How to Use Elementary Technology Curriculum FAQ

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Technology Lesson Plans and Activities Frequently Asked Questions

Have you been checking out my Technology Lesson Plans and Activities but you have some questions? Have you bought the resource but you're not sure where to start? This post holds the most frequently asked questions and answers (and will be updated as needed) so keep reading!

Would you like to try my K-5 Technology Curriculum for 30 days to see if it is a good fit for your students? Click here and use the code TRYK5TECH1 at checkout to get the first 30 days for just $1!

If you're considering purchasing, read this section:

Question: How does student access work?

Answer: With your purchase you get one class account that all students use to access the lesson pages. Think of this website like a textbook but digital. The username and password’s purpose is to give students access to the textbook. Then from there you (the teacher) still facilitate student progress by letting them know which lesson page to go to and you’ll still collect their finished assignments for assessment.

Question: Love this idea! What platform will the students be using? Are they done in google drive? Like an interactive notebook?

Answer: Thanks for your question! They are on a website I built for my class when I was a technology teacher. The lesson plans and rationale pages are for the teacher (and administrators, right?) and the website is set up to just click and go for the students to complete the activities. Visit it ahead of time at k5technologycurriculum.com to get an idea how it works. You can find several free pages on the Home dropdown menu. If/when you purchase access, you will create a class username and password to access all of the grade level pages.

Over 200 lessons and activities for grades K-5 that will make a great addition to your technology curriculum. These lesson plans and activities will save you so much time coming up with what to do during your computer lab time.

Question: I am interested in purchasing this package. I'm one of your followers and when I looked at the information you shared in your note to us, I saw I can statements. Are these included in what in this bundle?

Answer: Great question! On each lesson plan there are I can statements typed in under the standards. They aren't in poster format in this resource but I do sell the posters separately. So I guess that leaves it up to you whether or not you want to write them on the board yourself or get the pre-made posters. I hope that answered your question. Thanks!

Question: Do these include google apps or MS Office?

Answer: Both! Starting in 1st grade there are lessons to teach excel/sheets, word/docs, and PPT/slides.

You can pick and choose which lessons to do with your students. If you have access to Google Apps but not to MS Office, just skip the MS Office lessons and vice versa.

Question: Can I attach the lessons to Google Classroom?

Answer: No, these lessons do not integrate with Google Classroom in that way. Some teacher will choose to use Google Classroom as a way to collect student assignments in order to grade them, but there isn’t a way to assign one of my lessons in GC.

Question: Is a subscription required in order for some of the lessons to be used?

Answer: Not generally, but it is optional for some activities. If you want to use the lessons for digital passport from common sense media (4th grade) then you will need to make a free teacher account. There are optional "early finisher" activities like Moby Max and discovery education that could be used if you have an account but there are tons of other options if you don't.

Technology Lesson Plans and Activities FAQ

Question: My Kindergarten students only have iPads. Can they do the lessons from an iPad?

Answer: While it is possible, I don’t recommend it. The whole first quarter of lessons for Kindergarten are on mouse skills and navigating a computer. Completing these lessons on an iPad wouldn’t accomplish any of the same standards.

Question: Hello, previously I've noticed your stuff is geared towards pc use...are these Mac friendly lessons?

Answer: Eh, some but not all. From grade 1 up, there is at least one unit in each grade level on MS office products and Google Apps, so if you don't have those programs then you won't be able to use the lessons. The lessons that are web based (keyboarding, research, Internet safety, etc.) would probably be fine. Sorry that doesn't answer it for you, but hopefully now you can make a more informed decision. Thanks for asking before purchasing!

Question: On the last page of the preview you have a page from your tech planning binder. Is the binder included with this?

Answer: No the binder is not included but I used my lesson planning template for all of the lesson plans in this resource. (Why reinvent the wheel when I love the lesson planning page, right?)

Question: How many Licenses do I need to purchase?

Answer: Although most of my resources for sale are meant for one classroom use only, this one has licensing options for school use:

1-5 Users: Purchase one license – Users defined below
6-10 Users: Purchase ONE additional license
11-15 Users: Purchase TWO additional licenses
16-20 Users: Purchase THREE additional licenses

In these instances, “users” means how many “classes of students” these will be used with. If you’re a computer lab teacher and you have four 5th grade classes (for example), the 1-5 users license is perfect for you. If your school has seven 5th grade classes and you’re all going to use these lessons, purchase one license and one additional license.

If you have questions about licensing, please email me before purchasing. If we find that your IP address is using an unusually high amount of server resources we may ask you to purchase an additional license.

