The time is NOW for all elementary students to learn what is considered to be the basics in computer use. We can't afford to have our students waiting until middle school (or even later) to learn how to determine a valid website from erroneous information, how to protect their personal information, or even how to save files correctly.
Common Scenario...
Student: My file is gone. I KNOW I saved it.
Me: I believe you. The question is, where did you save it to and what was the file type?
Student: Huh??
There is no doubt that teachers across the board are being asked to cover more and more in a short amount of time. The question is, what is more important? Getting that research paper typed out or spending extra time on how to find expert information while avoiding plagiarism?
One of the biggest mistakes we can make as adults is to assume that students have it all figured out when it comes to technology. Many students spend a lot of time downloading music, editing self-created video, photoshopping photos, and perusing online. Exploring and creating come naturally, but safety and analysis must be taught.
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