To help your student-centered tech program get off to a fulfilling start, we have put together this checklist. Most of the items on the list will be important for you to consider. Some of these items will not apply depending on your role, your devices, and the latitude your administration and district allow, of course.\u00a0In any case, reviewing this list will remind you (and your administration, tech support, teachers and others) of the needs of a highly engaging, fully functioning student-centered classroom.<\/p>\n
With Your Administration and IT Team…<\/h3>\n\n- Confirm your ed tech budget<\/strong>.
\nHopefully, this was already done last school year.<\/li>\n- Update your Acceptable Use Policy<\/strong>.
\nHas anything materially changed in your school\u2019s approach? Switching to mobile devices? BYOD? A new take-home program perhaps?<\/li>\n- Check the mobile carts.
\n<\/strong>Are the devices charging? Is the timer working? Are the power supplies working? Do you have a couple of spares?<\/li>\n- Power outlets
\n<\/strong>Are there enough outlets where the devices (on carts or whatever) will be stored? Has anything changed in your layout (or number of carts or devices) from last year?<\/li>\n- Device tune-up<\/strong>\n
\n- Update\/refresh\/re-image your tablets, laptops, and desktops.<\/li>\n
- Add a website launcher like Symbaloo<\/a> to your class page to make it easier for students to rapidly get to your favorite sites.<\/li>\n
- Add apps to your tablets.<\/li>\n
- Clean them up (don\u2019t use harsh chemicals!)<\/li>\n
- Check batteries, and replace missing keys or other malfunctioning items.<\/li>\n
- Do your laptops\/desktops need more memory? If so, who\u2019s doing the installation? When will it happen?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Tune up\/check your Google Apps for Ed (GAFE) policies and settings<\/strong>.
\nNew features hit periodically, so take advantage of them! Here is a LONG list of recent updates<\/a>, to GAFE, Android, and iOS apps. For instance, Google Apps admins can now be notified by email of suspicious login attempts. These improvements are happening constantly. Keep abreast of what\u2019s new by signing up for updated info from Google here<\/a>.<\/li>\n- Confirm equipment storage<\/strong> location(s).
\nDid you buy new laptops or tablets? Do you need a new cart or in-class storage unit? It\u2019s usually not trivial to set up a new device (some are MUCH easier than others but all take time), and new carts can still take hours to get set up just the way you want.<\/li>\n- Review\/create a procedure for \u201cresource\u201d check in\/out<\/strong>.
\nThis can include carts, labs, cameras, iPads, Chromebooks, you name it. Whatever can be checked out needs to be done so in an organized manner or some chaos will ensue later. Here\u2019s a good Google Form add-on called CheckItOut<\/a> that will help you accomplish this. There are other tools\u2014search around!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIn Your Classroom\u2026<\/h3>\n\n- Create a Tech Boot Camp<\/strong> agenda to train students on application basics; start rollout early.<\/li>\n
- Determine your go-to techie students<\/strong>.
\nGet them to help (before school starts) with the setup and cleanup noted above, or anything you may need a hand with!<\/li>\n- Develop your first (or another) ed tech integrated lesson<\/strong>.
\nTry to not just substitute paper and pencil; instead, try to transform your lessons in ways only technology can (student videos, flipped lessons, etc.). Learn more about the levels of technology integration by visiting the Technology is Learning<\/a> site.<\/li>\n- Confirm all wireless access points and printers<\/strong> are operational.
\nHave you made any material increases to devices? Does your network have the capacity for the bigger load? Hugely important…<\/li>\n- Update student lists!<\/strong>
\nGoogle Apps for Education, Learning Management System (LMS), Student Information System (SIS), online education sites…<\/li>\n- For online education sites, do you have all usernames and passwords<\/strong>?<\/li>\n
- Ensure document cameras, projectors, etc., are functional. Do you have a spare lamp for the projector(s)?<\/li>\n
- Find your digital cameras<\/strong>.
\nAre they charged? Create a checkout sheet.<\/li>\n- Develop a brief parent communication<\/strong> about your ed tech plans so they understand its importance.
\nInclude advice about digital citizenship and home screen behavior.
