Best Practices for Teacher Management of Chromebook Carts

To best protect the Chromebooks and ensure that they last as long as possible for you to continue using, here are some best practices.  

With repeated use, students will quickly learn the procedures, and check in and out will be much smoother.

1. Assign each student a number.  That is the Chromebook they will ALWAYS use in your class, and the Chromebook they are responsible for.
• Print out a list for each class that you pin on the wall above the cart, in case they forget their assigned computer.
• Have students write down their number in their notebook or planner.  (Or print out labels for each student with their name and number to put on their class notebook, planner, etc.)
  
• If new students join your class, just assign them an empty number.  Don’t go re-organizing or alphabetizing your list after you’ve assigned numbers.  The students will get confused.
2. Distribute Chromebooks.  If cart is open, students know to pick up their Chromebook on the way into class.  If it’s closed, they are not to grab one.
• Make sure students only get their Chromebook, not ones for friends too. When they carry too many, they drop them.
• Students should use two hands to carry a Chromebook, and never have them open when they are walking.
• Students should double check that their Chromebook is actually the right number, in case the person before them put it away in the wrong spot.  Remember, they are responsible for their assigned number.
• Stand near the cart or door to make sure no chromebooks wander out of class.
• If you are having students get Chromebooks after the beginning of class, call up students in groups.  Ex.  1-10, 10-20, 20-30, etc.
3. Check the Chromebooks.  
• If there is ANYTHING wrong with the Chromebook, the student should tell you right away.  
• That way you know that it was broke the period before, and know which student is responsible.
• Notify the appropriate AVP immediately if a student broke a device.
4. Sign In.  Students should be sure they sign in to their GAFE account.  
• If they open the device, and it’s already on the internet, the person before them is signed in.
• Have them sign out the other person, and sign in themselves.
5. Student care of computers.
• No food or drink next to the devices. Keeping the units clean will help extend their life.
• Use the device on a flat surface. Using the device on your lap increases the risk of damage.
• Do not attach personal accessories to the Chromebooks. Headphones can be used when directed by staff. 
• Not charging student cell phones through the USB port will extend battery life during the day.
6. Sign Out.  When done, make sure students sign out.  
   
   (at the bottom right corner of the screen) 
7. Students should return their Chromebook in the last few minutes of class, NOT after the bell rings.
• Only have students plug in Chromebooks at the end of the day, not each period.  It takes up too much time.
• Call up students in groups to put away their Chromebook, and be sure they put it in the correct slot.  1-10, 10-20, etc. 
• Make sure each computer is put away (and plugged in if this is the last period) and close the cart door BEFORE you let any students leave the class.
• You don’t want to sit and plug in all 35 chromebooks, so make sure the students do it for you.
8. Don’t allow students to leave the class when Chromebooks are out.  
• This is how Chromebooks are stolen.  Even if you collect the Chromebook from the student who is leaving the room, that doesn’t ensure that they didn’t put another one in their backpack before leaving.  
• Make sure all Chromebooks are accounted for.
9. Never leave the cart unlocked when you are not in the room.
10. Make sure the cart is locked, plugged in, and charging at the end of the day.
• Please remember that the cart is checked out to you, the teacher, not the students.  So you are ultimately responsible for the contents.  
• Be sure everything is plugged in and in the correct spot, before the cart moves on to another teacher.  You wouldn't want to open the cart and find that half of the Chromebooks aren't plugged in and charged.
• Devices should not be used when you are not there.  Your class should not be using the carts when you have a substitute teacher.
11. Notify your school’s site tech regarding damage or malfunction of Chromebooks
12. Moving Carts
• Only teachers should move carts, do not allow students to move cart around the campus. 
• Unplug power connector, from wall, before moving, and wrap the cord around the cord management.  
• When transporting Chromebooks without cart, do not stack more than 4 books on top of each other or the screens will crack.

Leading Edge Certification, Blended & Online Teacher: Module 6.3 Reflection

Module 6.3 Reflection

Prompt:

This module has explored the use of technology tools for both formative and summative assessment. As you think about how you will implement formative and summative assessments in the online and blended environments:

• What are some of the factors you need to consider?

Response:

In any class, online, blended, or in person, a teacher needs to carefully consider what tools and strategies to use to implement formative and summative assessments.

