Information technology permeates our society and our entire educational system. More than just a series of courses and competencies, information technology is an information-gathering, organizing, and problem-solving tool that supports every discipline in the schoolhouse.

Digital Communication Tools is a 90-hour exploratory course designed to introduce project-based curriculum using specific skills and tools necessary for today’s world and the future. It is a foundational course for students in the Business and Marketing area and helps to prepare students for any of the five career clusters (identified by the U.S. Department of States Career Clusters) in the Business and Marketing Pathway. Communication is the theme and is integrated throughout. Using various technologies and inputting gives students the ability to effectively communicate in the various media they will encounter at school and in the workplace.

Overarching Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for the course:

The effective use of technology is vital for success in the information age.

• When using technology, how does your attention to ergonomics increase your productivity and employability?
• Why learn technology?
• How does the use of technology create opportunity?

Technology enhances your ability to gather, manipulate and communicate information.

• How does your ability to select and use software enhance communication?
• How does your ability to use a variety of hardware enhance communication?
• How can knowledge of technology improve your decision-making and problem-solving skills?

The practice of employability skills leads to personal and workplace success.

• What are the relationships between employability skills and success in life?
• What is a good worker?
• How does ethical or non-ethical behavior with technology impact society?

Unit One: File Management and Computer Fundamentals

Enduring Understandings:

• The computer is a valuable tool that opens up the world to those who know how to use it properly.
• Using the computer properly starts with a thorough understanding of how it is set up, how to manage the work one is doing and where to find help when needed.

Essential Questions:

• How can a computer help you organize?
• To what extent are we dependent on technology?

Knowledge & Skills

• Demonstrate File Management and Computer Fundamental skills
• Utilize information-technology tools to manage and perform work responsibilities

Unit Two: Leadership and Employability

Enduring Understandings:

• The development and use of leadership and employability skills (sometimes called work maturity skills) are among the most important skills that any student can acquire at school.
• Students will understand that the lack of these skills can lead to not advancing or and even the lose of their jobs because of the lack of being able to get along with others in the work environment.

Essential Questions:

• Why should we self-assess our performance?
• To what extent can goal setting help our performance?

Knowledge and Skills

• Individual Leadership
• Employability Skills

Unit Three: Input and Documents

Enduring Understandings

• Safe and productive keying is a skill that most of us will use in our career, educational and personal lives.
• A keyboard is used to communicate with others, find necessary information and enter data.
• Using the keyboard properly will increase individual productivity and efficiency.
• Voice recognition is a valuable tool for all students and can be especially useful for the special needs or handicapped student.
• Voice recognition is an emerging technology that is constantly being improved.
• Properly formatted Business documents make the message clear, concise and understandable.
• This increases both the efficiency and effectiveness of the communication.
• The communication process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating.
• Use of these processes is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond.

Essential Questions

• To what extent does a safe and productive keying technique affect us ergonomically?
• How can a person input data?
• How can documents send messages?
• To what extent through communication can collaboration and cooperation occur?

Knowledge and Skills

• Alpha Keyboard Using the Touch-Typing Method for Continual Improvement of Speed and Accuracy
• Learn the formatting/writing process for producing business correspondence by correctly producing basic business documents
• Use voice recognition software at an introductory level
• Use presentation software to enhance an oral presentation

Unit Four: Internet Skills and Web Design

Enduring Understandings

• The advantages of using the Internet are as diverse as the services and tools offered by the network.
• The Internet offers a vast amount of resources that are otherwise not available in any one location.
• Managing business information effectively is a vital activity, since data forms the basis upon which transactions are conducted or strategic decisions are made.

Essential Questions

• How can the internet directly affect communication, research and writing skills?
• To what extent must you be careful and purposeful when using the internet?

Knowledge and Skills

• Use the internet to enhance workplace productivity and personal enjoyment of the computer by using the internet in a safe and effective manner
• Use web design software to create and view a web page

Unit Five: Using the computer to Communicate Mathematically

Enduring Understandings

• Managing, analyzing, and present business information effectively is a vital activity.
• The ability to automatically perform and update calculations is cost and time effective for businesses.
• The versatility of spreadsheet can be applied to many business and personal operations.

Essential Questions

• How can managing business information be handled effectively?
• To what extent are data forms used to make strategic decisions and transactions in businesses?

Knowledge and Skills

• The student will be able to correctly organize information on a spreadsheet and incorporate charts and graphs
• The student will be able to enter, create, edit and sort databases as well as being able to create tables and design fields
• Financial Analysis

Unit Six: Professional Development and Integrated Project

Enduring Understandings

• Students will acquire self-development skills to enhance relationships and improve efficiency in the work environment
• Participate in career-planning to enhance job-success potential
• Implement job-seeking skills to obtain employment
• Utilize career-advancement activities to enhance professional development

Students will complete a project demonstrating the understanding of the aforementioned course enduring understandings.

Course Pacing

The following outline suggests a reasonable pacing for the course.

First Semester

Second Semester

Course Policies

Academic Integrity :
It is the responsibility of the student to uphold the highest in academic integrity. Students in this course will be expected to comply with the official Spokane District 81 Policy regarding Academic Integrity. It is the assumption of the instructor that all work is done by the student.

District Computer/Network Usage:
Careful and ethical use of computing resources is the responsibility of every user. Students will be held to a stand of accountability for how they use computers. The official District Acceptable Use Policy is found here (PDF).