Homework+&+Practice

**Read and Reflect**

 * How do you currently apply this strategy, with or without the use of technology? **

​Homework is such a hard thing for me. As a computer teacher in a district where the students do not have reliable access to computers outside of the school day, homework is next to impossible. In the past I have assigned things to be completed outside the school day. The problem is that most students who have computers do not have the software we have at school. Due to budget cuts, students do not have access to the school computers outside of the school day, unless I stay after. So basically homework became a punishment for me because if I wanted to assign it, and make it fair to all my students, I had to arrange for after school work time in my computer lab. Even if assignments are basic enough to not need any technology, so many of my students simply choose to not to it. I do not know the reasons but overall for any assignment that has to be completed outside the school day, I am lucky if 25% of my students complete it. For these reasons, I have begun to add practice assignments into my every day lessons. Since they can't (or won't) be completed outside of school, I make it part of school.

**What new insights or ideas did you gain from the reading?**
I really need to find outside assignments for my students to do that do not require technology. It is just so hard to find meaningful things that are related to computer classes that does not use computers. I think that if I should the students that homework is meaningful and important, I will be able to get more students to complete the work.

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I really like this program though I am going to have to work a lot more with it. I want to be comfortable with how to share the sets with my students and how to get them to use the sets.

On a side note--I know at least one other teacher in my building has used this site because one of my students used it as a study tool for her final exam in her English class. I just did not know what it was at the time. I just saw the site as she was working in my computer lab.