When Emma, a primary school teacher, walked into her new classroom equipped with a trolley full of laptops, she wasn’t quite sure whether to be excited or overwhelmed. Like many teachers, she understood the growing importance of computers in a classroom—but managing a room full of students using technology was another challenge altogether.
She joined the ICT in Education Teacher Academy hoping to get support for technology integration, but what she gained went far beyond a few activity ideas. Through the Academy’s workbook, structured success path, and community discussions, Emma discovered effective classroom management strategies—and completely transformed how she used computers in the classroom.
Why Teachers Need a Clear Computer Classroom Management Plan
Mobile technologies like laptops, tablets, and even smartphones are now regular tools in many classrooms. But without strong computer classroom management techniques, these tools can quickly become a source of distraction.
Emma’s early attempts at using computers in the classroom revealed common struggles: students switching between tabs, technical glitches, and difficulty keeping everyone on task. These issues are why classroom behaviour management strategies are just as critical as knowing the best tools to use.
Through the membership’s structured reflection process, Emma realised that to effectively integrate computers in classroom environments, she first needed to master the strategies of classroom management that work specifically with technology.
The Best Classroom Management Strategies for Using Computers
After posting in the member community and reviewing sample plans, Emma applied several primary classroom management strategies that helped her reclaim control of her digital classroom.
Here are the strategies to use in the classroom that proved most helpful:
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Plan ahead and work with technical support: Emma began each week by coordinating with the school technician to ensure laptops and software were functional before lesson time. This proactive classroom management strategy prevented lesson disruptions and helped her stay calm when issues arose.
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Rearrange the classroom setup: She adopted one of the good classroom management strategies shared by a fellow member—grouping desks in pods to facilitate collaboration and make it easier to monitor screens. This simple change supported better group dynamics and behaviour monitoring.
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Implement clear computer rules for students: Inspired by community discussions, Emma introduced structured expectations. Students learned routines like “Lids Down” during instructions and “Stick ’em Up” screen checks—simple yet powerful classroom computer management techniques that promoted responsibility.
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Use consistent teaching structure: By opening each lesson with a clear explanation, modeling tasks, and providing regular check-in points, Emma discovered that students responded better to the routine. Structured sessions became one of her most effective classroom management teaching strategies.
These strategies weren’t just about control—they helped students focus, collaborate, and use technology meaningfully. They became a blend of behavior management strategies in the classroom and tools for enhancing learning outcomes.
Connecting Classroom Strategies to ICT Teaching Goals
What made the biggest difference in Emma’s transformation was not just having a list of strategies for classroom management, but understanding how these fit into her broader teaching goals—particularly the development of her students’ ICT capabilities.
Through the Technology Integrator’s Learning Journey to Transformation section of the membership workbook, Emma aligned her computer teaching strategies with learning outcomes. She began setting milestones like:
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Selecting appropriate ICT tools (laptops and word processing software)
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Applying effective classroom management strategies for teachers using technology
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Reflecting on student behaviour and task engagement
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Planning learning progression in ICT capability
This shift—from managing behaviour to supporting student learning—reflected a strong understanding of how to manage technology in the classroom. As Emma progressed through the stages of the success path, her classroom management techniques became more proactive, data-informed, and student-centred.
Integrating Classroom Management and TPACK Growth
Emma’s progress wasn’t just visible in her own reflections. Through her work with the membership workbook, she also strengthened several areas of her TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework:
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Technological Knowledge (TK): She gained confidence using digital monitoring tools and collaborative software.
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Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK): Emma adapted group work strategies to promote positive interactions during laptop activities.
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Technological Content Knowledge (TCK): She designed writing tasks that made purposeful use of word processors to enhance literacy lessons.
Each step forward was supported by the community and the structured templates in the workbook—transforming her from someone hesitant about classroom technology to a confident facilitator of learning.
A Model for Classroom Management Professional Development
In many professional development settings, classroom management is taught as a separate topic—one that focuses on general behaviour management or routines. However, in today’s digital classrooms, teachers need more than traditional techniques. They need access to real strategies that work when computers, tablets, and digital tools are part of the everyday learning experience.
That’s why the ICT in Education Teacher Academy approaches classroom management strategies professional development differently. It does not treat behaviour management in isolation, but instead positions it as a critical part of integrating ICT into meaningful teaching and learning.
Inside the membership, classroom management becomes an embedded, practical focus—refined through collaboration, reflection, and real application.
Here’s how the membership offers a true professional learning model for classroom management strategies in a tech-integrated classroom:
✔ Learn from Educators Just Like You
Emma’s transformation wasn’t accidental—it was shaped by conversations with other teachers in the membership community who had already walked the path she was on. She was able to ask questions like:
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“How do I keep students focused when they’re using laptops?”
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“What rules do you have in place when students use computers in your classroom?”
This community of technology integrators is one of the membership’s most valuable resources—an always-available professional network offering practical classroom strategies built from real-world experience.
✔ Embed Classroom Management into Your Technology Integration Planning
Through the Technology Integrator’s Learning Journey to Transformation—a structured success path within the membership workbook—members aren’t just handed ICT activities. They are guided to:
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Think critically about the behavioural and pedagogical implications of introducing technology.
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Reflect on how management strategies in the classroom influence student engagement and learning.
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Adapt strategies over time using workbook templates that support lesson planning, assessment, and ICT capability growth.
✔ Access Templates, Prompts, and Reflection Tools
Members also benefit from downloadable resources specifically designed to support computer classroom management, such as:
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Templates for planning tech-integrated lessons with structured routines.
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Reflection prompts to assess what worked, what didn’t, and why student behaviour might have shifted.
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Digital safety and responsibility guides to support the development of computer rules for students.
✔ Use the Wisdom Tool to Discover What Works
The membership’s Wisdom Tool allows members to search through a growing repository of member-contributed ideas, workshop insights, and lesson modifications. Teachers can find discussions and examples by searching terms like:
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“Managing laptop use”
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“Technology and classroom management”
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“Best classroom management strategies for computer labs”
✔ Document and Reflect on Progress Toward Transformation
Using the TPACK Growth templates within the workbook, teachers like Emma can document how they:
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Develop their Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) by adapting classroom management strategies that support collaboration and ICT use.
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Build Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) through activities where behaviour management supports subject-based outcomes.
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Strengthen Technological Knowledge (TK) by learning how to manage student-device interactions confidently and with purpose.
In Summary: What Makes This Model Different?
Here’s why the ICT in Education Teacher Academy offers a powerful model for classroom management PD:
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✅ It's context-specific – Strategies are shared by teachers working with technology every day, not just generalists.
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✅ It’s application-based – Everything is designed for trial, reflection, and refinement—not just passive learning.
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✅ It supports a structured journey – Teachers develop alongside their learners, building both ICT capability and strong management foundations.
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✅ It empowers teacher voice – Members contribute to and shape the strategies shared, creating a dynamic, evolving knowledge base.
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✅ It links behaviour to learning outcomes – Management isn't just about control; it's about empowering students to use ICT effectively.
What About Your Classroom?
Are you facing challenges with managing technology in the classroom? Do you need more than a list of classroom behaviour management strategies, and instead want a supportive path that helps you apply, reflect, and improve?
Emma’s journey shows what’s possible when classroom management is aligned with digital pedagogy. With the right support, computers in the classroom can shift from chaos to creativity—and teachers like you can lead the change with clarity.