Weighing costs versus benefits – 1 to 1 Schools

Good question:

Has your school weighed the costs versus the benefits of the rules that you have put in place?

via Weighing costs versus benefits – 1 to 1 Schools.

Going 1:1: Top 5 Insights from ASB Unplugged | always learning

Would like to see where this one goes with IBDP classes.

 

4. Project Based Learning is where it’s at!

via Going 1:1: Top 5 Insights from ASB Unplugged | always learning.

Getting Attention in the Laptop Classroom

 

The English Language Arts teachers in this qualitative study reported somewhat negative outcomes in social and material spaces in the context of laptop technology in their classrooms.
These outcomes included: (a) social isolation, (b) limited communication with a teacher or peers, and (c) offtask behavior. In an attempt to uncover the reasons for these rather negative results, the researcher analyzed these teachers’ classroom environments and instructional engagements with laptop technology, since these practices are believed to be reflective of these teachers’ current beliefs about instruction and technology’s role in it. Some of the reasons the researcher uncovered were: (a) limited physical space, (b) cumbersome furniture, (c) poor technology infrastructure, and (d) the largely instrumental use of technology in numerous learning engagements.

via Getting Attention in the Laptop Classroom.

Largely instrumental use

Advertisement

Seating chart

I think some of my younger classes might benefit from spending more time with other students. Rather than have a plan I thought it might speed things up and avoid having students feel singled out if I could randomly generate a seating chart. I figured that, since I use a projector every class it would only be a short step to project this. I had a go at looking for a pre-existing app for this and there are a few but I couldn’t find anything free that would do the job.

In the end I used the list of names in Google spreadsheet and made a chart so that the list would be displayed pretty much as the room looks. These can then be shuffled by reordering the original sheet using a random number column. Not very fancy but it looks like it should do the job.

I guess a quick training session should be all that is needed. The questions that spring to mind are:

How often to use it? Change every class? Change every week? Allow choice seating some times?

Will report back here.

Forums and 1:1

I was searching for a set of solutions to the IGCSE Physics text that we use and came up blank. I thought to see if the CIE forum would provide an answer so I have posted a message. Looking at past posts on this site I am not optimistic. It seems like such professional communities should work, but it doesn’t always seem that they do. The IB one is good, so I wonder what the difference is.

If that doesn’t turn up a result, then I should look at creating this. Hamper’s approach of doing this on paper and scanning it looks like it might work – maybe with evernote. Otherwise a typed wiki might do it, though the time to type answers clearly might be a problem.

A 1:1 working group is going and I am involved with that. I think the group I am in is just some kind of discussion thing, but we will see. It makes me a bit nervous as it looks like a road it is hard to come back from. Sharing of info goes on through GoogleDocs.