The following suggestions are provided to assist teachers and school and school system administrators as they plan to deliver courses in the Communication Technology strand.
Selecting Courses
The Communication Technology curriculum heavily depends on, and is influenced by, technology. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to incorporate the latest available technologies— computers, scanners, laser printers, digital photography, etc.—where possible in addressing the various courses.
Communication Technology emphasizes experiential and hands-on learning. Students will participate in a wide range of practical activities within the classroom, the school and their local community.
In addition to functioning in a traditional manner, the teacher should use resourcefulness to create the appropriate learning environment for the students, either by bringing the necessary personnel and/or resources to the classroom or by taking students to the community. Flexibility in scheduling and programming is encouraged.
Through educational strategies such as partnerships, teamwork, group assignments and work experience, the teacher should stress “process” as well as “product” depending on the context.
Teachers should encourage creative thinking, enterprising and innovative strategies, and problem solving as much as possible. Also, the concepts of portfolio development and “critiquing” should be addressed throughout Communication Technology.
The scope and sequence chart in Section B provides an overview of the Communication Technology courses, indicating prerequisites and theme areas. Brief descriptions of each of the courses follow the scope and sequence chart in Section B. One course, Media & You, is a general introduction to Communication Technology. It is recommended that students, especially at the junior high level, take this course before proceeding to other courses in the curriculum. In addition, some courses may be prerequisite to others.
Senior high students with no previous experience in Communication Technology might consider the following multiple-credit offerings:
3-credit Personal Use (no previous experience):
- Media & You
- Photography 1 or Digital Imaging 1
- Audio/Video Production 1.