Standards for Technology in Education; Am I Meeting NETS?

The following is a list of the NETS standards for Students & Teachers for grades 9-12. After each standard, I have provided a brief discussion comment regarding how close or far I am from meeting that particular grade level technology standard.

A. Re: National Education Technology Standards For Students
1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a.
apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b.
create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c.
use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d.
identify trends and forecast possibilities.
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I think I am very close to meeting this standard with my students, as I assign a lot of group and individual projects that facilitate students’ use of technology as a means of producing creative work and developing innovative solutions and predictions. As an English teacher, my students do not use models and simulations as much in my class as they might in science, but as part of their cultural project related to Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, they use and analyze graphs and statistics.

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

a.
interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b.
communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c.
develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d.
contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I meet this standard to the degree that my students do achieve this objective. That is, they do communicate and collaborate in the ways listed in a-d. With that said, their ability to do this is NOT because of what I have taught. They have learned how to do this elsewhere, thank goodness. The challenge here is for me to learn from them, and to be able to help all students be able to engage with each other. I am still a student when it comes to meeting this standard!

3. Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

a.
plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b.
locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c.
evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d.
process data and report results.

TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I meet this standard in so far as the computer and internet are concerned. I especially teach toward this standard by taking students to the library for a unit on ‘research on the internet’ that is co-taught by the librarian. I am better at helping students select ‘information sources’ than ‘digital tools.’ I provide suggestions and models, rather than instruction. This is a great standard to address by collaborating with other teachers.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:

a.
identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b.
plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c.
collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
d.
use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.
d.
process data and report results.

TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I feel very strong in regards to this standard. I am much better at teaching these tools (of critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making), than I am at the technical tools.

5. Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

a.
advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b.
exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c.
demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
d.
exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I have not addressed this standard in a formal or comprehensive way, although I think it is a great one. I would like to research more on this topic and develop a unit on it. English and History teachers could find many ways to incorporate a ‘digital Citizenship’ unit as part of their teaching. One idea is to have students do research on this topic themselves.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

a.
understand and use technology systems.
b.
select and use applications effectively and productively.
c.
troubleshoot systems and applications.
d.
transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I do not meet or address this standard nearly enough. I can only facilitate students to learn on their own, as I myself am such a learner when it comes to Technology Operations and Concepts. I am trying to learn more and will definitely address this standard more in the future.


B. Re: National Education Technology Standards For Teachers grades 9-12

1. Design, develop, and test a digital learning game to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to curriculum content. (1,4)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I have tested and used digital games to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to curriculum content but I have NOT designed or developed one myself.

2. Create and publish an online art gallery with examples and commentary that demonstrate an understanding of different historical periods, cultures, and countries. (1,2)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I have met this standard with help from the librarian and students. It has always been student driven with other staff support.

3. Select digital tools or resources to use for a real-world task and justify the selection based on their efficiency and effectiveness. (3,6)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? To some degree, I have met this standard. For my ‘Film as Literature’ course, I provided students with a list of equipment they could use to develop their own film and/or video. Again, I selected the digital tools and explained their purpose, but I did not teach ‘how to use them’ from a technical standpoint.

4. Employ curriculum-specific simulations to practice critical-thinking processes. (1,4).
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I do this in many of my units. In terms of technology simulations, I have shown them. But I have not created them myself.

5. Identify a complex global issue, develop a systematic plan of investigation, and present innovative sustainable solutions. (1,2,3,4)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I meet this standard to a large degree with research units related to novels such as Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe and 1984, by George Orwell.

6. Analyze the capabilities and limitations of current and emerging technology resources and assess their potential to address personal, social, lifelong learning, and career needs. (4,5,6)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I do this as part of my own process of developing curriculum, but it could be more formalized.

7. Design a Web site that meets accessibility requirements. (1,5)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I have not done this at all, but I would like to.

8. Model legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology by properly selecting, acquiring, and citing resources. (3,5)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? Yes, I do model this for students as part of units that incorporate research and citing of resources.

9. Create media-rich presentations for other students on the appropriate and ethical use of digital tools and resources. (1,5)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I have not done this, but I would like to.

10. Configure and troubleshoot hardware, software, and network systems to optimize their use for learning and productivity. (4,6)
TO WHAT EXTENT DO I MEET THIS STANDARD? I do not do this myself, but I get help from our district tech support and other staff and students.