Middle School Pathway

Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 1 of 108 Title 7: Education K-12 Part 92: Middle School Pathway Techn o lo gy F ou nd atio n s Mississippi Department of Education Program Course Code: 99.2307 Direct inquiries to Myra Pannell Teresa Jones Instructional Design Specialist Program Coordinator Research and Curriculum Unit Office of Career and Technical Education Mississippi State University Mississippi Department of Education P.O. Drawer DX P.O. Box 771 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Jackson, MS 39205 662.325.2510 601.359.3461 E-mail: myra.pannell@rcu.msstate.edu E-mail: tjones@mde.k12.ms.us Published by Office of Career and Technical Education Mississippi Department of Education Jackson, MS 39205 Research and Curriculum Unit Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 39762 Betsey Smith, Curriculum Manager Jolanda Harris, Educational Technologist Lisa Kröger, PhD, Editor The Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU), located in Starkville, MS, as part of Mississippi State University, was established to foster educational enhancements and innovations. In keeping with the land grant mission of Mississippi State University, the RCU is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Mississippians. The RCU enhances intellectual and professional development of Mississippi students and educators while applying knowledge and educational research to the lives of the people of the state. The RCU works within the contexts of curriculum development and revision, research, assessment, professional development, and industrial training. The Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability in the provision of educational programs and services or employment opportunities and benefits. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries and complaints regarding the non-discrimination policies of the Mississippi Department of Education: Director, Office of Human Resources, Mississippi Department of Education, 359 North West Street, Suite 203, Jackson, Mississippi 39201, 601.359.3511. Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 2 of 108 Table of Contents Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 3 of 108 Acknowledgments The Technology Foundations curriculum was presented to the Mississippi Board of Education on February 17, 2012. The following persons were serving on the state board at the time: Dr. Tom Burnham, State Superintendent Mr. William Harold Jones, Chair Mr. Charles McClelland, Vice Chair Ms. Kami Bumgarner Mr. Howell “Hal” N. Gage Dr. O. Wayne Gann Mr. Claude Hartley Ms. Martha “Jackie” Murphy Ms. Rosetta Richards Dr. Sue Matheson Special thanks are extended to the teachers who contributed teaching and assessment materials that are included in the framework and supporting materials. Members who contributed were as follows: Jasmine Baldwin, Computer Discovery teacher, North Forrest High School, Hattiesburg, MS Angie Gray, Computer Discovery teacher, Hills Chapel School, Booneville, MS Michelle Endsley, Computer Discovery teacher, Peeples Middle School, Jackson, MS Corey Lombard, Information and Communication Technology II teacher, Gulfport Central Middle School, Gulfport, MS Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 4 of 108 Standards Standards are superscripted in each unit and are referenced in the appendices. Standards in the Technology Foundations Curriculum Framework and Supporting Materials are based on the following: Common Core State Standards Initiative The Common Core State Standards© provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. States and territories of the United States as well as the District of Columbia that have adopted the Common Core State Standards in whole are exempt from this provision and no attribution to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers is required. Reprinted from http://www.corestandards.org/. National Educational Technology Standards for Students Reprinted with permission from National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology, Copyright © 2007, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 800.336.5191 (U.S. and Canada) or 541.302.3777 (International), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Permission does not constitute an endorsement by ISTE. 21st Century Skills and Information and Communication Technologies Literacy Standards In defining 21st century learning, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has embraced five content and skill areas that represent the essential knowledge for the 21st century: global awareness; civic engagement; financial, economic, and business literacy; learning skills that encompass problem-solving, critical-thinking, and self-directional skills; and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacy. Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 5 of 108 Preface Secondary Career and Technical Education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through increased requirements for mastery and attainment of competency as documented through both formative and summative assessments. The courses in this document reflect the statutory requirements as found in Section 37-3-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended (Section 37-3-46). In addition, this curriculum reflects guidelines imposed by federal and state mandates (Laws, 1988, ch. 487, §14; Laws, 1991, ch. 423, §1; Laws, 1992, ch. 519, §4 eff. from and after July 1, 1992; Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act IV, 2007; and No Child Left Behind Act of 2001). Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 6 of 108 Technology Foundations Executive Summary Program Description Technology Foundations is a technology-rich curriculum that prepares students to function in the 21st Century environment. This course is designed to provide foundational skills in all relevant areas of technology, including keyboarding, operating systems, word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, multimedia presentations, and social networking. The course also focuses on self- and career development by encouraging students to create a program of study that maps out their high school and postsecondary education. Technology Foundations is built upon the Common Core Standards, 21st Century Skills, and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). Upon successful completion of the course, students will have been exposed to the latest technology and will be able to make informed decisions on how to ethically interact both online and off. Upon successful completion of Technology Foundations, students will receive one (1) Carnegie unit to be applied toward the Business and Technology graduation requirement. Student Prerequisites Students enrolled in Technology Foundations should be classified as eighth-grade students. Any exception to this rule should be discussed with the Mississippi Department of Education. Licensure Requirements This is an “add-on” endorsement that may be earned only by persons who hold a currently valid five-year standard Mississippi Educator License with endorsement in any subject area (academic or occupational). A #984 endorsement allows a person to teach the following course: 992307 Technology Foundations This endorsement requires the following: 1. Applicant must hold a currently valid five-year standard Mississippi Educator License. 