(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one-half credit for successful completion of this course. This course is recommended for students in Grade 9.     
      (b) Introduction.      
        (1) Career and technical education instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education and succeed in current or emerging professions.       
        (2) The Information Technology (IT) Career Cluster focuses on building linkages in IT occupations for entry level, technical, and professional careers related to the design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, multimedia, and systems integration services.       
        (3) In Web Communications, students will acquire knowledge of web communications and technological operations and concepts. This is an exploratory course in web communications. The six strands include creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking; problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.       
        (4) Students are encouraged to participate in extended learning experiences such as career and technical student organizations and other leadership or extracurricular organizations.       
        (5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.       
      (c) Knowledge and skills.      
        (1) Creativity and innovation. The student demonstrates creative thinking, constructs knowledge, and develops innovative products and processes using technology. The student is expected to:                  (A) demonstrate proficiency in the use of local and online collaboration;                   (B) create websites using web editors or web authoring programs;                   (C) evaluate the accessibility and usability of original websites; and                   (D) conceptualize possible technologies based on current technical trends.         
        (2) Communication and collaboration. The student uses digital technology to work collaboratively toward his or her own learning and the learning of others. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze and implement the proper and acceptable use of digital/virtual communications technologies such as instant messaging (IM), chat, email, and social networking;                   (B) define and implement the acquisition, sharing, and use of files taking into consideration primary ownership and copyright;                   (C) apply decisions regarding the selection, acquisition, and sharing of uniform resource locators (URLs) used in research, taking into consideration their quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness; and                   (D) solve problems using critical-thinking strategies.         
        (3) Research and information fluency. The student applies digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. The student is expected to:                  (A) verify the accuracy, validity, and currency of acquired information;                   (B) conduct effective searches using Boolean operators;                   (C) acquire and use appropriate vocabulary terms;                   (D) cite sources appropriately using established methods;                   (E) model ethical and legal acquisition of digital information following guidelines in the student code of conduct, including plagiarism and copyright laws;                   (F) identify and discuss emerging technologies and their impact;                   (G) understand Internet history and structure and how they impact current use; and                   (H) demonstrate appropriate use of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary when creating original work.         
        (4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student uses critical-thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. The student is expected to:                  (A) demonstrate the transfer and adaptation of knowledge through the creation of original work;                   (B) evaluate and implement security measures such as firewalls and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to protect original work;                   (C) analyze and follow timelines needed to create, edit, and present original work;                   (D) verify current licensing issues for software being used for the creation of original work;                   (E) identify and evaluate the design and functionality of web pages using rubrics;                   (F) optimize web information for fast download such as dial-up and high-speed Internet and mobile devices; and                   (G) evaluate original work through self-, peer, and professional review of websites.         
        (5) Digital citizenship. The student understands human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practices legal and ethical behavior. The student is expected to:                  (A) engage in online activities that follow appropriate behavioral, communication, and privacy guidelines, including ethics, personal security, and verbiage determined by the intended audience;                   (B) understand the negative impact of inappropriate technology use, including online bullying and harassment;                   (C) implement online security guidelines, including identity protection, limited personal information sharing, and password protection of a secure website; and                   (D) advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.         
        (6) Technology operations and concepts. The student demonstrates a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. The student is expected to:                  (A) demonstrate knowledge of hardware such as scanners, cameras, printers, video cameras, and external hard drives;                   (B) identify the parts of a computer and explain their functions;                   (C) summarize the need, functionality, and use of servers;                   (D) identify the advantages and disadvantages of running a personal web server versus using a web server provider;                   (E) differentiate and appropriately use various input, processing, output, and primary/secondary storage devices;                   (F) create and implement universally accessible documents;                   (G) analyze bandwidth issues as they relate to audience, servers, connectivity, and cost;                   (H) establish a folder/directory hierarchy for storage of a web page and its related or linked files;                   (I) follow file and folder naming conventions, including spacing, special characters, and capitalization; and                   (J) identify basic design principles when creating a website.         
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §130.315 adopted to be effective August 1, 2020, 45 TexReg 4190