Topics that could be addressed include, but are not limited to, free speech, communication, and automation. 

Ideas:

• Explore free time trends in different countries and analyze differences around technology

• Create travel books using technology

• Use Khanmigo to explore language with a chatbot

• Join Generation Global to create intercultural dialogue

The focus is on the potential consequences of laws related to computing technologies.

Ideas for Grade 7:

At this level, students may require teacher support to discuss the possible ethical implications of computing technologies.

The focus is on exploring the impacts of data collection, including biases in data collection, and its use by different stakeholders for a range of purposes.

The focus is on understanding different factors that introduce bias into an AI system and how those biases affect people.

The focus is on testing and discussing the usability and accessibility of various technology tools (e.g., apps, games, and devices) with teacher guidance. 

Ideas:

• Can AI Understand Language?

At this level, the focus is on building awareness of the many different computer science-related careers. 

Ideas for Grade 8: 

• Complete a webquest of different target language technologies and explore career opportunities

The focus is on understanding that models or simulations are limited by the data that they use, rather than understanding specifically how they use that data

Ideas:

• Build Lego characters both online and with Lego bricks

The emphasis is on designing and following collection protocols. Data sources include, but are not limited to sensors, surveys, and polls. 

Refining includes, but is not limited to, identifying relevant subsets of a data set, deleting unneeded data, and sorting and organizing data to highlight trends.

The focus is on identifying where there is potential to use a function or procedure to create a reusable computation. 

The focus is on identifying similar expressions or sequences in code and abstracting them into functions that generalize over the similarities.

Algorithms can be represented in a range of formats, including flowcharts, pseudocode, or written steps. Planning the output of a program, such as with a storyboard or wireframe, is not sufficient on its own.

Ideas:

• Beebot Emulator

The focus is on understanding that variables can be used to track the value of a concept in a program as it changes over time. 

The focus is on having students combine control structures, such as conditionals and loops, in such a way that they work together to achieve an outcome that could not be achieved using only one of them.

Programs can be debugged in numerous ways, including tracing and trying varying inputs. Perseverance is important in finding errors.

At this level, the emphasis is on using the iterative design process to create a solution or prototype with the end user in mind and to document the steps taken by the student to gather and incorporate information about the user into the computational artifact.

The emphasis is on designing (but not necessarily creating) a user interface. Designs could include things like written descriptions, drawings, and/or 3D prototypes.

The focus is on identifying the source of a problem by using a structured process such as a checklist or flowchart to systematically try solutions that may fix the problem. 

The focus is on describing that data must be stored on a physical device. Access to remotely stored data is restricted by the networks, and to access non-local data a connection to the network is required.

The focus is on understanding how protocols enable communication and what additional data is necessary for transmission. Knowledge of the details of how specific protocols work is not expected.

Ideas for Grade 8: 

• Look at translating softward and compare and contrast how it makes information more accessible vs how it misses nuance and precision of human language

• Play the Lego back to back game while practicing speaking the language

The focus is on explaining where the data associated with different apps, devices, and embedded systems is stored, how the data is synchronized, and how to connect to it.

The emphasis is on identifying personal information and devices that an individual may have access to and that adversaries may want to obtain or compromise. At this stage, students should focus on specific data and devices that they have access to. 

The emphasis is on recommending different types of security measures including physical, digital, and behavioral, for a given situation.

The focus is on thinking about how a specific safeguard impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and access of information. Additionally, there should be a focus on discussing whether strengthening one specific safeguard adversely affects another.

The focus is on recognizing that cryptography provides a level of security for data, and some types of encryption are weaker than others.

Ideas:

• Explore ciphers and compare to learning languages

The emphasis is on explaining appropriate actions to prevent and address common security issues for common situations.

The emphasis is on continuing to improve keyboarding skills, with a focus on increasing speed as well as accuracy

Students connect with others (students, teachers, families, the community, and/or experts) to further their learning for a specific purpose, give and receive feedback, and created a shared product.

Ideas for Grade 8: 

• Students can create a Book Creator bilingual picture book to share with other students

• Build global landmarks with Lego and then build them with an online builder

Mastery of this standard implies an understanding of how different search tools work, why different search tools provide different results, and how and why some websites rise to the top of a search. 

Teachers should designate a school-approved location for students to publish artifacts for an audience to view. Advanced digital tools may refer to the tool itself (i.e. the tool is more advanced) or to utilization of more advanced features on a tool.

New technologies could include different tools for collaboration, creation, etc. that the student has not used before. 

A focus should be on learning about privacy settings on social media accounts, exploring the concept of a positive online presence/identity, and identifying behaviors and information that could potentially affect them now and in the future. 

Students are able to strategize ways to keep online spaces safe. Identify types of negative online behaviors including cyberbullying, harassment, trolling/flaming, excluding, outing, dissing, masquerading, and impersonation.