Week 1 lesson plan: Make technology work for you
Set up a comfortable workspace, organize a calendar, and solve everyday device problems.
Learning outcomes
- Change Display Scale, check two apps and restore the original setting.
- Select a headset output and verify it with a test sound.
- Adjust flyer margins and verify a one-page preview before one test print.
- Create a fictional recurring calendar event, check the next occurrence and explain sharing.
- Undo an automatic change and write a useful help request with no secrets.
Prepare the room
Print Missions 1A–1E, the answer guide and paper pre-test backups. Each station needs Edge, Word, a headset and the supplied flyer. Check the lab printer and sound-test page. Calendar work uses an instructor-provided practice account or a paper simulation; no new learner account is required. Restore the original display setting, which may differ from the example’s 100%. Test Netlify collection and confirm the instructor destination before learners arrive. Use Start fresh on this computer to clear your practice draft.
Print the one-page run sheet. Week 1 uses F for fullscreen, N for notes and the six clickable phase buttons; arrows reveal each step. Start at presentation.html#1.
Two-hour teaching plan
| Minutes from start | Phase | Instructor and learner actions |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 (20 min) | Welcome + pre-test · slide 1 | Welcome learners, confirm names, then administer the 20-question pre-test before teaching. Read directions without suggesting answers. Learners review and submit, check the Netlify receipt message, then copy the graded PDF to Britt’s supplied flash drive. Open it from the drive to check name and score, safely eject and return it. Record the score out of 20. Use the parallel paper copy if needed. |
| 20–28 (8 min) | Opening video · slide 2 | Play the captioned teaching video. Let learners connect its examples to a familiar task; pause if needed and keep within this opening block. Transcript and chapters open separately for later replay. |
| 28–36 (8 min) | Warm-up + intro · slides 3–5 | Invite a useful skill and an everyday problem from each learner. Introduce Frank’s story and the five missions. Explain the routine: Tell, Show, Do, Review. |
| 36–51 (15 min) | Cycle A: readable text · slides 6–9 | Tell: distinguish browser zoom from Display Scale. Show: step the on-screen Settings demo. Do: every learner completes Mission 1A, comparing two apps. Review: demonstrate the change and restore the original recommended scale. |
| 51–63 (12 min) | Cycle B: sound · slides 10–13 | Tell: output chooses where sound plays. Show: step the headset demo. Do: every learner completes Mission 1B with the supplied sound-test page at comfortable volume. Review: confirm sound in the chosen device, then restore it. |
| 63–78 (15 min) | Cycle C: printing · slides 14–17 | Tell: preview before printing. Show: the flyer changes from two pages to one after margin adjustment. Do: Mission 1C using Community Supper Flyer.docx. Review: check one page, correct printer and one test copy; if printing is unavailable, record preview evidence as simulated. |
| 78–93 (15 min) | Cycle D: calendar · slides 18–21 | Tell: a useful recurring event has a title, time and reminder. Show: create it, check next week, and explain safe sharing. Do: Mission 1D in an instructor-provided practice account, or draw the same fields and next occurrence on paper. Use only approved practice recipients. Review: verify the series and explain what an invite shares versus free/busy. |
| 93–108 (15 min) | Cycle E: undo + help · slides 22–26 | Tell: automatic changes can be checked and undone; name the app, task, attempts and message when asking for help. Show: step the Word demonstration. Do: every learner completes Mission 1E. Review: undo successfully and have a partner check the four useful help details; never include a password. |
| 108–120 (12 min) | Apply + close · slides 27–28 | Each learner chooses a take-home task and explains how to check and undo it. Finish any mission needing a prompt, collect worksheets and mark Independent, With prompt or Needs practice. Restore settings, confirm saved PDFs or paper results, then use Start fresh on this computer. |
Lab quick card: Windows 11
Click-by-click steps for this week’s tasks in Windows 11 with Microsoft Edge. If your screen looks different, ask your instructor.
| To do this | Steps |
|---|---|
| Zoom a webpage | Press Ctrl and + to zoom in, Ctrl and - to zoom out, and Ctrl and 0 to reset. Or open the browser menu (··· in Edge, ⋮ in Chrome) and use Zoom. |
| Make everything bigger | Start › Settings › System › Display. Under Scale & layout, choose a size from Scale. |
| Make only text bigger | Start › Settings › Accessibility › Text size. Drag the slider, then select Apply. |
| Choose the sound output | Select the speaker icon on the taskbar, then the arrow next to the volume slider, and choose the headset. Or Start › Settings › System › Sound › Output. |
| Mute or unmute | Select the speaker icon on the taskbar, then the speaker symbol at the left of the volume slider. |
| Screen brightness | Desktop monitor: use the buttons on the monitor. Laptop: select the sound or battery icon on the taskbar to open Quick Settings, then drag Brightness. |
| Easier-to-read colors | Start › Settings › Accessibility › Contrast themes. Choose a theme, then select Apply. |
| Browser downloads and site permissions | Open Settings from the browser menu (··· in Edge, ⋮ in Chrome), then type downloads or permissions in the Search settings box. |
| Check a printer and its queue | Start › Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Open print queue. Pick your printer from the Printers menu in that window. |
| Set a default printer | In Printers & scanners, turn off Let Windows manage my default printer, then select Set as default next to the printer’s name. |
| Print preview | Press Ctrl and P. Check Printer, Pages, Copies and Layout before you select Print. |
| Share free/busy only | Outlook.com: Calendar › Share › enter the person’s email › Can view when I’m busy. Google Calendar: Settings › Settings for my calendars › your calendar › Share with specific people or groups › See only free/busy (hide details). |
| Undo an autocorrect change in Word | Type teh and a space; Word changes it to the. Press Ctrl and Z right away to undo. Settings: File › Options › Proofing › AutoCorrect Options. |
Using the demonstrations and video
The Mission Control Show slides are the primary classroom demonstrations. Advance them step by step; nothing auto-advances. The captioned video and transcript open on slide 2 after the pre-test, within the scheduled eight-minute video block. Later chapter replay is optional; do not add a second full viewing to the two-hour plan.
Facilitation and access
Demonstrate slowly, then let learners try. Offer keyboard and mouse paths, captions and the written transcript. Print large copies if needed. Every learner works at their own workstation; a partner coaches but does not take over. Provide extra practice time without requiring learners to disclose a disability.
Evidence to collect
Collect the 20-point pre-test record and Missions 1A–1E. For each mission, observe the Point B result, check the learner’s explanation and note Independent, With prompt or Needs practice. Label paper/calendar or print-preview substitutes as simulated; they do not prove live account or printer operation.
Feedback and differentiation
Ask the learner to explain a choice and demonstrate the result. Mark Independent, With prompt, or Needs practice. Re-model only the missing step. For faster learners, ask them to test an edge case or explain an alternative; do not add unrelated tasks.
Materials and answers
Alignment
GS6 Level 2 objective groups: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.3. The final week is a VUB extension.