Tips for Taking the Littles to the Lab

Our school has a computer lab where kindergarten students are expected to log in on their own with a a six digit student number. This is crazy since most of them cannot even read numbers and have never touched a mouse (the one used for technology) in their lives. What does a teacher do to hold on to her sanity, which is slowly slipping away?  Create a scaffold.
This works for me so don't go insane yet... there is hope.
First, I make a card for each student with their first and last name and their student ID#. I pop this up pretty big so they can see it with ease!  The number is placed in a grid so younger students have an easier time tracking it with their young eyes.  On the right side is the computer they are assigned to. Once they learn where to go you will love that they just come into the room and sit down quietly. Okay, that was a lie. This can all be done in Power Point or Publisher.

Notice that I have a boy or girl graph on the left side. I recommend changing that to a photo of each student to make this easier for buddies, (I am getting to that) the lab tech, and your poor sub who has to do this.

Are you with me so far? Once you have all your names listed in alphabetical order (by first name) with your student ID#s you are now ready to laminate. I prefer home lamination since it is thicker but do what works for you. Now cut all your cards apart and stack them. Mine even have a title card because that helps me know what I am grabbing. Here are a few extra cards I make. I also have a card with all my passwords needed for this lab! Old brain... 

Once you have all the cards you need and a few extras for new kiddos it is time to punch a hole in them and put them on a ring so you can find them! Right? I punch them in the upper left-hand corner and then use a ring to hole them all together. Does this make sense? 

Here are some pictures in "real life" of what they actually look like.

Why do you line them up by first name?

This is far easier to remember for you and your students! 

You can do this before you head for the lab.

Why do you assign them to a computer?

They know exactly where to go and it makes this process more systematic.

How do they learn how to log in with a million numbers to learn?

At the beginning I use 5th grade buddies who stand behind them and gently guide them.

Do you have them memorize their number?

Yes. I make this part of their HW and parents help them to learn this. It takes time for many children to achieve this. It is also their lunch number.

Here is a sample of what I send home:

I hope this has helped you organize your students for the computer lab. My students go there twice a week and  must also take certain assessments. This is a lot of screen time. Let me know if this helps you.

Do you want your own copy to use? Head for my FB page and grab my "fan freebie". You can edit this for your own class.