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5 tips for classroom management with Chromebooks in a 1:1 | edtechwunder

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5 tips for classroom management with Chromebooks in a 1:1 | edtechwunder

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Classroom management is something that defines professionalism in the classroom as teachers work tirelessly to meet and address student learning needs and goals. It is an art that is learned, refined, and reinvented over and over throughout a teacher's career as new technology and teaching methods are implemented within the classroom.

Enter the most recent form of technology to come into classrooms the Chromebook. A new challenge now awaits as teachers are engaging students with technology, but may struggle with aspects of classroom management surrounding them. To keep it short and to the point one of the new challenges that I hear all the time from teachers is "How do I know if they are doing what they are supposed to be doing?" Many times I am also asked if we can get one of those monitoring services that would be an expensive cost to our 1:1 program.

My response to these questions and concerns comes from meeting these challenges within my own classroom, and getting to observe other teachers implementing similar strategies. In short we can save a lot of money, time, and get better instruction by using a few simple strategies that I use all the time in my class and with teachers that I work with. Here are the top 5 things that we recommend to make classroom management easier with better learning outcomes in our 1-1 Chromebook environment.

One of the biggest things that a teacher can do to alleviate some of the management aspects of the Chromebooks is to change what the physical space of the room looks like. Not all teachers have the luxury of changing the room because of space limitations, furniture that doesn't mesh well with technology, or too many students to accommodate seating within the room. One of the ways to free up your room and get a better management outcome is to move the furniture completely out of the way. Teachers who utilize this strategy find that they have more flexibility in activities within the room, lower behavior issues, more on task behavior, and better proximity to students. This setup also allows the teacher to teach from anywhere within the room by simply purchasing a very inexpensive wireless presenter mouse. Simply push the desks, chairs and anything else to the outside walls of the room. The picture shown gives a glimpse into one way that this can be done.

One of the ways to keep students on task and reduce behavior is to let them know when, and how, the technology is going to be used in the classroom. One way to quickly and easily set this expectation is with a stoplight sign on the outside of the room with a clip. Red indicates to students that they will not be using technology in the class today. (AND THAT"S OK) Yellow indicates that they will be using the technology, but that it should remain closed to start the class because the teacher will be giving instruction. Green lets students know that it is time to take the technology out to start the class along with any other class routines that you may be using. Teachers that utilize this find that they are not fighting the common question " When are we going to use the....", or are not battling students about inappropriately trying to sneak the technology when they should be engaged in the lesson. When students know when, and how, the tech will be used they are less likely to be off task. This is an easy task to assign a student to help you with at the beginning of the day or hour of a class.

A great way to gather some formative assessment data and to keep students on task is the" what I did today email". This works especially well with Chromebooks as students can "print" their browsing history to a PDF and then include that in an email to their parents or guardians and the teacher. At the end of the hour have students respond with a short "elevator" summary of what they learned in class that day. This is a great technique as it gets students to reflect on their learning, practices summarizing skills, and increases accountability to be on task during self-directed learning times within the class. As a parent myself it also saves from this conversation

ME: What did you do in class today?

Daughter: Nothing

ME: What do you mean nothing? I am sure that there was lots that you learned.

Daughter: I can't remember

Parents will be grateful to be part of the learning process, and to be able to see the growth of their child over time. This technique can also be use with student blogging as well if parents are connected to the blog.

Greater conversations can ensue when students have little to say about what they learned in class that day, or their browsing history has large gaps within it as it is reviewed by both teachers and parents. This allows for more in depth conversations around the learning that took place and gives a great way to gather formative evidence. In addition teachers can give parents the gift of insight into what their student is learning without looking at just a grade in an information system or report card. Finally, it will take almost no additional effort on the teachers part to implement.

This is really a simple strategy that allows for a lot of management aspects within the classroom. When giving instructions, or doing some direct instruction this is a great strategy to get students off the keyboard and focused on what the teacher is saying. In addition it also allows for the ability to do a quick check to see if students are on task, on appropriate sites, or need additional help with the lesson. If teachers are using this strategy they really need to be firm and consistent that if students continue working, or are not on task, that it leads to a "technology timeout". Teachers who are consistent in this find that it leads to a great way to have a flexible learning environment with the ability to meet a students needs no matter where they are standing in the room.

