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Essay / The Need for Technology in the Elementary School Classroom
The Colorado Department of Education does not have technology standards until the high school years; and yet secondary IT standards are voluntary. For this reason, many students might not have their first encounter with educational technology until high school. However, students are in contact with technological tools on a daily basis. Therefore, as a school we need to provide understanding and support on how to use this technology in support of our students' learning. Once the “how to” is established, our goal is to work on skills such as: I will be able to access digital content (audio, video) to gain basic knowledge and investigate topics. I may use digital templates, graphic organizers and/or storyboards to record questions and plan investigations. (Washington State ISTE Standards) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay At this point, technology becomes a tool and not an end; a tool that occupies a considered place in curriculum and lesson planning. Another aspect of technology is the area of computational thinking. The International Society for Technology in Education defines computational thinking as “an approach to problem solving that enables the integration of digital technologies with human ideas.” It does not replace the emphasis on creativity, reasoning and critical thinking, but it does re-emphasize these skills. while highlighting ways to organize a problem in a way that a computer can help. It expands and refocuses human creativity and critical thinking by allowing the computer to expand and refocus its problem-solving capacity. " Computational thinking is a problem-solving process that gives students tools to organize, identify, analyze and produce a solution. It provides the student with a range of angles to approach problems and all of these skills involved in during this process are transferable in all types of subjects, not only in STEAM visible, also develops during this process: perseverance in the face of a problem, tolerance for ambiguity, ability to face open problems, capacity. to communicate to seek support and teamwork, creativity, collaboration, etc. start coding at a young age and develop this mindset On a broader level, bring computer science and coding to students at a younger age. is a good way to combat the gender gap which is still a reality today..