Reduce Internet Distractions with 7 Simple Steps

In the increasingly connected classroom, schools require students to access curricula via their personal (BYOD) or school-issued (1:1) devices, ushering in a virtual minefield of distractions.

“While digital tools offer an invaluable learning and engagement boost, schools need solutions that are easy to navigate but still offer rigorous classroom management,” said George Dotterer, CEO and co-founder of Verite Educational Systems Inc. “To maximize online learning as a catalyst to student growth, teachers need tools and practices that can help reduce distractions, monitor student performance and teach appropriate online behavior.”

The network experts who developed NetRef, a leader in Internet management in schools, suggest seven steps teachers and school administrators can take to keep classrooms safe and ensure all students thrive in a technology-rich learning environment.

Seven Steps for Reducing Classroom Internet Distractions

1. Provide students and parents clearly detailed Internet use guidelines.

2. Use software that does not require installation on student devices.
3. Generate individual daily, weekly or monthly Internet use reports to help encourage good habits.
4. Teach students how to access online learning and research tools.
5. Utilize classroom management systems that allow at-a-glance optics of real-time student Internet activity.
6. Connect the dots between responsible online and offline behavior … values are the same everywhere.
7. Implement easy-to-use EdTech that allows teachers to manage access from a single point.

“Guaranteeing that students learn how to navigate the Internet, focus and collaborate with their peers is a critical mandate of today’s schools. We have worked to create solutions that do just that while keeping kids safe and on-task,” added Dotterer.

​Dotterer and his team designed NetRef to help teachers maximize the web as an educational and collaborative learning tool. With seamless and simple integration, NetRef offers umbrella protection across all systems, hardware and devices — from 1:1 to BYOD environments — to minimize distractions and help keep students on-task.