Technology Application TEKS Summary

How do the Pre-K TEKS lay the foundation for student performance in future grades?

By exposing the Pre-K students to technology at an early age, they learn how technology can make their lives better. They begin to learn about how to handle and control keyboards, mouse, voice/sound recorders, CD-ROM, and even touch screens. This increases their confidence and decreases their fears of technology. There are many software games available for pre-school children made by the major toy manufacturers. These also help in building confidence in technology. Pre-K students also learn through use of technology that they can gain information, solve problems, and even communicate with others. If they have consistent access to computers and software this enhances their learning. The foundations they learn about technology at this age are the building blocks for what they learn in later grades.

In your blog, describe a spiraling or scaffolding curriculum. The Technology Applications TEKS are designed as a dynamic, spiraling curriculum. Describe a series of TEKS in which students have multiple opportunities to master knowledge/skills.

A spiraling or scaffolding curriculum is teaching and learning a subject in an abstract manner. It is tied to level of readiness of the learner and is taught in their "zone of proximal development" as described by Vygotsky. The student understands a subject or concept’s structure in their "zone" and as the language becomes more familiar they create a memory bank. This memory bank helps them comprehend at their level of learning. An example would be small group guided reading instruction. The children are taught in their instructional zone on different concepts of literacy. As their current "zone" becomes easier, the teacher then instructs them at a higher level (their new instructional zone) and still uses the same concepts of literacy but at a high lever. An example of spiraling curriculum in a series of Technology Application TEKS is one that deals with keyboarding. In each grade level there is a TEK that addresses the proper keyboarding technique. Each TEK spirals so that the level of difficulty increases with each grade level. In grades PK through 2nd grade, the student is expected to use correct hand and body positions and smooth, keystroke patterns. This level of difficulty continues at grades 3-6 where the students have more time to perfect their keyboarding skills. By middle school, they are expected to demonstrate keyboarding proficiency in technique and posture while building speed so that by the high school level they can use digital keyboarding standards for the input of any data successfully. This TEK is spiraled through the grade levels but increase with difficulty at each level.