How to Use Technology Lesson Plans and Activities FAQ

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!

If you're considering purchasing, read this section:

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.

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. I've also put this website together for an extended preview. 

If you've already purchased, read this section:

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.   

I’d also love to have a “I’m sorry” tab that’s a form I created so they can actually fill it out. Please let me know. I want to respect the work you put into this. I’d be happy to link to your blog and give you credit in any way you want.

Answer:  The answer to your question is an emphatic YES! I used these lessons in my lab for 3 years before I decided to share them with the world. My goal was to make the lives of other technology teachers easier. 

My hope is that every teacher who purchased these lessons use it as a starting point for creating their own custom website and lessons. 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. 

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

Answer: Have you started building a class website yet? I think the easiest way to share the link is on a class website that your students access. You could certainly also share through google classroom if that is how you are set up. If not, they really only need to type the website once and then bookmark it to come back to each session. 

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. 

Question: It looks like there are only about 30ish 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. 

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