High School Technology Applications Alabama Standards

Decompose problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand the levels of abstractions in complex systems.

Resolve or debug errors encountered during testing using iterative design process. Examples: Test for infinite loops, check for bad input, check edge-cases.

Model and demonstrate behaviors that are safe, legal, and ethical while living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.

Recognize user tracking methods and hazards. Examples: Cookies, WiFi packet sniffing.

Understand how to apply techniques to mitigate effects of user tracking methods.

Understand the ramifications of end-user license agreements and terms of service associated with granting rights to personal data and media to other entities.

Explain the relationship between online privacy and personal security. Examples: Convenience and accessibility, data mining, digital marketing, online wallets, theft of personal information.

Identify physical, legal, and ethical consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors. Examples: Cyberbullying/harassment, inappropriate sexual communications.

Explain strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

Describe how sensitive data can be affected by malware and other attacks.

Compare various security measures of a computer system. Examples: Usability, security, portability, and scalability.

Compare ways to protect devices, software, and data.

Explain the necessity for the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.

Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications. Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

Discuss the ethical ramifications of malicious hacking and its impact on society. Examples: Dissemination of privileged information, ransomware.

Explain the beneficial and harmful effects that intellectual property laws can have on innovation.

Prove that digital identity is a reflection of persistent, publicly available artifacts.

Explain how computing systems are often integrated with other systems and embedded in ways that may not be apparent to the user. Examples: Millions of lines of code control the subsystems within an automobile (e.g., antilock braking systems, lane detection, and self-parking).

Evaluate strategies to manage digital identity and reputation with awareness of the permanent impact of actions in a digital world.

Explain how technology facilitates the disruption of traditional institutions and services. Examples: Digital currencies, ridesharing, autonomous vehicles, retail, Internet of Things.

Research the impact of computing technology on possible career pathways. Examples: Government, business, medicine, entertainment, education, transportation.

Debate the positive and negative effects of computing innovations in personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural spheres. Examples: Artificial Intelligence/machine learning, mobile applications, automation of traditional occupational skills.

Compare and contrast Internet publishing platforms, including suitability for media types, target audience, and feedback mechanism.

Apply version control capabilities within a digital tool to understand the importance of managing historical changes across suggestions made by a collaborative team.

Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

Use collaborative technologies to work with others including peers, experts, or community members to examine local, national, and global issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

Apply tools and methods for collaboration on a project to increase connectivity among people in different cultures and career fields. Examples: Collaborative documents, webinars, teleconferencing, and virtual fieldtrips

Develop a model that reflects the methods, procedures and concepts used by computing devices in translating digital bits as real-world phenomena, such as print characters, sound, images, and video.

Summarize the role of compression and encryption in modifying the structure of digital artifacts and the varieties of information carried in the metadata of these artifacts.

Differentiate between a generalized expression of an algorithm in pseudocode and its concrete implementation in a programming language.

Explain that some algorithms do not lead to exact solutions in a reasonable amount of time and thus approximations are acceptable.

Compare and contrast the difference between specific control structures such as sequential statements, conditional, iteration, and explain the benefits and drawbacks of choices made. Examples: Tradeoffs involving implementation, readability, and program performance.

Distinguish when a problem solution requires decisions to be made among alternatives, such as selection constructs, or when a solution needs to be iteratively processed to arrive at a result, such as iterative “loop” constructs or recursion.

Evaluate and select algorithms based on performance, reusability, and ease of implementation.

Explain how more than one algorithm may solve the same problem and yet be characterized with different priorities. Examples: All self-driving cars have a common goal of taking a passenger to a designation but may have different priorities such as safety, speed, or conservation; web search engines have their own algorithms for search with their own priorities.

Evaluate the tradeoffs involved in choosing methods for the organization of data elements and the location of data storage, including the advantages and disadvantages of networked computing. Examples: Client server, peer-to-peer, cloud computing.

Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

Use data analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns in data representing complex systems.

Evaluate the scalability and reliability of networks by describing the relationship between routers, switches, servers, topology, packets, or addressing, as well as the issues that impact network functionality. Examples: Bandwidth, load, delay.

Explain the purpose of Internet Protocol addresses and how domain names are resolved to IP addresses through a Domain Name System server.

