Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards MTLSS-What do they mean for Maryland’s students, parents, administrators, and teachers?

Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson Overview of MTLSS On February 27, 2007, Maryland State Department of Education adopted Technology Literacy Standards for all students in grades Pre-kindergarten though 8th. As our early childhood, elementary, and middle school students return to school in August, an expectation to demonstrate “literacy” in technology will return with them. How will this expectation affect students, educators, and parents? What preparation will be needed to ensure success for all? Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

What is Technology Literacy? Technology Literacy is defined as… “the ability of an individual, working independently and with others, to responsibly, appropriately and effectively use technology tools to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information.” Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

Defining Technology Literacy After reading the definition of technology literacy, determine which part(s) of the definition with which you agree or disagree. Why do you agree or disagree? Consider what may be missing from the definition for a technology literate student. Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

What Should a Technology Literate Student Be Able to Do? It’s easy to determine reading literacy. A reading literate student would be able to pronounce a high percentage of words correctly while reading smoothly and fluently. It may even be easy to spot a student who is literate in a specific mathematical application or one who demonstrates literacy in writing. How would you determine technology literacy if you looked at a student in 3rd grade, 5th grade, pre-kindergarten, etc.? Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

Examples of a Technology Literate Student Select a grade level - pre-kindergarten through 6th grade - that you have some knowledge and/or experience. Think/Pair/Share List skills that you feel a student in your selected grade should master in order to demonstrate technology literacy. Pre-K: need to know the parts of the computer and/or technology tool; how to take care of the computer; how to power on and off; how to use the mouse; how to log on using their id number; how to use the shortcuts that are on the desktops to access programs Kindergarten: same thing as Pre-K 1st grade: 2nd grade: 3rd grade: should use basic word and excel; produce their own graphs; make power points; how to use appropriate folders; using directory structures; using appropriate search engines; understanding extensions like .com or .org; saving files 4th grade: 5th grade: basic computer knowledge – keyboard, type at a basic level, differentiate between equipment (laptop vs. desktop), peripherals, organize their work in files and folders, care of equipment; internet use – transfer what they know about information in books to how it’s organized in web pages, recognize text features and how they can be use to navigate i.e. hyperlinks, being able to access information and determine if that information is valid and/or authentic, take the information and create power points 6th grade: navigate the web; use productivity software (excel ppt, word), solve basic troubleshooting issues, select technology based on use (the best for what they need to do); be able to match the learning with opportunities for technology (i.e. virtual reality field trips) Middle school: ppt, excel, publisher, using search engines, creating web pages, using email, setting up chat rooms for instruction, blogs, instant messaging Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

What Technology Literacy Standards Apply to Maryland’s Students? Now that you’ve speculated about what Maryland’s students need to do in order to demonstrate technology literacy, it’s time to actualize the expectations for them. Look at the website that outlines Maryland’s Technology Literacy Student Standards: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/techlit/ How close were your perceptions about student expectations to what is actually expected? Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson

Technology Literacy for My Students Means…. How will the MTLSS affect teachers? Administrators? How will the MTLSS affect students? Parents? How can online learning aid in developing a technology literate student in the early childhood through 8th grades? What additional teaching/learning styles (other than online learning) could positively impact technology literacy? Are teachers technology literate? Do they need to be technology literate in order to produce technology literacy in students? Jigsaw-Divide into groups of 3-4; provide selected questions to determine answers. Teachers & Administrators: has to be as technology literate as the students, contractual issues, will change the physical structure of the room itself as well as the way instruction takes place, ethical use of computers and what you do with students who have violated the acceptable use policy (can you keep students off of equipment purchased for them), accountability for everyone, professional development will have to take place on a much greater scale Students & Parents: motivating parents to provide more opportunities to be prepared coming into the classrooms; will force parents to better connect with their children and be more engaged; for children – the opportunity to model exactly what’s being learn; provide opportunities within student modalities Online learning: use of blackboard, maybe some students would need to have access to blackboard and they must use the technology indicators; teachers need to have tech literacy as a portion of their certification package; appropriate classes are needed for the students Teaching/learning styles: being a visual, kinesthetic learners will benefit, accessibility with students with special needs Teachers technology literate: cannot be an isolated document - has to be embedded in existing curriculum; teachers need to model; “You do” needs to come from the students; more of a collaborative planning issue; RTCs and RRTs can work together Not tie the skill to a program. Use/Teach it as a skill using various programs Maryland Technology Literacy Student Standards-kroberson