Monday, June 25, 2012

1 to 1 Schools Part One: 3 Worries About 1:1 That Never Came to Fruition

In the months leading up to the anticipated roll-out, many teachers had concerns as to how giving a computer to every middle school student would actually turn out. There were so many different senraios to considered, something horrible was bound to happen. Sure, a lot was learned from our first year with the 1 to 1 program, and suttle changes will be made for next year (will be discussed in part two of this series), but overall, the year was extremely successful. The following is a list of the top 3 teacher worries, and how they never really played out as feared.

1. The computers will get broken or destroyed by the students when they have them at all times.


Picture a 4' 2", 65 pound sixth grade student trying to navigate the hallways, dodging monstrous eighth graders, while lugging around an expensive machine. That seems like a recipe for disaster. I also have witnessed how poorly students take care of school property, as well as their own to be honest. How easy would it be to accidentally knock a computer off a desk, or step on a computer that has been placed on the floor? Most middle school students are hitting that awkward stage in life, and are not normally confused with having the coordination of that Niagara falls tightrope walker.

With all of those negative thoughts swirling through my head, I was surprised to see that the computers were very well taken care of. The students acted like the laptop were treasures, and to some they probably were. Random repairs will always have to be made, but if you were to compare the students 1 to 1 laptops to the classroom cart I used to have in my room, there would no longer be a concern.

A lot of credit goes to the students for being responsible, but do not leave out the teachers. We made sure that the computers were in bags to and from class. We used advisory time to look at the computers, and give tips to the students to better take care of their prized possession. Our technology coordinator also helped the process by fixing small problems before they escalated. An overall team effort resulted in a fleet of computers that will be operational through the end of the lease.

2. The students will not do any school work in class. They will be too busy surfing the Internet and playing games.


This was a problems that I was not concerned with given my history with using a laptop cart in my classroom everyday. The key to students not getting distracted and off task is actually more on the teachers shoulders than the students. We hope that our students are responsible, but there are a few things teachers can do to help their cause.

A. Make sure what you are doing in class is something that is interesting that students will enjoy or find challenging. If the students are hooked on the curriculum, they will not be concerned with being off task or playing the latest Internet game.

B. If you are not using the computers, make sure the students have them closed.

C. Set expectations ahead of time. Stress the importance of the work you are asking the students to participate in.

D. Form quality relationships with your students. The students will work for you and stay on task when they trust you and enjoy coming to your class. This works the same whether we are dealing with technology or not. Find something that you can talk about with each students so they can connect with you on a personal level.

E. Have a computer monitoring system in place. In our district, we use LanSchool. Notice how I put monitoring systems last because this should only be in place for piece of mind for the teacher, and NOT the answer to all the world problems. Teachers who rely solely on a monitoring system end up sitting at their desk the entire class period and never interacting with the students because they are so worried that they are going to be off task. One way that I use LanSchool that I have found helpful is to put the program on my iPad. I can see the students' screens while I am walking around. I do not use it often, but I have it just in case.

3. The students will show up to school with dead computers.


I found that many students did not like carrying their chargers in their bags because the chargers protruded out too far. Even so, 95% of all students had there computer charged, and they lasted all day (the jury is still out on whether this will still be the case when the batteries are three years old). For the other 5%, they normally borrowed someone's charger and plugged it in during class. Although I only have a few pluggins in my room, it was never a problem because I never made a big deal out of it. Students quietly borrow chargers form other students, and if they were not next to a pluggin, they asked another student to switch seats, and they sat their for the day. The key is to be flexible.

Final Thoughts

I often laugh a little to myself when I think about how I was concerned with some of these situations. That being said, my fears were real, and I can imagine how someone who is entering the world of 1 to 1 feels. These three ideas represent the top worries of our district. As a reader, do you have additional fears that I did not mention? Do you have any questions or concerns about my ideas? Please feel free to comment below and start the discussion.



