Teaching Elementary Students How To Use the Kindle Fire

Now that I have four Kindle Fires in my classroom for my students to use, I had to decide on how I would introduce the devices.

The introduction part was fun for me. The first day I had the new Kindle Fires in my classroom, I covered the area with bulletin board butcher paper so the students couldn't see them. Then I put a sign on the area, saying "Exciting News: You'll Be Fired Up!" When my students entered the classroom they were abuzz knowing that we had "test run" a Kindle Fire the week before. After attendance, I asked my students what they thought was under there, and most said another Kindle Fire. When I removed the paper, and there were four devices, loud cheers and applause erupted! I couldn't wait to have them get their hands on the Kindles!

But before I turned my students loose with the Kindle Fires, we had to set up some ground rules. See the picture below for what we discussed on the first day.

After our discussion, it was time to discuss how to operate a Kindle Fire. I have a document camera in my classroom so I was able to put the device under the camera and walk them through the following steps:

#1. Turn the power on by pushing in the little button on the bottom.
#2. When the screen loads, slide your finger across the yellow bar and the main screen will appear (see below for an example of the main screen).

#3. Click on the word "Books" on the top tabs. A bookshelf with books will appear.

#4. You can move your finger up and down to see all the books. When you find a book, click on the cover with your finger. The book will load and a page from the book will be shown like the one below.

#5. To move to the next page, simply slide your finger over the device like you would turn a page. The next page would appear.
#6. If you wanted to go back to the bookshelf, simply tap at the bottom middle of the page, and the below screen would appear.

#7. From this screen, you could click the back arrow to go back to the previous page, or click the home icon. The home icon would take you back to the bookshelf.
#8. When your time is up, remember to turn off the device and return it to the same location where it was taken from the room.

These were the simple directions I gave the students on the first day to get my class started. It was a successful first day, and I look forward to learning more as we continue to explore the educational uses of the Kindle Fire in my classroom.


Stay tuned for future blog posts about the Kindle Fire and how I am using it in my classroom.
 
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