In Math examples of Supplemental Tools are ---  Formulas

Formulas use the 4 basic operations to solve problems.

In Technology -- Supplemental Tools are:  Word Processors, Spread Sheets, Databases, E-Mail are tools that allow the enduser to complete a task.

Kindergarden students, the first six weeks of school, learn to spell their names using plastic letter manipulatives and keyboards donated by NASA.

In the classroom, the teacher will begin to write technology tools & applications into the lesson plan as options for student productivity. 

Examples:

• students may create a word document or Power Point presentation instead of handwritten paper
• students may use the Internet for part of a research project
• students may use a spread sheet to assist in charting data

If consumer software is used in the classroom (Math Blaster, Sim City, Science Sleuths, etc.) it will be accompanied by a learner-centered rubric to integrate it into the TEKS.  The teacher might provide an accountability or reflectivity piece so that students use the software for higher-order thinking.  The result -- production of an auxiliary project or artifact. 

The Goal of Transparent Technology is to move students away from being mindless consumers to being creative & innovative producers.

Explanations of 5 Levels

Back