Search the California Content Standards

Standard:
Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device, and define the information stored as data.

Descriptive Statement:
Information from the real world can be stored and processed by a computing device. When stored on a computing device, it is referred to as data. Data can include images, text documents, audio files, and video files. Students store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device and define the information stored as data. For example, students could produce a story using a computing device, storing it locally or remotely (e.g., in the cloud). They could then make a copy of the story for peer revision and editing. When the final copy of the story is complete, students delete any unnecessary files. They search for and retrieve data from a local or remote source, depending on where it was stored. (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy W.K.6, W.K.5, W1.6, W.1.5, W.2.6, W.2.5) Alternatively, students could record their voices singing an age-appropriate song. They could store the data on a computing device, search for peers' audio files, retrieve their own files, and delete unnecesary takes. (VAPA Music K.2.2, 1.2.2, 2.2.2)

Standard:
Model and describe how people connect to other people, places, information and ideas through a network.

Descriptive Statement:
Information is passed between multiple points (nodes) on a network. The Internet is a network that enables people to connect with other people worldwide through many different points of connection. Students model ways that people communicate, find information, or acquire ideas through a network. Students use a network, such as the internet, to access information from multiple locations or devices. For example, students could utilize a cloud-based platform to access shared documents or note-taking applications for group research projects, and then create a model (e.g., flowchart) to illustrate how this network aids collaboration. (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy W.K.7, W.1.7, W.2.7) Alternatively, students could design devices that use light or sound to aid communication across distances (e.g., light source to send signals, paper cup and string “telephones,” and a pattern of drum beats) and then describe how networks build connections. (CA NGSS: 1-PS4-4)

Standard:
Explain that the amount of space required to store data differs based on the type of data and/or level of detail.

Descriptive Statement:
All saved data requires space to store it, whether locally or not (e.g., on the cloud). Music, images, video, and text require different amounts of storage. Video will often require more storage and different format than music or images alone because video combines both. The level of detail represented by that data also affects storage requirements. For instance, two pictures of the same object can require different amounts of storage based upon their resolution, and a high-resolution photo could require more storage than a low-resolution video. Students select appropriate storage for their data. For example, students could create an image using a standard drawing app. They could save the image in different formats (e.g., .png, .jpg, .pdf) and compare file sizes. They should also notice that different file sizes can result in differences in quality or resolution (e.g., some pictures could be more pixelated while some could be sharper). Alternatively, in an unplugged activity, students could represent images by coloring in squares within a large grid. They could model how a larger grid requires more storage but also represents a clearer image (i.e., higher resolution).

Standard:
Model how information is broken down into smaller pieces, transmitted as packets through multiple devices over networks and the Internet, and reassembled at the destination.

Descriptive Statement:
Information is sent and received over physical or wireless paths. It is broken down into smaller pieces called packets, which are sent independently and reassembled at the destination. Students demonstrate their understanding of this flow of information by, for instance, drawing a model of the way packets are transmitted, programming an animation to show how packets are transmitted, or demonstrating this through an unplugged activity in which they physically act this out. For example, students could design a structure using building blocks or other materials with the intention of re-engineering it in another location, just as early Americans did after the intercontinental railroad was constructed in the 1850s (HSS.4.4.1, 4.4.2). Students could deconstruct the designed structure, place materials into specific containers (or plastic bags/brown paper bags/etc.), and develop instructions on how to recreate the structure once each container arrives at its intended destination. (CA NGSS: 3-5-ETS1) For example, students could cut up a map of the United States by state lines. Students could then place the states in envelopes and transmit the "packets" through a physical network, represented by multiple students spreading out in arms reach of at least two others. At the destination, the student who receives the packets resassembles the individual states back into a map of the United States. (HSS 5.9) Alternatively, students could perform a similar activity with a diatonic scale, cutting the scale into individual notes. Each note, in order, should be placed into a numbered envelope based on its location on the scale. These envelopes can be transmitted across the network of students and reassembled at the destination. (VAPA Music 4.1.2)

Standard:
Represent data in multiple ways.

