Technology Literacy and the K-12 Curriculum Cynthia S. Hood Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology Cinaptus2/27/04

Overview  What is technology literacy?  Why is it important?  Relationship to K-12 curriculum?  Common ground  My experiences  Summary

Technology  A large, ever-growing set of human- made tools to help us solve life’s problems  Our focus is on computing technology

Technology Literacy “An understanding of the nature and history of technology, a basic hands- on capability related to technology, and an ability to think critically about technological development” –Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology

Note  Use of technology is only part of literacy BUT most of effort to date has focused on this  Use of technology and understanding of technology concepts are NOT the same

Why does everyone need to be technology literate?  Technology is becoming increasingly pervasive in our society and touches almost all aspects of our lives in some way  Participation in society will become increasingly difficult for those who are not technology literate

More Specifically….  Decision-making –Voting citizens –Workplace –At home  Workplace –Technology jobs –Technology as problem-solving tool in non-technical jobs

Digital Divide  Gap between those who can benefit from technology and those who can’t –Access to information –Economics  Lack of diversity in technology fields

Societal Benefits  Tremendous growth over last 20 years  Many open issues –Role of technology  Education  Government  Medicine  Etc. –Regulation of technology –Risks of technology  Much work to be done!

Technical Benefits  More diverse workforce –Women –Minorities  Technology designed for the masses instead of technologists –Better for all –Close the gap

I believe it’s important But what can we do?

Demystify Technology  Comfortable Use –Confident troubleshooting  Basic Concepts –Concepts hold through change  Positive Role Models

Perception Technologists K-12 Teachers

Reality Knows technology Knows curriculum, pedagogy

We Need a Partnership Common ground

How to find common ground?  Fundamental piece is problem- solving  We all do it all the time  Teachers are amazing real-time problem solvers!!

Technology Concepts  Most technology concepts not unique to technology –Everyday life –Classroom management –Curriculum  Many of these concepts already taught explicitly or implicitly

Making the Connections

Some Key Computing Concepts  Algorithm/Computer Program/ Software  Operating systems  Protocols  Fault management

Algorithm/Computer Program/ Software Technical “A detailed sequence of actions to perform to accomplish some task” –Free On-line Dictionary of Computing Everyday/Classroom  Instructions to….  Expository writing

Example of Hands-On Activity to Illustrate Concept  Programs to build lego creations  Human “computers” execute programs  Build programs from legos

Operating System Technical  Software that coordinates computing activities –Scheduling –Resource allocation –Communication from peripherals  Windows XP, Windows 2000, MacOS, Linux Everyday/Classroom  Coordinator –Teacher in classroom –Mom/Dad at home  Scheduling  Interrupts

Scheduling  When to do homework? –Time constraints  Get home at 4pm  Bed at 9:30pm  Dinner at 6pm –Must do  HW  Chores  Eat –Want to  Play outside with friends Math Sheet Spelling Study for Science test How long will each task take?

Interrupts Technical  Peripherals (keyboard, mouse, etc.) communicate with operating system through interrupts –Mouse click or keyboard stroke immediately recognized Classroom  Fire alarm –Everyone must stop what they are doing and head outside –Upon return, everyone picks up where they left off

Another Interrupt Example  Student doing homework  Receive Instant Message (IM) from friend  Go back to homework

Protocol Technical  A set of rules that allows systems to communicate –Ethernet –TCP –IP Everyday/Classroom  Mailing letters  Classroom rules –Library passes –Talking in class  Students raise hands when want to talk  Teacher chooses student

Classroom Communication Protocol Design  Design Issues –How should teacher choose student to talk?  First hand up  Closest student  Random choice  Etc. –How long can each student talk?  Evaluation of design –Does it work  When wouldn’t it work? –Is it fair?  Do all students get chance to communicate?

One person talks at a time  Sharing the air –Talking –Cellular phones –Wireless networks  Sharing the wire –Ethernet

Fault Management Technical  Keeping networked computer systems running properly under a variety of operating conditions –Make adjustments to avoid catastrophic failure Everyday/Classroom  Driving/Riding a bicycle –Adjust speed –Adjust steering  Keeping classroom running smoothly –Many students –Unexpected disruptions –Resource issues

My experiences  Working with –Teachers –IIT students –K-12 students

Work with Teachers

Truly a Partnership  Benefits –Lots of creative ideas  Teaching –Reach broader audience  Research –Different perspective –Great for students –Fun  Way to empower diverse group

Ongoing Effort  What concepts are key to technology literacy?  Partnering with teachers  Curriculum connections –Activity development –Trial and error  Assessments

Summary  Technology literacy critical –Participation/Decision-making –Workforce  K-12 Educators key  Potential for big impact  Lots of connections to be made….we are just beginning

More Information Cinaptus Presentation posted at