Technology Connections (Period TC1)

Technology Connections is a foundation course required for all students entering sixth grade at NYOS. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with basic skills in safe and effective use of licensed software and web-based resources in order to enhance their learning in each of their core courses. Skills and knowledge they master will allow them to use technology more effectively throughout their time in middle school, high school, and college. The subjects we explore will also lay a foundation for further study within the technology strand on the high school level. Students will master the Microsoft Office suite; learn to use email; blog their learning experiences; create wikis, online portfolios, and digital simulations; and use multimedia software in order take control of their own learning in a hands-on, collaborative atmosphere. Tools that will be at the students' fingertips are selected to enhance literacy, reasoning skills, effective inquiry, and organization. A cornerstone of the course is the concept of universal design, the idea of selecting and using personalized technological tools in order to accommodate all learners.