Classroom Management in a 1-1 Digital Device Environment

One of the first challenges of integrating digital technologies and working in a 1-1 environment revolves around classroom management. Effective classroom management has always been a top priority in teaching and learning. With digital devices an inevitable part of our classrooms today, the possibility for distractions, time-wasting, unfocused Internet searching, and useless screen staring has increased. Just because these possibilities exist, however, does not mean we should abandon digital technologies in the classroom (most of these possibilities exist in the non-digital classroom, as well). We need these digital devices to harness the communication, collaborative, creative, and thinking possibilities they bring us. Here are some approaches you can take to strengthen classroom management practices with digital devices to help ensure effective and productive use.

• Establish routines with your classes; set parameters and norms. You might even want to develop these parameters and norms along with the students. That way they feel a sense of

  

  ownership in the classroom. For example, you might decide together that class will start with computers closed or 45ed. If the students won’t need their digital device for part of or the entire lesson, have the students close them and put them away somewhere. When students are using their digital devices, it should be decided together to have only the needed browser tabs or apps open. All other tabs and apps should be closed. These simple processes and expectations can go a long way with classroom management.

• Movement and desk arrangement. Sometimes we need to be at our desk during class to complete some necessary tasks. Don’t let this outweigh the time moving around the room. If students know you actively move around the room, they are less likely to get distracted or do task-switching when working with their digital devices. At the same time, you might consider rearranging your desks so that monitoring the students is easier.
• Learn how to swipe between desktops on a Mac laptop (3 finger swipe to the right and left), show Mission Control so all open apps are revealed (the 4^th button from the top left or F3), and look over browser tabs students have open. Knowing these tricks will help check laptops of students you feel might be off task.
• Design lessons with a purpose when using technology. This will help decrease distraction. Ask yourself: how will the technology enhance the lesson and improve their learning? Are there clear learning goals and an understanding of how the technology use will support those goals? At the same time, lean more towards students being active creators rather than passive consumers with digital technologies when designing lessons. This typically creates more engaged students.
• KISS: Keep It Simple for Students. If you’re not techie (which is not a problem!), keep the integration simple. Start with tools and processes with which you are comfortable. Not all students are techie either. Related to this, don’t be afraid to let the techie students teach you and/or help troubleshoot problems in the room if you are using a technology that is new for you (of course, I can be in the room, also!). You don’t always have to be the expert in the room, and you will lose time if you’re always searching for a technician. Flipping that student-teacher relationship by letting capable students be the “expert” with technology develops learner agency; thus, increasing engagement and lessening time wasting among the tech savvy students and in the class in general.
• Have a Plan B ready. Technologies and networks can and will be glitchy. Be ready with an alternative plan in case glitchiness arises and interferes too much with your plan. That way you don’t lose too much time and students don’t lose focus. Don’t let these instances negatively affect your enthusiasm for tech integration, however. Keep trying! We should always model resilience, good humor, a positive outlook, and being prepared for our students.
• Strive for a healthy balance of digital and analogue activities throughout the year. Students still need to write and create by hand, read on paper, and interact face-to-face. Finding the happy medium between the digital and analogue world is essential to our educational practice. The variety of activities should keep students interested and not feeling overwhelmed with too much of one thing and not the other.

Feel free to chat with me further about any of these management practices or include any additional practices in the comments below.