Managing it all

Over the past 16+ years I have worked in a computer lab and as a technology building leader at both my middle school and at the district office. As I started out teaching in a a computer lab my biggest fear was how do I manage 30+ kids on computers. I stressed to make sure they were:

• working on what they should be
• not going to websites they shouldn't 
• not playing games
• not installing files or programs they shouldn't

it was a huge stress and I never felt I was doing enough. As I moved forward with my career I learned many management strategies and tools to help with managing the lab. This past year our district went 1:1

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with Chromebooks. There were tons of questions and fears that I got, but by far one of the biggest was around how to manage these devices and kids. Which is the topic of this blog.

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First off I will warn you there is not silver bullet when it comes to managing 1:1 and/or a classroom full of computers. The closest I can find is rely on your best management practises. I have tried many different tools &/or strategies and found as with any good management strategy it has to be your own. In this post I am going to talk generically about strategies and tools as I don't want to endorse one over another. If you have questions regarding recommendations feel free to email me with what you are considering I will offer my opinion via email. My hope is to give you some tips and tricks as well as spark some conversation by others.

I am serious when I say find something that fits your style and personality. If you do you will have more success and less stress. That being said my style is more of being what I have heard as Lead Learner or as a Project Manager (although personally I like to call it lazy teacher 😁). In my classroom I focus on making sure kids know:

1. what they are to be doing
2. when the work is due
3. how to get help if needed
4. finding resources need to complete what they are doing

If all 4 of these are met I have few to no issues with kids working. It was hard to get to this point but once I let go of the list I mentioned earlier I was a much happier teacher and kids were much happier. That being said here are my thoughts on some tools and strategies that I use to support the above.

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Knowing  what they are doing

This is possibly the biggest thing I struggle with. You have to make sure you and your students are on the same page as to what needs to be done. If students don't know what to do then they will fill their time with work they want to do, and it won't be what you want them to be doing. This ranges from playing games, searching for pictures, work for other classes, to simply sitting reading a book. They will find a way to keep themselves busy. To help with this I use google classroom and skyward to send out assignment details and resources. I start each class with what I call an opening routine, basically a list of instructions to start the class and our class agenda for the day. I also give students the first 5 minutes (although I am thinking of reducing that this year) to get materials out and get started on the entry task. During that time I don't bother them and ask they don't bother me as I am doing my opening routine as well that helps me get ready for instruction.

Speaking of instruction it is important that you give clear instructions on what they are to do. This is something I continually work on as I often find that what I think of as clear instructions can and are interpreted differently. It is important that you get to know your kids and their needs and their personalities for this one. I am talking more than just knowing the IEP's/504's in your room and who your ELL kids are as well. You need to know who prefers to read and who prefers to watch videos, who likes to work in teams and who likes to work independently, you also need to know who your creative kids are that like to do things their own way and who are the list followers. Every kids will look at your instructions and see them differently. You need to be prepared to be flexible and open minded so you are able to handle the curve ball that comes when you least expect it.

What I have found works best is to give clear instructions on what you want and then invite conversation. I often times don't show examples of what I want because I want to encourage kids to find their own solution and not just do what someone else did. If they do that on their own that is fine but I want it to be their choice. Those who do need an example I will work with them to find it on their own if they are showing signs of being stressed. 

I have tried various online management systems as well as having monitors facing me. What I found found is that as I give better instructions the need for these tools/strategies goes down. I will be honest kids hate the online management tools. They hate them because they feel their trust is eroded because the teacher will post the classes screens on the big screen for all to see. I see this as a sure fire way to lose respect and trust with your kids. I have also been told that teachers tend to use it as a crutch. One of the most telling comments I got from students is when a former one told me that I took control of their computers too much. At first I was taken aback but then then I did some informal data analysis and found that I was controlling their computers more than I was letting them work. That being said there are times when online management systems needed and helpful but don't rely on them as a crutch or your sole strategy.

Knowing when work is due

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As a CTE  (career and Technical Education) teacher I am big on due dates/deadlines. I have heard from many an industry person that employees struggle with getting work done on time. I see this with my students as well. Especially with middle school kids there is this thought that if I am not done I shouldn't turn anything in until it is complete which often times leads to it not getting turned in at all. However I am now starting to see the other extreme with kids & parents requesting/requiring more time. In my class due dates or only negotiable if your are sick, absent, or have it built into a plan (IEP/504). That being said every kid in my class has the right to go back and improve their score to the highest score they are eligible for. Along with knowing the due date I am finding that kids also need a plan as to how they are going to reach that due date. This is not simply writing the due date down in an agenda or online calendar. It is actually putting together a plan of what they need to do/accomplish to get the project/assignment done by the due date. I learned this from doing my 20% time project last year. I had kids do a Gantt project planner chart in excel. The kids that filled these out regularly finished their work ahead of schedule and more completely than those who didn't. I will be looking at incorporating something like this over this next year for work that isn't part of 20% time projects. I will be honest students don't like/struggle with this at the beginning but it is a life skill and eventually they see the benefit.

