This year I am experiencing my first with 1 to 1 computing. It is sixth grade and they are a wonderful group of students. I did not think that I would have as many small frequent issues as I do. The small issues aside, I have experienced some problems with students off-task and simply frustrated with their technology.
My students have varied levels of technology familiarity. I have students that are wonderful and can help others. I have other students who do not even know how to turn the computer on. They get frustrated and easily give up when they cannot log in or figure
out how to work something. Right now I am back-tracking to try to help
those students. Some days it is difficult to get through the assignment. I
would love to offer a class to help with some of the basic skills of
those who need it.
A big frustration right now is helping organize students. Students cannot keep track of all of their passwords. I am currently trying to use My Big Campus to keep the students in
one place and their work organized. I wish I had started the year with
this program and started it off better. In all honesty, I didn't even
know what I was doing when we started! I am hoping that by January I
have it all worked out and the students on board too. I would love to have advice from others who have gone through this.
With the lack of organization and the differentiated levels of technology, an average day is difficult. We cannot just do the lesson, we have to deal with all of the other aspects. Classroom management is difficult, when I am running around the room trying to help students log in, remember passwords, get a netbook to turn on, find their files or assignments, or upload documents. This is a constant struggle that I am working on overcoming!
We are not fully 1:1 yet, but we are currently running pilot programs. Last year I led one of those programs. Teachers complaining about too many passwords is a common problem, so for students we are trying to eliminate that issue from the beginning. Our students will all have gmail accounts, and, hopefully, they will be able to use those account addresses and similar passwords for all of their school accounts. I know that some programs require six digit passwords, while others need eight, and some need capitals, etc. I would suggest sticking with some sort of root password then adding capitals and alphanumerics as needed. While this is not wise for the average person because of password safety/hacking, students (especially in grades K-6) should not be putting personal information on any of their accounts (only essays, notes, etc.). That might help with the password issue a little.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that helped was having two students in the classroom designated as "Technology Helpers." These students were very tech savvy and were able to multitask. This prevented students from asking just anybody or wandering aimlessly around the room waiting for help. They quietly asked the Technology Helpers for help while I kept teaching. Just a suggestion:) Hope it helps:)
That is awesome advice! I wish the password issue was that easy...the problem is that all of the accounts they have are not setup by the same person. It really is a small issue that can be resolved with some communication. We are definitely learning! I love the technology helpers idea, I have a few I could recruit for that job! Thanks!
Deleteohhh i just read the first 2 sentences were wonderful how sweet!
ReplyDelete