For years I have been asked by educators and administrators what technology skills students should master according to their grade level. Initially, I hesitated to provide explicit answers to this question, as I believe that educational technology itself is philosophically a means for engaging with academic content, it is not an end in and of itself. My fear was that in creating a list of progressive technology skills for students, educators would begin to focus on “teaching the tech”. I wondered if this would send the wrong message, that educators and administrators would institute “technology time” on the schedule rather than integrating tech use into the day as a way to fuel learning of mathematics, English language arts, science, history, and other core content areas.
Despite my initial trepidation, I have recently come to discover the value of a technology skills progression. When presented thoughtfully and within the context of an integrated model, a framework of tech skills by grade levels guides educators and ensures that students continue to progress in digital literacy with each year.
This week I worked with a couple of upper grade teachers who wanted me to guide their students in creating videos to demonstrate their learnings. The teachers were impressed by how quickly the students picked up the skill, as these learners had mastered it in previous grade levels. As such, we had enough time to work on additional tech skills. I referred to the district’s newly adopted digital learning grade level expectations and engaged students in additional lessons that aligned to the progression. In one class students created a digital portfolio in Google sites. In the other classroom, students learned to analyze the credibility of a source and cite research utilizing Google keep.
These teachers are willing and eager to incorporate technology into lessons with students, but they often struggle to determine what digital action may be most appropriate for their students, and they may not be aware of what students have learned in previous grade levels. This is when a progression of digital learning skills becomes helpful. Grade level expectations reveal where students have been and where they are going. They help educators focus, lest they become overwhelmed with choice fatigue by the ever-growing list of tech skills and apps that students may have available to them.
Are you looking for ideas for technology skill expectations by grade level? Feel free to check out the Dinuba Unified School District digital learning plan and grade level expectations for ideas. The progression contains skills that are aligned to ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) standards, embeds California computer science standards, and several ELA and mathematics standards are cross-referenced in order to emphasize an integrated model of technology use. While student technology use is best taught within the context of content rather than as a discrete skill, a digital learning skills progression can provide guidance to educators.
