Gimme that!!
I just spent a few days at the National Staff Development Council’s Annual Convention that was held in St. Louis this year. Overall the conference was really good. I got to hear Michael Fullan and Geoffrey Canada speak so I now have two more people who’s work I need to follow. However, there was one conversation had with another conference goer around the topic of student behavior online that I can’t seem to shake. Our conversation took place in a hallway and basically went like this…
Conference goer: What we need in my school is a better way to monitor student behavior online.
Me: What do you mean?
Conference goer: You know, when students are on the computers, I want to be sure that they stay on task. I don’t want them playing games or checking their email.
Me: How do you handle it now?
Conference goer: Basically, I kick them off the computer if they’re doing anything that what I’m asking them to do.
Me: And how’s that working for you.
Conference goer: It’s not.
Ok, so obviously, I don’t have the exact words, but I think you get the gist of it. This isn’t a new conversation, I’ve had it with many teachers and administrators in the past, but this time I’m still thinking (dwelling) on it. So, I’d like to outline a few strategies.
- If you really feel as though you must monitor your students every move online, get out of your chair, walk around the room and interact with students as they do their work. Sitting at your computer checking email and surfing the web while your students work is not the answer. Even though you can use software allowing you to “spy” on their screens, this doesn’t mean that the interaction that you have with your students should end. Stand up and be “on task” yourself. Your task is teaching.
- Design lessons that are compelling enough that students will be engaged. If they’re engaged in what they’re doing, they probably won’t feel the need to get “off task”.
- Create opportunities for students to make connections. If you see them as “off task” because they aren’t on the specific website that you started them on, consider that maybe the nature of the web has come into play and they’ve followed a link and are making new connections.
- Finally, and I think this one is the most important one, instead of banning them from the use of technology, follow the code of conduct for your building. If a student isn’t on task when they’re writing a paper, should their pencil be taken away? No, instead, expectations are set and then there are consequences for not following through with those expectations. Taking the tool away is not helping, it’s hindering.
This reminds me of a column I read in T.H.E. Journal entitled Don’t Filter Out Responsibility from June 2008 regarding filtering. I think the premise is the same, as teachers we must be responsible for teaching our students how to be responsible themselves.
I just ran an after-school workshop on Classroom Management in a 1:1 Environment. Many of the same points were covered, but I especially like your point about creating connections and the nature of the internet. We are all guilty of the behaviors that our students exhibit, ‘making new connections’ especially!
Many teachers, however, fail to see the parallels between their behavior (I am a responsible adult who feels like my time is being wasted so I will check my email.) and that of their students (These students are so irresponsible! They are always off-task and checking their email!).