Bright Ideas! Managing Computer Time

Are you looking for some fresh, bright ideas for your classroom?

Then look no further, it's the very first ever Bright Ideas Blog Hop!

Here's a few simple tricks I use daily to manage student logins and headphones

that help make the most of our computer time. I've always used craft sticks 

to be fair when calling on students as well as to keep them on their toes.  

I also sometimes use them for pairing partners and forming groups, but now I add 

their student logins as well.

Our students have different usernames and passwords for AR, online assessments, 

our supplemental math program etc. and keeping track of them all can be tricky! 

This simple solution helps things run more smoothly.  We call them pick sticks! 

I keep these at the front of the room right next to my SMARTBoard and 

use them for all sorts of things! 

I make a stick for each student at the beginning of the year. I pass them
out to help students login  to AR and quarterly benchmarks.

We use these for our supplemental math program.  Each bag is labeled with
the student's number and contains their headphones and  login card.  To avoid
lost cards, I've trained them to keep the card inside and read the info through
the bag.  Twice a week we go to the lab right as school starts without first going
to our classroom.  Any left over bags in the basket let me know who is absent.

I prep these bags for new students so I have everything I need plus all of my

parent handouts, contact info and medical forms.  I include a stick in these as well.

I use these little pointers (they're actually pens from Dollar Tree) that sit 

right next to our pick sticks so students can use them at the SMARTBoard.  

No matter how clean your hands are sometimes the objects just won't drag 

when you touch them!

I hope you found some ideas you can use to keep your 

computer time running smoothly!

Be sure to head over to the next blog on the hop

and see The Lesson Plan Diva 

for more management ideas!

Don't miss the new board, Bright Ideas For the Classroom 

on Pinterest for a plethora of great classroom ideas!