Tech+Planning+Guide

 DPS Proposed Technology Planning Guide by Stephanie Winiecki, M. Ed

Early this past school year, it had come to my attention that DPS does not have an easily discernable planning guide specifically for Technology. After speaking with technology teachers throughout the district, it became highly apparent that there was little or no cohesion as to what was being taught throughout the elementary and middle schools.

During the September ILT, I pitched an idea to create a unified planning guide specific to technology, align to core curriculum, and also adhere to 21st Century standards. Valentin Petrov of Lowry Elementary and Janice Pacheco of Skinner Middle School liked this idea and offered to work on this project together; we created a PDU called Denver Tech.

We agreed that the first step in the process of creating a curriculum map, or planning guide, as I will further call it, was to create our personal curriculum maps that we adhere to within our schools. We did this so that we could get an idea of what was being taught in the district at different schools.

We spent the better part of September through November creating our own planning guides and meeting to discuss the commonalities and differences. Once we completed this task, the next step was to look at core curriculum and standards to determine what was necessary to be taught at each grade level.

I began devising this planning guide by first studying every planning guide associated with DPS that I could get my hands on. Listed below are planning guides that I used to align the technology guide: § K-5 Social Studies § ECE – 5 Literacy § K-8 “Everyday Math” § K-12 Science § 6-8 Technology § 6-8 “Spring Board,” Lang Arts

There has been much conversation in the last couple of years pertaining to the ELD requirements and how they take precedence over science and social studies. It was recently explained to me that “Science and Social Studies are not on CSAP, therefore they are not a priority.” Upon hearing this information I asked my principal to confirm the validity of this information and it was stated that it is true; ECE – 3 students are lacking a majority of science curriculum and 4-5 are lacking in social studies curriculum.

Teaching technology allows for very versatile topics to be integrated with in the curriculum. You can teach the formatting of a document while processing a report on “Life Cycles.” Should this planning guide be enforced it will require that all technology teachers create new curriculum, while increasing communication and working relationships between the technology teachers and the core teachers.

Those schools that do not have technology teachers will now have a planning guide for technology that core curriculum teachers could reference to see what their students should be able to do at a certain grade level, or rather what may need to be taught in specific grade levels. I could even go further and offer sample lesson plans that specifically follow this planning guide.

After learning that 4th and 5th graders needed social studies lessons I decided that while I was teaching presentation software they would present on different states and regions of the US. This is a required Social Studies unit in 4th grade and a wonderful review for the 5th grade. Thus the students would be adhering to both the technology requirements (as stated by DPS Media & Techonology Matrix) while obtaining a lesson in Social Studies/Geography (as stated in the K-5 Social Studies Units Planning Guide). The same concept works for ECE – 3; these students need to begin working on Word Processing, so the students and I type using science vocabulary words in sentences and paragraphs in a variety of different formats, all done in Microsoft Word. Once the students reach 3rd grade we engage in Interenet research scavenger hunts where they study “Things in the Sky” & “Life Cycles." Once the research is complete we create Power Point presentations and each student presents their findings. This fulfills the presentation requirement of the technology planning guide, as well the 3rd grade science requirement.

Throughout the year I have met with teachers in different grades to observe whether the teachers were adhering to the planning guides. It was vital to this project that the teachers were staying on task and completing the requirements of core planning guides. After speaking with multiple teachers at Farrell B. Howell it was found that the majority, if not all, were adhering to the requirements of the planning guides.

It was also necessary to have conversations with the teachers concerning Internet and software usage in their individual classrooms. I wanted to know what computer technology was being used outside of my classroom in conjecture with lessons and units. What I learned was astounding. It was my assumption that students were using computers almost daily in a multitude of classes. This was and is not the case, and most computer usage consists of students visiting [|www.coolmathgames.com] and [|www.ALEKS.com].

“Colorado’s description of 21st century skills is a synthesis of the essential abilities that students must apply in our fast changing world. These essential skills are: · Critical thinking and reasoning (For example, but not limited to: problem solving, analysis, logic, cause/effect) · Information Literacy (For example, but not limited to: knowledge acquisition, source discernment, systems management) · Collaboration (For example, but not limited to: synergy, team resourcing, social skills, leadership) · Self- direction (For exmample but not limited to: Adaptability, initiative, personal responsibility, work ethics, self-advocacy) · Invention (For example, but not limited to: creativity, innovation, integration of ideas)

While ALEKS (**A**ssessment and **LE**arning in **K**nowledge **S**paces) has proven to be very beneficial is the realm of mathematics and is used by millions around the world, it meets very little of the 21st century skill requirements.

In the younger grades computer technology instruction is predominately left up to the technology teacher and/or the librarian. Multiple teachers reward their students with [|www.pbskids.com], [|www.funbrain.com], [|www.bookflixs.com] or [|www.starfall.com]. Where as these websites promote on-line learning, hand-eye coordination, and web navigation, these websites are not instructing the students of the basic functions associated with computing. Yet, both ECE and Kindergarten are highly capable of word processing in Microsoft Word and learning to alphabetically key with both hands. After working with my students in both ECE and Kinder, I have 1st graders who are fully capable of typing a word document without looking at their fingers while keeping them on home-row.

In conclusion, their needs to be uniformity and consistency with in the technology curriculum in DPS; hence why I have found the need to create a planning guide. This planning guide is not only aligned to DPS planning guides but state and national standards.