Clayton M. Edwards
Middle School Math
Grundy Center Middle School
MA Middle Level Mathematics
Ed. D. Curriculum and Instruction (current)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

1 to 1 Schools: A Mini-Series From A Math Teacher's Perspective

Our district (Grundy Center) has been 1 to 1 in the high school for two years, and one year in the middle school. People have varying viewpoints with how this plays out in the schools, whether they have experienced 1 to 1 or not. Some educators are concerned/interested from a curricular standpoint, while others worry about behavioral or logistical aspects. I have been a presenter at a few 1 to 1 conferences (Iowa 1:1 Institute and the AEA 267 Regional 1:1 Conference), and will share my thoughts on this phenomenon.

As part of an upcoming series, I will be posting about the following topics in the coming weeks.

*Worries about 1 to 1 that never came to fruition


*What I would have done differently


*Tips to begin the school year


*1 to 1 in a mathematics classroom


*Laptop or Tablet? What device is most effective?


*Questions and thoughts of my readers answered by @Doctor_Math


If there is anything you are particularly interested in knowing about that could fit into one of these sections, or stand alone, please include your ideas in the comments section and I will include those suggestions in upcoming posts.



Clayton M. Edwards
Middle School Math
Grundy Center Middle School
MA Middle Level Mathematics
Ed. D. Curriculum and Instruction (current)

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bland Mathematical Internet Games: Uninspiring, Yet Useful


Inspired by a past blog post by Dr. Scott McLeod, I wanted to take a look at mathematical Internet games and discuss a few ways that even a seemingly boring game can have some value.

In my middle school classroom, I use games on a weekly basis. Sometimes, these games are fairly basic, and at first glance, one might wonder why something this unappealing would even be used. Dr. McLeod's first example was the infamous Math Baseball. When I first saw this, I chuckled a little to myself because a lot of my students actually enjoy this game for whatever reason. They like the reward system of scoring runs for getting questions correct. Even so, this game is very limited.

I have found a few uses for games such as Math Baseball. In this case, Math Baseball is focusing on computation. When we take five minutes out of a period to work on computation, I like the fact that the program tells students whether they are right or wrong. I wish it went a step further and gave an example of how you could come up with the solution (many games include this), but that can be left to the teacher. I can easily walk around and see who can decipher a large multiplication problem, and who still needs some extra practice. Everyone is showing their work, and I can go through and help to find the problem, or find a peer to offer guidance. This is a small formative piece of data, but very useful in helping me individualize for each student down the road. This could also be used as a pretest as well.

From a student perspective, one of the drawbacks of typical book work is the lack of any sort of timely feedback if students are working alone, or even in groups. It is entirely possible for a student to have a slight misconception, and go through an entire assignment without even knowing that something in their understanding is flawed. This is unfortunate because it can waste a lot of time and energy from the student, and can also cause headaches for the teacher when the problem could have been fixed ahead of time. I do encourage students to look in the back of the book to see if they are on the right track, but using the slightly underwhelming mathematical game can also serve the purpose. Students can know instantly whether they have the basic knowledge for the concept presented in the game, or if they should seek out assistance.

The following are a few examples out of thousands that focus on a certain concept and can be used for quick teacher and student feedback:

Algebra vs. Cockroaches

Catch the Fly

Numbles

These types of games are all over the Internet, and frankly much easier to find than games that focus on deep levels of mathematical understanding in a fun and creative way. By no means am I saying that this should be a large portion of your curriculum. My goal as am educator is to foster deep mathematical understanding. The bottom line is that there is a time and place in education for these types of games, and when used correctly, they can benefit both students and teachers. 

*Can be used as a brief formative assessment to help a teacher with future educational decisions


*Can be used as a form of quick feedback so students do not have to wait a day, or even five minutes to know how they are doing

Clayton M. Edwards
Middle School Math
Grundy Center Middle School
MA Middle Level Mathematics
Ed. D. Curriculum and Instruction (current)