Blog Week 1 part 4
The Pre-K guidelines help students develop their foundation for reading, math, social skills, basic computer skills, as well as exploratory capabilities such as hand and eye coordination and lengthening attention span. The Pre-K TEKS help to develop basic technology skills such as using a mouse and some use of a keyboard to communicate and demonstrate learning. The TEKS are especially helpful for ELL students and students with special needs. Technology gives them another venue for learning and communicating with others. The use of technology in conjunction with parental and educator support should encourage positive social relationships and help students learn socially appropriate methods for communicating. Students also learn the fundamental uses of a computer for some of their daily activities. Technology also allows for students and teachers to use computers as an assessment tool to measure improvement and development.
All these skills taught in Pre-K are further developed in later grades thus without the strong foundation in Pre-K students are at a disadvantage by the time they reach kindergarten. These essential prerequisite skills of reading and basic use of a computer are essential for students to continue in their learning of technology. Also the etiquette that students learn in pre-K is important so that students communicate and use technology in a socially acceptable manner. Technology allows the students to become more self-directed in regard to their education and learning. That skill is one that can greatly help all students in their educational career.
The spiraling curriculum of technology means that students will oftentimes see the same skill taught over and over but with ever increasing complexity. Each piece of learned information enables the next to be taught. This often times means repeating steps at a more challenging and complex level.
For example, the use of a mouse will enable a student to navigate the operating system of a computer which in turn will usually lead to a student learning to use the internet. But the use of the internet will require the student to learn new skills with the mouse such as double clicking, scrolling, and right clicking. This new skills can then be applied again to the operating system of the computer to do more complex skills and so on. Thus learning increases as new skills are taught and reinforced with re-teaching.
This form of instruction must be adaptable and ever changing as new skills are acquired and new skills are mastered. This also must be flexible and adaptable so students can apply the knowledge to new forms of technology.