Both students, and adults, are consistently called by the siren of technology if it is near. If it is within arms reach and you can see it the the likelihood of wanting to do something with it and be distracted by it is pretty high. Everyone thinks that they can multitask, but more often than not it goes in one ear and out the other. The best way to get students attention is to have them put their lids at 45 degrees-something we model and teach- or have them close their lids completely. The great thing about Chromebooks is that they restart really quickly. The best way to make sure that your instructions have been heard is to eliminate the call of the technology siren so that they are not distracted by what they are doing, or their neighbor. This goes for adults too.

As with any management ideas within a classroom you need to make them your own and adapt to your students. However, with a few small changes it can make a world of difference for both you and your students in a technology rich environment.

Author: Tim Mortensen

Tim is a Digital Learning Manager in the Sun Prairie Area School district. He was a classroom teacher for 14 years before entering a position as a technology integrator. You can follow him at @tamoten.

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5 tips for classroom management with Chromebooks in a 1:1

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Classroom management is something that defines professionalism in the classroom as teachers work tirelessly to meet and address student learning needs and goals. It is an art that is learned, refined, and reinvented over and over throughout a teacher's career as new technology and teaching methods are implemented within the classroom.

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Classroom Management tips using 1-1: Lawrence Township Technology Resources

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Classroom Management tips using 1-1: Lawrence Township Technology Resources

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Classroom Management tips using 1-1: Lawrence Township Technology Resources

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Nocking The Arrow: Classroom Management In A 1:1 Learning Environment

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Nocking The Arrow: Classroom Management In A 1:1 Learning Environment

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Yesterday, a frustrated teacher pulled me out of a meeting requesting assistance. She explained there were several students in her classroom playing games on their iPads. Her frustration and sense of helplessness was evident in the tone of her voice, and the look on her face. By the time our short conversation concluded, it became apparent that she was blaming the technology for the lack of control in her classroom. As a high school technology coordinator, this is a message I hear frequently.

When things don't go well, technology provides an easy target. All of us have encountered frustrating instances when technology fails us, and while it's true there are times when technology interferes, or distracts students from learning, often teachers will mistakenly blame technology for classroom management issues.

Here are some suggestions to better manage your 1:1 classroom.

Classroom management should focus on the students. What worked previously in managing the students will continue to work, even in the technology supported environment.

Anticipate the worst, hope for the best. Have a plan to deal with off-task, or disruptive behavior.

Be attentive to instructional design. Create and use lesson plans that emphasize student learning

Challenge the students to be continually active and engaged. Leave no time for off-task behavior or boredom

Differentiate and personalize student work. Accommodate ability levels, learning styles, and learning challenges with a variety of learning, and assessment options.

Empower students by helping to make their learning personal and meaningful. Inquiry-based, connectivist, constructivist lessons will create opportunities for students to take responsibility for their learning. (self-regulated learners)

Facilitate learning and promote attentiveness through proximity. Move around the learning area and use distance to influence behavior.

Set expectations for hands-on, hands off time for learning tools. If the teacher closes the iPad, only the teacher may reopen it. The technology tool time out.

Take time to practice putting the iPads into sleep mode. This instant on, instant off capability comes in handy when requesting undivided attention from students.

Foster a learning community that thrives on collaborative work. Create back channels for students to stay engaged during classroom discussions (Today's Meet, or Twitter chat)

Use timers to help students stay focused and on task. Time limitations and expectations help keep students on a challenging, but productive pace.

Clearly share expectations and guidelines with students. Empower students to help create and communicate behavioral expectations. Model digital responsibility, social media etiquette, and digital learning for your students.

Use the room layout to influence learning experiences, and promote periods of cooperation (pods) vs. periods of independent work or assessment (rows).

Take time to practice using the iPads for specified purposes. Establish procedures to deal with technical issues when they occur. Identify student tech leaders who can assist you and other students with technology use.

Identify tell-tale signs when students are off task. These may include; screen-fixated eyes, typing off normal pace, color reflections that don't match the rest of the class, reactions or emotions that don't match the activity.

Technology won't fix pre-existing student management issues

Boring lessons are still boring with technology

More technology doesn't necessarily mean more, or better learning

What are your consequences for misbehavior? Is there complete classroom awareness?

Just as with learning targets, establish clear behavioral expectations and practice them often.

Keep learning at the forefront. A classroom of compliant students doesn't necessarily mean the students are learning.

What strategies do you use for effectively managing a 1:1 learning environment?

References & Resources

photo credit: crackdog via photopin cc

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Classroom Management In A 1:1 Learning Environment

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Yesterday, a frustrated teacher pulled me out of a meeting requesting assistance. She explained there were several students in her classroom playing games on their iPads. Her frustration and sense of helplessness was evident in the tone of her voice, and the look on her face.

