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Changing Input Standards: A State-By-State Chronology

Revising and blending input technology methods and standards is essential. States like Washington, Nebraska, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi and Indiana have already added speech and handwriting to the instructional mix in coordination with the national standards on input technologies. This article reviews how they took this important step forward.

Note: If your state has made changes to your input technology, DigiTool, Digital Communication Tools (DCT), Business and Computer Technology (BCT) or other course standards, let us know so we can keep this chronology updated for the benefit of other states and districts who are researching the state-of-the-art in input DigiTools technology instruction. (E-Mail your updates and comments to: info@speakingsolutions.com)

Business Education initiated the blending of speech and handwriting recognition with keying input instruction shortly after the National Business Education Association (NBEA) updated its IT curriculum standards in 2001. According to those guidelines, students should, "Develop proper input techniques (e.g., keyboarding, scanning, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, and the use of a touch screen or mouse), including safety methods to avoid repetitive strain injury." (Page 85, National Standards for Business Education, www.nbea.org, ISBN 0-933964-56-0)

The next step in our chronology took place at the National Business Education Conference in Dallas Texas in 2003. These essential input training goals were poignantly restated and applied to ALL students by the Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education. This national-level commission, representing the Association for Career and Technical Education/Business Education Division, Delta Pi Epsilon, and the National Business Education Association, exhorted business educators to "...take the lead in using, teaching, and integrating computer-input technologies into the curriculum." Policy Statement 73 boldly defined this new ground.

THIS WE BELIEVE ABOUT COMPUTER-INPUT TECHNOLOGIES: Trends in technology require business educators to provide opportunities for all students to learn the new technologies and techniques that are emerging in today's workplace. Current technologies include speech recognition; handwriting recognition tools, such as Tablet PCs; Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and other handheld devices; and scanners…" (For more information, visit www.speakingsolutions.com/news/art16.htm.)

The commission broadened its definition of what constitutes input technologies instruction. The new definition goes beyond keyboarding and mouse clicking to include speech recognition, handwriting recognition, and other viable input alternatives.

Updating standards and courses is an arduous task. Albeit, revising standards is an essential process if our students are to emerge with the competitive workplace skills they need. The states listed in this chronology have proven that the process works to create powerful changes in the curriculum.

WASHINGTON

Washington was the first state to successfully address the question, "What do we teach after we decide to blend keying with emerging input technologies?" After considerable discussion, debate, and input, Washington replaced its long-standing CTE Keyboarding Curriculum with a new course called Digital Communication Tools or "DigiTools" for short. To quote a few excerpts from the speech recognition portion of the new standards, in DigiTools students will:

Demonstrate ability to use voice input and voice recognition tools.
Enunciate and read clearly using speech recognition technologies.
Develop voice recognition skills at acceptable speed and accuracy levels as defined by instructor and/or district.
Apply proper voice recognition techniques to input data and produce personal and business documents.

To review the standards in their entirety visit http://www.k12.wa.us/CareerTechEd/pathways/pubdocs/digitools_overview.pdf

DigiTools blends input technology instruction with Microsoft Office skills in Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel, Outlook, and Internet Explorer. Through a marked reduction in keyboarding practice time, DigiTools provides a bonanza of exploratory opportunities to build interest in subsequent Business Education programs at the high school level. Time is allocated for an orientation in Windows, basic hardware and networking, Intranet and Internet, HTML and Web design. There is even room for such important skills as leadership, teamwork, job search, career exploration projects, workplace ethics, file management, and writing and grammar instruction.

But for Washington, DigiTools is more than a highly robust, entry-level technology literacy class, it's the launching point in the curriculum for all students to begin drafting a personal educational plan to guide them after high school. They are asked to use their DigiTools skills to start a required culminating project (an e-folio wrapped around a career pathway). Guided by the WA Career Pathways curriculum, by 2008, all students must complete a culminating career project and an educational plan to follow upon graduation.

NEBRASKA

Nebraska was the next in line to update its standards - taking a 6-12 approach. At the elementary level, the Nebraska Framework (Page 36 BE 4.8 Input Technologies Essential Learning) states, "Students will understand input technologies. They will demonstrate competency by using input technologies appropriately to enter and manipulate text and data."

