Managing devices in the classroom

Many teachers are using technology (either school- or student-owned) more and more in the classroom. Here are some recommendations and best practices from teachers on how to manage the devices and the classroom.

Set explicit expectations and processes around using devices.

• Establish a social contract around device use. When is it OK and not OK during your class? Don't leave it to chance. 
• Clarify the vocabulary you use (e.g. "lids closed" vs. "log off" vs. "devices away") so students understand what is expected of them at different points during class. 

For school-owned devices and shared carts: 

• Create a sense of value. Make sure students understand why you are using them in the classroom, what is to be gained from the use and what will happen if they are misused.
• Create a process for getting and replacing Chromebooks (or other devices). Don't have all students get them at once or replace them at once.
• Make sure the same student uses the same device each time (assign a number) to maximize "ownership " and minimize confusion if any damage takes place
• Have one student (a TA or trusted student) manage unplugging and plugging in the Chromebooks and passing them out to the class 
• Model responsible use as a teacher! No food and drink near the devices, don't stack devices or slide them across surfaces, etc.

 Classroom management tips

• Move around the room consistently so you can see what students are working on and minimize off-task behavior
• Teach from the back of the classroom as much as possible
• Change desk layout when using devices for ease of motion and line of sight
• Allow a moment for off-task behavior before using a new tool, especially one involving class collaboration
• Make sure the activity is necessary and engaging! Boring tasks will lead to off-task behavior with or without technology
• Establish logical consequences for undesirable behaviors (loss  of device privileges, clean the devices, etc.) Students can lose privileges to their own devices if they are misusing them during class time. 
• Use Ctrl-Shift-T to re-open closed tabs if students are using inappropriate sites or quickly close tabs when you approach
• Communicate what can be done when the class activity is completed

• For laptops/Chromebooks:
  Lids closed (but not logged off) when not active (For most devices, a "sleep" mode can be quickly revived with a simple login.)
• For phones: face down when not in use (if out)
• Devices flat on desk at all times when in use (not in laps or hands)

Plan ahead for possible issues

•  Appoint tech monitors in class to assist with common issues (students having difficulty logging in, device usability, etc.).  Login issues are usually related to typos in username/password!
• Allow students to help each other
• Use tech-savvy students as support tools
• Always have a backup plan for non-charged devices, non-working websites, network issues, other ideas

Digital skills for teachers

If you are looking for ways to stretch yourself in using technology with and for your students, here's an interesting post from the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog (often a useful resource for teachers). It lists 20 digital skills teachers should have, from social networking for professional development to curating online content for students to understanding copyright. Where are you confident and where do you want to grow?

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html 

"Share to Classroom" Chrome extension

If you are using Google Classroom with your students, you may have noticed a new Chrome feature appear in the last few weeks. A "Share to Classroom" button has been enabled for all teachers and students in the district.

This allows you to quickly take content from the Internet (newspaper articles, blog posts, YouTube videos, etc.) and create Classroom announcements or assignments for any of your Google Classrooms. Just click the "Classroom" icon and choose how you want to share.

If you don't see the Share to Classroom extension next to your, try restarting your browser. If you still don't see it, go to the Chrome Web store, search for "share to classroom" and click "add to Chrome" to manually install it. 

Support for student researchers

If your classes are embarking on research papers this fall, Homestead subscribes to two web-based tools to support the research process (identifying and using sources, organization and synthesizing information, and correctly citing sources).

One, which many teachers have already used. is Noodle Tools. NoodleTools uses virtual notecards on a virtual desktop to help organize research. Each individual notecard has a Main Idea (the title of the card) and sections to quote, paraphrase and make original connections to the source. Each card can be linked to a source in the bibliography, to keep student research organized and allow quotes and ideas to be appropriately cited in the final paper. Notecards can also be tagged and categorized, stacked and sorted on the virtual desktop, and searched and printed. Projects can be shared with teachers, who can view student progress and give feedback.

NoodleTools also has a citation creator, which walks students through the information needed to correct cite a source, and then creates the properly-formatted citation. To use the full subscription version, Homestead staff should log in using their FUHSD accounts via this link.

New this year to Homestead is EasyBib. EasyBib has a free citation generator, which is well known to many students. Its subscription service offers much of the same functionality as NoodleTools, with a slightly different interface and usability. Students and staff should log in using their Google accounts here.

Both are integrated with Google Apps for Education, which means you can create, access and share Google Docs from within the app, and use your FUHSD login to access.

Grading Google Docs with a rubric

Using Google Classroom makes giving formative feedback on student writing very easy, but final grading can be more challenging. Paperless grading using a rubric can be even more daunting. Orange Slice, an add-on for Google Docs developed by a teacher, lets you view a virtual rubric, select grades and automatically process the grade

Here's how to try this out:

1. Go to a Google Doc and choose Add-ons --> Get add-ons. 
2. Search for Orange Slice
3. When you first launch this, you'll create a rubric. Choose your setting for the type of rubric, the skills you are assessing, and the point value.
4. Once the rubric exists, you can modify the content, type and point value, and can cut and paste rubrics from prior assignments (so you only need to create it once). 
5. Then, grade the assignment using the rubric. You can make changes until you process the grade. Once you process, Orange Slice will give you a completed rubric and a a score (either percentage or grade, depending on your settings). 

This is not without its flaws, but it's worth playing with, especially if you're looking to move toward more paperless evaluation. You can read more about it at the developer's Google + page.

Have you used this tool or do you have another solution for rubric grading? Please share!

New resources for research

The library is expanding the resources available to teachers and students on campus. This year we have added two new subscription databases: Gale Opposing Viewpoints and JSTOR.

Opposing Viewpoints covers controversial social issues with a variety of scholarly yet accessible sources. It has some great usability features, including an "add to Google Classroom" one-click option that allows teachers and students to link an article to a Google Classroom post or assignment. This can be a quick way to see the sources students are considering as they research.

By popular demand, JSTOR is also now available, providing access to a variety of scholarly journals, primary sources and books, particularly in humanities and social sciences. JSTOR does a particularly good job of helping students understand the background and context of the sources they're using. It's largely limited to scholarly journals (unlike Gale and EBSCO, another database Homestead subscribes to, which both aggregate consumer publications as well). 

You can try these tools through the Homestead library website.   

Start the year with Google Classroom!

If you are planning to use Google Classroom with students this year, there are some exciting new features. The best is the ability to share assignments from School Loop to one or more Google Classroom(s) quickly and easily. From your School Loop assignment, use the Publish & Google Share button and select from the list of Google Classrooms you manage.  Click here for more about that process from School Loop.

If you haven't yet set up a Google Classroom, Classroom gives you a very manageable way to share assignments and documents with students and give formative and summative feedback on student work. If you are interested in using it, go to classroom.google.com and click on the + sign in the upper right to start your first class.  Google Classroom will walk you through the process of setting up your class. You can have your students enroll using a class code which Classroom provides. Click here for more about Classroom from Google.