Technology Integration: Classroom Management Protocol
Laptops in Your Classroom
The following protocols have been established to help you integrate the physical and
procedural pieces of the laptop usage in your classroom.

It is important that you are consistent in the classroom management protocol as
students move from one class to another.
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Be sure to become familiar with the RESPONSIBLE USE POLICY, and the
ACCEPTABLE USE AND INTERNET SAFETY POLICY that students and parents
have signed before having a laptop checked out to them.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
1. Set up your desk so that if you sit down, you can look at student’s computer screens.
2. Be sure to move around the classroom. Don’t walk the same way each time.
3. Make room between aisles so you can move freely and quickly to any spot in the
room.
4. Student possessions need to be stored under desks or away from desks so there is a
clear traffic path throughout the room.
5. Determine your needs for the physical classroom so you have what you need to
teach from the laptop (monitors, power strips, cables, electrical outlets, projectors,
etc.) Can you connect your laptop to the monitor?
6. Establish which printers students are allowed to print to and a printing policy (ask
before they print.) Students should be printing only to the media center (or
classroom printer).
7. Determine where student printouts will be picked up and by whom.
8. Avoid all food or drink near computers. Be sure to model this behavior. Bottled water
must be capped and on the floor at all times.
9. Consider arranging desks around perimeter of room during testing time to help
prevent cheating (or have students face back-to-back.)
10. Prevent students from tripping over cords when laptops need to be
recharged/plugged in.
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WORKING WITH STUDENTS
1. Leave laptops packed until they are ready to be used. Laptops should not be stored
at anytime without its case.
2. Give all instructions and demonstration before laptops are unpacked.
3. Close laptops when not in use.
4. Get attention with “Hands in lap or eyes on screen” or “Put your hands in your lap
when your desktop has finished rebuilding so that I will know you have finished.”
5. Use a signal such as, “Think Time”, “Lids down”, or “Take Five”, for the time when
you want students’ complete attention and when they must put down their screens.
6. Have students turn down screen brightness when test taking to prevent cheating.
7. Hook up a computer savvy student’s laptop to the TV to demonstrate as you give
instruction so you can move around the room.
8. Encourage students to ask permission before printing anything- especially anything
from the Internet.
9. Teach children to copy and paste information sections of documents from the Internet
so they can print only what they need. They can do this in word processing or by
using notepad.
10.Copy and paste URL’s into a database to record web sites for a bibliography. This
also helps students understand what a search engine is. All laptops have
“Bibliographer.”
PLANNING LESSONS AND TEACHING THEM
1. Let students who are computer savvy and finish early be your class gurus to help
other students.
2. Pair students by selecting a "computer literate" student to work with a less
experienced student. Choose different student helpers to give more of them an
opportunity to serve others and so that the same child doesn’t have the task all the
time.
3. Know your software - the kids will! Let them help you but don’t go in unprepared.
4. Test new lessons on someone before you teach them to your students. Have another
teacher or family member test your instructions to be sure they are clear and correct.
5. Teach computer ethics! (Adhere to copyright laws and model appropriate behaviors.)
6. Have a back-up plan! If the network is down, have files ready to use on student’s
computers.
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7. Limit the number of sites where students are allowed to 2 or 3 to avoid just surfing the
web! If you
allow the number of sites where they are allowed, it is easy to be
sure that students are where they need to be and to prevent cheating. If you know
what’s on those sites, it will be very easy to see if someone’s work is their own or if
they have cut and pasted information from the site.
8. Try to plan lessons that are designed to prevent plagiarism. (For instance, instead of
writing a report on Abraham Lincoln, create a resume for him.)
9. Teach students to read the instructions fully before asking for help
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TIPS
1. Establish expectations and consequences and enforce them consistently and fairly.
2. Tell your students that if you stop to help a student with a computer problem, it does
not mean class is over and they can do whatever they want.
3. Plan lessons that can continue if you stop to help others. Set the classroom tone from
the beginning. Have extra work or written work for students to do if they cannot
remain orderly or quiet while you are helping others. Maintain a list of useful sites on
your website for when there is a lull in time.
