Mode: Students should have devices either closed
half way down or turned to Face-the instructor, when content is being shared, or
instructions are being delivered.
4.
Proximity:
Constantly moving around the room, even as students are using devices to
complete assignments should be employed.
5.
Responsibility:
Remind students that by signing the Acceptable Use agreement, they are using
the devices as the instructor directs, without going to other sites.
6.
Remind students that unauthorized use, including
being on sites not designated as acceptable, is a violation of device use, and
that such a violation could warrant the removal of the privilege.
7.
Do not leave assignments for Substitutes that
require the use of devices. In fact, ask subs to have students collect on a
front desk or store away devices while in that particular classroom.
8.
Administrative Support: Talk with your administration, and ask them
to reinforce the proper use of devices, along with proper care. Their support is crucial to afore mentioned
conditions seen in #6 and #7 above.
9.
Do not give students free reign to use devices
if they finish an assignment early or in any “down” time. Use of devices should be for instructional
purposes.
10.
Report to your Administration…and to I.T. by way
of a Work Order, any sites that you deem inappropriate or unnecessary to your
instructional needs.
Teachers are responsible for providing quality lessons and opportunities
for students to be successful, and coaching them along the way to accomplishing
those lessons.
Students are ultimately responsible for their own actions,
and the following of guidelines and policies towards the successful completion
of those lessons.
The BEST tool in the classroom is and always will be the TEACHER!