Let’s Multiply! Many 3rd graders X Many usernames X Many passwords = an organizational challenge!
With so many valuable sites available both on the internet, and on the iPad, I am registering my students left and right! I love the customization, individualization, and reported results that come with these powerful programs. Even more, I love that I can create accounts for my students without their having email addresses.
Unfortunately, not every site has the same protocol for creating usernames, or passwords. Trying to keep them all straight was getting to be tricky!
As a remedy, I created individual password rings for each website.
- I hang the rings from my chalk tray using patriotic shower-curtain hooks.
Each ring contains a cover card, and additional cards individualized for each student.
- pssst…. this is not a real account or a real password ;P
I hand out the cards as needed, and then store them on the rings when they are not in use. Students are able to now check their usernames and passwords for various sites without my having to tear apart my computer or my desk! As a bonus, I can also grab the ring and bring it to the computer lab when we have class there. My 2nd option was to create individual rings for each student – which just might happen next year! Decisions, Decisions.
In either case….
I love it when life becomes a bit more simple!!!
Hi,
This is a very workable solution for student logins in the younger grades. However, the ideal system would have the students just login once to a single spot from which they can click into whichever website they are supposed to use. This is called a Single Sign On system (or SSO). But, many schools and districts have not implemented it yet since there are many ways to do it and people are having trouble picking which one to use. Stay tuned.
Suzy,,
I’ve been thinking about your very resourceful solution to manage the logins for all the different accounts. I run VocabularySpellingCity.com which I see you are a user of (albeit a free one). Here’s your school page on our site:
http://www.spellingcity.com/mullen-hall-falmouth-ma.html
Here’s my question: Do any of the other software packages make it easy to print out your student names and passwords so that they can be cut up into cards for your system? Ideally, you could run heavy paper through your printer. Or you could print them onto a page of labels and then attach them to more durable paper.
We already have a similar functionality with the printable flashcards so we could just do the same for student names and passwords. Does that sound like a good idea to you?
Hi John,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. You are right, we are free members and use your site regularly. Our budget goes more towards procuring devices and less towards apps and subscriptions. We are finding value in this model because there is much we can do for free out there on the “Interweb”. Yes, many sites offer the option of printing student usernames and passwords on small cards or labels. We just glue them on note cards and they are plenty durable. For sites that don’t offer this option, I just create custom labels myself. Creating student accounts, user id’s and passwords is a time consuming process and has contributed to our learning curve in that each site is so different. Anything you can do to make the process easier for teachers would be valuable!
Take care and thank you again!
~Suzy
I do something similar. Instead of a ring for each website I do ONE ring with individual student cards. On each student’s card I type a list of all the websites and passwords. I then hang that ring with a small command hook right on the side of the computer. When we go to the computer lab, I grab and go.
I really like the clip art on the front of each set. I may have to ‘borrow’ that idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Yours is a great idea, too, Tiffany! Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!
Take care,
Suzy