Transitional Kindergarten (TK)

“Literacy learning does not begin abruptly at age five or six; rather, it is an ongoing process that begins even earlier in life as children are learning language.” — Mary Knight-McKenna

DIGITAL LITERACY CATEGORIES

1. DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS AND APPLICATIONS, AS WELL AS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT UNDERLYING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND CONNECTIVITY.  Click Here

2. DEMONSTRATE THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND UNDERSTANDING OF ETHICS AND SAFETY ISSUES IN USING ELECTRONIC MEDIA AT HOME, IN SCHOOL AND IN SOCIETY.  Click Here
3. DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO USE TECHNOLOGY FOR RESEARCH, CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, DECISION MAKING, COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY,  AND INNOVATION.   Click Here

 

Trimester 3 – March – June 2016 will be focused on three critical areas of development for our students. Parents, please keep in mind that the students started going to the Computer Lab in February of 2016 in half class groups alternating every other week on Friday mornings from 8:00 – 8:45 am. Therefore, the amount of time spent in the lab has been focused solely on developing mouse skills. Starting the week of March 21 – April 15 students will be using Internet resource #2 Shepard Software.

Technology Developmental Areas:

1.) Exposure to the Technology Integrated into Common Core Standards

2.) CCSS TI.TK-2.1. Demonstrate beginning steps in using available hardware and applications (e.g. turn on a computer, launch a program and use a pointing device such as a mouse).

  • Students in TK are taking their first formative steps in learning how to use the mouse properly. This includes how to grip the mouse and differentiating between pointing and click from pointing and dragging the mouse. 

3.) Renaissance Learning – TK TEST Preparation and STAR Early Literacy Kindergarten readiness.

MOUSE SKILLS 101

  • Holding the mouse properly.
  • Being able to control the cursor on the screen by moving the mouse.
  • Being able to distinguish between “Right” and “Left” click buttons.
  • Being able to use the mouse to point at something on the monitor.
  • Being able to use the mouse to click on objects on the monitor.
  • Being able to use the mouse to drag objects around and drop them in the desired place on the monitor.
  • Being able to use the mouse to single click and double click objects.

 

WEB RESOURCES:

  1. Teacher Resources: 
    • Bright Hub Education – TK students who are taught computer related skills will often be able to demonstrate a greater ability to both understand and use computer technology is ways that are shocking to most adults. This is why they are termed as many leading experts in the technology / educational fields as digital natives.
    • International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) – Technology Standards
  2. Student Resources: