**Note: the followings tips, advice and suggestions come from the writer’s personal experience as a senior level college student with several computer classroom experiences.
These days you can’t roam the halls of a local high school, community college or university without encountering at least one computer lab classroom. In fact, the vast majority of universities typically boast a seemingly endless supply of PCs and/or Macs, all open and accessible to students and faculty. For college students, this access is more wide ranging, as the majority of today’s campuses feature computer laden libraries, student centers, dormitories and residencies and, of course, classrooms.
As exciting and hands-on as computer classrooms can be, many teachers and professors quickly learn that they can be a frustrating experience. Students are constantly finding ways to entertain themselves with online games during lecture or discovering that they can download pictures, music, etc. to their portable USB drives. If you are a teacher or professor encountering such struggles, here are a few things you can do to avoid the tiresome hassles of computer classroom frustrations.
1. Set up Master Control from One Computer, Including Password Lock Protection
The advancement of today’s technology makes it easier than ever for you to maintain complete control over every computer in the classroom and all from one station. It is generally suggested that you place this station at the front of the room. A master control feature essentially allows the parent computer to control the basic functions of every dependent computer. The majority of such features typically include what has been termed a “freeze” feature. This allows the teacher or professor to instantly blacken the screen of every computer in the room with the click of a mouse. Individual control is not returned to the computers until you say so. A student who wishes to play games will not be able to do so while his/her computer is “frozen.
If you are unable to set up a master control, you can always use the password protection feature to your advantage. Almost any PC or Mac comes standard with the option of setting up a password that must be entered as soon as the computer is turned on. Do not reveal the password to the students until you wish them to access the computer for class work. Without access to the computer, they will be forced to pay attention to your lecture or instructions. However, if you plan to use the password protection feature, you will need to change the password for each new class day to ensure that the students are constantly unaware of the password and therefore unable to access the computer until they are granted password permissions.
2. Wipe All Computers at the End of Class
Some students are notorious for downloading music, programs, documents and countless other forms of electronic media during regular class lecture time. Although you will no doubt take the necessary precautions to avoid this, you will not be able to stop every student. At the end every class session, be certain you run a complete wipe of all computer desktops and/or hard drives. This feature will likely be integrated into your master control options, but you may be forced to wipe each computer manually on an individual basis. Either way, this will prevent the buildup of unnecessary items.
3. Set the Internet Browser Homepage to the School’s Web Site
Whether your computers will be running the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, Mozilla Firefox or Safari, the homepage should be permanently set to your school or university’s web address. If your students are greeted with a non-entertainment oriented web page upon accessing the browser, they will be less likely to begin roaming the endless chasms of the Internet and more likely to concentrate on the assignment at hand.
4. Mute all Computer Speakers
Before the start of each class session, all student computer speakers and sound levels should be set to “mute,” unless you will be performing an activity in which sound is needed. Too many students access an online game, video or music track without realizing the computer’s volume is still up. Before you know it, the sound of that music, video or other form of media has interrupted your lecture and permanently distracted all other students. Avoid this by setting every computer’s sound levels to a “mute.”
Remember, as the teacher or professor, it is your responsibility to maintain to the best of your ability complete control of your classroom, including all computer functions and settings. If you are unsure how to change a setting or function, seek out the guidance and help of your school or university’s computer technician staff. Bear in mind the aforementioned rules, tips and suggestions and have a great class!
