Beginning of the Year: Routines

This should really have come much earlier and I have talked about routines in the other "Beginning of the Year" blogs, but I felt strongly I should create one with specific suggestions for routines with devices in all classrooms, but most especially the littles.

As a teacher of littles, you have the unique opportunity to set the stage for all of the learning each child will do for their rest of their academic careers and beyond. That's a LOT of pressure! But if we take it a little at a time and set some clear and simple routines, it will pay off for you and your colleagues in the upper grades.

Tip #1: Assign & label devices

This routine will set the stage for EVERYTHING. I cannot express how important it is assign a SPECIFIC device to a SPECIFIC student so they can begin to understand ownership and responsibility. 

Label the device - I prefer numbers as they seem to be easier to recognize and can be used year after year - is an absolute must. The fewer the labels and markings, the better. Less confusion. 

Tip #2: No food or water bottles & clean hands

This should be taken care of and constantly be repeated. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!!! No snacks, no water bottles, and wash hands PRIOR to even thinking about getting devices out. This helps the littles learn about taking care of the computers. They HAVE to be part of this. And the earlier they learn food & drinks don't mix with electronics, the easier it is for you later on.

Tip #3: Getting out & putting back on the cart

This should be practiced from Day 1. No child is "too" little to take part in this. I do strongly recommend taking the time and do this slowly. The teacher (or another adult) should be the one to unplug and replug the charging cord. The ports & plugs are far too important to run the risk of little fingers bending or shoving them together. The ports & plugs aren't the fastest repairs.

I recommend having their computer # written on their desk - this can be a multi-purpose number for their cubby as well - so it's much easier for each student to identify and remember. 

Tip #4: Carrying and handling the device

Call them up one by one and hand them their computer. Remind them to hold them with TWO hands - I like hugging them to their chest - until they return to their desk. Then gently place it on their desk and WAIT for everyone to have theirs. It's tough for these littles ones to be patience, so this is the PERFECT time for them to practice this life skill, too. As the year progresses, you can go backwards, to give a little more of a challenge on number recognition, but also so the end of the alphabet isn't always the last ones.

This is also the perfect time for students to find their login cards.

Tip #5: Logging in

Ideally, your district has made this part super easy for your littles. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Clever QR codes. No need to have mastered spelling or even letter recognition. It's the perfect method to start logging in with the very youngest of learners. If not Clever, follow whatever method your district has provided. STICK TO IT. 

And if you can - try to persuade the powers that be to use the Clever logins. It is AMAZING!

Tip #6: Keep the device closed

As mentioned in Tip #4 - students should wait until everyone has their device and their login cards before anyone opens their computer. Once everyone has their computer & login card, walk through the steps of logging in. Open the device with TWO hands. Depending on your device, give specific instructions. (i.e. Don't touch any buttons - chromebooks will turn on by themselves. OR Push the home button on an iPad or the power button. etc) As much as possible, do NOT touch the devices for the littles. (The earlier they practice doing all the steps, the quicker it will become an independent activity - which IS the goal.) Only touch the device if troubleshooting is needed. We are super quick to "help" but we are really saying when we do it for them is, "Here. Let me do it because you can't." Not a message I want us to be sending to them.

Remember ... they CAN. 

Tip #7: Kid friendly & fun verbiage for keys and ports and more

There are "holes". There are blue buttons. There are squares and arrows and circles galore on our devices. Your littlest ones most likely know colors and shapes - and this is a great time to practice identifying them. As the year progresses, you will see they remember this. The more you practice the more they become comfortable and then you can add in the letters and ultimately the words. Don't shy away from calling icons as they are, but describe the icon, too. 

For example ... if you want them to click on the Google Classroom icon, describe is as a green square, with a yellow border, and a white person on it. If the name of the icon is also listed, you might also draw a capital G and/or C on the board and tell them they will see this, too. 

Make it fun! Treat it like a scavenger hunt. The littles LOVE this!!!