I came upon an interesting article/paper by Nellie Deutsch about classroom management involving technology. You can read it here. Deutsch suggests that it is difficult to find the “front” of the classroom today, as the classroom now revolves around technology (namely, computers) instead of the teacher. She states, “Student performance has replaced frontal lectures” (2005). It makes me wonder, is that so bad?
Depending on the grade, of course, this interactivity prompted by computers would be, in my opinion, helpful. In pre-intern site experience, I’ve learned that it’s nearly impossible to retain a 3rd grader’s attention for more than 15 minutes. When I consider trying to retain twenty 3rd graders’ attention, I look to the computer as a helpful “attention-keeper!” (In addition to having a plethora of educational opportunities). The computer can teach, entertain, and even discipline! (Page not found. Check your spelling, anyone?)
The ideal classroom layout would cater to the teacher, the materials and the technological opportunities. I imagine a great big square room with computers line 1 whole wall and half of both adjacent walls. The blackboard would be a wall without computers, of course. The students’ desks would be in the middle. This way, when I need to teach and direct, students’ eyes would be forward on me, not sideways toward the computers. And, when it is appropriate to integrate computer time, they could turn sideways and scoot toward the computer. Or, have computer labs gone by the wayside? I’d be okay with one (or none! gasp!) computers in my classroom as long as students had some sort of access.
The main point is that classroom management does not have to go one way (teacher in front all day) or the other (kids at computers all day). A good balance would do the trick.
So, to me, “effective classroom management strategies for technology” would include blessing students with that perfect balance between technology time and teacher time. I do not want to sit through endless minutes of lecture, nor do I want to lecture for endless minutes. I want to have an enriching classroom, where I as a teacher would be the focus (sometimes), books would be the focus, computers would be the focus, learning would be the focus.
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