Middle School Overview
From FAS Curriculum
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Technology Standards and Expectations – (by the end of Grade 8)
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1. Basic Operations and Concepts.
a. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
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5
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1. Students discuss ways technology has changed life at school and at home.
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2. Students discuss ways technology has changed business and government over the years.
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3. Students recognize and discuss the need for security applications (e.g., virus detection, spam defense, popup blockers, firewalls) to help protect information and to keep the system functioning properly.
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b. Students are proficient in the use of technology.
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5
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1. Students know how to use basic input/output devices and other peripherals (e.g., scanners, digital cameras, video projectors).
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2. Students know proper keyboarding positions and touch-typing techniques.
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3. Students manage and maintain files on a hard drive or the network.
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4. Students demonstrate proper care in the use of hardware, software, peripherals, and storage media.
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5. Students know how to exchange files with other students using technology (e.g., e-mail attachments, network file sharing, diskettes, flash drives).
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6. Students identify which types of software can be used most effectively for different types of data, for different information needs, or for conveying results to different audiences.
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7. Students identify search strategies for locating needed information on the internet.
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8. Students proofread and edit writing using appropriate resources (e.g., dictionary, spell check, grammar check, grammar references, writing references) and grade level appropriate checklists both individually and in groups.
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2. Social, ethical, and human issues.
a. Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
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5
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1. Students identify cultural and societal issues relating to technology.
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2. Students discuss how information and communication technology supports collaboration, productivity, and lifelong learning.
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3. Students discuss how various assistive technologies can benefit individuals with disabilities.
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4. Students discuss the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, and bias of electronic information sources.
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b. Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
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5
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1. Students discuss scenarios describing acceptable and unacceptable uses of technology (e.g., computers, digital cameras, cell-phones, PDAs, wireless connectivity) and describe consequences of inappropriate use.
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2. Students discuss basic issues regarding appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology (e.g., copyright, privacy, file sharing, spam, viruses, plagiarism) and related laws.
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3. Students use age-appropriate citing of sources for electronic reports.
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4. Students identify appropriate kinds of information that should be shared in public chat rooms.
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5. Students identify safety precautions that should be taken while on-line.
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2c. Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
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5
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1. Students explore various technology resources that could assist themin pursuing personal goals.
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2. Students identify technology resources and describe how those resources improve the ability to communicate, increase productivity, or help them achieve personal goals.
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3. Technology productivity tools.
a. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
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5
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1. Students know how to use menu options in applications to print, format, add multimedia features; open, save, manage files; and use various grammar tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, spell-checker).
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2. Students know how to insert various objects (e.g., photos, graphics, sound, video) into wordprocessing XX documents, presentations, or web documents.
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3. Students use a variety of technology tools and applications to promote [their] creativity.
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4. Students understand that existing (and future) technologies are the result of human creativity.
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b. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
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1. Students collaborate with classmates using a variety of technology tools to plan, organize, and create a group project.
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4. Technology communications tools
a. Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
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5
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1. Students use basic telecommunication tools (e.g., e-mail, WebQuests, IM, blogs, chat rooms, web conferencing) for collaborative projects with other students.
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b. Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
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5
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1. Students use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g., presentations, newsletters, brochures, web pages) to communicate information and ideas to various audiences.
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2. Students identify how different forms of media and formats may be used to share similar information, depending on the intended audience (e.g., presentations for classmates, newsletters for parents).
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5. Technology research tools
a. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
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1. Students use Web search engines and built-in search functions of other various resources to locate information.
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2. Students describe basic guidelines for determining the validity of information accessed from various sources (e.g., web site, dictionary, on-line newspaper, CD-ROM).
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b. Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
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5
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1. Students know how to independently use existing databases (e.g., library catalogs, electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias) to locate, sort, and interpret information on an assigned topic.
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2. Students perform simple queries on existing databases and report results on an assigned topic.
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5c. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
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1. Students identify appropriate technology tools and resources by evaluating the accuracy, appropriateness, and bias of the resource.
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2. Students compare and contrast the functions and capabilities of the word processor, database, and spreadsheet for gathering data, processing data, performing calculations, and reporting results.
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6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
a. Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
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1. Students use technology resources to access information that can assist [them] in making informed decisions about everyday matters (e.g., which movie to see, which product to purchase).
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b. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
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1. Students use information and communication technology tools (e.g., calculators, probes, videos, DVDs, educational software) to collect, organize, and evaluate information to assist with solving real-life problems (personal or community).
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1. Basic Operations and Concepts.
a. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
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6
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7
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8
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1. Students understand that new technology tools can be developed to do what could not be done without the use of technology.
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2. Students describe strategies for identifying, and preventing routine hardware and software problems that may occur during everyday technology use.
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3. Students identify changes in hardware and software systems over time and discuss how these changes affected various groups (e.g., individual users, education, government, and businesses).
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4. Students discuss common hardware and software difficulties and identify strategies for trouble-shooting and problem solving.
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5. Students identify characteristics that suggest that the computer system hardware or software might need to be upgraded.
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b. Students are proficient in the use of technology.
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6
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7
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8
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1. Students use proper keyboarding posture, finger positions, and touch-typing techniques to improve accuracy, speed, and general efficiency in operating a computer.
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2. Students use accurate technology terminology.
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3. Students use a variety of technology tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, grammar-checker, calculator) to maximize the accuracy of technology-produced products.
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4. Students identify a variety of information storage devices (e.g., floppies, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, tapes) and provide a rationale for using a certain device for a specific purpose.
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5. Students identify technology resources that assist with various consumer related activities (e.g., budgets, purchases, banking transactions, product descriptions).
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6. Students can identify appropriate file formats for a variety of applications.
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7. Students can use basic utility programs or built-in application functions to convert file formats.
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8. Students proofread and edit writing using appropriate resources (e.g., dictionary, spell check, grammar check, grammar references, writing references) and grade level appropriate checklists both individually and in groups.
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2. Social, ethical, and human issues.
a. Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
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6
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1. Students understand the potential risks and dangers associated with on-line communications.
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2. Students identify security issues related to e-commerce.
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3. Students describe possible consequences and costs related to unethical use of information and communication technologies.
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4. Students discuss the societal impact of technology in the future.
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b. Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
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6
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7
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8
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1. Students provide accurate citations when referencing information from outside sources in electronic reports.
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2. Students discuss issues related to acceptable and responsible use of technology (e.g., privacy, security, copyright, plagiarism, spam, viruses, file-sharing).
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2c. Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
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1. Students use technology to identify and explore various occupations or careers.
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2. Students discuss uses of technology (present and future) to support personal pursuits and lifelong learning.
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3. Students identify uses of technology to support communication with peers, family, or school personnel.
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3. Technology productivity tools.
a. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
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6
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8
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1. Students apply common software features (e.g., thesaurus, formulas, charts, graphics, sounds) to enhance communication and to support creativity.
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2. Students use a variety of resources, including the internet, to increase learning and productivity.
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3. Students explore basic applications that promote creativity (e.g., graphics, presentation, photo-editing, programming, video-editing).
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4. Students use available utilities for editing pictures, images, or charts.
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b. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
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1. Students use collaborative tools to design, develop, and enhance materials, publications, or presentations.
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4. Technology communications tools
a. Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
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6
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1. Students use a variety of telecommunication tools (e.g., e-mail, discussion groups, IM, chat rooms, blogs, video-conferences, web conferences) or other online resources to collaborate interactively with peers, experts, and other audiences.
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