ABCD
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MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards: Grades 6-8
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Grades 6-8: Digital Tools and Collaboration (DTC)
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DLCS StandardsWhat does this mean?What could this look like in class?Student Samples
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6-8.DTC.a Digital Tools
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6-8.DTC.a.1 Identify and explain the strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities of a variety of digital tools.Students understand the strengths and weaknesses of varying digital tools. They can choose an appropriate tool for their needs.Student resource library?
Project tools: G-Slides, G-Sites, Green Screen iVideo, Podcast, Graphs & Charts in Sheets, Canva		6th grade students explore the Nile River Valley in social studies
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6-8.DTC.a.2 Identify the kinds of content associated with different file types and why different file types exist (e.g., formats for word processing, images, music, three-dimensional drawings.).Students understand which file types represent which type of media. They have knowledge of which applications work best with which types of images(i.e. Raster vs. vector). Students understand that digital video consists of a format and container and which files are best for editing.Art classes
Learning about canvas they should begin to understand different files
PDF - ways it is better/worse than docs, slides, etc.
Image files - reasons for and best use of varying file types (.jpg, .gif, etc)
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6-8.DTC.a.3 Integrate information from multiple file formats into a single artifact.Students utilize a variety of different resources (video, audio, text) to inform a single project.Many uses in many classes:
Images, text , video, links, gifs, audio - integrated into a slide, site, doc Lesson plan to Explore Antarctica with VR:
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6-8.DTC.a.4 Individually and collaboratively, use advanced tools to design and create online content (e.g., digital portfolio, multimedia, blog, webpage).Students can choose an online tool to show what they know and share content with others.Maybe in 6th grade an introduction to Canvas and student tech resources?
Design a G-Site in 6th Grade SS
Create in Canva an article Summary
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6-8.DTC.a.5 Individually and collaboratively, develop and conduct an online survey.Students design and implement a survey.G-Forms survey as part of a project in civics, ELA opinion poll, Science experimental outcomes by group.
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6-8.DTC.b Collaboration and Communication
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6-8.DTC.b.1 Communicate and publish key ideas and details individually or collaboratively in a way that informs, persuades, and/or entertains using a variety of digital tools and media-rich resources.Use digital tools and resources to inform, persuade or entertain. They understand that their are strategies to gaining their audiences attention and different tools to use for different audiences and purposes.ELA comp?
Project tools: G-Slides, G-Sites, Green Screen iVideo, Podcast, Graphs & Charts in Sheets, Canva.
Use of gaming (Minecraft) to demo understanding (ex. Egypt projects 6th grade)		Egyption Pyramid Student Demo with Minecraft
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6-8.DTC.b.2 Collaborate synchronously and asynchronously through online digital tools.Students understand how to navigate the learning platform in order to work as a group or alone.
Students can select appropriate Gsuite tools to collaborate with peers and instructors.		What does this synchronous work look like when we are all together? A google doc that they worked on together?
Project tools: G-Slides, G-Sites, G-Docs chat tool for asych, real-time edits/revisions face-to-face, Green Screen iVideo, Podcast, Canva. Discussion boards in Canvas,
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6-8.DTC.b.3 Demonstrate ability to communicate appropriately through various online tools (e.g., e-mail, social media, texting, blog comments).Students understand appropriate ways to contact teachers and administrators. Students can use strategies for challenges faced in online learning situations.Maybe they have to do this in one of their classes each year to demonstrate?
Ex: 6th grade teacher email - at Trottier “writing an email to a teacher” is explicitly taught as a lesson in ELA - maybe each of the below could be added
7th email an admin
8th email a school committee or government member?