\nSubscribe to a site like\u00a0Common Sense Media<\/a>, which has a wealth<\/em> of tools to help your students grow as digital citizens. Get parents to subscribe as well! They have great lessons on appropriate online behavior, copyright\/plagiarism, treating all with respect, website and movie ratings, and more!<\/li>\n- Freshen up your class webpage<\/strong>! Add that Symbaloo link noted above.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For Yourself\u2026<\/h3>\n\n- Partner up<\/strong> with another teacher to grow your ed tech knowledge and skills.<\/li>\n
- Find a blog<\/strong> that will help you learn more about new tools, tips, and techniques. Here are some good choices to start with:\n
\n- Freetech4teachers<\/a><\/li>\n
- Edutopia<\/a><\/li>\n
- Catlin Tucker – Blended Learning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Alice Keeler – Teacher Tech<\/a><\/li>\n
- Communicate..Create..Edtech (blatant moment of self-promotion!)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Add one new application<\/strong> to your tech tool belt. Here are some good, easy choices to add to your repertoire. They each have a \u201cLOW\u201d entry point – you and students can start to use them very quickly and get results FAST.\n
\n- StoryboardThat<\/a> – Storyboard and comic creator<\/li>\n
- Quizlet – Flashcard and study games that engage learners<\/a><\/li>\n
- Padlet – Collaborative whiteboard for brainstorming and planning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Kahoot!<\/a> – Fast and fun game-based formative assessment. Very easy!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you can see, there are quite a few things to consider. Do not be discouraged! And remember, it\u2019s never<\/b> too late. Even if you don\u2019t have time or expertise to work on all the items above, choose the top four or five you CAN manage. They will certainly move you down the path you want to go for your students. Partner up with another competent, engaged teacher like yourself.<\/p>\n
Divide and conquer! Talk to you administrator, bring this list, and get him or her to provide some additional resources. We are confident, if you take the time to dig in some, you can do it. And your students WILL benefit. We know you will have more fun as you see how excited your students are to be in your high-tech classroom with engaging lessons they will enjoy!<\/p>\n
Good luck!<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Back](\"https:\/\/www.fractuslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Back-to-School-EdTech-Checklist.png\")
<\/p>\n
Download and print a B&W version of this checklist here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nAbout the authors<\/em><\/h4>\nKaren Larson is an Academic Technology Specialist for the Santa Clara County (CA) Office of Education, working with teachers supporting the integration of technology in their classrooms. She sits on the Board of Directors of Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators<\/a>, a professional developer for Leading Edge Certification<\/a> and certified educator with Common Sense Media<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nGene Tognetti<\/a> is an experienced technologist, administrator, teacher and consultant. Currently the Director of Professional Development at Presentation High School in San Jose, he provides a wide variety of edtech integration training for many organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and sits on the board of Balefire Labs, an edtech startup.<\/em><\/p>\nKaren and Gene co-author the Communicate..Create..Edtech<\/a> blog, which reports on practical, classroom-proven tools for Common Core and more.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nHopefully, this was already done last school year.<\/li>\n
\nHas anything materially changed in your school\u2019s approach? Switching to mobile devices? BYOD? A new take-home program perhaps?<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Are the devices charging? Is the timer working? Are the power supplies working? Do you have a couple of spares?<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Are there enough outlets where the devices (on carts or whatever) will be stored? Has anything changed in your layout (or number of carts or devices) from last year?<\/li>\n
- \n
- Update\/refresh\/re-image your tablets, laptops, and desktops.<\/li>\n
- Add a website launcher like Symbaloo<\/a> to your class page to make it easier for students to rapidly get to your favorite sites.<\/li>\n
- Add apps to your tablets.<\/li>\n
- Clean them up (don\u2019t use harsh chemicals!)<\/li>\n
- Check batteries, and replace missing keys or other malfunctioning items.<\/li>\n
- Do your laptops\/desktops need more memory? If so, who\u2019s doing the installation? When will it happen?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Tune up\/check your Google Apps for Ed (GAFE) policies and settings<\/strong>.
\nNew features hit periodically, so take advantage of them! Here is a LONG list of recent updates<\/a>, to GAFE, Android, and iOS apps. For instance, Google Apps admins can now be notified by email of suspicious login attempts. These improvements are happening constantly. Keep abreast of what\u2019s new by signing up for updated info from Google here<\/a>.<\/li>\n- Confirm equipment storage<\/strong> location(s).
\nDid you buy new laptops or tablets? Do you need a new cart or in-class storage unit? It\u2019s usually not trivial to set up a new device (some are MUCH easier than others but all take time), and new carts can still take hours to get set up just the way you want.<\/li>\n- Review\/create a procedure for \u201cresource\u201d check in\/out<\/strong>.
\nThis can include carts, labs, cameras, iPads, Chromebooks, you name it. Whatever can be checked out needs to be done so in an organized manner or some chaos will ensue later. Here\u2019s a good Google Form add-on called CheckItOut<\/a> that will help you accomplish this. There are other tools\u2014search around!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIn Your Classroom\u2026<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Create a Tech Boot Camp<\/strong> agenda to train students on application basics; start rollout early.<\/li>\n
- Determine your go-to techie students<\/strong>.