Example Indicators

Ergonomics -- use appropriate ergonomic practices for information technology tasks
Input Devices -- use a variety of input technologies (keyboard, scanner, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, touchscreen, digital pen, mouse, wireless devices) to compose and edit documents
Input Technologies -- use proper input technologies to avoid repetitive stress injuries

As Nebraskans reach secondary school, the experience deepens, as shown in this selected middle-level example which reads, "Apply input technology skills for acceptable speed and accuracy levels that follow the expectations of employers." (Middle Level, Page 36, BE 8.8 Input Technologies Essential Learning)

Technical standards like 802.11 WI-FI, USB 2.0, and DVD-RW, spurred industry-wide change along purposeful paths. Instructional standards in education can have the same impact. For instance, Nebraska trained its first trainers in speech recognition in 2000, began piloting in 2001, and added speech and handwriting standards to its statewide instructional framework in 2002. As a result of their efforts, in the spring of 2003, speech recognition was already being taught in 24.2% of Nebraska's 6-12 schools. An additional 29.4% implemented soon after. (Lear & Zimmerman, Survey Results PowerPoint, University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2003)

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina was the next state to take on the task of rewriting its standards for this century's technologies. A new, year-long Digital Communication Systems course in North Carolina reflects a growing national trend -- where increased keyboarding instruction is expected at the elementary and middle school levels. This frees up instructional time for alternative input instruction in the new high school Digital Communication Systems course. Excerpts from a draft of North Carolina's competencies state that students should, "Use speech recognition to input data." The standards continue:

Describe the purposes, components, and use of speech recognition systems.
Train the system and input simple documents using speech writing techniques.
Use speech commands to edit and format documents.

Under the heading Speed and Accuracy, students in North Carolina are asked to:

Produce straight-copy materials rapidly and accurately with traditional and speech recognition devices.
Key from straight copy for five minutes with a minimum of 35 wpm and five or less errors while making all corrections.
Dictate from straight copy for three minutes with a minimum of 125 wpm and 97% accuracy while making all corrections.

(Source: Draft, VoCATS Course Blueprint, Business and Information Technology Education, DIGITAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Public Schools of North Carolina - State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction, Office of Curriculum and School Reform Division of Instructional Services, Raleigh, North Carolina, Summer 2003.)

As in Washington's DigiTools curriculum, North Carolina blends keying and speech recognition with operating system, hardware, security and ethics, leadership, teamwork, word processing, spreadsheet, and database skills.

To support the implementation of its new standards, North Carolina implemented a highly efficient and accelerated speech recognition instructor training program, involving hundreds of teachers in a region-by-region, Train-the-Trainers effort.

VIRGINIA

Virginia, the fourth state to rewrite standards, has taken the most comprehensive and objective-based approach yet. Targeting grades 7-9, Virginia wants its students to possess digital input skills before entering high school. They have also provided both an 18 week and a 36 week option. The longer option blends a greater amount of keyboarding instruction into the program. A course overview reads:

Digital Input Technologies: BUS6161 (36 weeks) 6160 (18 weeks): Grade Levels: 7, 8. 9

"The Digital Input Technologies course introduces new and emerging tools that are quickly becoming standard in today's workplace. Students develop proficiency using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), speech recognition software, and input tools for entering and manipulating text and data. The 36-week course offers secondary-level keyboarding skills." (Downloaded July 15, 2003, http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/CTE/be/whatsnew.html)

Virginia has provided annual in-depth speech and handwriting training opportunities for teachers since 2000. With the completion of its new set of standards in 2003, Virginia is poised to move their students to the next level. To help teachers plan and prepare, Virginia has provided the most complete set of objectives available to Business Education instructors today. These objectives are contained in the Virginia task lists, and are available online at:

http://www.cteresource.org/VERSO/Digital%20Input%20Technologies%2005-03/tasklist_html/index_html

Whether or not you are teaching in Virginia or in some other state, download a copy of Virginia's task list for Digital Input Technologies for scope and sequence purposes. Required tasks are marked with an asterisk, while others are provided as options

Note: You may go on the CTE Resource Center site to order the entire VA curriculum framework with competency definitions, correlations to state academic standards, NBEA standards, FBLA activities, industry certifications, workplace readiness skills, and more. There is a slight fee for out of state users, but it is minimal (VTECS member states get a 30 % discount). And you can browse without logging in to the order system. You will be prompted on how to order. Visit http://CTEresource.org. Click on pull-down menu for Publications, then click the Online Ordering System.