Students use Canva to create a social media post for the school? Could we make it a ‘contest’?		Trottier 6th grade student website to illustrate knowledge of African Land features
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Email lesson from Melican
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Email lesson idea
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6-8.DTC.c Research
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6-8.DTC.c.1 Perform advanced searches to locate information using a variety of digital sources (e.g., Boolean Operators, limiters like reading level, subject, media type).Understand the difference between different search engines and use strategies for locating information.This could be done in ELA as part of a research lesson (it has been done in the past) - however the value added was questioned by teachers and students. How to handle? Libary and the introduction of databases
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6-8.DTC.c.2 Evaluate quality of digital sources for reliability, including currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose of digital information.Decide which information is accurate and useful by understanding that all media is constructed for a specific purpose. Use strategies such as lateral reading, questioning, and source checking for evaluating sources.Across the Curriculum. resourse for teacher learning
I believe done in ELA in 7th & 8th - will check on the lesson
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Media Literacy and Pictures NYT
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,News Literacy
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6-8.DTC.c.3 Gather, organize, and analyze information from digital sources by quoting, paraphrasing, and/or summarizing.Find information from multiple sources, organize information, and connect information by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing8th grade civics project. Example
Research projects in Sci, SS, ELA 6th, 7th, 8th
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6-8.DTC.c.4 Create an artifact, individually and collaboratively, that answers a research question and communicates results and conclusions.Students can use a variety of programs, apps or sites to show the answer to their research project.8th grade civics project
Research projects in Sci, SS, ELA 6th, 7th, 8th
See also 6-8.DTC.b.2; 6-8.DTC.b.1
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6-8.DTC.c.5 Use digital citation tools to cite sources using a school- or district-adopted format (e.g., Modern Language Association [MLA]), including proper citation for all text and non-text sources (e.g., images, audio, video).Understand that there are different formats for citing information. Use appropriate citations for different mediums.Easy Bib - Utilized in ELA
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Grades 6-8: Computing and Society (CAS)
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DLCS StandardsWhat does this mean?What does it look like in class?
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6-8.CAS.a Safety and Security
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6-8.CAS.a.1 Identify threats and actively protect devices and networks from viruses, intrusion, vandalism, and other malicious activities.Students will recognize when email attachments and website downloads may contain files that may cause harm to their computer. Begin using strategies to avoid these threats.Lesson needed: How to Identify a Sketchy Email (for ideas)
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6-8.CAS.a.2 Describe how cyberbullying can be prevented and managed.Students will learn how to identify cyberbullying and will learn how to make trusted adults aware of the behavior.Cyberbullying Lesson
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6-8.CAS.a.3 Explain the connection between the persistence of data on the Internet, personal online identity, and personal privacy.Students understand the importance of protecting their personal data. Students understand why companies or people would ant to access their data and strategies to maintain their data privacy.Click for more informaiton
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6-8.CAS.a.4 Describe and use safe, appropriate, and responsible practices (netiquette) when participating in online communities (e.g., discussion groups, blogs, social networking sites).Students understand how to participate in online learning. Students understand appropriate ways to contact teachers and administrators. Students can use strategies for challenges faced in online learning situations.Discussion posts - criteria for posts
Peer editing and revising - criteria for effective peer feedback online
6th Grade How to Write an Email Lesson
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6-8.CAS.a.5 Differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate content on the Internet.ID where to get appropriate content and use appropriate apps and sites. Students will form a strategy for when they encounter inappropriate content online.Website Evaluation activity integrated into Research Lessons
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6-8.CAS.b Ethics and Laws
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6-8.CAS.b.1 Explain how copyright law and licensing protect the owner of intellectual property.Students will understand that in the US, copyright is protected by the constitution and why the founders of the country wanted to include it.Creative Commons
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6-8.CAS.b.2 Explain possible consequences of violating intellectual property law and plagiarism.Students will look at examples of copyright lawsuit situations and understand what happens to someone who violates copyright.Creative Commons
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6-8.CAS.b.3 Apply fair use for using copyrighted materials (e.g., images, music, video, text).Students will understand fair use and public domain as well as its role in understanding copyright. Students will be able to apply fair use to their work.Creative Commons
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6-8.CAS.b.4 Identify the legal consequences of sending or receiving inappropriate content (e.g., cyberbullying, harassment, sexting).Students understand the consequences of their actions online, and what to do when they find themselves receiving inappropriate content.Creative Commons
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6-8.CAS.b.5 Differentiate among open source and proprietary software licenses and their applicability to different types of software and media.Students will understand that open source projects, products, or initiatives celebrate open exchange, participation and collaboration, and community-oriented development.Meanwhile students understand that proprietary means that only the original authors can copy, inspect and alter the software and that users typically sign a license agreement to use the product.