4. Keep students seated unless given permission by the teacher to get up.
5. Remind students to avoid turning around in desks. It is very easy to knock a laptop off
a desk if you turn around backwards to help someone. Laptops should be centered
on the desk.
7. Learn how to check HISTORY in Explorer and Safari.
8. Use headphones to cut down on computer noise, or better yet, have students hit the
MUTE (F3) button. It will take them a while to realize that the computer IS really
starting up when they don’t hear the ding. Students can use earphones only when
given teacher permission.
9. Expect students to ask permission before accessing the Internet or you may elect to
allow no Internet access unless your class is working on an Internet activity. (You
could give brightly colored cards to students who have permission to go elsewhere on
the Internet as a visual.).
10.Expect students to understand that ultimately, the responsibility for where their
computer goes on the Internet is up to them. Students should know what to do if they
accidentally land on an inappropriate web site. A suggestion is to have them hit the
"back" button immediately, and then notify their teacher.
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11. Have students who are off task put their laptops away.
12. Teach from the back of the room at times, particularly during Internet activities.
MONITORING STUDENT INTERNET USE
Appropriate use of the Internet by students ultimately boils down to two issues education and vigilance. Both are the responsibility of the teacher to set the
expectations for students.
Education:
Teachers must begin by talking with students about the potential inappropriate uses of
the Internet. To not mention something, i.e., pornography, in hopes that it won't come up
does not work. This is a time for teachers to talk openly and frankly with students,
explaining what is and is not an acceptable use of the Internet. Teachers may also
choose, in addition to the obvious, to set some additional boundaries, i.e., no "game
playing" or no visiting violent video game web sites. Enlisting suggestions and rules
from the students themselves is a way to increase student investment in following the
rules. In addition to students having signed the ACCEPTABLE USE AND INTERNET
SAFETY POLICY (which contains the acceptable use policy toward computers,)
teachers may ask students to sign a more personal contract, or to promise appropriate
use of the Internet.
Vigilance:
Vigilance simply means a teacher is watching, or in other ways, is monitoring what
students are doing with their computers. It is extremely important that teachers know
what their students are doing on-line (on the Internet.)
The main reasons for close monitoring are 1) student safety, to be certain no personal
information is given out on-line and 2) appropriate usage to be sure students are not
accessing inappropriate materials.
A final word on vigilance: Watching what students do on-line is simply not enough by
itself. Vigilance must be combined with on-going education. Students must understand
that ultimately, responsibility for the appropriate and safe use of the Internet is up to
them.
LAPTOP MAINTENANCE, STORAGE AND CARE
Staff should discuss the following with students.
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1. Keep your laptop on a solid surface; avoid your lap.
2. Computers should be kept in a locked room or cabinet at all times. Never leave
computer unattended.
3. Instruct students in recharging their laptops by plugging them in at home during the
evening. It takes approximately 2 - 3 hours to fully recharge.
4. Do not touch the LCD screen with your hands or fingers!
5. Do not subject your laptop to extreme temperatures. Don’t leave in a hot car or
freezing environment. Being in a humid environment for any length of time can also
be damaging to your laptop.
6. Settings on the laptops are standardized. Users should not change any settings, load
programs or change components on any district computer. Keep in mind that
anything non-standard will take more battery life.
7. All users will be allowed to access network services allowed by user name and
password.
UNATTENDED LAPTOPS AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
When leaving your classroom, for any reason, with students and leaving with
their laptops, the room MUST be secured. i.e., assemblies, emergency drill, lunch.
Laptops should be secured in a student’s locker or classroom during lunch.
Be sure that substitute teachers understand classroom laptop protocol.
EVACUATION AND EMERGENCY DRILLS.
In the case of an emergency or emergency drill, staff members are responsible for
locking doors to keep equipment secure. When returning to your classroom, the staff
person is responsible for reopening the door. Do not give your keys to a student to
reopen the classroom.
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