Laptop BootCamp
In Classroom Management in the Digital Age we talk about the importance of a BootCamp in setting expectations and getting all stakeholders on the same page during a device roll-out. People often ask us for more details about running a BootCamp. A BootCamp will need to be customized to your context with lessons designed around your Digital Citizenship Agreement and your devices, tools and apps. Many schools conduct a “boot camp” to kick off a new 1:1 device program and require students to complete the camp before they are allowed to take home their device. The program that Heather and Patrick designed took two full days at the beginning of the year to kick of the 1:1 laptop program. Students were engaged in a variety of lessons designed to familiarize them with their devices as well as the tools and the rules of the program. Topics included digital citizenship, laptop care, productivity and organization, and using the laptop in a healthy way. Click on the image to go to a replica of the BootCamp website used with students.
Helping Parents to Set Expectations at Home
In Classroom Management in the Digital Age, we discuss that a "parent handoff" allows you to be very clear with parents and students about who is in charge of the device at home. This process empowers parents to have a conversation about device use at home and set expectations.
A parent handoff process can include some prompts to facilitate a discussion between parents and children regarding device use at home. Common Sense Media has a Family Media Agreement, and we've included one that we've developed for our own purposes here.
1-1 Program Agreements for Home.pdf