Class Set Management

Cherie's Palm Check List for training classes how to use Palms.

Things to Consider:

1. Material Assignment
• For best management each student should be assigned a Palm that will be solely his or hers.
• Palms should be labeled for easy identification by the student user, for example, numbers, letters, or names.
• It is not necessary that students have the same keyboard each time. These are best kept together in some type of box or basket that is easily accessible by the students.
• Chargers can either be assigned to each student to be kept with the assigned Palm or permanently attached to the power strip for charging purposes. If permanently attached, students should have an assigned charger for easy charging management.
2. Material Storage
• It's important to have a secure area where the class Palms can be stored each evening. A classroom closet or cabinet that you can lock each evening is an ideal place to consider for storage.
• There are many different ways to store the materials. The set up of the classroom will more than likely dictate the storage and management of the materials.
• A cart with all components attached works well for smaller classrooms.
  • The Palms fit nicely in small, plastic baskets
  • Attaching the power strips vertically to the side of the cart saves space and allows for the chargers to be bundled together. The Palms can then be charged directly in their storage baskets.
• In larger areas, the power strips can be placed on a shelf and the students can plug in their Palms to their designed charger. The Palms can remain directly on the shelf during the charging stage and then stored in baskets or boxes and placed in a secure area.
3. Material Distribution
• The best word to remember is routine! Establish one early on and adhere to it each time the students use the Palms.
• Even with the younger students, they should become responsible for the storage and charging of their assigned Palms.
• An easy way to accomplish retrieving and returning of the Palms is by calling small groups one at a time. If the Palms are assigned by numbers you can call group 1 through 5, then call group 6 through 10, and so on until all Palms have been retrieved or returned. This will work for other forms of Palm assignment.
• Beaming will become your best friend. Setting up a routine early in the use of the Palms to share files and software with the students will save much time when it is necessary to distribute items to the entire class.
4. Material Management
• Students should be taught early about the need to keep the Palms charged and how to accomplish this task during instruction (if necessary) in order to cause as little disruption as possible.
• Syncing the Palms with the assigned classroom computer is a task that the students should be taught to do independently.
• It is a good idea in the weekly helper assignments to have a Palm Manager. This person helps make sure that Palms are stored and charged properly. This person can also help call the teacher's attention to any situation that may need immediate attention.
• Assigning the position of Tech Assistant to several of the more advanced users is very helpful. These students will act as the first line of help when others in the class are having difficulties with the applications and minor hardware issues. This allows for focus by the teacher on more serious issues and classroom instruction.

Managing a shared set of Palms