Easy Way to Satisfy Technology Credit Requirement

[JazzyMom]

One of the schools my dd is planning to apply to requires 1/2 of a technology credit. Here's how it's described:

A course that emphasizes the use of technology as a productivity tool. Instruction should include utilizing various forms of technology to create, collaborate, organize, and publish information. The application of technology as a productivity tool, rather than specific hardware and/or software packages should be the focus of the course.

Can you help me think of an easy way to satisfy this requirement?  She also needs 1/2 health and safety credit, so I'm thinking she can do health one semester and technology 2nd semester.

[JazzyMom]

Actually, I just noticed that beginning 2022, 1 full credit is required that satisfies the following:

A technology course emphasizes the use of technology as a productivity tool. Instruction should include utilizing various forms of technology to create, collaborate, organize, and publish information. The application of technology as a productivity tool, rather than specific hardware and/or software packages should be the focus of the course.   A computer science course emphasizes computational thinking to solve problems.  Courses will involve the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their applications, and their impact on society and should include focus on one or more of the following core concepts: computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing.  Course equivalent or additional advanced elective may be acceptable for non‐Mississippi residents.

Any ideas?

[stripe]

One of the AP Computer Science classes would, or FundaFunda has one. Otherwise there are programming classes. 

ETA: What about something from a community college, or from Arizona State such as

https://ea.asu.edu/courses/computer-applications-and-information-technology-cis-105/

https://ea.asu.edu/courses/introduction-to-programming-cse-110/

https://ea.asu.edu/courses/technological-social-and-sustainable-systems-cee-181-0/

Edited May 23, 2021 by stripe
added links

[MamaSprout]

There are some free options here:

Free Technology Tutorials at GCFGlobal

[stripe]

To teach it yourself, I’ve got some decent ideas now.

 

1) “An online interactive resource for high school students learning about computer science.”

https://csfieldguide.org.nz/en/

This guide was initially developed as an online interactive textbook to support the new achievement standards in Computer Science that were being rolled out in New Zealand (2011-2013), and is now being adapted for use all over the world. 

 

2) A related project is CS Unplugged, “a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.” 

https://csunplugged.org/en/

A version called Computer Science in a Box was designed by Colorado School of Mines to be easy for teachers to use.  It is better organized, but doesn’t have all of the activities.

https://www.ncwit.org/resources/computer-science-box-unplug-your-curriculum-2018-update

This was designed for younger kids, but it’s still worth a look.

 

3) Moving on from all the flavors of that, is teaching material at code.org — various classes at all levels

https://studio.code.org/courses?view=teacher

Specifically their   CS Principles course:

Computer Science Principles covers many topics including the Internet, Big Data and Privacy, and Programming and Algorithms. The curriculum is flexible to be taught as an AP or non-AP course.

Audience: High school students, grades 9 - 12

Curriculum length: 100-180 hours, should be taught as a full-year course. Contains 10 units, including a Create Performance Task prep unit.

 

4) Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Academy

https://academy.cs.cmu.edu/splash

5) Security Education Companion (targeted resource on internet security) from Electronic Frontier Foundation . Audience is adults with no particular computer background.

https://sec.eff.org

Edited May 24, 2021 by stripe
organize and clarify!

[cbollin]

I got curious what some MS high schools offer to meet this public school graduation/college admissions requirements. Here is one of those

https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/14879fc02d624b608e6e587324ca513c.pdf

It's an "OR" situation.  Does not have to be computer science. It can be.

Or, it can still be learning word processing, presentation software, etc.  (see the course called Technology Foundations, around page 22 of that link). Those are some of the "technology things".  As are graphic design.   Those are still productivity tools.

all that to say, I'd use the free tutorials someone suggested earlier in the thread with gcfglocal.  Do as many as you want to call it a year credit.

and if you think you need more, get a subscription for a month at sophia.org and take their Intro to Information Technology.  Even if it doesn't count as college credit where student ends up, it will give plenty of information for rounding out your high school course at introductory level. It's not a long course or difficult. It does have some foundational information that can benefit those learning how to be productive with technology (and safety and ethics too)  https://www.sophia.org/online-courses/computer-science-and-it/introduction-to-information-technology-2

and here's the syllabus for it. https://www.sophia.org/content/dam/sophia/sophia-guide-and-syllabus/introduction-to-information-technology-2-sophia-syllabus.pdf

 

 

[JazzyMom]

4 hours ago, cbollin said:

I got curious what some MS high schools offer to meet this public school graduation/college admissions requirements. Here is one of those

https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/14879fc02d624b608e6e587324ca513c.pdf

It's an "OR" situation.  Does not have to be computer science. It can be.

Or, it can still be learning word processing, presentation software, etc.  (see the course called Technology Foundations, around page 22 of that link). Those are some of the "technology things".  As are graphic design.   Those are still productivity tools.

all that to say, I'd use the free tutorials someone suggested earlier in the thread with gcfglocal.  Do as many as you want to call it a year credit.

and if you think you need more, get a subscription for a month at sophia.org and take their Intro to Information Technology.  Even if it doesn't count as college credit where student ends up, it will give plenty of information for rounding out your high school course at introductory level. It's not a long course or difficult. It does have some foundational information that can benefit those learning how to be productive with technology (and safety and ethics too)  https://www.sophia.org/online-courses/computer-science-and-it/introduction-to-information-technology-2

and here's the syllabus for it. https://www.sophia.org/content/dam/sophia/sophia-guide-and-syllabus/introduction-to-information-technology-2-sophia-syllabus.pdf

 

 

Thank you for looking that up!  Looks like half of the course can be keyboarding (which is easy), then she can do the gfcg tutorials and do projects with the applications in other courses.

[JazzyMom]

7 hours ago, stripe said:

To teach it yourself, I’ve got some decent ideas now.

 

1) “An online interactive resource for high school students learning about computer science.”

https://csfieldguide.org.nz/en/

This guide was initially developed as an online interactive textbook to support the new achievement standards in Computer Science that were being rolled out in New Zealand (2011-2013), and is now being adapted for use all over the world. 

 

2) A related project is CS Unplugged, “a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.” 

https://csunplugged.org/en/

A version called Computer Science in a Box was designed by Colorado School of Mines to be easy for teachers to use.  It is better organized, but doesn’t have all of the activities.

https://www.ncwit.org/resources/computer-science-box-unplug-your-curriculum-2018-update

This was designed for younger kids, but it’s still worth a look.

 

3) Moving on from all the flavors of that, is teaching material at code.org — various classes at all levels

https://studio.code.org/courses?view=teacher

Specifically their   CS Principles course:

Computer Science Principles covers many topics including the Internet, Big Data and Privacy, and Programming and Algorithms. The curriculum is flexible to be taught as an AP or non-AP course.

Audience: High school students, grades 9 - 12

Curriculum length: 100-180 hours, should be taught as a full-year course. Contains 10 units, including a Create Performance Task prep unit.

 

4) Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Academy

https://academy.cs.cmu.edu/splash

5) Security Education Companion (targeted resource on internet security) from Electronic Frontier Foundation . Audience is adults with no particular computer background.

https://sec.eff.org

Thank you for these links.  My 14 yo is getting into program and will love this.