Use the Wireless Mouse from the BACK OF YOUR ROOM!

I learned a tip yesterday that most certainly will help my students. It is that I should use a wireless mouse in class. Here is what I mean. You just have your mouse with you while you are in the back of the room and then when you need to do anything on your computer you can just scroll your mouse on any available surface. The mouse I have works from any location in my room.  The mouse I have works from any location in my room. So while still in the back of the room you can scroll your mouse on a free desk or even your pant leg and it will work.

Here is how I see it best used.

1. Helping students without "rescuing" them.

Sometimes I have to go up to the SMART Board to actually help a student out of a jam. This will help me to be able to guide them out of that jam without too much interference by staying in the back of the room and guiding them with the mouse in my hand.  I will only have to move my mouse wherever I'm at to help them. If I'm at a desk in the back of the room, I can just scroll the mouse on the desk, or you could just scroll the mouse on the side of your leg. It is a snap.

2. Giving the mouse to a student to work on a problem directly from their desk.  There are times and occasions that I want a student to show how to do something.  This will be an excellent opportunity to simply give the student the mouse and have them work out and explain to everyone what they are doing.

Besides a direct help to the students I can advance a slide from anywhere in the room or I can point to something at the board without having to be at the front of the room.  What a beautiful thing!

My daughter gave me the Logitech M215 wireless mouse for Christmas.  I think it costs about $30.  Although I just searched and found it at TARGET for $15.  Someone else told me that it was on Woot.com for $5 at one time.  As you can see in the picture the USB insert is very small.  I really like that.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Thanks goes out to my Naperville Central Colleagues Flint Collier and Dan Olandese for sharing this tip with me.  I love it!

Best,
Dave

How do you see it helping you?