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!
This curriculum was created over 3 school years when I had nothing for materials for my technology specials. I was spending my nights and weekends scouring Pinterest and Google for ideas because I knew my students deserved engaging lessons even if I had to do everything from scratch.
I found myself exhausted and frustrated and just knew there had to be an easier way. That is when I discovered the magic of having my own class website and screencasting my instructions. I created a modified-flipped-classroom before I even knew that was a thing. Students were working at their own pace and they stopped asking me to repeat instructions. I felt like I had struck gold!
I tested and perfected the activities with them and now I’ve made them available to you!
SPECIAL OFFER: 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.
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.
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 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?