I believe that the first thing a teacher needs to do is figure out the learning goals for the unit.  If you do not have a clear set of goals and objectives, the assessments will be useless.  As a teacher, you need to provide scaffolded instruction and activities to help a student meet and master those goals.  As students are moving along through the unit, a teacher must use formative assessments to see where students are at, make any modifications or changes to the lesson plans, provide feedback to each student about their learning, and allow students to use that feedback to grow as a learner.  Each step of learning and growth should be celebrated.  Then, at the end of the unit, there should be some sort of summative assessment where students can demonstrate and apply their learning.

Harry G. Tuttle's Stages of Formative Assessment

Formative assessments need to be provided to not only gauge where students are or to guide a teacher’s future lessons, but to also provide feedback and additional learning and support for students.  In a blended or online course, I like to select tools that allow students to check their knowledge, but also provide immediate feedback, such as Quizlet, Socrative, or even Google Forms using the Flubaroo add-on.  It’s also important to check higher levels of student thinking.  Online tools such as Collaborize Classroom, Padlet, or Today’s Meet allow students to share their thoughts with others and get feedback from their teacher and classmates.  

At the end of the unit, when I select a summative assessment, I want my students to apply what they learned and create something to demonstrate their knowledge about the topic.  I like to give students a choice in tools so that they feel comfortable and can really show me what they know, and be creative at the same time.  Some tools that my students use are iMovie, WeVideo, iStopMotion, Powtoon, and Explain Everything.

Leading Edge Certification - Online and Blended Teacher: 4.3 Reflection - Social & Professional Networks

PROMPT

Think about how the Internet has impacted your personal learning, communication, and sense of community.

Write a new post that includes:

• a screenshot showing your participation in a social or professional network and
• a summary of how you use that network for personal or professional connections or for new learning

In your post reflect on the following:

• When does the Internet help your learning?
• When does it distract from good learning for you?
• How might your answers to these questions be similar to or different from the answers your students might give?
• How might you support your students in using the Internet as their own personal learning space?

Twitter has become one of my most powerful professional learning networks.  I created an account many years ago to follow different companies to find out about deals or sales.  I wasn’t interested in following celebrities, and none of my friends were using Twitter at the time.  Also, I was unaware of the networking use of Twitter by teachers.  

My first glimpse of teachers using Twitter was when I attended ISTE one summer.  SMART mentioned that they were having a contest and you could win prizes for answering their trivia questions on Twitter.  So I hopped on my account and actually won something.  But I still didn’t understand why people at the conference would be using Twitter, and I didn’t know much about hashtags, so I didn’t get into using Twitter at that time.

A few years ago, I attended EdCamp SF Bay.  In the sessions I attended that day, I learned a lot from all of the other educators.  Many kept mentioning Twitter, so I started to follow many of the educators in attendance.  I saw all the information, knowledge, and lesson ideas that they shared online, and was hooked.  I then started to watch the different Twitter chats occur each week, and finally got the courage to participate.  

I have found Twitter a great learning tool, where I can put out a question and get an immediate answer.  I find links to blogs, books, conferences, and other resources, that I may not have found on my own.  I also have made many Twitter friends, that I have then met in person at different conferences throughout California.  If I have a question about any aspect related to teaching, I know which people I can turn to for ideas, inspiration, or a push in the right direction.  

Example of a Twitter conversation

Having a professional learning network online allows me to access it on my own time.  When I’m at school teaching, the other teachers in my department may not have a common prep, or can’t stay after school.  Twitter allows me to have conversations and post questions at any time of the day.  Also, although my colleagues are great there are only a few of them that I work with day to day.  I find that there is a much broader and diverse set of knowledge out on Twitter, so I turn to Twitter to find teachers to brainstorm ideas and to collaborate with.

Although Twitter is a great learning tool, it can be distracting.  I have a hard time tweeting out my learning during conferences.  I like to take notes, and don’t have the time to read through tweets and write my own.  So I like to look through them afterwards.

For my students, I think Twitter can be a great learning tool.  However most of my students use it to post pictures from a party or complain about homework.  For them, Twitter and other social media tools are a distraction.  I think our students need to be trained how to use social media for professional or educational uses.  Last year, I had my students create “school” Twitter accounts that they would only use for school and professional type tweets.  My students participated in KQED’s Do Now program, and we also used the accounts to share questions and information about different class activities.   I tried to model good uses of social media, and how and what should be posted online.  I am currently reading lol...OMG!: What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship, and Cyberbullying (High School Edition).  I think all of our high school students should read this to learn what might happen if they post what many of our students are currently posting online.

Social Media can be such a great way to expand your professional learning network.  Twitter isn’t just for fans of celebrities.  And our students should be taught how to navigate social media to enhance their learning and future professional endeavors.