There is no doubt about it, the first year you are teaching in a 1:1 environment can be nerve racking, painful, and a huge blow to the ego. What do you do when all the students are gazing at the laptops?

1. 1-2-3 Eyes on Me: Yes, even with high school students, I have used this elementary school technique to have them close their laptops and focus on me. I explain the first day of class that as soon as they hear the 1 of 1-2-3, they need to close their computers and be looking directly at me. It takes a few practice runs to show them that they can do it. If I have someone who lags, I give a polite but firm warning after class; the next time is a lunch or after school detention, which includes a parent email or call to explain the situation. To be honest, I've never had a problem after the detention and parent contact, but my personal next move would be to include administration in the problem.

2. Move Around the Classroom: Again an old, well-known technique. Even if you are giving a lecture, don't stand in one place the whole time. If you are moving around the room, you are going to see who is and who isn't on task. Don't plant yourself behind your desk. If you must be at your desk, be aware of students. A misplaced giggle or smirk is usually a red flag that someone is off task, or at least testing the limits of the acceptable. When I catch students off task, I call them on it. I follow the same steps as #1. Usually, a polite but firm comment is enough to remind students that they need to use their time wisely.

3. Seating Arrangement: Believe it or not, this is the simplest and often the most over looked method for management. When they work in groups, I will have them sit in pods with computer screens turned toward the center of the room. Often, when students are working on writing, I will sit in the back of the room in a corner and conduct conferences, but I can also see the computer screens.  A professor at a conference told me he placed mirrors around his classroom, so students were aware of his eyes and the eyes of other students. Play with your seating chart and be creative.

4. Consider the Goal of Group Work: Sometimes I will have groups working with only one person allowed to use their computer at a time, I can manage five computers easier than 25. Often, if we are in the planning stage of a project, students don't need a computer at all, because I still have them storyboard on paper.

5. Asking Student for Help: It doesn't sound like classroom management to some teachers, but believe me, managing the human resource in your room is the biggest method to engage students. When students do something new with technology, I have them show the entire class. When someone has a tech problem, they are supposed to ask other students for help first; again, I can manage a few people better than 25-30 people. Usually the students who teach the class something or help others, are the ones best about telling other students to get back on task. "Dude, do your work! I'm trying to help you," is a phrase I can hear. Also, when students help each other with problems, they learn that everyone in the room is responsible for learning and teaching.

Managing your classroom is an effective way to get a positive learning environment, especially if that environment includes 1:1.