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!

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.

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: 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: From one busy teacher to another, thank you for all your time and effort in this bundle! I'd like to purchase the bundle, but I'm a bit unclear as to how many extra licenses are required. I am the one and only computer lab teacher, however I see 15 separate classes per week (2 Kdg, 3 first grades, 2 second grades, and so on). I just wanted to be clear on how many licenses I need to purchase so that each section of each grade is able to use these lessons in the computer lab. Thanks in advance!

Answer: Great question and thank you so much for asking before purchasing. Based on your classes you're good to go with one license. It is good for up to 5 of the same grade level of students. I hope it helps and saves you tons of time!

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: In the k-5 bundle there is a sample rationale and lesson plan page. You can also visit k5technologycurriculum.com and preview the sample lessons in the Home dropdown menu. The full table of contents can be found at https://www.k5technologycurriculum.com/learn-more/. 

Question: Would you be adverse to me recreating your website with the pacing/websites that work for my campus. I wouldn’t post your lesson plans themselves at all. Just create a similar site with some of the links you’ve already found as well as make changes so it would be tailored to my school! One example that I can think of is that we use Chrome instead of Internet explorer. I’d love to post my own “Chrome” videos.   

My hope is that every teacher who purchased these lessons use it as a starting point until they feel comfortable and confident as a technology teacher. You know your students and what they need. Just like any resource on TpT, as long as you're using it for your own classroom and not trying to resell my proprietary information, then you have free reign to use the knowledge as you see fit. I do ask that you don't make my stuff publicly accessible beyond your school and the parents of your students (don't post it on social media unless its your own private group).  

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

Let me know in the comments or email me directly. 

Ready to purchase Technology Lesson Plans and Activities?

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. 

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. 

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.