Classrooms that prepare students for college and career seamlessly integrate technology into daily instruction in a way that intentionally scaffolds students' technology skills. Although today's students are digital natives with many skills in social networking, the vast majority of them are not social learners with the ability to apply complex technology skills to everyday challenges.
Students' everyday experiences are interwoven with digital devices and instant communication. In order to meet students "where they are" technology instruction must be infused in every subject area. According to a national survey, 95% of students regularly use the Internet.
A modern curriculum must include incremental technology infused skill acquisition. However, the design of every curriculum begins by considering the unique needs of the learners. Although students are comfortable tweeting and surfing the web, they still need support to use technology for productivity tasks such as creating spreadsheets or sending professional email.
Being aware of students' skill profiles with technology can greatly inform the development of an integrated curriculum that allows students to build the technology skill sets necessary for college and career.
