TECH TIPS
We'll break this down for you. Touch typing, digital citizenship, document formatting, the works.
We won't hand it all to you on a silver platter, but my smart students have figured out a few tricks to make learning these skills and ideas a tiny bit easier. So listen to their wisdom:
Get to Know Your Desktop
Kids orient themselves pretty quickly to the computer desktop, with its shortcuts, apps, and start menu. Consider helping to teach them how to make a folder to organize the apps and shortcuts they use the most. See if you can help them learn the difference between programs like Microsoft Word and those icons that are actually shortcuts that send you to somewhere on the internet. In this world of apps, it can be confusing for them to figure out the difference.
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Reviewing the history of computers and other techology, like the typewriter, helps kids to understand and appreciate the technology they have today.
Entering the World of Touch Typing
When children are first transitioning from tablets to desktop computers, things can be a little strange. After realizing that not all computers have a touch screen, The first step is to become familiar with devices like the keyboard. It can be confusing at times-- for example, when you type a key that shows a capital letter (eg. ALL of the letter keys on any given keyboard,) why does it show on the screen in lowercase? These are just some of the questions that can be answered through some fun keyboard-orientation activities such as the following games, which we LOVE:
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Jump Key (from ABCya.com)
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Keyboard Climber (from TVOkids.com)
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Keyboard Challenge (from ABCya.com)
As soon as your child gets used to the keyboard and functions of basic command keys, such as Shift, Backspace and Enter, move forward with teaching them the skills of touch typing. Students as young as 1st or 2nd grade can get the hang of this with a little practice and some one-on-one help from you. Start here for a FANTASTIC free program based out of the UK: Dance Mat Typing.
The next step is to move to a program that can further their knowledge, and give them the ability to track their progress. We like Typing.com -- and it's free!
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Exploring Basic Programs
​​Word Processing
Learning basic word formatting and processing is equivalent to a survival skill for kids in any kind of educational world. Besides understanding keyboard functions, we've found shortcuts (like CTRL+Z) can be fun and helpful for kids. The younger ones benefit greatly from learning how to copy and paste, insert graphics, and change fonts and styles of lettering. The older kids are ready for learning more about margins, columns, page orientation, and proofreading. All of these skills will help them succeed in their education.

Presentation Programs
​Making slide shows is exciting for kids of all ages. It's the next best thing to making a video, and the skills used in doing so are applicable to all other common programs used today. Here is a fun example made by a group of 4th graders.
Spreadsheets
​Especially as kids get older, they find that their education involves more and more information, deadlines, and ideas that need to be organized. Teaching kids how to format their own spreadsheets for organizing information can be empowering -- and fun! Check out this fun introduction to the world of Excel through a spreadsheet Battleship game.
Google Drive
​We use a LOT of Google Drive at our school. With the automatic save function, the ease of sharing documents for collaboration and peer editing, and the universal structure of the page and its tabs and icons make Google Drive perfect for an educational setting. However, these programs may differ from their counterparts on the desktop. It's worth learning both kinds of programs, but I generally find that kids 4th grade and up tend to capture the idea of Google Drive a little more easily than the younger crowd.
