10 Ideas to Help You Prepare for Teaching in a 1:1 Classroom

A couple of years ago I was asked to participate in a brainstorming conference call with some folks from the Maine International Center for Digital Learning. On that day we constructed a list of important things teachers should know when they start teaching in a 1:1 classroom. I just came across the list again and thought it was worth posting again.

This list was generated with some help from my Twitter friends @ernieeaster @scmorgan and @edtech4me

1. Not all teenagers are digital natives.
2. The computer itself is not going to create student engagement.
3. Teaching with technology is a heterogeneous experience.
4. It takes longer than you think to get a room full of students on the same webpage.
5. You should keep a list of students' usernames and passwords.
6. Murphy's Law is strongest the first few times you try to teach 1:1
7. Close and Focus.
8. Project design is still about the content.
9. Better to stand behind students than in front.
10. Network administrators are not always up to date on Web 2.0 from the end-user perspective. (There's a difference between hardware people and software people).
 
Some of these ideas were included in a video series informing teachers about getting started teaching in a 1:1 classroom. The videos can be seen here.

What would you add to this list? Please leave a comment.