Joel Mitchell Email and Phone Number

As the 21st century continues to show advances in technology, there is an even greater need to increase student STEM skills while in the classroom, particularly in the aspects of using technology. Our elementary school students need to learn about the weal and woe of the Internet, showing them how to be safe by educating them about online safety, the responsible use of technology and digital fair use rules. Although Google, Siri, and Alexa have allowed users to speak instead of type, there is a need for typing basics in early grades and for students to progressively increase their accuracy and speed in later grades with keyboarding lessons and drills. Adaptive keyboarding programs will assess student’s typing strengths and prescribe custom typing activities to meet their individual needs. Kids (and even adults) need hardware and software fundamentals to promote understanding about computer systems, hardware and software, including the ethical use issues surrounding them. Computer science focuses on concepts that help students develop computational thinking skills in preparation for learning to write code and solve other problems. Digital citizenship teaches students vital skills for successfully navigating and searching the World Wide Web such as browsing basics, keyword searches, research strategies, information sourcing and ethics, and examination of information validity. Also, the basics of online communication such as email, instant messaging, blogs, community sites, podcasting, and digital collaboration encourage greater sense of interaction with not only their classroom friends, but others in different cities and states. Finally, both adults and children need balance in their lives, particularly regarding media. Helping students learn what makes different media choices healthy or not is a good start. In closing, STEM helps our young scholars grow in understanding of the digital world around them, promoting opportunities for depth and complexity in their learning.