Reports on Technologies for Potential Use in the Classroom
By STICs 2006
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the technology applications curriculum has four strands: foundations, information acquisition, work in solving problems, and communication.1 (Specific examples are given in parenthesis. Feel free to research your own examples.)
FOUNDATIONS--Through the study of technology applications foundations, including technology-related terms, concepts, and data input strategies, students learn to make informed decisions about technologies and their applications.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION--The efficient acquisition of information includes the identification of task requirements; the plan for using search strategies; and the use of technology to access, analyze, and evaluate the acquired information.
SOLVING PROBLEMS--By using technology as a tool that supports the work of individuals and groups in solving problems, students will select the technology appropriate for the task, synthesize knowledge, create a solution, and evaluate the results.
COMMUNICATION--Students communicate information in different formats and to diverse audiences. A variety of technologies will be used. Students will analyze and evaluate the results.
1http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter126/ch126a.html

Definitions of emerging technologies:

  • Electronic tools and systems new to the field that have not yet been integrated or standardized.
    www.uen.org/delivery/ivc_glossary.shtml
  • new techniques, tools and equipment used in designing or delivering instruction, including virtual reality, electronic performance support systems, and multi-user object-oriented domains.
    www.ibstpi.org/glossary.htm
  • In healthcare systems: Where the basic mechanisms and principles of science are understood but implications for improvements in well-being and/or application are not fully understood or developed. The event horizon would normally be in the range 5-20 years but rapid advancements in new science may be bring this horizon closer to the present time.
    www.ipem.org.uk/sigs/etsig/glossary.htm
  • In business, also called Pacing Technologies: Technologies not yet in use but whose potential could be significant in replacing technologies used in current products or in generating new products.

    www.1000ventures.com/doc/glossary_bt.html

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    Definition of adaptive/assitive technologies:
  • Hardware (external and internal devices) to adapt the computer's capability for input, processing, and output for students of different needs (e.g., touch screen, voice-recognition devices).
    • cnets.iste.org/students/s_glossary.html