Technology Standards

Level IV: High School (Grades 9-12)

  • International Baccalaureate: Informational Technology
  • NBEA: National Standards for Business Education
  • North Carolina Computer Standards
  • Texas Technology Application Standards

1. Knows the characteristics and uses of computer hardware and operating systems

  • Knows of significant advances in computers and peripherals (e.g., data scanners, digital cameras)
  • Uses a variety of input devices (e.g., keyboard, scanner, voice/sound recorders, mouse, touch screen)
  • Knows limitations and trade-offs of various types of hardware (e.g., laptops, notebooks, modems)
  • Identifies malfunctions and problems in hardware (e.g., hard drive crash, monitor burn-out)
  • Knows features and uses of current and emerging technology related to computing (e.g., optical character recognition, sound processing, cable TV, cellular phones, ABS brakes)

2. Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs

  • Understands the uses of listservs, usenet newsreaders, and bulletin board systems
  • Knows how to import, export, and merge data stored in different formats (e.g., text, graphics)
  • Knows how to import and export text, data, and graphics between software programs
  • Identifies some advanced features of software products (e.g., galleries, templates, macros, mail merge)
  • Uses desktop publishing software to create a variety of publications

3. Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual

  • Knows that science and technology are pursued for different purposes (scientific inquiry is driven by the desire to understand the natural world and seeks to answer questions that may or may not directly influence humans; technology is driven by the need to meet human needs and solve human problems)
  • Knows ways in which social and economic forces influence which technologies will be developed and used (e.g., personal values, consumer acceptance, patent laws, availability of risk capital, the federal budget, local and national regulations, media attention, economic competition, tax incentives)
  • Knows that alternatives, risks, costs, and benefits must be considered when deciding on proposals to introduce new technologies or to curtail existing ones (e.g., Are there alternative ways to achieve the same ends? Who benefits and who suffers? What are the financial and social costs and who bears them? How serious are the risks and who is in jeopardy? What resources will be needed and where will they come from?)
  • Knows that technological knowledge is often not made public because of patents and the financial potential of the idea or invention; scientific knowledge is made public through presentations at professional meetings and publications in scientific journals
  • Knows examples of advanced and emerging technologies (e.g., virtual environment, personal digital assistants, voice recognition software) and how they could impact society
  • Observes common courtesies and acceptable use policies while telecomputing
  • Knows that mathematics, creativity, logic, and originality are all needed to improve technology
  • Identifies the role of technology in a variety of careers

4. Understands the nature of technological design

  • Proposes designs and chooses between alternative solutions (e.g., models, simulations)
  • Implements a proposed solution (e.g., constructs artifacts for intended users or beneficiaries)
  • Evaluates a designed solution and its consequences based on the needs or criteria the solution was designed to meet

5. Understands the nature and operation of systems

  • Knows that a system usually has some properties that are different from those of its parts, but appear because of the interaction of those parts
  • Knows that understanding how things work and designing solutions to problems of almost any kind can be facilitated by systems analysis
  • Knows that in defining a system, it is important to specify its boundaries and subsystems, indicate its relation to other systems, and identify what its input and its output are expected to be
  • Knows how feedback can be used to help monitor, control, and stabilize the operation of a system
  • Knows that even in simple systems, accurate prediction of the effect of changing some part of the system is not always possible
  • Constructs and operates systems (e.g., organizes and adjusts subsystems)
  • Knows that complex systems are subject to failure and are designed with various elements and procedures (e.g., performance testing, overdesign, redundancy, more controls) that help reduce system failure

Originally found at http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/standardslib/technlgy.html
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