Question directly for the 5th grade lesson plans: Are these lessons simple enough they could be used at a Technology Center that students could complete on their own each week or do they need to be "taught" or "teacher guided"?

Answer: The 5th grade lessons require VERY little teacher instruction. Only a few of the lessons require any teacher direction to get started. If you have a few students that could be "tech helpers" for when students get stuck during the lesson then you'd be all set.

Question: I'm looking for a real preview. Can you help with that?

Answer: Would you like to try my K-5 Technology Curriculum for 30 days to see if it is a good fit for your students? Click here and use the code TRYK5TECH1 at checkout to get the first 30 days for just $1!

If you've already purchased, read this section:

Question: What do you think is the best way to share the website links with my students?

Answer: Options- 1. Have the page linked to your school website (or whatever website is the home page when your students open the browser).
2. Make a desktop shortcut on each computer that goes directly to k5technologycurriculum.com.
3. Use a software like Lanschool to push the link out to your students.
4. Bookmark the URL on the browser. *Choose a super easy username and password when you register.

Question: I found a broken link in one of the lessons. Could you please fix it?

Answer: Of course. You know how websites are, changing things around whenever they want. I'm happy to fix it! I set aside time on Tuesdays to do this, so as long as you don't need it tomorrow then you will see the update after Tuesday. Email me info@brittanywashburn to let me know about these links.

Question: It looks like there are only about 35ish lessons for each grade level, but your product description says it is enough to last a year. Am I missing something here?

Answer: Several lessons are units and/or will take more than one week to complete. I've also learned in my experience that each teacher will need some built in weeks to do school-based lessons like teaching students how to use a program, or time when they are kicked out of the lab due to testing and such. These lessons are designed for one 45 minute session each week and should be more than enough to get you through your school year.

Question: My administrator thinks these lesson plans and activities are great and thinks I should share them with the district. I wanted to check with you first because of the licensing. What would we need to do?

Answer: Thank you so much for checking with me and not assuming. The license you purchased is for 1-5 users (classes of students for each grade level), so if you're district is larger than that then it will need to purchase additional licenses. They can reach out to me directly for more information info@brittanywashburn.com

What other questions do you have about these resources?

Let me know in the comments or email me directly. I have also put together this Common Questions page for Teachers.

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21st century digital tools Technology Teacher

Brittany Washburn

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3 Tips for the First Week in Technology

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The first week in the technology lab is so important. Get started on the right track with these 3 tips:

Tip #1: Logins

Your students are going to need to log in to the computer. While it may be tempting to hold of on having them log in the first week, you shouldn't! This procedure is the most important one in your classroom, so they need the consistency from day one.

I always print out my class lists with student log in information because I teach my students how to look up their number without my help. I put a folder on the back counter with all of the lists, separated by day of the week that they come to the lab. Each sheet has the teacher's name at the top and then the list of student names and usernames (no passwords). I encourage students to memorize their usernames and passwords, but some just never get it. By giving them the option to look up their username every week, it takes the stress out of it, and they don't have to bother me to get it.

You at least will need the list in digital format for the first week so that you can look up the login information for the students who do not remember theirs. Since classes change so much in the beginning of the year, I could see the benefit of holding off printing them until things are more settled.

Tip #2: Rules

I'm sure you thought long and hard about what your computer lab rules should be. The first day, your students come in, sit down, and you go over the rules. Then what?

My advice to you is to have your students DO something with the class rules. For example, my older students (grades 4 and 5) make a poster using MS Word or PowerPoint on the first day. They are allowed to play with the fonts, clip art, and borders as long as their finished product has the class rules.

By the way, this makes a great display to show off in the hallway! With my younger students, they draw a picture of the most important rule. 2nd and 3rd graders caption theirs, but K and 1 just draw out a picture representation of which rule they feel is most important. I love to use the ABCYa! Paint tool for this, but you could certainly use a different program or even do it on paper.

Tip #3: Early Finishers

You've planned this amazing first day lesson. Your students are logged in to their accounts and using digital tools! Then, 2-3 kids raise their hand to say they are done, and there are still 15 minutes left before the session ends.

Always have a firm plan for early finishers. I have a page set up on my class website with early finisher activities- websites with learning games. I also have a classroom library with great kids books related to technology themes. I make sure my students know from day one that these are their only two options. No "helping" friends, which is really just a distraction in the computer lab. No bothering me, either. Is that terrible? I like a peaceful classroom where everyone is working hard and knows what to do.

So, now you have three solid tips for starting the year on the right track with your technology students. These are things you can have prepared before the students even start. Did I forget anything crucial? Let me know in the comments.

Looking for some ready-made first week activities? Click here to go to my curriculum website. You can find the free activities on the Home dropdown menu.