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Classroom Management Tips for the Technology Rich Classroom | Edutopia

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Classroom Management Tips for the Technology Rich Classroom | Edutopia

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When meeting and listening to classroom teachers I sense and hear their frustration with misuse of technology being a major problem they deal with daily. I hear many teachers so frustrated with the misuse that they wish they didn't have to deal with it; to these teachers, the classroom disruption makes the positives of technology "not worth it" in their eyes.

Here are some things that need to be looked at and can be changed to help teachers have a more positive experience with technology integration. I have found these through trial and error of my own and from sitting in on other teachers' classes as they lead lessons:

Classroom teachers that don't establish "acceptable use practice" in the classroom well from the beginning or who don't manage accountability of misuse consistently have more troubles longterm. Spending the first few days discussing and setting parameters for usage is imperative.

Keywords are not used to help the teachers quickly transition during instruction time. For instance, using the words: "Flat, Flip, Close, Close apps" on a consistent basis allows students to quickly follow instructions without repeating what you want over and over again. For me, I start saying "This lesson is almost over, when I count down from 5 you are to have all your apps closed out and your iPads flipped and flat." My students know this is coming and what is expected because I use the same terms every time I teach them.

Teachers are not moving around the classroom for monitoring purposes. Movement=Accountability. If a student has no idea if I might walk past them while I teach, they are less likely to be off-task. A teacher moving around not only keeps the student from a glazed over look because their focus can move, but it can also provide the shy student a voice because the proximity of the teacher to that student gives them courage to speak.

There is nothing wrong with addressing the potential off-task moment when you are about to share something important as a teacher. If I say, "all eyes on me" and all eyes aren't immediately on me for the instructions, then I often say, "Ok then, flip or close your devices until these instructions are over." In this case, they have learned that they lost a privilege because they didn't immediately respond and that helps in the future.

For the first couple of weeks of school, remind your students that no apps or browser windows other than the ones they should be using during THAT classroom session should be open. As a teacher if you think a student is off-task, walk by and double click their home button and look for open apps on a tablet or phone device. If they are on a laptop or Chromebook, look for open tabs. This doesn't have to slow down your teaching.

IF you see a student off-task, just take up the device and place it on your desk. If they are using it to take notes, have some paper and a pencil immediately available to them in a place in the room that you can just point to. A disruption should always be a bigger headache to the student than to you as a teacher.

If you have a student that seems to be prone to being off-task, ask them to turn their notifications off and give them jobs to do during a classroom discussion if they seem to be wandering. For instance, "Julie, we are discussing pine trees. Can you please go to Encyclopedia Britannica and find what pines are indigenous to our state?" This student is now an active participant in the discussion but using their ability to multitask for your benefit.

Students are allowed to hold and access their devices however they want to. For the most part, unless students are sitting in the floor, I do not allow students to put their devices in their laps. 85% of the time I see a student trying to be off-task, they move their device either closer to them or in their laps. I require students to keep their devices at desk level.

Desk placement can greatly effect your ability to monitor and feel confident that your students are on task. If you students are working in groups, move their desks close to each other and in small groupings so you can observe all devices easily as you move around. If you tend to be a lecturer, create an alley "stage" with two rows of desks facing you so that you can easily see each student as you teach and move along the alley. If you have a student that appears to be off-task, ask them to lay their device "flat" during the class time if they are using a tablet device. This is a little bit harder to detect and manage using a laptop device though.

Vary the way you teach. Technology allows you to have access to the world! Rethink your lesson plans to best utilize the technology. If all your students use technology for is to read an e-book or take notes, technology will always just seem like a disrupter to you. Ask a tech coach to help you figure out ways to better use the tools for a lesson that could use a little "UMPH."

Being a strict disciplinarian regarding technology does not mean you aren't a fun or good teacher. It means that expectations are there. Be honest with your students, discuss with them why you have the rules you have. Have them dialogue with you about ways that might help them be less distracted. Remember that you have a responsibility for teaching them good digital citizenship skills. Every moment is a teachable moment, every teacher should be teaching their students how to harness and expand the power in their hands in productive ways.

Julie Davis (@chargerrific) is an instructional technologist at a K12 school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. You can read more of her posts at http://techhelpful.blogspot.com/

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Classroom Management Tips for the Technology Rich Classroom | Edutopia

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When meeting and listening to classroom teachers I sense and hear their frustration with misuse of technology being a major problem they deal with daily. I hear many teachers so frustrated with the misuse that they wish they didn't have to deal with it; to these teachers, the classroom disruption makes the positives of technology "not worth it" in their eyes.

