1.3 A Spiral Staircase to Technology Skills

The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS lay the foundation for students to use technology as a learning tool.  They acquire the basic skills needed to operate basic educational software on the computer.  They also learn that the computer is a resource for information.  The five objectives of the Pre-K TA TEKS could be considered the unifying themes of the four strands found in the K-12 TA TEKS.  A spiraling scaffolding system builds one layer on another and is centered around a foundational “pole.”  The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS are the foundational pole that the K-12 Technology TEKS are based on.  All skills in these TEKS are built on previous skills.  A skill is never left behind, as the spiral comes back around, the same skill is taught, but now it is at a higher level and uses new tools and technologies.  For example, in Pre-K, the child recognizes that information is accessible through the use of technology.  This skill is reinforced and expanded in grades K-12 in the Information Acquisition strand.   Students are taught how to find information, where to find the information, how to determine the type of information and finally how to determine the reliability and validity of the information.  The TEKS for the foundational and enrichment curricula are written for specific courses and specific grades.  The TA TEKS are not written this way; they are designed to be integrated into all courses.  They are objectives that encompass numerous and ever-changing technology skills.