=20
When I worked in the public schools as a middle school Technology
Assistant, I coordinated scheduled use of the 28-station labs (2) and
laptop carts (3). NOTE: veteran teachers usually beat the new teachers
to the schedule, so we announced the availability of an on-line signup
at the beginning of the each new school year. Once the schedule was
assessed, I usually met briefly with each teacher prior to their
scheduled usage date. =20
=20
The primary reason to meet was to communicate with them what their
technology goals were, what the end product would be, and how I could
assist. My goal was to ensure that the teacher was comfortable enough
with presenting their lesson plan in such a way that the students would
best benefit. We plotted whether there was sufficient time to finish a
project, what preparation was necessary and, more importantly, what to
do with remaining time for students who finished projects early. The
best computer lab lesson plans were executed by teachers who took the
time to plan with the technology team. =20
=20
Once we'd discussed the goals, if the teacher was proficient enough in
the application to present the procedures themselves, I was available to
assist students with their tasks. If the teacher was not comfortable
with an application, I reviewed the application with them privately and
asked if they would like to present the material; they usually asked me
to do a demonstration. I often produced "cheat sheets" of step-by-step
procedures for the students to follow once the demo was over. =20
=20
In the lab I demonstrated the goals to the students as concisely as
possible; then the teacher and I walked around to see if students were
on task or needed assistance. Sometimes students would ask for
permission to come into the computer lab during "study hall" or
"resource period" to complete projects. When those projects were
finished, if there was artwork involved (all disciplines came into the
labs, including Health & PE) we asked the teachers to allow us to
display the exceptional finished assignments.
=20
The communication that often took less than 15 minutes turned a tedious
88 minute block into a valuable and productive learning space. Our labs
were always filled, and there was often a waiting list. The computer
lab was always the students' favorite place to be.
=20
=20
Aeronia L. Poole
Educational Technology Specialist
& Network Administrator
Department of Technology
The Madeira School
703.556.8350
=20
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Ed Owens
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:06 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Best practices for teachers in the computer lab?
=20
Can anybody point me towards a set of best practices for lessons =20
involving the computer lab? I'm not talking about best practices in =20
integrating technology, but literally using the computer lab (i.e., =20
walking around, concrete objectives / assignments, etc.). We're =20
working on something we can point teachers towards to help make the =20
best use of their time in the lab. Thanks in advance.
=20
Ed Owens
Director of Technology
Episcopal Day School
=20
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