2. Applicant must validate technology competency by attaining the established minimum score or higher on an assessment approved by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). The assessment must be directly related to technology competency required by the grade level and subject matter being taught. Approved assessment for this license is IC3. 3. Applicant must successfully complete a certification for online learning workshop, module, or course that is approved by the MDE. 4. Applicant must demonstrate keyboarding skill with proper technique and with speed of a total of 30 net words per minute (minimum) using the touch method. 5. Applicant must successfully complete the Technology Foundations certification workshop, module, or course that is approved by the MDE. Note: If the applicant meets all requirements listed above, that applicant will be issued an endorsement supplemental to their existing five-year license. If the applicant does not meet all requirements, the applicant will be issued an emergency endorsement, and all requirements for the supplemental endorsement must be satisfied prior to the renewal date of the standard license. Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 7 of 108 Professional Learning The professional learning itinerary for the middle school or individual pathways can be found at the RCU’s website (http://www.rcu.msstate.edu/). If you have specific questions about the content of each training session provided, please contact the Research and Curriculum Unit at 662.325.2510 and ask for the Professional Learning Specialist. Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 8 of 108 Course Outline Unit Number Unit Name Hours Orientation and Ethics Internet Tools in the Classroom Computing Fundamentals Windows and Operating Systems Keyboarding Word Processing/Desktop Publishing Multimedia Presentations Spreadsheet Applications Social Media Career Exploration Total Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 9 of 108 Technology Foundations Research Synopsis Introduction Technology Foundations is a course that is intended to be an update and revision of the current Computer Discovery curriculum in the state of Mississippi. The development of the Technology Foundations curriculum is the result of research collected from existing Computer Discovery teachers and administrators. Identifying the needs of all students and teachers concerning technology was prominent among the topics discussed. It was discovered that students need to be exposed to up-to-date technology and be physically and ethically prepared to function in the 21st century. The Technology Foundations curriculum seeks to meet these needs for the students of Mississippi. Research Design A mixed-methods approach was used when conducting the research for the development of Technology Foundations. The quantitative data was analyzed to find similarities and/or differences among the responses to the surveys, as well as to see if the different stakeholders had similar or differing views on the topics covered. The qualitative data was derived from existing, public documents and examined for the needs of the workforce, employability expectations, and for possible curriculum content. Sampling Data used was collected from survey responses from secondary administrators and instructors. There were 35 respondents of the possible 100 active programs. Data Analysis The following results are from a survey sent to Tech Prep districts who offer Computer Discovery in their schools: Computers: The existing Computer Discovery classrooms have various numbers of computers per class. Of the 35 who responded, there was an indication that the districts have up to 50 computers (in two labs) in the Computer Discovery classroom down to eight computers per room. Of the 35 respondents, 100% are connected to the Internet. Mississippi CTE Unit Plan Resource Page 10 of 108 Operating Systems: In the Computer Discovery classrooms, the breakdown of computer operating systems is as follows: Windows 95/NT – 1 classroom; Windows 98 – 7 classrooms; Windows 2000/ME – 1 classroom; Windows XP – 25 classrooms; Windows Vista – 2 classrooms; Windows 7 – 0 classrooms. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the districts who responded are running Windows XP or higher. Application Software: Application software used by Computer Discovery teachers was also surveyed. Of the 27 respondents, 74% are running Microsoft Office 2003 or higher. Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office 2007 had seven users each. Microsoft Office 2000 and Microsoft Office 97 each had five and two users, respectively. Lab Efficiency: When asked to rate the working order of the equipment in the Computer Discovery classroom, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being perfect working order, the average response was 3.14. When asked to rate the success of the Computer Discovery program, the average response was 3.97. Of the 35 respondents, 75% of them are greatly pleased with the success and functionality of their Computer Discovery programs. Needs of the Future Workforce Currently, there are approximately 67,000 jobs that require technical computer training in Mississippi. Nationally, there are approximately 12,500,000 of these jobs with a potential 12-13% increase in the next 10 years. The earnings for these positions range from approximately $12.00/hr to $23.00/hr in Mississippi and from $16.00/hr to $33.00/hr nationally. Job Description Jobs Jobs Change % Change Median Hourly Wage National National National % Change National Median Hourly Earnings Business operations specialists 21,531 25,634 4,103 19% $19.12 4,560,679 5,237,504 15% $25.80 Computer specialists 11,798 14,034 2,236 19% $22.00 3,675,063 4,223,623 15% $32.79 Secretaries and administrative assistants 36,322 38,938 2,616 7% $12.48 4,195,442 4,499,188 7% $16.37 Total 66,651 78,606 8,955 13% $16.16 12,431,183 13,960,316 12% $24.71