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One-to-One Computing and Classroom Management | Tech Learning

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One-to-One Computing and Classroom Management | Tech Learning

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If you spend some time observing the best, most-respected, teachers you will discover that one of their essential skills is good classroom management. Classroom management is essential if you want the students to learn. There is much literature and many theories on the topic. Gone are the days of "Do it because I say so!" Instead we have the era of Dr. Fred Jones and his theories, such as, "For teaching to be enjoyable, you must be able to simply relax and teach. Classroom management must be built from the ground up so that most problems do not occur."

Many teachers would ordinarily feel challenged by the demands of managing a classroom of 25-30+ students. To complicate matters, add the prospect of laptop computers. Every year, more districts across the country begin laptop initiatives, but since one-to-one computing is relatively new, finding classroom management resources for this environment is difficult.

Luckily, managing a classroom of student's with laptops is mostly about managing the students. This means that you use the same tools for classroom management with laptops as you use for basic classroom management.

The following examples emphasize management strategies that work for any classroom, but are especially important with laptops:

Lesson development: First and foremost to any classroom management technique is your lesson plan. A good lesson plan that keeps the student involved will reduce classroom problems â€" whether you are using laptops or not. I always had written lesson plans, even after 10 years of teaching. In your lesson plans, spell out exactly what you expect your students to do with their laptop. Create your own expectation. Furthermore, make sure any use of the laptop in class is appropriate, and not its own distraction.

MWA: In the 1890s, when Theodore Roosevelt was the Police Commissioner of New York City, citizens didn't trust the police. Roosevelt wanted to address the problem. So what did he do? Create a task force? Audit management? No. He practiced MWA, Management by Walking Around. He took midnight walks and punished every police officer he saw not doing his job. Word got around, and the force shaped up. It works in the classroom as well, with or without laptops. As soon as you come near a kid, s(he) shapes up. If you see a kid off-task because of his or her computer, deal with it appropriately. Make sure you circulate in a way that allows you to see the most in one view. As does Fahryka Elliott, a business teacher in Henrico County, watch for certain telll-tale signs, such as when kids eyes are more fixated on the screen, or they are typing faster than normal, or their heads remain in a downward position longer than necessary. These may be signs of kids off task.

Pick your battles: Sometimes it's just not worth telling a kid to put their hat away, or the water bottle, or to raise their hand to go to the pencil sharpener. It's the same with laptops. If you try to put out every forest fire in the classroom, you won't get anything done. If you see a little goofing off, say students on the wrong Web site but otherwise are doing their work, let them be.

Consistency: Isn't that what you're always told about classroom management? It's the same with laptops. Be consistent with rules and how laptops are used. One way to reinforce this is to have VIP (Visual Instruction Plans) in your classroom. These are simply posters with instructions for laptop-use: how to get to your web page; how to get to your virtual share; how to print. Posters should address the most-asked questions. Then all you have to do is, calmly and coolly, point to a poster on the wall, instead of being distracted by answering the same question 100 times. Keeping a cool attitude also impresses students.

Use timers: Timers are great for any activity such as quizzes, warm ups, discussions, and more. If you're doing a class activity that involves the laptop, use a timer (preferably one that ticks loudly), so the kids know they don't have all day.

Expectations: At the beginning of the year, we tell our students what we expect from them. Good pedagogy requires this be done for every class and every lesson, whether or not laptops are involved. As for laptops, tell them clearly what you expect, such as no idle surfing, no Instant Messaging, etc.

Class arrangement: This is important and goes hand-in-hand with "Management by Walking Around." Sometimes you'll want the students in groups, so MWA is essential. Other times, you'll want them in rows (testing, for example) so you can see each laptop screen at once. If you have kids without laptops, sit them out of view. Daily sign off sheets: Again, along with daily expectations, let them know that you expect to see what they completed for the day. Students are less likely to goof on their computers if they know you expect a two-page paper.

Down time: If students finished the work for the day, or some are done and others are not, let them do their own thing. They could do work for another class, or wander the Internet as a reward for completing their tasks. You can ask them to show you a favorite site of theirs. If they know they might have time to do their own thing at the end of class, they'll be less likely to get off-task during class.

The following help promote rules and strategies specifically for employing laptops in your classroom successfully:

First use: Often, the laptops are deployed a few weeks into the school year. Be sure to take time to teach proper use and never assume they know how to use the laptops. Depending on the students involved, it might be a good idea to at first put students in groups around one computer. Employ the rules heavily at this time.

