First Grade Technology Curriculum

Book excerpt: Used world-wide as a definitive technology curriculum, this six-volume series (Fourth Edition, 2011) is the all-in-one solution to running an effective, efficient, and fun technology program whether you re the lab specialist, IT coordinator, classroom teacher, or homeschooler. It is the choice of hundreds of school districts across the country, private schools nationwide and teachers around the world. Each volume includes step-by-step directions for a year's worth of projects, samples, grading rubrics, reproducibles, wall posters, teaching ideas and hundreds of online connections to access enrichment material and updates from a working technology lab. Aligned with ISTE national technology standards, the curriculum follows a tested timeline of which skill to introduce when, starting with mouse skills, keyboarding, computer basics, and internet/Web 2.0 tools in Kindergarten/First; MS Word, Publisher, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Earth, internet research, email and Photoshop in Second/Fifth. Each activity is integrated with classroom units in history, science, math, literature, reading, writing, critical thinking and more. Whether you're an experienced tech teacher or brand new to the job, you'll appreciate the hundreds of embedded links that enable you to stay on top of current technology thinking and get help from active technology teachers using the program. Extras include wall posters to explain basic concepts, suggestions for keyboarding standards, discussion of how to integrate Web 2.0 tools into the classroom curriculum and the dozens of online websites to support classroom subjects.