The most useful new piece of technology in use at SHS is Synchroneyes software. http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SynchronEyes+Classroom+Management+Software/ Ah yes, I sing the praises of Synchroneyes! When the software is installed on a “teacher station” this computer is connected to all the student computers in a lab. One of the best features is the ability to send a web site to every computer at the same time. For instance; Mr. Government Teacher has his class researching the Presidential candidates, their platform, their stance on the issues etc. He has chosen a site that provides a non-partisan look at all these requirements. The class arrives, each student logs on and the teacher “sends” the site to all student computers. Time is saved by not having the student’s type in the URL or Google for information. If during the class the student finds it desirable to have a look at their My Space page the teacher can ‘lock’ the computer, a message appears on the blackened screen “computers are for academic use”. Upon unlocking the computer, a message may be sent to the student suggesting that they stick to the project. If they continue to stray the teacher has the capability to log them off and shut down the computer. During the last part of the class the teacher wishes to test the students. He has created a test and saved it to Synchroneyes, with a few clicks the test appears on all screens. Multiple choice, ordering and essay questions may be used in the test mode. As the students finished the test and click finish, the tests are automatically marked and sent to the teacher station. If a student has found a site containing inappropriate content, a picture of the screen can be captured listing the student name, computer number, date, time and content. This information may be saved to the teacher station and used as verifiable evidence if there are consequences for the offense. Synchroneyes has so many practical features; it is my choice for the most helpful new technology for computer lab use and classroom management.
