Computer Based

1
Computer Based Learning Centers
2
Table of Contents
5. Learning Centers for Lower and Middle Grades
1. What are Learning Centers?
2. Implementing Learning Centers
6. Presenting
3. Computer Usage
7. Schedule
4. Learning Centers for Middle and Upper Grades
8. Student Responsibilities
9. Hurdles
3
What are Learning Centers?

• Independent activities in the classroom that
  Teachers create where students work in small
  groups or individually.
• Although learning centers are typically found
  more often in elementary and middle school
  classrooms, this technique has been found to be
  effective with high school students as well.
• Table of Contents

4
Children learn best when they are actively
engaged.

• Implementing centers in the classroom
• Promotes independence
• Helps students become more responsible
• Allows students to learn through self-discovery
• Provides teachers with time to pull students
  one-on-one or in small groups to target specific
  academic skills, modify and enrich curriculum,
  and better meet the needs of individual students
• Table of Contents

5
Learning Centers
Let the students know that the classroom computer
is a serious tool used for working and learning.
The computer should be used for specific tasks,
not for free choice. Using the terms work"
versus play" and programs" versus games," will
help students understand the computer is a tool.
Table of Contents
6
Learning Centers for Upper Grades

• Filamentality
• E-pals
• Key-Pals
• 
  Table of Contents

7
Filamentality

• Provides learning support activities for
  integrating the World Wide Web into student
  learning
• Centers for Upper Grades
• Table of Contents

• Hotlist
• Multimedia Scrapbook
• Treasure Hunt
• Subject Sampler
• WebQuest

8
E-Pals

• About E-Pals
• Teaching with E-Pals
• Communication
• The Way We Are Project
• Centers for Upper Grades
• Table of Contents

9
Key Pals

• Students write to students in other countries
• Expand writing abilities
• KidWorld KeyPals
• Kids.com
• Centers for Upper Grades
• Table of Contents

10
EDUPLACE

• Wacky Web Tales
• Great site to have students write a
  story with idea prompts. (designed for the lower
  grades)
• Fake-Out
• A site where students have to guess
  on definitions of wacky words. They can also add
  their own wacky definitions.
• Using the Web for Grades 1-8
• This site is broken down into
  different categories for students. There are
  questions and then the links to help them learn
  to search the web for information.
• Math Brain Teasers
• These brain teasers are broken into
  groups starting at grade 3 and ending at grade 8.
• 
  
• Table of Contents

11
Presenting the Centers
Teachers present and demonstrate learning center
lessons and activities before putting them out
for student use. Modeling computer use is equally
as important. Treat the computer learning center
like other centers in your classroom.
Provide clear, written instructions How To
Cards What to do with problems card Provide
clear expectations Task Cards Guided Worksheets
Post a sample of completed work by the
computer. Launch the program on the computer
before the class comes in. Assign student tutors
who are responsible for setting up the centers.
Make sure materials are available. Display a
copy of the book or text that the students may
need. Teacher Activity Table of Contents
12
Schedule
One of the most important things to remember is
that projects completed on a computer always take
more time! Although students will complete work
at different rates, it is important computer time
is equitable. Generally a time frame of 20-30
minutes should be sufficient for one setting.
Some projects may take several settings to
complete.
Table of Contents
13
Schedule

• Is the activity multi-part?
• Is the activity part of a formal project,
  possibly for a grade?
• Is the activity primarily exploratory?

Once you've determined the goal of the activity,
determine the appropriate amount of time required
for a computer activity. Post a schedule or
checklist near the computer so that students or
aides can monitor the schedule. This will also
insure that each student has an opportunity to
work at the computer. Placing a timer near the
computer helps everyone have access to the
program.
Table of Contents
14
Table of Contents
Lets take a look at some examples of scheduling
charts.
15
Use poster board or cardboard to create a chart
for centers. Write the students names on a
clothespin. They can move their clothespins to
the appropriate side of the chart.
Table of Contents
16
Think about it! Consider the types of activities
you would like to set up at your computer center.
Select the rotation option that would best match
your teaching style and your classroom
management. Make it! Create the chart or the
materials you need for your rotation schedule
Table of Contents
17
Center Management
Because children are working independently in the
centers, you will want to establish a management
system for the use of the computer. Well
established rules and procedures will insure good
use of computer time as well as prevent computer
technical problems. As with any management
system and set of rules, helping students learn
how to behave appropriately requires frequent
role-playing and practicing.
Table of Contents
18
Center Management
Posted procedures reinforce and remind students
of the rules. You may want to begin by asking
students what behavior is appropriate at a
computer learning center. Students may show more
responsibility if they take ownership in the
rules.
Table of Contents
19
Center Management

• Use time wisely
• Open and save only your files
• Use appropriate keyboarding techniques
• Follow district Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

Table of Contents
20
You can bookmark sites for your students on
www.ikeepbookmarks.com. Students
will then have access to all of the bookmarks
from any computer in the classroom.
Table of Contents
21
Teacher Activity
Create folders to hold your links. You may
decide to have one folder for science, math,
social studies, etc.
Table of Contents
22
Student Responsibilities

