Kristen, You should incorporate technology rather than teach it as a subject, although I do take my kindergarten students to the computer lab every two weeks. Our school purchased Scholastic Keys which is very user friendly for grades k-2. Also, use the cheap software that you can find at TJMaxx or Ross and use it as a literacy workstation. There are books about literacy workstations and if you have a 90 minutes language block they are wonderful. My students use the overhead projector, the computers and alphasmarts in literacy workstations. There are also some great websites for students to use for literacy - this can be one of your workstations. Our district also purchased Letter Island which is wonderful for young students, especially students who are ESOL or without preschool experience. Email me at ozgirl@epals.com if you want to chat some more. Cheers Janine McGrath

Hi Kristen, My name is Yolanda Rawls-James and I have been teaching for 8 years. I am currently working as the technology teacher at Taylors Creek Elementary in Hinesville, Georgia. I service students in K-5th grades. You are right. It is difficult to incorporate technology into Kindergarten classrooms, but not impossible. I would suggest you create a slideshow using the letters of the alphabet to introduce and review their ABC's. You can use Hyperstudio to do this(or PowerPoint) and add buttons at the bottom of each page so they can begin using the mouse to "click" on the identified area. I am using technology to teach the Dolch Sight Word List, intoduction to adding, shapes and colors. I hope this helps! Good Luck and if you need any websites email me.

Hi, besides kidpix there are many free on-line games/software for every grade level. Try iknowthat.com, eduplace.com, kidsplaypark.com, abc.net.au, prongo.com, edzone.net, aolatschool.com - just to name a few. Good luck!

Hey, Kristen, In our K program in my computer lab, we concentrate on basic hand-eye work relating to things going on in the classroom. We LOVE uptoten.com, particularly it's featured boowakwala.com, which, though more and more rife with income-generating pop-ups, contains a wealth of kind, slow-paced, cheerful Flash activities and games that reinforce most of what the K teachers are working on: cardinal and ordinal numbers, colors, direction, etc.--while getting the K kids accustomed to how a mouse works and how a browser (they have their own "browser" interface at the site). See http://usn.webliographer.com/USN/lower/ for a whole bunch of stuff. Good luck! Scott

Kristen, Kid Pix is a great way to get Kinder students using technology. Our students make books using Kid Pix. Each student makes a page and they are all put together to make a book. Some examples are: the alphabet, numbers, favorite animal at the zoo, pets, etc. One teacher lets the students check one of their classroom books over the weekend to share with their parents. They check a different book out each weekend until they have shared them all! The students love this program and it teaches them how to use a mouse, click and drag, and many other things. Good luck, Erin Marshall, CIT Woodlawn Elementary San Antonio, TX

I'm a Tech Director at a small K-12 school. K-3 students are rotated through the elementary lab every 4th week (other rotations are the library, art, health, and gym). Start-up work for these students is usually a Kidspiration activity (letter recognition, colors, shapes, etc.). Kidspiration is excellent for assessment as well as a tool to enhance classroom participation. There are hundreds of templates on the web. If your computers are one of your "work centers" that students rotate through, there are a number of inexpensive software packages (Cat in the Hat, Arthur, etc.) that students can work on independently or in pairs. These activities help with letter recognition and reading while giving students practice using the mouse and becoming familiar with the keyboard. You should also teach your students simple computer technology terms and establish computer usage rules for them to follow (i.e. never push the power button). ;>) Students love to have their work displayed. Have them do an art project on 8x11" paper. Scan or photograph the artwork with a digital camera and throw it into PowerPoint or Kidspiration. You have some great entertainment for parents waiting to see you during parent-teacher conference. If your school has a web site, the PowerPoint show can be put on the web. Remember that technology encompasses far more than computers. Be sure that students understand that computers are just one of many tools they will use to help them learn and express themselves. Brenda

Kristen, I teach kindergarten in Southern California. In my classroom I teach the children how to use Kid Pix. I allow them to explore the software. I then teach them how to draw with the pencil and change the size and color of the pencil. I then show them how to add text to the picture tha they have drawn. I explain to the students that this is like an electronic journal. I do not print all of them. When I do I print them I print them half size. For math, I later show them how to use the stamps and change the size of stamps. I then show them how to make circles and they may stamp a certain number of stamps and stamp in the numeral. I later show them how to make a table so that they may develop graphs. I hope this helps. Alicia

Hi, my name is Kristen and this is my first year teaching Kindergarten. I was reading some of the other messages regarding how to incorporate technology in the classroom. My only problem is that I have a hard time relating some of it to 5 year olds. Does anyone have any good ideas on using technology in a Kindergarten classroom? I would appreciate your help. Kristen