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6-8.CAS.b.6 Demonstrate compliance with the school’s Acceptable Use Policy [AUP].Students agree to follow the school's acceptable use policy. Students understand that there are consequences that stem from inappropriate use.Homeroom teachers distribute, collect, and keep signed Acceptable Use Policy sheets at the beginning of the year

Teachers/Teams reinforce compliance with policy through discussions, rubrics, and modeling of it
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6-8.CAS.b.7 Identify software license agreements and application permissions.Students will understand that software license agreements and applications exist to protect the company, not the individual. Students will investigate the consequences for entering into a license agreement. Students will recognize that some agreements expose their personal data.List the application they use on the daily in school, work, play and more. Investigate how different end-user license agreements (EULA)
Have students brainstorm why applications might be free. Look at companies that made material free during the pandemic.
What is given up when a software or application is free?
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6-8.CAS.b.8 Explain positive and malicious purposes of hacking.Students understand that people hack for many negative reasons
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6-8.CAS.b.9 License original content and extend license for sharing in the public domain (e.g., creative commons).Students will choose the appropriate license for their work based on how they want it viewed or used in the future. They will use creative commons to apply the correct license.Creative Commons
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6-8.CAS.c Interpersonal and Societal Impact
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6-8.CAS.c.1 Describe current events and emerging technologies in computing and the effects they may have on education, the workplace, individuals, communities, and global society.Students understand that technology is advancing quickly. They can describe how events and devices have a powerful impact on education, work, community and the world. PBS Age of AI
What AI is not
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6-8.CAS.c.2 Identify and discuss the technology proficiencies needed in the classroom and the workplace, and how to meet the needs.Students can identify the skills needed to use these different technologies.
Understanding passwords/passkeys, how to use canvas to their best ability, other programs, how to use Sora, online resources including library card
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6-8.CAS.c.3 Relate the distribution of computing resources in a global society to issues of equity, access, and power.Students understand the impact of computing resources and how these emerging resources are related to equity, access, and power.Social action project grade 7
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6-8.CAS.c.4 Evaluate how media and technology can be used to distort, exaggerate, and misrepresent information.Students can distinguish when misinformation is spread and identify strategies used to spread “fake news”.Use ppt “Media Literacy” to discuss the meaning of media literacy and propaganda. Slides will examine 6 styles of fake or misleading news as well as tips on how to spot fake news and reliable fact checking sites.
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Be internet AwesomeNews Literacy
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6-8.CAS.c.5 Evaluate the bias of digital information sources, including websites.Student can evaluate digital sources and identify bias in them.Trottier Librarian Audrey Alensons lesson on wesbite bias eval
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News Literacy
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Grades 6-8: Computing Systems (CS)
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DLCS StandardsWhat does this mean?What does it look like in class?
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6-8.CS.a Computing Devices
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6-8.CS.a.1 Describe the main functions of an operating system.Students understand that different devices use different operating systems.
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6-8.CS.a.2 Recognize that there is a wide range of application software.Students understand that devices use applications. They wil be able to select appropriate applications for a specific device and task.
