Thing 15: Digital Classroom Management

Since our school is 1:1 Ipad school this thing is very important.  We have been discussing at length classroom management with the Ipads.  Implementation of the Ipads started four years ago when our current seniors were freshmen. Now all students have an Ipad. I would say having Ipads is a mixed bag.  On the positive, I am able to do many different activities with my students that I would not be able to otherwise.  Students can watch my lecture or review it at any time.  I can give them online quizzes or assignments on websites for practice that I would not have been able to do in the past and would have had to have them complete at home.  However, I do not feel that it has increased engagement.  Allowing students to download their own apps and have messaging on their Ipads is a huge distraction.  Many students waste time and have to be monitored and redirected to complete the required work.

I created a Class Dojo account and jotted down a few things I noticed about my students today.  I didn’t use it as efficiently as I could have, but since I was new to using it, I just wanted to explore.  At this point in the school year I do not think I will implement it, but next year I think I will.  I will be able to jot down student behaviors quickly since I plan on adding my own comments such as playing games or messaging.  While I don’t plan on sharing these with the parents on a daily basis, I will use the information for conferences.  In addition, I want to try to send more positive reinforcment to students and share that with parents.  I think having a place where I can store all this information digitally will be very helpful.

Another tool this thing addressed is using Remind.  I love Remind!  I use it to send messages to my student council students all the time.  In the past I have used it to send quick reminders to my students about project due dates or changes in test dates for various reasons.  As a whole, our school uses remind to send out reminders.  We have groups for each grade level and a staff group as well.  Below are some messages I have sent to my Student Council students:

Using these classroom management tools allows us as teachers to address several of the ISTE- T standards.  Allowing them access all the resources helps to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity (a) and allows us as teachers to design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments (a,b,c). However, with all the freedom they have with the technology, it is our responsibility to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility (b).  This includes using the Ipad as an educational tool and not a toy.  I think using apps/sites like class dojo will aid in promoting proper use, and also address the CITW 9 standard of  Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback since they know they have expected behavior and can see if I feel they are meeting these expectations.