• Assign clear and specific responsibilities
• Use partners or small groups

Experience working with groups in other
classroom settings will help students be more
successful with a group activity at a computer
learning center.
Table of Contents
23
Possible responsibilities may include (but are
not limited to) Driver This student is
responsible for the controls (mouse and
keyboard). It is important that this student
understand they are part of a group. The driver
must be willing to listen to back-seat drivers.
Navigator This student is responsible for
selecting the places to go when choices are
given. This is the speaker of the group and is
responsible for requesting help when needed.
Reporter This student is responsible for
recording the work of the group. Guided
worksheets and task cards help facilitate this
student determining and completing tasks.
Table of Contents
24
Additional roles can be assigned to students as
part of class jobs to help computer use in
general. These roles may include (but are not
limited to) Printer Expert This should be a
student who has had experience with the printer
and knows standard procedures for checking cords,
selecting the appropriate driver, etc.
Troubleshooter This student should be the
first person contacted if there is a computer
problem. This student should know how to open and
save files in the correct location as well as
restart the machine. Scheduler This student
could be responsible for helping students stay on
schedule. If your scheduling system requires
erasing names, changing clothespins, or moving
tongue depressors, this student completes these
tasks. Equipment Manager This student
maintains and monitors the equipment. Tasks could
include dusting off equipment, putting software
boxes, CDs and disks in order, checking that CDs
have been ejected and are in the proper place,
etc.
Table of Contents
25
Let's Pretend! Think of an activity you would
have students complete at the computer working in
groups of two or three. (You decide what would be
most likely in your classroom.) Make a list of
tasks that would need to be completed to finish
the activity.
Divide and Conquer! Categorize the tasks into
two or three jobs (depending on the number of
students working at a computer). Give the jobs
clever names and write general descriptions of
the responsibilities of each job.
Table of Contents
26
Introduce the Activity
Whole Class Demonstration You can introduce the
activity to the whole class by projecting your
computer image to a TV or screen. Special
equipment is necessary to project your computer
image, and many teachers have this available
without knowing about it. Check with a technology
specialist (or a teacher with technology skills)
to find out what options are available with your
school equipment. If this equipment is not
available to you, try elevating the computer
monitor on a higher shelf than usual and modify
student seating so that everyone can see. Small
Group Demonstration Another option is to
explain the program with a small group of
students sitting around the computer.
Individual Student Demonstration These
students become responsible for sharing it with
others.
Table of Contents
27
Troubleshooting

• Printing!
• Printing can be a pain...
• Have students share their work with two other
  students before erasing!
• Print at a smaller percent
• Combine students projects for a class slideshow.
• Save work to a disk
• Print in Grayscale
• Have students print only best work.

• Technical Problems!
• Ask for parent volunteers. Arrange for the
  volunteers to come during the center time
• Provide clear procedures to students when they
  encounter problems.
• Have an "I'm Sick" sign available to put on a
  computer that is not working.
• It will save yourself from having to repeat over
  and over again the reason no one is working on
  the computer.
• Teacher Activity

Table of Contents
28
Some of the hurdles you may face are Time!
Realize that it takes a long time for the
entire class to go through the center.
Distractions! Students are easily distracted
by the computer. One computer 30 students
software Noise, Noise, Noise. Most computer
programs have noises that are an important part
of the program, or that make it appealing to
students. This can be disruptive to other members
of the class. You often have an option to turn
off the sound on a program, but it may weaken the
programs effectiveness. Inexpensive headphones
can be used so students can enjoy the sounds
without causing a disruption. There are also
adapters that allow for two and more headphones.
Table of Contents
29
Getting over the Hurdles
When thinking about the hurdles of setting up a
computer learning center, it is important to
reflect on the experience you want to create for
your students, not the technology itself. The
goal should not be to use the computer with your
students but instead to create a dynamic center
where students can explore and learn
independently. A computer is a tool you can use
to do that. If you focus on creating a computer
learning center simply to use the computer, the
hurdles discussed below will become frustrating
and too much to bother with. But, if you focus
on the goal of creating interactive activities
and use the computer as a tool to accomplish this
goal, it will be worth "jumping the hurdles."

Teacher Activity
Table of Contents
30

• Imagine the perfect center !
• Write down the behaviors and skills that would be
  exhibited at this center.
• Pick the best !
• From your list, create three to five basic rules.
  
• Write descriptions of each of the rules (include
  what following the rule would look like or what
  following the rule would sound like).
• Determine how you could model the rules.
• Make it !
• Make a sign with your rules.
• Table of Contents

31
Ikeepbookmarks site

• Take a few moments to register with
  ikeepbookmarks. When you are finished open
  another web browser page (this will help you
  search for sites).
• Type in a subject area geared toward education.
• Find a site that is of interest to you and switch
  back to the ikeepbookmarks site. (the site is at
  the bottom of your screen)
• You will add a new folder (preferably a topic for
  the site that you chose) and add the site to your
  folder.
• Repeat these steps a few times and add some
  interesting sites.
• 
  
• 
  Table of Contents

32

• The Terrible Top Ten!
• List the top ten problems with using the computer
  as a learning center in your classroom.
• Where there's a Problem....
• Find solutions to at least four of the problems
  you listed.
• Table of Contents