No secrets!: on the very first day, Mark Apelt, a science teacher in Henrico County, demonstrates all the ways he has to check on what students have been doing. For example, he shows them how he can find their Internet history and search the hard drive for illegal downloads. By showing them that he knows how to search their computers, they stay on task.

First full use: When you're ready to have the entire class use the laptops at once, make sure everyone is doing the same assignment. Don't let them do their own tasks yet. Furthermore, for class notes, have kids use pen-on-paper rather than using their laptop. Instill proper procedure when introducing laptops for note-taking since this is a natural time for students to wander.

Lesson plans: Make sure you include time in your lesson plan to review how to use the technology. If you are having them do a PowerPoint presentation, don't assume they know how to do one properly. Build in time to teach these skills.

Laptop time: Let the kids know when and when not to have their laptops out for use. I am amazed at how many times I walk into classrooms where the teacher is teaching a non-laptop lesson, and kids have them out on the table, using them. I know teachers wouldn't let a kid pull out a book or PSP. Some teachers figure the kids might be taking notes. If so, ask the student to see his notes.

Power cords: one problem with laptops is that, after awhile, they lose their charge, especially by the end of the day when you may have kids with poorly-functioning computers that need recharging. As safely as possible, have power bars around the room, but make sure they're set up in a way that you don't create tripping hazards.

Battery chargers: Sometimes you might be given a charger box of 5 batteries so kids can swap out their dead batteries for good batteries. Keep this box behind your desk for obvious reasons. If you don't, it won't take long before your box is empty.

Student leaders: Find students who seem to be naturals with computers and use them to help with general troubleshooting and application help.

Testing online: This can simplify a teacher's job as well as supply a lot of data. With a little upfront work, teachers can easily create tests their students will take online. But be careful, as cheating can be an issue.

Classroom Set Up:

Move your desks into rows, if you have to, so you can sit behind the students and see every screen at once.

You will likely have students with and without computers, so move your paper-users to one side and your computer kids to the other side. This reduces the number of computer screens you have to watch.

Have any instructions on the chalkboard for everyone to see.

Make sure you have chargers/batteries ready.

Sit in the back of the room with a hard copy of the test. If a student has a question, ask himher to come back to you with the computer instead of your answering the question at their desk and thus turning your back on the other kids.

Create a Visual Instruction Plan for your wall that indicates the teacher username students will need in order to access your test. Have this VIP on the wall nearest the side of the room on which your computer-using students are sitting.

Test Set Up:

In your test set up, scramble your questions and answers so everyone has a different Question Number 1.

Make sure the test can only be accessed once, and at a certain time.

Set the timer. The timer makes kids nervous but keeps them honest. Just watch the IEPs.

Only allow their final score to show up (or no feedback at all) when they complete the test.

Student Expectations:

Tell kids to clear their computer desktops. You can stand/sit behind all of them and have them restart and then open only one file â€" your test.

Explain the punishment for cheating.

Have them put their computers away when they are done with the test. Most programs input the test results as kids finish. Follow this, and make sure the student closes his computer when his grade shows up.

Do not allow paper-users to open their computers when they are done.

Give them an Acceptable-Use policy to sign.

Explain to the students that questions can be copied and pasted, and you will be watching for this. If you suspect a student, open up Word and see what their last document open was.

On occasion during the test, remind students they are only allowed to have the test on their screen. It will reinforce to the students that you are watching them.

On longer test, periodically remind students to check their battery power. If the battery gets low plug into a charger and then change the battery.

The most important strategy, while the most obvious is the one most often ignored: Use the laptop in class. Many teachers expect kids to be distracted by the laptop, so they rarely use them in class. They give up before trying. Then, when they want the kids to use the laptop, they are surprised when the kids are off-task, or they didn't bring them to class at all. By using the laptops every day (even if it's just for 5 minutes one day), kids are more likely to stay on task, more likely to bring them to class, and their laptops seem to break down less often when they are used more often.

In summary, when it comes to managing a classroom with laptop computers, do what you already do. Just reinforce the laptop part of the equation. Then, add a few more rules specific to the laptops. By doing this, you will have a more successful experience with laptops.
Here are some useful websites for finding information: Classroom Management Student Laptops and Classroom Management Classroom Management Tips Archive Dr. Fred Jones Classroom Organization and WorkStations MultiMedia in the Classroom Teaching With Laptops: Classroom Management

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One-to-One Computing and Classroom Management

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from Educators' eZine If you spend some time observing the best, most-respected, teachers you will discover that one of their essential skills is good classroom management. Classroom management is essential if you want the students to learn. There is much literature and many theories on the topic. Gone are the

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How do you manage a classroom where every student has a mobile device?