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6-8.CS.a.3 Identify and describe the function of the main internal parts of a basic computing device (e.g., motherboard, hard drive, Central Processing Unit [CPU]).Students understand that a device is made up of specific parts that work together to work. They can find and describe different functions of a computing device.Hardware and Software
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6-8.CS.a.4 Identify and describe the use of sensors, actuators, and control systems in an embodied system (e.g., a robot, an e-textile, installation art, smart room).Students understand that sensors, actuators and control systems are used in different devices and for different functions. Students will describe the use of these pieces for different tasks in content areas.Biometrics in passkeys - face recog/touch sensors. Snap Circuits
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6-8.CS.a.5 Individually and collaboratively design and demonstrate the use of a device (e.g., robot, e-textile) to accomplish a task.Students can design and use a device to accomplish a task.Students build a robotic arm to grasp an object. Design challenge
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6-8.CS.a.6 Use a variety of computing devices (e.g., probes, sensors, handheld devices, Global Positioning System [GPS]) to individually and collaboratively collect, analyze, and present information for content-related problems.Students can use data collecting devices for showing understanding of a concert or for solving a problem.Design challenge
Students use probes to collect and test in Science
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6-8.CS.a.7 Identify steps involved in diagnosing and solving routine hardware and software problems (e.g., power, connections, application window or toolbar, cables, ports, network resources, video, sound) that occur during everyday computer use.Students understand that there are basic steps that can be used with devices and software that can help solve problems.Classroom job as a tech support person

Would it make sense to present them with problems?

Canvas challenges to help them learn about the platform and practice the skills needed for different tasks, i.e. discussion post, checking grades, contacting teacher
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6-8.CS.b Human and Computer Partnerships
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6-8.CS.b.1 Explain why some problems can be solved more easily by computers or humans based on a general understanding of types of tasks at which each excels.Students can explain how technology is used by people to accomplish tasks too complicated for humans alone. Students will understand that technology needs humans for creative endeavors and to monitor artificial intelligence and robots
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6-8.CS.b.2 Describe how humans and machines interact to solve problems that cannot be solved by either alone (e.g., “big data” experiments that involve drawing conclusions by analyzing vast amounts of data).Students understand that changes in digital electronics have been a driving force of technological and social change, productivity, and economic growth. Students begin to see connections between data collection and actions by governments, companies or individuals.“What is Big Data?” Lesson plan -Code.org. Design thinking
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6-8.CS.c Networks
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6-8.CS.c.1 Explain the difference between physical (wired), local and wide area, wireless, and mobile networks.Students will understand that networks are used to join computing devices. Students will identify the needs satisfied by different networks
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6-8.CS.c.2 Model the components of a network, including devices, routers, switches, cables, wires, and transponders.Students will identify the parts of a network and why each part is important.
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6-8.CS.c.3 Describe how information, both text and non-text, is translated and communicated between digital devices over a computer network.Students understand that text and non-text is transmitted into data as an electrical signal, onto a cable. Students will understand the advantages of using a network as well as some of the challenges.MAC Address?
IP Address?
Network Router
Server
LAN vs WAN
BBC What is a Network?
Why do home, school or work networks need to be different?
Logging in at school vs. Logging in @ Panera
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MIDI in music class
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6-8.CS.d Services
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6-8.CS.d.1 Identify capabilities of devices that are enabled through services (e.g., a wearable device that stores fitness data in the cloud, a mobile device that uses location services for navigation).Students understand that specific devices have specific capabilities to meet certain goals. They can differentiate between devices that use cloud based services versus navigation services.Biometrics in passkeys - face recog/touch sensors
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Grades 6-8: Computational Thinking (CT)
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DLCS StandardsWhat does this mean?What does it look like in class?
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6-8.CT.a Abstraction
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6-8.CT.a.1 Describe how data is abstracted by listing attributes of everyday items to represent, order and compare those items (e.g., street address as an abstraction for locations; car make, model, and license plate number as an abstraction for cars).Students understand that abstraction is a strategy to simplify information in order to solve a problem.
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6-8.CT.a.2Define a simple function that represents a more complex task/problem and can be reused to solve similar tasks/problems.Students can identify patterns and similarities in a larger process, and can see patterns or similarity at work in certain situations. Students can apply a learned function to a new situation.
