The Gift of the Clothespin

So, this post is dedicated to my colleague Chris, who came up with this brilliant idea that I stole (with his permission, of course). As I have been working with my fourth graders in the computer lab, my biggest frustration has been hearing the following words: "Mrs. Karol, I need help!" Don't get me wrong. I love helping the children with their computer needs, but it is overwhelming to hear 5 of them saying that phrase at the same time.

I was venting to my colleague about the iPod project and how it was going well except for the constant need of help. I admit I didn't schedule enough time in the lab for what I wanted the children to do. It all ended up working out fine, but I left feeling like I needed to pull my hair out! Chris told me that he felt the same way, especially when starting a new project. He told me he had thought about giving the children a clothespin or another object to put at the top of their screen as a signal that they needed help. Brilliant! I remember in college, when we were in our education classes, they taught us about little tricks like that and I thought they were great ideas, but never got around to using most of them. Now, this trick has been a life saver!!

We were in the computer lab, typing up our iPod interviews and I explained the system to the children. I told them the things they could work on while I was helping other children and I modeled how to use this new system. I have to say, it has changed the entire mood in the room! I can't tell you how excited I am to use this new concept every time we are in the lab! Hats off to Chris on this idea!