First - just like with devices - there is no right or wrong on this. We are providing suggestions and tips on what has worked for us and our groups of students and we believe it will work for you ... but be mindful of your students and the rules for your school/district.
Tip #1: Trackpads or mice?
Often, adults project their preferences onto students. Before you decide, take a step back and look at your devices from your student's perspective.
"Most" of the time, school is going to be the first experience with a computer. They've had plenty of touchscreen experience with tablets and parent phones at this point ... for sure! A computer most likely will be brand new.
Our advice is simple ... if your trackpads work, USE them. Skip the mice. Period. Mice are one more thing to plug in, one more thing to keep track of, one more thing to untangle, one more thing to break, one more thing to teach how to use .... just skip it. Save yourself this headache.
BUT ... if you want them to use a mouse, you HAVE to teach them how. How to plug it in, how to hold it in their hand, how to use the roller ball or wheel, how to right/left click, keeping in mind it will be different based on right/left handers, and so on. And if you've bought a mouse recently, you'll remember there are so many different kinds .... you can specify which to purchase, but that's not a guarantee, so be prepared to help with many different mice.
Mice are great to introduce around 2nd grade, when students have mastered far more of the actual device.
Don't forget to have your kiddos keep their hands clean when using trackpads, too - and definitely NO food or drinks!
Tip #2: What if I have touchscreens?
Touchscreens have their place for sure. Your students most likely have been using their parents phones or a tablet of some sort for awhile now, so touchscreens won't be a large jump. Just keep in mind their fingers WILL gunk up the screen if you don't build the routines of no food and washing & drying hands before using them.
Something else to be cautious of with touchscreens - especially when they can be folded to act more as a tablet - make sure students close them properly so they don't scratch or damage the screens when tucking them into the cart.
If you have touchscreens, mice are even less necessary!
Tip #3: HEADPHONES
These are a MUST have, but also can be a pain in the rear. There's no getting around it. Your kiddos have to have headphones. If you can eliminate the mouse, this is 100% doable. The headphone port is easy to locate and easy for the kiddos to insert and remove.
Tip #4: Headphone Warning ***potential breakage***
Teach them to keep their device closed as they insert the headphone jack and close it before removing. It will help lessen the breakage of the jack in the port.
IF the jack breaks off in the device, I have found a mostly successful method of removing with additional damage. Using the inside of a Bic pen (yes, the part that has the ink), firmly press it into the port until you feel it snap onto the broken piece. Gently remove it. Voilá!
P.S. I can't take credit ... my media manager friend, Diana found this and tried it out! We've successfully removed several using this method. Pass this tip on to your tech people; let them do this; that way, if something does happen, it's not on you.
Tip #5: Believe your students CAN.
You might not think your students will master a trackpad (or mouse or headphones), but take a deep breath and remember ... THEY CAN. And they WILL. You don't expect them to read chapters books by Thanksgiving, right? They don't need to be trackpad experts by then.
Littles CAN and WILL use technology ... but how well? That's up to you. Talking with your grade level and future year teachers will also pay off if you can all agree to the same rules, procedures, and routines.
We have found there is very few things the "littles" can't do with devices. Give the proper time, patience, and scaffolding, and they CAN accomplish it!
Do you have suggestions on trackpads versus mice? Or headphones?
Please let us know how it went with your students -- Did you leave it as is? Did you modify it? Leave a comment below or tag us on social media.
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