iManage the Classroom

5 Management Strategies from the Trenches for Teachers to Utilize in the One-to-One Classroom


It’s often said that when all students in your classroom have iPads (or other tablets) that “it changes everything”.  This is certainly true for learning, but often overlooked is classroom management.  With multiple companies selling products and software to schools the single best management tool is, and always has been - the teacher.  Here you will find teacher tested management strategies in the evolving world of one-to-one instruction.


1.  Expectations have to be clear.

The best run 21st century classrooms are always the ones where teacher and students are completely on the same page regarding rules and expectations.  Good teaching is good teaching, and collaboratively setting class rules/expectations and posting them for all to see apply to “one-to-one classrooms” just as they do in traditional classrooms.  Good teachers clearly state expectations and stick to them.  Consider posting them on your class website or social media feeds as well.

2.  Students switching from work to games during your lesson.

All educators know that today’s digital natives can quickly move from a game on their iPad to an appropriate learning activity when they see a teacher coming.  The students are often too fast to catch, even for the best of us who pride ourselves on moving around the room throughout the lesson.  To solve this, get in the habit of asking your students to clear/close their running apps at the beginning of class.  They can do this by double clicking the home button or four-finger swiping up.  Then they should hold down an open app until the minus sign comes up.  By closing all running apps they not only will save battery life but also give you the ability to do spot checks of what they have been using during your leson.  If the students know you can quickly find out what apps they have been using they will be far less likely to sway from your lesson plan.

3.  Losing my signal to the LCD projector.

We know the iPad was not created with the teacher and certainly not with the LCD projector in mind.  It’s wifi’s promiscuity, hiccups with mirroring, and inability to secure cables into it’s connection slot makes projecting often a nightmare.  Many of us have lost great teachable moments due to our screens suddenly going blank and our kids attention lost as we attempt to reconnect.  Get in the habit of “freezing” your projector.  Most remotes have a button allowing you to freeze whatever is on your screen while you do different things behind the scenes.  When you are not moving from screen to screen simply freeze it and you will never get that black screen again.  You have a much better chance of maintaining student engagement while trying to reconnect if you have something on the screen.  This is also a great way to take your attendance while your anticipatory set is up on your smartboard.

4.  Collaboration and when students should work together.

One of these device’s strongest attributes are their natural tendency toward collaboration - they were designed for this.  We must be crystal clear about our collaborative expectations for each assignment we give.  Digital natives are wired collaboratively and now have devices that encourage this.  They can share and work together across the classroom and across the globe without anyone knowing.  We must specifically tell them when it is and when it is not appropriate to work with others … a good rule of thumb is that if we don't tell them they can’t - then it is appropriate.  

5.  Digital Literacy and Turning In

It is now common place to ask students to submit their writing digitally. They can draft in Google Docs, share their drafts with peers/families and teacher for in-process feedback. Teachers then bulk download work as pdfs, save them on Google or in DropBox, and open on iPad with a digital copy of the rubric where they respond using a note-writing app where they write on them with a stylus.  Getting in this habit is not only strong process but it creates a digital log for the student, family, and teacher.