PreK Technology Guidelines

Pre-K students are expected to open and navigate through software programs. They are also expected to use and name various computer input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard. As well, the guidelines indicate that students should be able to operate voice and sound recorders as well as touch screens. The Pre-K guidelines allow students the opportunity to have exposure to basic skills that they will build upon in future grades. Students can't move forward until they have a basic foundation of computer skills. The TEKS build on skills over time and it is critical that they get a good foundation of basic skills because they will need these basic skills to continue on to harder and more advanced skills. As students move from one grade to the next they are expected to have learned certain skills so that they can move forward with a new skill. Some of the skills are a review and then some go deeper with the same concept. For example, first graders also are expected to name key vocabulary words realted to a computer and open and close a program but they are also required to go a step further and create and save a document. The technology TEKS spiral from grade to grade and support is scaffold along the way. Another TEK that is an example of the spiraling effect is publishing information in a variety of media. This TEK shows up across several grades and then goes more in depth with the higher grade level.