Knowing how to get help if/when needed & finding resources

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I have seen many tricks when it comes to this. There is the tried and true raising your hand, using cups, 3 before me, 'I need help" wall, and an on and on. What I find works in this instance is what method works best for you. I have adopted the "I need help wall". This is a space a wall I have painted with whiteboard paint that kids can write on. One they love writing on the wall and two it helps the stay working. I have found that when the hand or cup goes up all work stops. Also I let kids know that I am not the only one who can help kids on the wall. This helps those kids who are ahead a way to practice their learning and grow a sense of community. Also I have found that sometimes kids at explain things better than me. I also use the 3 before me which includes the use of the internet. Often times the questions I get are on how to use a tool or website or app. I know I may be labeled a bad teacher for saying this but I hate those questions. I hate them because often times the answer can be found by doing a simple search like "How do I create a numbered list in word?". I will make kids search for those or use my new favorite website, http://lmgtfy.com/. I want to teach kids how to learn not teach them how to use a tool. Once I gave up teaching kids how to use tools on the computer my stress level went way down and the student's empowerment went way up. It is a hard shift to make though as I did like to have control over my class and I hate seeing kids get frustrated.

Along with finding help I also find that when kids know where resources are they management of the classroom goes much easier. If things are hard to find kids will either give up or revert to asking you. This is not necessarily a bad thing but does take time away for you managing/helping other kids. One thing I am going to do this next year is to build or have kids build a map of where things are at in the classroom as well as create a resource document of where they can find things on the web. 

Other

One last bit of management advice I will give is the importance of having a plan for down time. This was another one I struggled with for awhile. I was militant in not wanting games being played in my class. However after reading some books and sites on game theory in education I have revised my thinking. Games can be an instructional tool as well as a good stress reducer. That being said I don't let kids play games when they are done with their work all the time. I try to build in time when kids who are done can play games during the semester but I also have other tasks for them to do before they event think about game playing. In my class if you are done with or reached a point where you can't move one until someone else is done you have 4 options:

1. Work for another class
2. 20% time project
3. Read a book
4. Leadership points

Students can select from this list when they are done. I am famous for my saying "if you have time to play games you have time to work". This often times is all I need to say to get them back on track. However sometimes it takes a bit more of a push.

Anyways I would like to hear your thoughts and ideas. What works for you and your class? What are your questions and what fears do you have.

As always go forth and do great things!

Tech Wednesday: Xtimeline.com

For my second installment of Tech Wednesday I am demonstrating the website xtimline.com. I first heard about this site on another blog whose name escapes me at the moment. Their comments about how it was a great web2.0 tool that had excellent application in the classroom caught my interest and I ran with it from there. I am currently testing it out with my staff as I write this so more to come on what other teachers in my building think.

At first glance the site looks like a resource site with basic timelines, a search bar, tour video, etc. They have featured timelines listed in the center of the page as well as timeline dealing with current events and groups listed on the right hand side of the page. This is a great resource for teachers and students looking to do research on historical events and as a starting point for further research. It is also a fun tool to use outside of school if you want to do a family timeline or chronicle a local event.

To create, edit, and comment on timelines you must create an account. This is probably the one drawback I see in using the site with kids as you must have an email address to sign on. You can anonymously search for timelines but you are not allowed to edit or comment on them. If you want to use this site as a tool for your students to create timelines, you will need to make sure they have their own personal email account set up. That aside the interface is fairly straight forward for inputting in dates, background info, pictures, etc. and it automatically puts the events in order for you when you are completed. There are two views: one being a title and date; the other being a more detailed view.

Some ideas for using this in a class:

1. Have students create their personal timeline
   
2. Challenge students to find a need within your curricular area for a timeline
   
3. School/District history timeline
   
4. Check posted timelines for accuracy
   
5. Chronicle the years events and compare prior years
   

I am sure there are many more. Please feel free to offer you comments and suggestions.

Video:

New Feature: Tech Wednesday

I am going to be trying out a new feature to my blog in an attempt to get more traffic coming its way. The overall purpose of this blog is to serve as a forum for teachers and readers to share successes, advice, and general rants and raves about technology. In the past I have posted helpful websites and tips on minor tasks but now I would like to offer a bit of online training on programs and project I currently do and have done in the past. This is part of my bi-weekly professional development I do for my staff on Wednesday. My goal is to up-date this site every Wednesday with some bit of training I have done or am planning on doing. My hope is to share a little bit of what I know on using technology in education. Now I am by no means an expert when it comes to many of the things I am showing you so please feel free to offer your 2 cents on how it can be done better or more efficiently. Most of the training I will be sharing will be put together using a program called ScreenVirtuoso Pro

ScreenVirtuoso is a program that allows you to record your onscreen actions, add narration, and some simple onscreen graphics. As I am typing this out I am recording the video for this post as well as a future training for staff on blogging with MS Word 07. Bear with me as I switch between typing this blog post and narrate the video. This program is a Shareware program that does cost you after the trial period has expired but I find the price is well worth it if you are looking for a simple demo video program. There are several other programs out there you can choose from that enable you to do a lot more than this one does but these cost significantly more. I will be posting these videos in a WMV format as that is the format that works with the computers in my district. If you prefer an MPEG or AVI, FLV/SWF format feel free to email me and I can covert the video to the format and send it to you.

Let me know what you think of this new feature and also feel free to post different or easier ways of doing the things I share here on Tech Wednesday. My goal is to post once a week but forgive me if there are some gaps or if the posts are not always on a Wednesday. I am sharing time between my 3 passions in life: my work, my 3 kids, and my lovely wife.