When my high school Spanish students first got their iPads, they were paying more attention to them than to each other, and it seemed like every time I tried to integrate a new app or strategy into a lesson, it would fail spectacularly. A year later, my 1:1 classroom usually works like clockwork. Here are four lessons I learned the hard way.

Managing Your 1:1 Classroom

1. Put the iPads away-sometimes

When will students know it's okay to use their devices? How will they know to put them away? Setting clear behavioral expectations will go a long way towards cultivating a fun and functional atmosphere in your classroom. Let kids know what they should and should not do with technology in class, and practice it. In my Spanish class, I teach my students the vocabulary for "Close your iPad and put it in your backpack" along with hand gestures. We practice it ad nauseam. I even make "googly eyes" when I want to make sure that students are making eye contact with each other and are not distracted by their iPads. This way, students know that the iPad is a tool that facilitates learning when needed; sometimes, we need to use other tools, like voices or paper. Make clean transitions between high-tech time and low-tech time, and students will learn that the device supports learning instead of driving it.

2. Management is management.

Every time I have presented at a conference or run a workshop, teachers ask me about students misbehaving on the iPads. "If we give them the iPads, won't they be playing games the whole time?" "How can we be sure they're not on Twitter or Facebook?" My answer is, "How do you make sure your students are not off-task now?" A big part of ensuring student engagement is crafting meaningful lessons (which I'll discuss more in #4), but don't underestimate the power of the old-fashioned management tricks that you learned in your first years of teaching.

First of all, walk around the room-tablets free you from the front of the classroom, so deliver lessons while stretching your legs. Use proximity as a non-verbal warning to students who are not attending to the lesson, and redirect students verbally (or with the "teacher look") when they go off-task. Finally-and somewhat paradoxically-don't sweat the small stuff. Your model student was checking her Twitter feed during a class transition time; so what? If she didn't distract anyone else and got back on task without being prompted, let it go. Students have to learn how to use mobile technology courteously and responsibly by exercising their own judgment, not just when and how a teacher tells them to.

3. Test drive the apps.

If you find an appealing app, test it. When possible, create a dummy student account along with a teacher account so that you can see what the app looks like from both perspectives. This has saved me in Edmodo, Showbie, Socrative and many other educational apps. It's also worth investing time outside of class to figure out how an app works if you're seriously considering using it in class; trying to make the app work in class is frustrating, undermines your lesson plan, and wastes valuable educational time. One caveat, though: if you still don't understand how the app works after putting in a reasonable amount of time playing with it, move on. If you have trouble with it, your kids will too.

Think about how you can integrate the app slowly into your classroom routine. For example, when I began using the Showbie app for document management, I had students turn in work on the app that did not count for a grade. They did that several times until I was confident that they understood the process. Then, after notifying them, I began grading specific assignments submitted via the app. Next, they started submitting different types of files, not just documents, and soon they will submit a whole multimedia project using Showbie. In this way, we all learned how to use the app effectively before adding the stress of grades and deadlines.

4. It's not about the apps.

I teach two sections of the same course; one has 1:1 iPads and the other has none. They both have to cover the same curriculum and meet the same objectives. So when I'm planning lessons, I have to ask myself, "How will this lesson work without iPads? Does it make sense? What will this activity look like with iPads? Is it worth using them?" Sometimes, a paper and pencil work just as well as an iPad. The point is that the students should be doing something meaningful and relevant to them.

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember about using mobile technology in schools: an iPad, or a Chromebook, or a Surface, or whatever technology you have in your classroom, is there to support your students' learning. It is not the learning objective. A boring assignment on an iPad is still a boring assignment, but an activity or project that ignites students' curiosity will be interesting with or without technology. Your students now have instant access to the Internet, can create and share multimedia projects, and can connect to millions of people around the world. What can they do in your classroom with those new capabilities that they couldn't do before? Asking students to question what they think they know, find and resolve problems, judge information, collaborate and innovate will always trump any gimmicky app.

Whatever technology you have in your classroom, is there to support your students' learning
Image courtesy of Flickr, flickingerbrad

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How do you manage a classroom where every student has a mobile device? When my high school Spanish students first got their iPads, they were paying more attention to them than to each other, and it seemed like every time I tried to integrate a new app or strategy into a lesson, it would fail spectacularly.