Descriptive Statement:
Computers store data as sequences of 0s and 1s (bits). Software translates to and from this low-level representation to higher levels that are understandable by people. Furthermore, higher level data can be represented in multiple ways, such as the digital display of a color and its corresponding numeric RGB value, or a bar graph, a pie chart, and table representation of the same data in a spreadsheet. For example, students could use a color picker to explore the correspondence between the digital display or name of a color (high-level representations) and its RGB value or hex code (low-level representation). Alternatively, students could translate a word (high-level representation) into Morse code or its corresponding sequence of ASCII codes (low-level representation).

Standard:
Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.

Descriptive Statement:
Protocols are rules that define how messages between computers are sent. They determine how quickly and securely information is transmitted across networks, as well as how to handle errors in transmission. Students model how data is sent using protocols to choose the fastest path and to deal with missing information. Knowledge of the details of how specific protocols work is not expected. The priority at this grade level is understanding the purpose of protocols and how they enable efficient and errorless communication. For example, students could devise a plan for sending data representing a textual message and devise a plan for resending lost information. Alternatively, students could devise a plan for sending data to represent a picture, and devise a plan for interpreting the image when pieces of the data are missing. Additionally, students could model the speed of sending messages by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks and describe ways errors in data transmission can be detected and dealt with.

Standard:
Translate between different representations of data abstractions of real-world phenomena, such as characters, numbers, and images.

Descriptive Statement:
Computers represent complex real-world concepts such as characters, numbers, and images through various abstractions. Students translate between these different levels of data representations. For example, students could convert an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) tag for red font into RGB (Red Green Blue), HEX (Hexadecimal Color Code), HSL (Hue Saturation Lightness), RGBA( Red Green Blue Alpha), or HSLA (Hue Saturation Lightness and Alpha) representations. Alternatively, students could convert the standard representation of a character such as ! into ASCII or Unicode.

Standard:
Describe tradeoffs associated with how data elements are organized and stored.

Descriptive Statement:
People make choices about how data elements are organized and where data is stored. These choices affect cost, speed, reliability, accessibility, privacy, and integrity. Students describe implications for a given data organziation or storage choice in light of a specific problem. For example, students might consider the cost, speed, reliability, accessibility, privacy, and integrity tradeoffs between storing photo data on a mobile device versus in the cloud. Alternatively, students might compare the tradeoffs between file size and image quality of various image file formats and how choice of format may be infuenced by the device on which it is to be accessed (e.g., smartphone, computer).

Standard:
Describe issues that impact network functionality.

Descriptive Statement:
Many different organizations, including educational, governmental, private businesses, and private households rely on networks to function adequately in order to engage in online commerce and activity. Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the capability of a network to provide better service to selected network traffic over various technologies from the perspective of the consumer. Students define and discuss performance measures that impact network functionality, such as latency, bandwidth, throughput, jitter, and error rate. For example, students could use online network simulators to explore how performance measures impact network functionality and describe impacts when various changes in the network occur. Alternatively, students could describe how pauses in television interviews conducted over satellite telephones are impacted by networking factors such as latency and jitter.

Standard:
Describe the design characteristics of the Internet.

Descriptive Statement:
The Internet connects devices and networks all over the world. Large-scale coordination occurs among many different machines across multiple paths every time a web page is opened or an image is viewed online. Through the domain name system (DNS), devices on the Internet can look up Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, allowing end-to-end communication between devices. The design decisions that direct the coordination among systems composing the Internet also allow for scalability and reliability. Students factor historical, cultural, and economic decisions in their explanations of the Internet. For example, students could explain how hierarchy in the DNS supports scalability and reliability. Alternatively, students could describe how the redundancy of routing between two nodes on the Internet increases reliability and scales as the Internet grows.