ISTE, TheInternational Society for Technology in Education has established a set of standards
called The National Educational Technology Standards for Students. These standards are neither grade level nor
subject specific. This is the part of the standards I find most
interesting. Rather than having the
standards tied to specificities they are developed to ensure that we teachers
best prepare our students for a twenty-first century. These standards help ensure best practices
among educators when it comes to incorporating technology into the
classroom. They also help ensure that
teachers are using technology as a tool for learning and not the learning in
and of itself.
There are six components
to the ISTE standards: creativity and innovation, communication and
collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem
solving, and decision making, digital citizenship, and technology operations
and concepts. Each standard can be met
through the use of a variety of Web 2.0 applications.
When
looking at the creativity and innovation component it is important that
students are able to show that they have synthesized their ideas and new
learning through creation. With a Web
2.0 tool like Glogster EDU students
can make a multimedia digital poster to apply existing knowledge to create new
ideas or to take notice of trends and predict outcomes. ZooBurst allows
students to create a digital story. This
3D digital pop up book is a great tool for a student to create an original
piece of work individually or with a group.
The second ISTE standard focuses on communication
and collaboration. This standard
includes collaborating with other students at a distance. Students must be able to interact,
collaborate, and publish with a variety of media. Google Apps for Education (GAFE) provides
a sort of all in one safe place and space to meet this standard. Google Docs allows all participants to type
on one document at one time, while making comments on the work. Students can also work together on
presentations and then communicate through Google Hangout. Through Google Hangout students can connect
with any expert or any student from anywhere in the world. The possibilities are endless! Another great application to help meet this
standard is Wikispaces. It is a great collaboration tool and
it is very user friendly.
Research and information fluency is the third
ISTE standard. This standard emphasis
the importance of students using digital tools to collect and then in turn use
the information. Tools like Diigo or Edmodo are invaluable for groups to be able to collect, share, and then apply
information collected.
All of these tools
work together to allow students to meet the final three standards. These applications help students use their
critical thinking skills, problem solve, and make decisions. They also help them demonstrate their
understanding of technology while displaying digital citizenship.
There are so many
choices when it comes to meeting each standard. Each tool appeals to a
different type of learner. One tool may
work better for one student over another.
That same student may have a higher level of success with another
tool. It is important that students are
exposed to a variety of tools and given choice whenever possible.
Resources
Transform teaching and learning. (2015, January 1).
Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://iste.org
