Not So Smooth With the Monitoring

Middle school math class titled "study skills" 

The lesson plan indicated that I was to go to the computer lab and monitor the students. Easy enough.

I've noticed a few of these "study skills" classes this year. Some students need a little more help in math. These classes are for them. It's also called math support.

They all got on their computers and accessed the program. I logged onto the teacher computer and pulled up the program where I get to see what each computer in the room is doing. Then I did my usual walk around the room to make sure the students were doing what they were supposed to be doing.

I had all sorts of computer issues to deal with. Programs logging off for no good reason. Programs not recording the student's progress. Plus, it was a middle school class, so I had plenty of middle school mischief to deal with. (A boy took his sweatshirt and shoved it into his t-shirt, holding it in such a way as to mimic a feminine chest. Then he pranced around his desk. Stopped the minute he saw that I saw him.)

I ended up back at the front of the room and noticed a student on a website that was not the program he was supposed to be on. I opened it up on the teacher computer to see what it was before going over to him. (They hide these websites when I get over there, so it's good to be able to say, "Why are you looking at shoes?" even when the proper program is up and running by the time I get there.)

After making sure the student closed out the website (he left it open on his task bar), I went back to the teacher computer and attempted to get back to the full classroom view. But I couldn't find the proper way to back out. I know it exists as I've done it before. But for some reason, I couldn't find it.

I clicked on something, and suddenly the whole room could see the student's computer.

Oops.

By that time he was on the proper program, but now his screen was on all the students' monitors.

I explained that it was my mistake, and tried to give individual access back to all the students. It took longer than I would have liked. Logging them all out of their programs in the process.

Eventually I got everything back to normal. Well, normal for a middle school class. And I didn't open up any more screens. I didn't want to make that mistake again.