1. Do as much of the instruction as possible before students sit down at the computer. |
| 2. Have students wash their hands before using the computers! |
| 3. Let them play first! Getting some of the play out of the way helps students focus. |
| 4. Create a checklist of requirements and include several places where the teacher (or a peer) can sign off on that check sheet and check for progress. |
| 5. Ask students to sit on their hands when you need their attention. |
| 6. Tape a piece of paper to the monitor and ask students to flip it down when you need their attention. |
| 7. Use green and red cups or tri-fold paper on the top of their monitor or in front of a laptop. If they need help they should flip it so red is showing, otherwise they should have green showing. This eliminates constant hand raising and shouting out for help. |
| 8. Have students take a book when working on computers. If there is a technical issue or extended wait time each student has an individualized back-up plan. |
| 9. If the Internet is down have your students use the generic login classroom with no password. |
| 10. If students need a username and password for a particular website, like StudyIsland, print them out and tape them to the top of the monitor. This works well for younger students who have trouble tracking. (Scotch tape works better than masking tape for residue purposes.) |