Computer Cart Organization

#cotlf #edtech #vitalcpd One of the challenges of a 1:1 learning environment is maintaining the equipment. If you have a netbook or laptop cart in your classroom, you have probably experienced the heartache of cart organization. Students seem to have little difficulty getting their computers, but putting them back is another matter! Cords become rearranged and dislodged, computers go back willy-nilly, and before you know it, the whole cart is in total disarray and computers are going uncharged! If you’ve been looking for a way to streamline this process, check out the tips below:

1. Select 2 students to be responsible for taking out and putting back the computers. You can make this a classroom job if you wish, but be sure to train your chosen students in how you want things done. Keep them on the job for at least a week to increase efficiency – they will become much faster at the task with some practice, and you won’t have to constantly retrain students.

2. Send students in small groups to the cart to get their computers from your new “Cart Masters” (or to return their computers). This will keep your helpers from becoming overwhelmed and will prevent lost work time for students just waiting around for their turn.

3. Label your cart as clearly as possible. Here’s an example that can be seen in Mary Barela’s class at Preston:

Notice that both the computers AND the cords are labeled with matching numbers to help students pair the proper cord and computer, thus preventing “missing” cords. The alternating colors allow you to easily see at a glance if any computers are missing or placed incorrectly.

If you have any additional ideas for maintaining computer carts or student routines for getting and returning computers, please share them in the comments!

File Management with Students

 

#cotlf #edtech #vitalcpd One of the biggest obstacles students run into when working on tech projects is finding the files they need. You can help prevent this! Teach your kids to organize their work.

Left to their own devices, more often than not, kids forget where they saved or what they named a file. As a result, they often lose lots of time looking for their work or even recreating it, leading to lost class time and great frustration. To prevent this problem, help your kids get organized. Make them create a folder for your class (i.e. English 9), where they will save all files for your class. When you start a new project that will require more than one file to complete (i.e. MovieMaker), have your students create a subfolder within their class folder, and insist that they all name the folder something you assign (i.e. Memoirs). Tell students to save ALL files for their projects in that project’s folder—regardless of whether it’s a photo, music, or other type of file.

If you teach high school, then that’s probably enough instruction. But for younger grades, or less tech savvy students, take it one step further. Tell your students what to name their files as well. That way, if they STILL manage to “lose” a file, you’ll know what the file is called, making it much easier to find!  Although this may seem a bit over the top, you’ll be amazed at how much time and heartache this procedure will save you and your students! It will also help students learn how to organize and name their files. Without a little guidance, students often pile all their files into one folder with no regard for organization, or pay little attention to the file name, winding up with files cleverly named “Publisher 1”, “Publisher 2”, etc. After many years of this, they will not be able to find anything! Taking the time to help them get organized will make a big difference for them and for you.