Computers

Teach students to change the font selection on a computer. Have them type their name and change the font. Allow them to make a page of different font versions of their own name to compare the shapes of the letters. Some letters such as ”a“ and ”g“ have well-known variants that students will come across in various print materials. 

Have students type spelling or vocabulary words on a computer. Demonstrate the spell check function to show them that although the spell checker can sometimes be helpful, they will still need to know which of the words suggested will be the correct word choice in context. 

Type a two-page paper discussing three aspects of digital citizenship and safety. 

Utilize the symbols >, =, and < to compare non-numeric things. Compare pictures, objects, word lengths, etc. in order to foster a deeper understanding of the symbols and their meaning preparatory to their use in computer-related functions and math concepts.

Helping students understand bases other than base 10 will empower them to better understand place value in base 10 as well as understand how computers function. Clocks, money, measurement and calendars are just a few of the ways that humans operate in bases other than 10. For example, we rarely speak in terms of 72 minutes, but rather 1 hour and 12 minutes. Visit PackLife to get ideas on teaching binary and other bases.

Become proficient in the use of the term "variable" as it applies to math. Use understanding of this term to apply it to computer coding as a storage location for something that may change, such as a person's name, address, age, height, favorite color, etc. Discuss other reasons that a space holder might be necessary for a term or selection on a computer. Have students create a form to be filled out by others that provides a location for a variable.

Information Technology and Instrumentation: People use a variety of devices to communicate (send and receive information) over long distances.

Information Technologies and Instrumentation: Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints. Digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation.
High-tech devices, such as computers, can receive and decode information—convert it from digitized form to voice—and vice versa. Examples of solutions could include sending coded information using a grid of 1s and 0s representing black and white to send information about a
picture.

Information Technologies and Instrumentation: Digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a reliable way to encode and transmit information. Emphasis is on a basic understanding that waves can be used for communication
purposes. Examples could include using fiber optic cable to transmit light pulses, radio wave pulses in WIFI devices, and conversion of stored binary patterns to make sound or text on a computer screen.

Students explore age-appropriate technologies and begin to transfer their learning to different tools or learning environments.

Students use digital and nondigital tools to plan and manage a design process.

Students select effective technology to represent data.

Students explore a variety of technologies that will help them in their learning and begin to demonstrate an understanding of how knowledge can be transferred between tools.

Students become familiar with age-appropriate criteria for evaluating digital content.

Students analyze age-appropriate data and look for similarities in order to identify patterns and categories.

Students are able to navigate a variety of technologies and transfer their knowledge and skills to learn how to use new technologies.

Students demonstrate an understanding of what personal data is and how to keep it private and secure, including the awareness of terms such as encryption, HTTPS, password, cookies and computer viruses; they also understand the limitations of data management and how data-collection technologies work.

Students select and use digital tools to support a design process and expand their understanding to identify constraints and trade-offs and to weigh risks.

Students find or organize data and use technology to analyze and represent it to solve problems and make decisions and tradeoffs and to weigh risks.

Computing Systems

Data and Analysis

Impacts of Computing

Networks and the Internet

Algorithms and Programming