You Don’t Need Tech Management Software in Your Classroom

At a school where I was a tech coach, we used Chromebook monitoring management software.  It's the type that gives the teacher the ability to monitor what sites students visit using their Chromebooks.  One issue that teachers had was getting the software to work on a consistent basis. Some days it would work flawlessly, allowing the teacher to see all of their students Chromebooks, while on other days, it would glitch.  Some Chromebooks would be visible or the software just wouldn’t launch.  I found that many of those teachers that struggled to get it to work were turned off using technology in their class—period.  Some felt that they couldn’t conduct their lessons with the Chromebooks without the ability to monitor their students with the software.  

It seemed that the software was something of a crutch.  Without the software, the teacher felt that they had little to no control in the goings on in their class.  I tell them, although it’s nice to have, they don’t necessarily need it to use their Chromebooks.

As I said, some feel that without their management software in their class, they can't use technology.  They tell me that they can't trust their students to get their work done.  "There are too many distractions with the Chromebook" they tell me.  Ultimately, it comes down to how they dealt with distractions before tech entered their class.  I ask teachers, "how did you keep distractions to a minimum and therefore keep your students on task before students received the iPads?"  Apply those same principles you used teaching without tech and managing student use of iPads or Chromebooks in your class will be easy.

You don't need Chromebook management software.  If you do the following four things, management software in your class will be unnecessary.

1. Make engagement a priority. From the moment students enter your class, engage them in the days lesson, and don't let go!  Start your class with warm-up review of the previous days lesson using Kahoot or Socrative.  They key is, keep them engaged throughout the day and they won't have time to be distracted.

2. Make students want to do the assignment. Students need to know why they're doing the assignment.  Tell them how it's relevant to their lives or how the lesson will lead to what they will do later in the class.  Sell the assignment to them in a way that makes it beyond interesting!

3. Walk the Room.  You probably did this prior to those iPads or Chromebooks coming into your room.  It's really no different.  While your students are working, make sure you're actively walking around and checking to see what their doing.  Complement them or make suggestions about their work.  Don't sit behind your desk!

4. Make the screens visible.  My desks were in the old fashion rows.  But, when I got those Chromebooks, I made sure to move my desks up a couple of feet so as to make a pathway where I could walk or stand behind the class.  From the back of the room, I could easily see their screens.  And, if I couldn't, I would walk behind the row to make sure they were on task.