Understand the need for networking protocols and examples of common protocols. Examples: HTTP, SMTP, and FTP

Categorize the roles of operating system software.

Appraise the role of artificial intelligence in guiding software and physical systems. Examples: predictive modeling, self-driving cars.

Explain the tradeoffs when selecting and implementing cybersecurity recommendations. Examples: Two-factor authentication, password requirements, geolocation requirements.

Evaluate the ability of models and simulations to test and support the refinement of hypotheses.

Create and utilize models and simulations to help formulate, test, and refine a hypothesis.

Form a model of a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis by the collection and analysis of data generated by simulations. Examples: Science lab, robotics lab, manufacturing, space exploration.

Explore situations where a flawed model provided an incorrect answer.

Systematically design and develop programs for broad audiences by incorporating feedback from users. Examples: Games, utilities, mobile applications.

Identify a problem that cannot be solved by either humans or machines alone and discuss a solution for it by decomposing the task into sub-problems suited for a human or machine to accomplish. Examples: Forecasting weather, piloting airplanes.

Use and adapt classic algorithms to solve computational problems. Examples: Sorting, searching, shortest path, and data compression.

Use an iterative design process, including learning from mistakes, to gain a better understanding of a problem domain.

Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using current events.

Decompose problems into smaller components through systematic analysis, using constructs such as procedures, modules, and/or objects, with parameters, and which return a result.

Compare and contrast fundamental data structures and their uses. Examples: Strings, lists, arrays, stacks, queues.

Demonstrate code reuse by creating programming solutions using libraries and Application Programming Interfaces.

Demonstrate the ability to verify the correctness of a program.

Develop and use a series of test cases to verify that a program performs according to its design specifications

Collaborate in a code review process to identify correctness, efficiency, scalability and readability of program code.

Algorithms

Innovative Designer

Citizen of a Digital Culture

Legal and Ethical Behavior

Collaborative Research

Social Interactions

Global Collaborator

Digital Identity

Safety, Privacy, and Security

Abstraction

Digital Tools

Creative Communication

Programming and Development

Computing Analyst

Design Thinking

Data

Human/Computer Partnerships

Impact of Computing

Systems

Computational Thinker

Modeling and Simulation

Examples: logical reasoning, order of operations, functional reasoning, proportional reasoning

Example: Use BigO notation to determine whether an algorithm is both correct and efficient.

Examples: linear, binary, jump, interpolation, exponential, ternary

Foundational Standards

Examples: changing the number of arguments to determine which instance of the class will be created

Examples: if-else statements, comparison

Examples: IDEs, professional and amateur repositories

Example: Design and utilize a questionnaire to assess customers’ needs.

Customer Service

Examples: quality audits, quality testing, inspection, checkpoint reviews

Software Design

Research and collect data to create a solution that aligns with the client's needs and goals.

Design an information technology-based project plan utilizing researched strategies to solve a given problem, including aspects of planning and cybersecurity, design implementation, and project management.

Perform quality assurance protocols to enable the delivery of working software products according to specifications.

Deliver and evaluate basic technical documents, presentations, and group interactions, using a variety of authoring tools and desktop and cloud-based software.

Incorporate safety procedures in handling, operating, and maintaining tools and machinery; handling materials; utilizing personal protective equipment; maintaining a safe work area; and handling hazardous materials and forces.

Demonstrate effective workplace and employability skills, including communication, awareness of diversity, positive work ethic, problem-solving, time management, and teamwork.

Explore the range of careers available in the field and investigate their educational requirements, and demonstrate job-seeking skills including resume-writing and interviewing.

Advocate and practice safe, legal, responsible, and ethical use of information and technology tools specific to the industry pathway.

Participate in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) to increase knowledge and skills and to enhance leadership and teamwork.

Use technology to collaborate with peers and/or experts to create digital artifacts that can be published online for a target audience.

Formulate new ideas, solve problems, or create products through the design and engineering process by utilizing testing, prototypes, and user feedback.

Design a program that uses data, functions, looping and iteration, sequencing, abstraction, list, and selection.

Integrate mathematical concepts into a program by writing the code, performing unit testing, and debugging the program.

Utilize Boolean operators, mathematical operators, and relational operators in creating program code.

