Monitor in Action @

Bishop Hartley High School

Monitoring Student Activity, Easing Teacher Concerns

A private Catholic school located in Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Hartley High School is a pioneer in one-to-one computing. The school started one of the first one-to-one Tablet PC programs in the nation, placing a computer in the hands of every junior and senior at the school. Students have the computer 24 hours a day, seven days a week for true anytime, anywhere access.

At Bishop Hartley, students carry their Tablet PC with them from home to school and are free to use their computers as they prefer. For some, however, that freedom became a problem during class. As teachers at Bishop Hartley began to integrate the technology into their lesson plans, they had no way to know if students were working on the lesson, surfing the Internet, or engaging in some other off-task behavior during class. The teachers appreciated the added value of the Tablet initiative, but were hesitant to take full advantage of the technology because of electronic distractions.

Kenneth Collura, Director of Communication and Instructional Technologies for the Diocese, had implemented the Tablet PC program and wanted it to effectively enhance teaching and learning in the classrooms of Bishop Hartley. He recognized the need to provide teachers with a solution and did not want them to be deterred from taking advantage of the technology because of the possible distractions in class.

Collura began to focus on software applications that would complement their one-to-one initiative by minimizing electronic distriction. He saw a demonstration of DyKnow Monitor, software that enables the teacher to monitor and control student computers to ensure student accountability.

Foreign language teacher Stephanie Howe believes DyKnow Monitor has made a noticeable difference in her class. She has peace of mind when using the software because she has proof that students are participating in class. She believes that students are more accountable and, as a result, students' grades have improved since she started monitoring computers during class.

Once Bishop Hartley began using DyKnow Monitor, Collura found that teachers appreciated knowing the students were using their computers for educational purposes. He was encouraged by their enthusiasm and decided to focus on the need to deliver improved individualized learning.

Read more about how Collura also used DyKnow Vision software to maximize student engagement in the classroom.

Bishop Hartley In Action

• Case Study (PDF 5.5Mb)
• Student Video
• Bishop Hartley in the News
• www.bishop-hartley.org

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