19 Tex. Admin. Code § 126.17 - Technology Applications, Grade 6, Adopted 2022
(a) Implementation. The provisions of this
section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2024-2025
school year.
(1) No later than August 1, 2024,
the commissioner of education shall determine whether instructional materials
funding has been made available to Texas public schools for materials that
cover the essential knowledge and skills identified in this section.
(2) If the commissioner makes the
determination that instructional materials funding has been made available this
section shall be implemented beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and apply
to the 2024-2025 and subsequent school years.
(3) If the commissioner does not make the
determination that instructional materials funding has been made available
under this subsection, the commissioner shall determine no later than August 1
of each subsequent school year whether instructional materials funding has been
made available. If the commissioner determines that instructional materials
funding has been made available, the commissioner shall notify the State Board
of Education and school districts that this section shall be implemented for
the following school year.
(b) Introduction.
(1) Technology includes data communication,
data processing, and the devices used for these tasks locally and across
networks. Learning to apply these technologies motivates students to develop
critical-thinking skills, higher-order thinking, and innovative problem
solving. Technology applications incorporates the study of digital tools,
devices, communication, and programming to empower students to apply current
and emerging technologies in their careers, their education, and
beyond.
(2) The technology
applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) consist of five
strands that prepare students to be literate in technology applications by
Grade 8: computational thinking; creativity and innovation; data literacy,
management, and representation; digital citizenship; and practical technology
concepts. Communication and collaboration skills are embedded across the
strands.
(A) Computational thinking. Students
break down the problem-solving process into four steps: decomposition, pattern
recognition, abstraction, and algorithms.
(B) Creativity and innovation. Students use
innovative design processes to develop solutions to problems. Students plan a
solution, create the solution, test the solution, iterate, and debug the
solution as needed, and implement a completely new and innovative
product.
(C) Data literacy,
management, and representation. Students collect, organize, manage, analyze,
and publish various types of data for an audience.
(D) Digital citizenship. Students practice
the ethical and effective application of technology and develop an
understanding of cybersecurity and the impact of a digital footprint to become
safe, productive, and respectful digital citizens.
(E) Practical technology concepts. Students
build their knowledge of software applications and hardware focusing on
keyboarding and use of applications and tools. Students also build their
knowledge and use of technology systems, including integrating the use of
multiple applications.
(3) The technology applications TEKS can be
integrated into all content areas and can support stand-alone courses.
Districts have the flexibility of offering technology applications in a variety
of settings, including through a stand-alone course or by integrating the
technology applications standards in the essential knowledge and skills for one
or more courses or subject areas.
(4) Statements containing the word
"including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Computational thinking--foundations. The
student explores the core concepts of computational thinking, a set of
problem-solving processes that involve decomposition, pattern recognition,
abstraction, and algorithms. The student is expected to:
(A) decompose real-world problems into
structured parts by using visual representation;
(B) analyze the patterns and sequences found
in visual representations such as learning maps, concept maps, or other
representations of data;
(C) define
abstraction and distinguish between generalized information and specific
information in the context of solving a problem or completing a task;
(D) design a plan collaboratively using
visual representation to document a problem, possible solutions, and an
expected timeline for the development of a coded solution;
(E) analyze different techniques used in
debugging and apply them to an algorithm; and
(F) analyze the benefits of using iteration
(code and sequence repetition) in algorithms.
(2) Computational thinking--applications. The
student applies the fundamentals of computer science. The student is expected
to:
(A) define and label variables that relate
to their programming or algorithm; and
(B) use a design process to create
block-based and text-based programs that include sequences, loops,
conditionals, and events to solve an everyday problem.
(3) Creativity and innovation--innovative
design process. The student takes an active role in learning by using a design
process and creative thinking to develop and evaluate solutions, considering a
variety of local and global perspectives. The student is expected to:
(A) resolve challenges in design processes
independently using goal setting and personal character traits such as
demonstrating courage and confidence;
(B) discuss and implement a design process
using digital tools to compare, contrast, and evaluate student-generated
outcomes; and
(C) identify how the
design process is used in various industries.
(4) Creativity and innovation--emerging
technologies. The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the role of
technology throughout history and its impact on societies. The student is
expected to:
(A) discuss how changes in
technology throughout history have impacted various areas of study;
(B) discuss how global trends impact the
development of technology; and
(C)
transfer current knowledge to the learning of newly encountered
technologies.
(5) Data
literacy, management, and representation--collect data. The student uses
advanced digital strategies to collect and represent data. The student is
expected to:
(A) demonstrate how data can be
represented in Boolean expression; and
(B) discuss and use advanced search
strategies, including keywords, Boolean operators, and limiters.
(6) Data literacy, management, and
representation--organize, manage, and analyze data. The student uses digital
tools to transform data, make inferences, and predictions. The student is
expected to use digital tools to transform data in order to identify and
discuss trends and make inferences.
(7) Data literacy, management, and
representation--communicate and publish results. The student creates digital
products to communicate data to an audience for an intended purpose. The
student is expected to use digital tools to communicate and display data from a
product or process to inform an intended audience.
(8) Digital citizenship--social interactions.
The student understands different styles of digital communication and that a
student's actions online can have a long-term impact. The student is expected
to:
(A) identify the impact of a digital
footprint;
(B) create formal and
informal digital communications using appropriate digital etiquette;
and
(C) collaborate on digital
platforms such as recording a video conference presentation using appropriate
formal and informal digital etiquette.
(9) Digital citizenship--ethics and laws. The
student recognizes and practices responsible, legal, and ethical behavior while
using digital tools and resources. The student is expected to:
(A) adhere to local acceptable use policy
(AUP) and practice safe, ethical, and positive online behaviors;
(B) discuss and define intellectual property
and associated terms, including copyright law, permission, fair use, creative
commons, open source, and public domain;
(C) create citations and cite sources for a
variety of digital forms of intellectual property; and
(D) describe how information can be
exaggerated or misrepresented online.
(10) Digital citizenship--privacy, safety,
and security. The student practices safe, legal, and ethical digital behaviors
to become a socially responsible digital citizen. The student is expected to:
(A) identify real-world cybersecurity
problems such as phishing, malware, password attacks, identity theft, and
hacking; and
(B) identify various
methods of cyberbullying such as harassment, impersonation, and
cyberstalking.
(11)
Practical technology concepts--processes. The student evaluates and selects
appropriate methods or techniques for an independent project and identifies and
solves common hardware and software problems using troubleshooting strategies.
The student is expected to create and design files in various formats such as
text, graphics, video, and audio files.
(12) Practical technology concepts--skills
and tools. The student leverages technology systems, concepts, and operations
to produce digital artifacts. The student is expected to:
(A) apply appropriate technology terminology
such as cloud applications, input, output, and basic programming;
(B) identify effective file management
strategies such as file naming conventions, local and remote locations, backup,
hierarchy, folder structure, file conversion, tags, and emerging digital
organizational strategies;
(C)
select and use the appropriate platform and tools to complete a specific task
or project;
(D) demonstrate
improvement in speed and accuracy as measured by words per minute when applying
correct keyboarding techniques;
(E)
select and use appropriate shortcuts within applications;
(F) use help sources to research application
features and solve software issues;
(G) identify types of local and remote data
storage such as cloud architecture or local server; and
(H) use productivity tools found in spread
sheet, word processing, and publication applications to create digital
artifacts such as reports, graphs, and charts.
Notes
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