Create an algorithm that includes an input and an output to solve a real-world problem.

Debug processes within a program by identifying and locating the problem, removing the faulty source code, and repairing the code.

Utilize efficient searching algorithms to solve a given problem.

Utilize mathematical formulas to assess the efficiency of sorting and searching algorithms and choose the more efficient one to use in a given situation.

Create complex applications using input, calculations, output, control structures, and data structures.

Construct recursive algorithms to solve a problem.

Develop class constructors using method overloading concepts.

Construct multidimensional arrays and use the input and output data to solve a problem.

Demonstrate the effective use of tools for software development.

Classify program structure, blocks, and storage types according to operational efficiency.

Construct console and file input and output, functions, arrays, and strings.

Develop a software program that demonstrates input/output, processing, and storage in order to outline the flow of data for each phase.

Create an advanced algorithm using plain language and incorporating pseudocode to solve a real-world programming problem.

Describe ethical and legal practices for safeguarding the confidentiality of business-related information.

Explain why any input-processing algorithm must correctly handle all problem variants.

Write an algorithm to solve mathematical problems using formulas, equations, and functions.

Represent the logical flow of a program graphically. Examples: flowcharts, data traces, input/output charts

Utilize and explain techniques for code commenting and documentation. Example: inserting meta text in source code

Design a program that uses mathematical operations, data, functions, looping and iteration, sequencing, abstraction, lists, and selection. Examples: if-else statements, comparison

Design a program using visual modeling software to illustrate abstraction of languages from the solutions. Examples: Appian, Claris FileMaker, DWkit, Google AppSheet, Looker 7, Mendix, Microsoft PowerApps, OutSystems, Robocoder Rintagi, Salesforce Lightning, Sisense, Skyve Foundry, Temenos (formerly Kony), SIB Visions VisionX, Wix Editor X, Yellowfin 9, Zoho Creator

Design a program that passes arguments and parameters (variables).

Evaluate algorithms based on given designs to discuss their efficiency, correctness, and clarity. Examples: analyzing and comparing execution times, testing with multiple inputs or data sets, debugging

Construct programs that utilize logical algorithms from specifications and requirement statements.

Create a model software program which involves coding, testing, and documenting according to industry coding standards and guidelines.

Explain how strings of 0s and 1s are used in programming.

Describe possible threats to a laptop, tablet, computer, and/or network and methods for avoiding attacks related to programming.

Summarize how numerical values are represented using different bases, including decimal and binary.

Demonstrate how numbers with decimals can have fixed-point or floating-point representations in binary.

Compare and contrast quantum and classical computing notation systems. Example: qubits

Explain the consequences of social engineering, illegal, and unethical uses of technology. Examples: piracy, illegal downloading, licensing infringement; inappropriate use of software, hardware, or mobile devices in the work environment

Describe computing innovations which have the potential to advance programming or other aspects of computer science. Examples: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, low- or no-code programming

Describe the flow of data and instructions through computer systems.

Explain how data is represented, manipulated, and stored in a computer.

Describe the components of the programming development environment (the hardware and software used by programmers). Examples: text editor, compiler, debugging, profiler, IDE, modeling

Compare and contrast current programming languages utilized by business and industry and determine features, functions, and benefits of each.

Identify and explain various kinds of cryptographic algorithms. Examples: hashing, symmetric, asymmetric

Incorporate safety procedures in handling, operating, and maintaining tools and machinery; handling materials; utilizing personal protective equipment; maintaining a safe work area; and handling hazardous materials and forces.

Demonstrate effective workplace and employability skills, including communication, awareness of diversity, positive work ethic, problem-solving, time management, and teamwork.

Explore the range of careers available in the field and investigate their educational requirements, and demonstrate job-seeking skills including resume-writing and interviewing.

Advocate and practice safe, legal, responsible, and ethical use of information and technology tools specific to the industry pathway.

Participate in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) to increase knowledge and skills and to enhance leadership and teamwork.

Use technology to collaborate with peers and/or experts to create digital artifacts that can be published online for a target audience.

Formulate new ideas, solve problems, or create products through the design and engineering process by utilizing testing, prototypes, and user feedback.

Software Design and Programming

Computer Numbering Systems

Digital Literacy

Computer Systems

Foundational Standards