Technology Lesson Plans and Activities Frequently Asked Questions

Have you been checking out my Elementary Technology Curriculum 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 first created out of necessity. I landed a job as a K-5 technology teacher but was provided absolutely nothing for materials for my technology specials. I was spending my nights and weekends scouring Pinterest and Google for ideas. 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 developed a full ISTE Standards curriculum, tested and perfected the activities with my students, 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:

This k5tech.net Elementary Technology Curriculum includes over 200 lessons and activities for grades K-5 that will save you so much time coming up with what to do in the computer lab.

It is ideal for a technology teacher, media specialist, tech facilitator, or grade level teachers with mandatory lab time. All of the work is done for you!

This is for you if:

You want students who can log in, navigate a website, access any programs, type efficiently, and use technology to learn.
You want students who are confident in using the technology required for standardized testing.
You have limited time– in one 45 minute session per week, your students can develop technology literacy while completing engaging projects.
You need it to be nearly effortless for YOU and fun for your students.

Skills Addressed:

Computer Basics and procedures
Mouse/Trackpad skills
Keyboarding (Typing skills)
Digital Citizenship & Internet Safety
Online Research Skills
Creativity with Tech Tools
Software Programs (Both Google Apps and Microsoft Office)
Coding (Computer Science)

WHAT YOU NEED IN ORDER TO USE THIS CURRICULUM:

A way to share the link with students. The Subscription includes an Auto Login URL for students. Simply share the URL with students and it logs them in automatically. Great for little ones! *Cookies must be enabled on your student devices for this to work.
Laptops or desktops are ideal (PC or Chromebooks).
There are YouTube and Vimeo videos to supplement the lessons. If you don’t have access to Vimeo or YouTube, you can accomplish the same objective by doing a demonstration yourself.
Student instructional videos are embedded into the site via my Vimeo account. You may need to ask your school or district to whitelist Vimeo.
Access to either Google Apps or Microsoft Software programs for students.
Up to date web browser. All lessons have been tested in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari (desktop versions).

There are several sample lesson pages you can look at to see how it all works:

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

As you can see, there is a combination of digital activities built right onto the pages and external links.

Easy access for even your youngest students!

Everything is set up for you!

Directions, screencasts, early finisher activities, everything your students need to be successful with just an intro or demo from you!

Kindergarten:

Mouse/ Trackpad Skills
Parts of a Computer
Navigating a Device for Learning
Keyboard Arrows
Keyboard Letters and Numbers
Math and ELA Digital Activities (to practice the mouse and keyboard)
Internet Safety

1st Grade:

Mouse/ Trackpad Skills
Parts of a Computer
Navigating a device
Keyboard
Internet Safety
Computer Skills
Word / Docs

2nd Grade:

Keyboarding
Computer Vocabulary
Internet Safety
Hour of Code
Creation Tools
PowerPoint / Google Slides
Word / Docs

3rd Grade:

Internet Safety
Word /Docs
PowerPoint / Google Slides
Excel / Google Sheets
Internet Search
Typing

4th Grade:

Online Research skills
PowerPoint / Google Slides
Coding
Computer Vocabulary
Word processing and Typing
Internet Safety
Google Sheets/ Excel

5th Grade:

Creativity tools
Research skills and practice
Internet Safety Research Project
Word processing and Typing
Coding
PowerPoint / Google Slides
Spreadsheet Software

This curriculum is very low prep!

Think of the website like a textbook but digital. The username and password’s purpose is to give students access to the whole textbook. Then from there you (the teacher) facilitate student progress by letting them know which lesson page to go to each session. Once students finish the lesson activities, you’ll look over and/or collect their finished assignments for assessment.

The website does not collect any student data (to comply with COPPA laws). That means you’ll need to track their progress. I’ve provided a spreadsheet you can use to check off the lessons as you go.

You’ll need a way to collect student work templates when they’re finished. Using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Seesaw, Schoology, etc. makes collecting the work very easy.

Each lesson plan has an idea for an exit slip or proof of learning. If you need standardized assessments, they can be purchased as an add on: https://brittanywashburn.com/product/technology-assessments-all-24-budnle-of-print-and-digital/

The website is designed to teach technology skills.

I built the navigation experience and each lesson page with intention to cover as many ISTE Standards as possible.
Students use the menu to find their lesson for each class period, which teaches them how to navigate a website.
The lesson pages include videos, downloads, hyperlinks, interactive content, and experiences like opening an activity in a new tab to enable students to practice all of these technology skills.
Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade have a numbered page (pictured below) that they use instead of the dropdown menu to get to their lessons. I aim to make the website age-appropriate while also challenging students to work on tech skills during each session.

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: The activities are hosted on my website and students log in with the class account. 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 Samples 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: 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: Some teachers 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 automatically assign one of my lessons in GC.

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: If your students have access to either MS Office Programs or Google Apps then this curriculum can still work for you. 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 because I’ve included screencast instructions for students to watch. 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 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!

Why is this a subscription?

One of the main benefits of this curriculum being a subscription is that it enables me to continue updating and improving it.

Every year I add new content and update existing content. As long as you’re subscribed, you’ll receive all updates instantly.

Subscription Renewal:

You have complete control over your subscription from your account. If you’re not sure if this will be a good fit for you then I recommend subscribing to the monthly billing option. You can cancel it before the next renewal if needed.

I have a feeling you’ll want to stay subscribed the whole time you teach technology. The subscriptions renew automatically so you never have to worry about losing access (unless something happens like your card is declined during the renewal attempt).

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: The license covers one teacher working in one building. If your district would like to use this for multiple elementary schools then they can purchase one license per school. Someone from the district purchasing department can reach out to me directly for more information info@brittanywashburn.com