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Children entering kindergarten this fall will learn about colors, letters, numbers, word processing and spreadsheets.
By the time Massachusetts students complete second grade, they are expected to be proficient in basic computer operations, word processing, desktop publishing, databases, spreadsheets, and use of the Internet and multimedia. Hands-on computer training starts in kindergarten.
The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education updated its Technology Literacy Standards for students from kindergarten through the 12th grade this year.
"It's not fair to teach for the 21st century in a 20th-century environment. We need to raise the bar to meet these new standards. All students will go to jobs that require technology," said Neil L. Trahan, technology coordinator for the Oxford school district.
Mr. Trahan said it was important to remember the "'Nintendo factor.' These kids expect immediate response. With computers and technology, we can give them that. You can't get that by turning in a paper or test to be graded and returned days later."
Auburn District Technology Committee member Elizabeth D. Johnson, a former longtime teacher and elementary school principal, said, "Computer literacy is very important. Reading, writing and numeracy (quantitative thought) come first, but we should be able to integrate computers at the same time."
She said kindergartners learn technological skills, such as computer graphing, by taking the outside temperature every day....