MISSISSIPPI:

In 2000, Mississippi joined 11 states in a pilot program experimenting with the emerging speech recognition technologies. Teachers in the state piloted, tested, and evaluated a range of new DigiTools in the years to follow. Then, in 2003-2004, Mississippi reached a decision that these technologies were finally ready for primetime.

Mississippi again proved itself a national leader by becoming the fifth state in the country to integrate speech and handwriting training into its BCT curriculum standards.

Mississippi already has highly successful courses in place, and like Nebraska, built the new standards into its existing curriculum guidelines. The following excerpts are taken from the Business and Computer Technology II (BCT II) course description. (Visit http://www.rcu.msstate.edu/PDF/cur/2004/2004_Sec_Business_and_Computer_Technology.pdf to read the entire set of guidelines.)

"Students enrolled in Business and Computer Technology II will gain advanced competencies related to application management, including keyboarding, speech and handwriting recognition, office systems, multimedia and web page design, communication and management skills, and careers. ( 2-2½ Carnegie units depending upon time spent in course.) "

Complete initial training.
Create business documents by dictating voice commands and text.
Format/edit text and navigate in documents utilizing voice commands.
Provide initial training on the software, through demonstration and guided practice.
Demonstrate how to create business documents by dictating voice commands and text.
Demonstrate how to format/edit text and navigate within documents utilizing voice commands.
Have students dictate documents using voice commands. Assess performance using teacher observation/checklist/rubric.
Have students format/edit text and navigate within documents using voice commands. Assess performance using teacher observation/checklist/rubric.

Start and adjust the writing pad.
Input data and create documents with handwriting recognition tools.
Utilize handwriting recognition tools to correct, edit, and format text.
Demonstrate how to start and adjust the writing pad.
Demonstrate how to input data and create documents with handwriting recognition tools.
Demonstrate how to utilize handwriting recognition tools to correct, edit, and format text.
Have students start and adjust the writing pad. Assess performance using teacher observation/checklist.
Have students input data and create documents using handwriting recognition tools. Assess performance using a checklist/rubric.
Have students utilize handwriting recognition tools to correct, edit, and format text. Assess performance using a checklist/rubric.

INDIANA

DigiTools Indiana is the sixth state in the country to implement new, state-wide course standards encouraging a variety of input technologies and digital communications skills. Indiana provides a case study of how to implement dramatic change in a sensible and timely manner:

1) Indiana started piloting speech recognition in 2000 and added new technologies as they became available.

2) Indiana began regular in-service training the very next year.

3) In 2004 they felt the time was right, organized their curriculum committee, and created a new course called Digital Communication Tools or DCT (Code #4524). (Note: I particularly like how Indiana tied their new input technology skills to communications and language arts standards. Additionally, Indiana was the first state I know of to make "Electronic Notetaking" (DCT 7) an integral part of their DCT course.)

4) The new standards were made available to teachers for input for more than a year. During that time, Indiana teachers piloted curriculum, tested lessons, and learned how best to teach this new course. This piloting provided Indiana with a valuable feedback loop in order to make refinements.

5) Inservice continues as the fall of 2006 approaches and DCT moves forward across the state.

Read the Indiana standards in PDF format by visiting:
http://www.doe.state.in.us/octe/bme/curriculum/pdf/DigitalCommunicationTools.pdf

Handwriting Note

Handwriting wasn't available until May of 2001, nor essential to learn until after the release of Tablet PCs in November 2002.

Business Education responded quickly.

Starting with NBEA 2003 in Dallas, handwriting has been added to the training mix in many states. During the summer of 2003, handwriting demonstrations and/or hands-on training have been delivered at one level or another.

Speech recognition training, which began in earnest in 11 states in 2000, continues at a steady pace. At least 45 states have implemented formal training programs for Business educators in speech recognition. Most have pilot programs going. While it is now anyone's guess, the total number of teachers receiving formal speech and/or handwriting training has passed 10,000 .

Such fundamental changes don't happen very often. As more states work through the process of changing their standards, the pace of training will accelerate. As many have said, it's an exciting time to be a Business instructor.

Note: If your state is in the process of revising your standards, and would like to be included in this chronology for the benefit of other states and provinces, please let us know by writing info@SpeakingSolutions.com