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6-8.CT.a.3 Use decomposition to define and apply a hierarchical classification scheme to a complex system, such as the human body, animal classification, or in computing.Students can break down a complex problem into smaller parts in order to understand the whole or to solve problems at a deer level.
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6-8.CT.b Algorithms
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6-8.CT.b.1 Design solutions that use repetition and conditionals.Students will be able to write a series of steps to solve a problem. Students will use coding apps or sites to practice block based coding with repeats and conditionals.Teaching Algorithms(Article Tynker)
Human robot
Scratch
Bee Bot		Student Coding Examples
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6-8.CT.b.2 Use logical reasoning to predict outputs given varying inputs.Students can identify and use variables.
Students can apply a learned function to a new situation to solve a problem or predict an outcome.		https://www.101computing.net/guess-who-challenge/
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6-8.CT.b.3 Individually and collaboratively, decompose a problem and create a sub-solution for each of its parts (e.g., video game, robot obstacle course, making dinner).Students can break down a problem and create steps for solving individual parts of the problem.Sphere and story tellingTrottier students comparing notes about apps created using MIT app inventor
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6-8.CT.b4 Recognize that more than one algorithm can solve a given problem.Students can write a computer code to solve a problem or show understanding.
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6-8.CT.b5 Recognize that boundaries need to be taken into account for an algorithm to produce correct results.Students use block based programming to create a product with methods such as looping, conditionals and variables.www.blueshiftcoding.com/kidsgetcoding
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6-8.CT.c Data
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6-8.CT.c1 Demonstrate that numbers can be represented in different base systems (e.g., binary, octal, and hexadecimal) and text can be represented in different ways (e.g., American Standard Code for Information Interchange [ASCII]).Students learn that representation happens in a variety of ways. Students think about what is necessary to create usable binary representation systems.
Students express different ways that text and numbers can be represented in order to solve problems.		Students can represent a color by using different codes. Emojis, binary, hexidecimal
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6-8.CT.c2 Describe how computers store, manipulate, and transfer data types and files (e.g., integers, real numbers, Boolean Operators) in a binary system.Students understand that computers use ones and zeros to represent images, colors, text and other on a computer or other device. They know that information moved from device to device is sent through signals using this.Boolean
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converting decimal to binaryBinary
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binary and secret wordsUnderstanding binary and unplugged activites
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6-8.CT.c.3 Create, modify, and use a database (e.g., define field formats, add new records, manipulate data), individually and collaboratively, to analyze data and propose solutions for a task/problem.Students can make a sheet and change the fields and formats to help analyze data and solve problems.SheetsMelican Samples of Student Data Sheets from Tech Ed
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6-8.CT.c.4 Perform a variety of operations such as sorting, filtering, and searching in a database to organize and display information in a variety of ways such as number formats (scientific notation and percentages), charts, tables, and graphs.Students can use formulas to sort data for a specific task. Students can display information from a database in a non-numerical form.Plethora of resources for using sheets in all content areas
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6-8.CT.c.5Select and use data-collection technology (e.g., probes, handheld devices, geographic mapping systems) to individually and collaboratively gather, view, organize, analyze, and report results for content-related problems.Students use a data-collecting device. Students can view and analyze data collected from the device to share their understanding or solve problems.Ollie and speed time graphs
Drones and video or images
Probes in science
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6-8.CT.d Programming and Development
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6-8.CT.d.1 Individually and collaboratively compare algorithms to solve a problem, based on a given criteria (e.g., time, resource, accessibility).Students use block based coding program such as scratch or code.org to analyze algorithms.Bocce ball with sephro
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6-8.CT.d.2 Use functions to hide the detail in a program.Students use block based coding programs such as scratch or code.org to use a function in a code.
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6-8.CT.d.3 Create a program, individually and collaboratively, that implements an algorithm to achieve a given goal.Students use block based coding program such as scratch or code.org to create an algorithmdarts in Math