taking of things on the front end
Taking care of the mechanical aspects of the classroom from the outset allows instructors to focus on the content. More importantly, ensuring that all the classroom mechanical aspects of the classroom are understood by all students avoids several misunderstandings.
Roger,
I support your position 100 percent. As you say this sets the stage for a positive and engaging class plus you know your technology will support you when needed since you will have tested it prior to class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Especially if there are going to be technical demonstrations or lab time, I make sure to show up at least a half hour before class starts. I teach audio classes so we are very heavily reliant on technology and as mentioned earlier, a lot of times it seems computers CAN have a mind of their own. So just for the technical aspects, I'll come in and do a practice demo to make sure the system is working and the settings are what is expected. Besides that, especially for my studio based classes, I like to show up and tidy things up a bit. Some of the other instructors don't share my need for an organized and tidy looking studio so I make sure it is taken care of myself. Not only does it keep placements and procedures consistent but also starts to teach them good habits that will help them in the future when it comes to presenting their own facility to clients or having to share a workspace with other people.
Aaron,
A simple thing that tells the students you have been there and have prepared for their learning experience.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I make it a point to turn on every computer before class starts.
David,
Good point about being able resolve and solve issues that come up with the support systems we use in our teaching. Seems like something is always going out or not working like it is suppose to. At least it keeps me on my toes this way.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find this especially true with computer oriented classes. My classroom has 14 computers in it, each with a mind of its own. Being an instructor knowledgable in the field is not enough - one must know basic computer maintenance with a class of varying computer skills
