Do Sweat the Small Stuff

It’s often the small details that help make a laptop or tablet program successful. Whether it’s a BYOD or your school owns the devices, it doesn’t make sense to hand them out unless your school culture supports it. Teachers and support staff are working with students to learn how to use the devices in their classes, but students need structure around the care and use of the devices.

Below is a list of some of the things we have done at our school:

• It’s an expectation that students come to school with their device fully charged. We have a few extra power cords, but students may not check them out. Their options are
• 1) leave their device to charge,
• 2) stay in the computer lab with the charger to work, or
• 3) not use their device for the period.
• Devices are not allowed in the cafeteria during lunch. They get stepped on! Instead, we ask students to store laptops in the library and computer lab. But there’s an added bonus. Because they have to walk by my desk, students often let me know if they are having a problem with their computer or have a minor repair that needs to be made. We find that we have much less overall damage.
• Students need to leave their devices in their gym locker while at extra curricular activities. We alert coaches and advisers at the beginning of each quarter. The ski team came up with a great way to keep their devices. They have a large rubber tub. Students put their devices in it during practice. Parent volunteers take turns keeping the bin secure.
• Decorate cases. Students are all about personalizing. We all have the same cases with a label on them with the student’s name and their advisor. However, they often get mixed up. Putting a ribbon, key chain or a piece of duct tape on the handle or side, help make the case stand out in a crowd. Some advisors have case makeover parties!
• Three strikes: If a students leaves their laptop unattended or isn’t following a guideline, they sign “The Book”. Every student has a page. They write:
• date (we start over every year)
• what happened
• what the outcome was
• what they will do differently next time

The first time they sign, it is a warning, second time is an after school detention, third time is a loss of take home privilege or other appropriate consequence. This works really well because the students fill it out.

• Collect the devices at breaks. It’s expected that students and teachers are on vacation. In advisor group, the advisor checks each computer and marks down on a spreadsheet from the tech department, anything that might need to be repaired. They also list if a student is having a problem. At the end of the day, we take the last 10 minutes of the period right before vacation to send students to their advisor group. The advisor checks the computers in and brings them to the computer lab. The advisor calls home if a student has not turned theirs in. This allows the tech staff to check them over and make a plan to pull in any computers that need to be repaired after break.

• At the beginning of the year, students present the “roll out”. This outlines anything new and goes over our guidelines. Often there are some humorous reminders to go with it. After the presentation, advisors then go over the technology guidelines with their students. A smaller trusting group allows for students to ask questions in a safe environment.

It takes time and patience but the small details are often what makes the program successful. It’s been said “it takes a village….” I believe it takes a school!

Cross Posted at Microsoft Partners for Learning Hot Topics Blog

1:1 and School Culture

Our high school is starting the tenth year of having a laptop for every student and teacher. Maine has been fortunate, in 2002, Governor Angus King proposed a visionary project; a digital learning initiative - all students in Grade 7 have a laptop to use in school and at home.  In 2004, our district chose to continue the plan into high school.  When we rolled out , we didn’t have any models to refer to, but we knew this project had to be about good teaching and learning. Our journey has been an exciting one.

The most important change has been in our school culture. It is an expectation that the device will be used for many aspects of learning, but not all. Technology is used is purposeful ways and when it is appropriate. Teachers and students are learners exploring the connection between best practices and digital learning. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell where the teacher is in the classroom. Professional development is held often, in small collaborative groups, and based on learning new classroom practices that use technology. 

Students set the tone for each year for positive laptop use by helping the technology team in the summer, presenting the information at the grade level roll outs, and being involved in the creation of the rules and guidelines. Students are empowered and often describe their learning as continuous between home and school.  We trust our students to do the right thing with their devices. Many use online chat for “study groups” and some teachers have online “office hours”.  Students have much more ownership over their work, often because they are given choices about how to demonstrate their learning. Student work is usually public and designed to be shown to an audience. We have visitors come to see our “technology program”.  It is entirely student run, they give tours and answer the many questions about learning with technology. We do not script the day so that the guests can see how much technology is intermingled with classroom activities. Visitors leave having a much better understanding of our school culture.

Cross Posted at Microsoft Partners for Learning: Hot Topics

How will you prepare for your 1:1 classroom this year?

In just a few weeks, students will be heading back to school ready to rock and roll. Whether you have been in a 1:1 classroom or you are just beginning your journey, here are a few tips to help you get ready to start new learning:

• Twitter Hashtags: Using the search tool in Twitter, you can find some great resources by using a hashtag. You don’t need to have a Twitter account. Hashtags are the words with a # sign in front of them. They help organize the vast amounts of information on Twitter. One of the more popular education hashtags in #edchat, but there are also many hashtags organized around curriculum subjects and grade levels. Here is a list to get you started. 
• Blogs: Look over some of the posts in the Microsoft Community blog to get some ideas for the opening days of school. Keep an ongoing journal of ideas.
• Collaborative Projects: Make connections with another teacher in another school (you may have a friend that works in a different district or you can look for international teachers in the Microsoft Community directory online). Try planning an online collaborative project together or join in on one. It can be as simple as comparing two towns to practicing another language with students from another country.
• NETS: Look over the National Educational Technology Standards. How will you promote Digital Age Learning in your classroom? 
• Common Core: Many resources are now available for aligning the Common Core using  technology. 
• Digital Citizenship: Take a look at Common Sense Media. They have great lesson plans for promoting positive digital citizenship and digital literacy.

Start with one project or lesson plan. It could be something different from other projects you’ve done or it could be a reworking of something you do every year. It might not go exactly as you hoped or planned, but your students will be excited that you are trying something new. Ask them for feedback along the way, what worked and what could be improved. Tweak it, and do it again. I think you will be amazed! Have a great school year!

Cross Posted at Microsoft Partners for Learning: Hot Topics