Week 1 Assignment, Part 4 – Technology Applications TEKS Summary

PreK Technology Applications TEKS
PreK Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) encourage students to expand their skills in acquisition of information, problem solving, and communication. The end of year outcomes for prekindergarten students highlights the importance of student control over a variety of technology devices. The student is expected to operate a variety software programs to reinforce concepts and to express own ideas. The student is also expected to use a variety of input sources, including both the keyboard and mouse, and to operate sound recording devices, such as CD players, appropriately. Finally, the student is expected to understand that information is available through the use of technology and to learn new information through interactions with technology.

The PreK Technology Applications TEKS lay the groundwork for students in future grades by familiarizing them with the basic operations of available technology. Exposure in prekindergarten provides experience with technology as a learning tool to enhance and enrich the curriculum. The development of basic skills for students who may or may not have access to computers in their own homes allows the students to be familiar with technology that will probably be available in their kindergarten classrooms.

Technology Applications TEKS
The Technology Applications TEKS are a dynamic and scaffolding curriculum. This means that the curriculum provides more support to students in the early stages of learning followed by opportunities to practice skills with greater independence and responsibility. By gradually removing the amount of support provided, students become more independent and promote their own learning and growth. This is the case with the Technology Applications TEKS as students move from kindergarten through the elementary grades to eighth grade. Skills are introduced and support is provided until students reach the higher levels of mastery.

An example of this is shown in the Information Acquisition strand of the Technology Applications TEKS. The fifth skill states that the student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (A) acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics, and (B) use on-line help. These skills are introduced in prekindergarten and kindergarten with additional instruction and exposure in first grade. Students are expected to be at a more advanced level by second grade and continue at this level through third, fourth, and fifth grades. A similar expectation is found under the next objective which states that the student evaluates the acquired electronic information. The student is expected to: (A) determine the success of strategies used to acquire electronic information, and (B) determine the usefulness and appropriateness of digital information. Once again, these are skills introduced in prekindergarten and kindergarten. Students are expected to be at more advanced levels by first and second grade. As students continue through third, fourth, and fifth grades they are expected to continue to advance until they have reached levels of mastery in fifth grade. These two TEKS are just two examples of how the levels of mastery increase as the skills are introduced and reinforced. The skills only change slightly as student progress through their education but the levels of expectation increase. Students are not expected to master an objective the first year it is introduced.