So right after Thanksgiving break we got a class set of laptops (netbooks?) for our students and with all the tech talk in all my classes I was more than a bit eager to bust them out and get to work. So I've been playing around with them, incorporating some tech tools into my lessons, and learning a bit about what does and doesn't work...
Problem #1: The first few logins
So far we've had 2 lessons with the netbooks incorporated and something happened that I didn't anticipate: slow login time. Like 5-10 minutes for the computers to get past the login screen, resulting in a slew of frustrated 16 year olds opting to use their smartphones instead and ragged beginning that threw of the tone of the class.
How to fix it:
After speaking with seasoned 1:1 teacher Jen Roberts, it seems probable that the slow login is due to the netbooks having to connect to the district server and download all of the files the students have ever saved ever. After a few logins and full shutdowns of the computers this problem should dissipate. The takeaway: for the first few uses plan for lag.
Problem #2: Getting Everyone on the Same Page
Even though we are living in a technology world it is still hard to get every student to go to the same page. Some are playing games, some don't know where to go, some mistype the link several times, some are using Internet Explorer... In general they all know how to navigate to a webpage but be prepared for a chorus of "Where am I supposed to go? It's not working!"
How to fix it:
If possible use links. I had huge successes getting students where I wanted them to go when they had a link to click. Alternatively have typed (or written) step-by-step direction on where to go and what the site should look like. Screenshots included. And with typed directions, make sure you use a font where capital "I", lowercase "l" and the number 1 (one) are distinguishable. It can mean the difference between getting where you want to go and ending up on a Japanese surrealist's art portfolio.
Problem #3: Trying to do too much too soon
I got a bit overenthusiastic about fully incorporating technology into my last lesson. The resulting chaos and confusion as half the netbooks took 10 minutes to login, students couldn't figure out the website, incorrect email addresses were given, and using an unfamiliar new tool devastated the amount of instructional and practice time in the day.
How to fix it:
Start out slow. Unless you plan on devoting multiple classes to troubleshooting the problems of some students while the others grow increasingly restless, their fingers twitching at the keyboard, just aim for one thing at a time until everyone is comfortable with the technology rather than planning a whole lesson online.
One thing that worked fabulously for me was devoting 30 minutes at the end of class to getting started with the netbooks. I left an Internet breadcrumb trail for the students to follow. They started out on my homepage and were instructed to find the link to a Google form which asked for their name, email, and things they wanted to do more in class. The submission confirmation page led them to a Socrative quiz on the content for that day. The final question asked the students to find the homework assignment on my homepage. The final feedback page in the Socrative quiz instructed them to Mahjong Chem where they could play a review game until the end of class. Bonus: by the end of class I had a student roster of name, period, and email address sitting in my Google Drive.
Problem #1: The first few logins
So far we've had 2 lessons with the netbooks incorporated and something happened that I didn't anticipate: slow login time. Like 5-10 minutes for the computers to get past the login screen, resulting in a slew of frustrated 16 year olds opting to use their smartphones instead and ragged beginning that threw of the tone of the class.
How to fix it:
After speaking with seasoned 1:1 teacher Jen Roberts, it seems probable that the slow login is due to the netbooks having to connect to the district server and download all of the files the students have ever saved ever. After a few logins and full shutdowns of the computers this problem should dissipate. The takeaway: for the first few uses plan for lag.
Problem #2: Getting Everyone on the Same Page
Even though we are living in a technology world it is still hard to get every student to go to the same page. Some are playing games, some don't know where to go, some mistype the link several times, some are using Internet Explorer... In general they all know how to navigate to a webpage but be prepared for a chorus of "Where am I supposed to go? It's not working!"
How to fix it:
If possible use links. I had huge successes getting students where I wanted them to go when they had a link to click. Alternatively have typed (or written) step-by-step direction on where to go and what the site should look like. Screenshots included. And with typed directions, make sure you use a font where capital "I", lowercase "l" and the number 1 (one) are distinguishable. It can mean the difference between getting where you want to go and ending up on a Japanese surrealist's art portfolio.
Problem #3: Trying to do too much too soon
I got a bit overenthusiastic about fully incorporating technology into my last lesson. The resulting chaos and confusion as half the netbooks took 10 minutes to login, students couldn't figure out the website, incorrect email addresses were given, and using an unfamiliar new tool devastated the amount of instructional and practice time in the day.
How to fix it:
Start out slow. Unless you plan on devoting multiple classes to troubleshooting the problems of some students while the others grow increasingly restless, their fingers twitching at the keyboard, just aim for one thing at a time until everyone is comfortable with the technology rather than planning a whole lesson online.
One thing that worked fabulously for me was devoting 30 minutes at the end of class to getting started with the netbooks. I left an Internet breadcrumb trail for the students to follow. They started out on my homepage and were instructed to find the link to a Google form which asked for their name, email, and things they wanted to do more in class. The submission confirmation page led them to a Socrative quiz on the content for that day. The final question asked the students to find the homework assignment on my homepage. The final feedback page in the Socrative quiz instructed them to Mahjong Chem where they could play a review game until the end of class. Bonus: by the end of class I had a student roster of name, period, and email address sitting in my Google Drive.