"NETS" for Teachers and Students
It is fitting that the National Educational Technology Standards acronym is “nets” because it indeed is something that if followed will serving as a tool to ‘catch’ and process important information in the vast that ocean that is the internet.
The International Society for Technology in Educations provides standards to facilitate better implementation of technology for both teachers and students, both the NETS-T and the NETS-S provide the structure necessary to promote excellence in classroom technology usage (ISTE, 2008). A summary of the standards for students are: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts. Through my technology GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010) will help students develop in each of those standards (ISTE, 2007).
By developing a classroom website and becoming a equipped with technology skills like Smart Response systems, I am modeling creativity and innovation to my students. I am adapting my teaching practices, with the idea that these tools will help students learn better. As I equip myself with these skills, I can train my students to use them as well. I cannot expect my students create their own websites or collaborate on a wiki if I do not do these things myself. Much of what I have learned in Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas has been associated with providing students with the learning experiences to unleash their creativity, particularly digitally.
One of the main reasons I chose the goal of developing a classroom website is to increase communication with my students. My success as a teacher depends upon the clarity in which I am able to deliver lessons. The website provides an environment where students can check in to see what we have done, are doing, and will be doing. As I build on my class website, I will give students a chance to process what they are learning through the use of blogs and wikis. Thus my students will be able to “interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media” (ISTE, 2007).
My second main goal was to “Model Digital Age Work and Learning” (ISTE, 2008). By modeling and explaining proper behavior in online conversations and research, students will see what it means to consume and produce information in an ethical way. This corresponds with the NETS-S Standard 3 Research and Information Fluency (ISTE, 2007) and NETS-S Standard 5 Digital Citizenship. Many of the activities that we will undergo in the digital-friendly classroom revolve around reading and researching using online sources, how students compile that information into new products such as digital stories is of the utmost importance.
The activities that teachers design when integrating technology place the teachers in more of a role of a guide, where the students will be place in a variety of decision making situations through the use of simulations, web quests, and product development. Whenever students are asked to create and innovate, they will have to critically think. Sometimes that means troubleshooting through technology skills and applying previously learned technology skills to new applications (ISTE, 2007).
Lao Tzu is attributed with the famous quote “give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime” (Tzu, ?). Technology with “NETS” in mind certainly is putting the latter part of the quotation into practice.
Paul
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Tzu, L. (?). Lao Tzu Quotes. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu121559.html
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Paul,
ReplyDeleteI love that quote... My mother used to say that whenever we complained about doing chores, homework, or just about anything. It really does fit here, doesn't it? Nigel Lythgoe, a British television director and producer for shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, recently mused during the SYTYCD finale that among young people today there is this general feeling of entitlement and that most fail to understand the extreme amount of hard work and education that goes into being a superstar. He was distressed that they thought that it was instantaneous, but complemented current competitors on their ability to be role models by showing their peers that they are willing to educate themselves in new dance styles / routines and then work endless hours to perfect them for competition. It is the same for teachers and students in the school setting. Your willingness to try new approaches and incorporate technology creates an atmosphere of learning and turns your classroom into a learning community. Students will really appreciate that and be more willing to go that extra mile because they see you doing it. Good luck in the upcoming school year!