Creating a Chromebook Classroom: Chromebook Expectations
CategoriesAs I begin to share my journey with you regarding the implementation of Chromebooks into my classroom, I will start with the basics because that is where we always start when it comes to introducing anything new in an elementary classroom. I set clear expectations for how my students use the Chromebooks just like I set clear expectations for my students and how they conduct themselves in my class behaviorally. This is an area covered in milestone one in the course offered by The Connecting Link. The following are a few steps I took when I began creating my classroom culture with the Chromebooks:
- Create clear expectations for how your students will handle the Chromebooks.
My favorite way to begin building a positive, productive classroom culture is to have a discussion with my students on what they want the classroom to be like and how they want it to function. For instance, when discussing behavioral expectations, I will almost certainly hear, “Well, we shouldn’t be mean to each other or make fun of each other.” I will also hear things like, “We should keep our hands and feet to ourselves,” or, “We should not mess with other people’s stuff.” Now, as a teacher, we all know what we want our classrooms to feel like when it comes to class climate and culture. We also more than likely have a set of class rules that we use each year. That being said, bringing the students into that discussion will allow you to gain greater buy-in from them because they feel like they are creating something from the ground up. They will be the ones setting the foundation that your school year will be built upon.
The idea is no different when it comes to creating expectations with the Chromebooks. Allow the students to have small group discussions with one another to come up with ideas for how they should treat and handle the Chromebooks. This will allow them to take more ownership over that while also allowing you to point them back to those expectations at any point and remind them that they came up with the expectations themselves. It helps to create more real accountability.
- Make the Chromebook expectations something to strive for, not something to be avoided.
Another way that I seek to build a positive classroom culture is to make my expectations something positive that my students seek to live by within my classroom. After the classroom discussion where the students are coming up with ideas for expectations, we still have a choice to make as to how we word those expectations. We can either be positive or negative. My Chromebook expectations are no exception.
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Negatively Worded Expectations |
Positively Worded Expectations |
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Don’t go on YouTube. |
Use only the assigned apps or websites. |
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Don’t bang on the keyboard and mouse pad. |
Treat the Chromebooks with respect. |
That way the students have something that they are to aspire to when it comes to how they treat the Chromebooks. I have found much greater success when focusing expectations on what we want out of our students as opposed to what we do not want out of them. A few of my favorite expectations are:
- Always carry the Chromebooks with two hands.
- Keep your username and passwords safe and secret.
- Use clean hands when working with the Chromebooks.
Once these expectations are established and have been fully discussed, then you can begin utilizing the technology in a more meaningful way within your classroom whether you have a class set of Chromebooks or just a few desktop computers in the back of your room. In the next blog post, we will look at creating your own Google Drive where you can store assignments, documents, lesson plans, and so on.
Watch for the next post if you have ever wondered how to virtually manage assignments, paperwork, and other important documents!
Interested in learning more about implementing Chromebooks in your class? Check out our course:
Here are a few classes related to this topic:
Collaborative Web Technologies: Transforming Teaching and Learning
Technology Tools for the Digital Teacher
Teaching Algebra with Technology