Great Tech Expectations: What Should Elementary Students Be Able to Do and When?

First off, let me clarify that I am not a proponent of expecting all children to learn at the same pace. Why all third graders are expected to be at x reading level by January is beyond me. That said, I think it’s a fair assumption that there are certain skills that we hope our students have by a certain age in order to help them reach their full potential. This also applies to tech skills.

I teach in a computer lab every day, with classes ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade rotating through my lab every 45 minutes. I have the luxury of seeing what my students can accomplish, and I understand how to scaffold their learning so that when they reach a higher grade, I know they will have the required repertoire of skills to be successful in either the projects we work on or those at whatever school they may end up in when they leave me.

The accompanying PDF lists some skills by grade level that I aim to have my students obtain. Each skill is rated per grade as either an Introductory (I), Developing (D), or Applied (A) skill. 

(Please keep in mind that I teach in a high-poverty school where many kids do not have access to computers, tablets, or the internet at home.)

This PDF is a rough framework and in no way representative of everything that students should know. I am 100 percent sure that I missed some things along the way and that many people will argue with some of it, but that’s why we blog, right?

Please let me know what I may have left out or anything you think is in the wrong place or doesn’t need to be there at all.