\nGet them to help (before school starts) with the setup and cleanup noted above, or anything you may need a hand with!<\/li>\n- Develop your first (or another) ed tech integrated lesson<\/strong>.
\nTry to not just substitute paper and pencil; instead, try to transform your lessons in ways only technology can (student videos, flipped lessons, etc.). Learn more about the levels of technology integration by visiting the Technology is Learning<\/a> site.<\/li>\n- Confirm all wireless access points and printers<\/strong> are operational.
\nHave you made any material increases to devices? Does your network have the capacity for the bigger load? Hugely important…<\/li>\n- Update student lists!<\/strong>
\nGoogle Apps for Education, Learning Management System (LMS), Student Information System (SIS), online education sites…<\/li>\n- For online education sites, do you have all usernames and passwords<\/strong>?<\/li>\n
- Ensure document cameras, projectors, etc., are functional. Do you have a spare lamp for the projector(s)?<\/li>\n
- Find your digital cameras<\/strong>.
\nAre they charged? Create a checkout sheet.<\/li>\n- Develop a brief parent communication<\/strong> about your ed tech plans so they understand its importance.
\nInclude advice about digital citizenship and home screen behavior.
\nSubscribe to a site like\u00a0Common Sense Media<\/a>, which has a wealth<\/em> of tools to help your students grow as digital citizens. Get parents to subscribe as well! They have great lessons on appropriate online behavior, copyright\/plagiarism, treating all with respect, website and movie ratings, and more!<\/li>\n- Freshen up your class webpage<\/strong>! Add that Symbaloo link noted above.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For Yourself\u2026<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Partner up<\/strong> with another teacher to grow your ed tech knowledge and skills.<\/li>\n
- Find a blog<\/strong> that will help you learn more about new tools, tips, and techniques. Here are some good choices to start with:\n
- \n
- Freetech4teachers<\/a><\/li>\n
- Edutopia<\/a><\/li>\n
- Catlin Tucker – Blended Learning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Alice Keeler – Teacher Tech<\/a><\/li>\n
- Communicate..Create..Edtech (blatant moment of self-promotion!)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Add one new application<\/strong> to your tech tool belt. Here are some good, easy choices to add to your repertoire. They each have a \u201cLOW\u201d entry point – you and students can start to use them very quickly and get results FAST.\n
- \n
- StoryboardThat<\/a> – Storyboard and comic creator<\/li>\n
- Quizlet – Flashcard and study games that engage learners<\/a><\/li>\n
- Padlet – Collaborative whiteboard for brainstorming and planning<\/a><\/li>\n
- Kahoot!<\/a> – Fast and fun game-based formative assessment. Very easy!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you can see, there are quite a few things to consider. Do not be discouraged! And remember, it\u2019s never<\/b> too late. Even if you don\u2019t have time or expertise to work on all the items above, choose the top four or five you CAN manage. They will certainly move you down the path you want to go for your students. Partner up with another competent, engaged teacher like yourself.<\/p>\n
Divide and conquer! Talk to you administrator, bring this list, and get him or her to provide some additional resources. We are confident, if you take the time to dig in some, you can do it. And your students WILL benefit. We know you will have more fun as you see how excited your students are to be in your high-tech classroom with engaging lessons they will enjoy!<\/p>\n
Good luck!<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\nDownload and print a B&W version of this checklist here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
About the authors<\/em><\/h4>\n
Karen Larson is an Academic Technology Specialist for the Santa Clara County (CA) Office of Education, working with teachers supporting the integration of technology in their classrooms. She sits on the Board of Directors of Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators<\/a>, a professional developer for Leading Edge Certification<\/a> and certified educator with Common Sense Media<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Gene Tognetti<\/a> is an experienced technologist, administrator, teacher and consultant. Currently the Director of Professional Development at Presentation High School in San Jose, he provides a wide variety of edtech integration training for many organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and sits on the board of Balefire Labs, an edtech startup.<\/em><\/p>\n
Karen and Gene co-author the Communicate..Create..Edtech<\/a> blog, which reports on practical, classroom-proven tools for Common Core and more.<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- Quizlet – Flashcard and study games that engage learners<\/a><\/li>\n
- Edutopia<\/a><\/li>\n
- Find a blog<\/strong> that will help you learn more about new tools, tips, and techniques. Here are some good choices to start with:\n
- Determine your go-to techie students<\/strong>.