The International Society for
Technology in Education (ISTE) is responsible for creating seven (7) technology
based standards for students. The 2016
ISTE Standards for Students were created to help students
“engage and thrive in a connected, digital world and inspire students to
amplify learning with technology while challenging them to be agents in their
own learning” (ISTE, 2016). A brief
description of each standard and classroom implementation thoughts can be found
below.
Standard 1: Empowered
Learners
Students become empowered learners
by using technology in all aspects of their learning process from creating
goals, defining outcomes, to achieving those goals, and reflecting on the
learning process.
Students understand the objectives
and knowledge of the lesson but are allowed to create their own path of
demonstrating their knowledge. Effective
feedback is given to enhance this process.
It is imperative to help students see the relevance of their learning,
that technology can assist them with their learning, and that learning can
happen even outside of the classroom.
Create discussions that continue online after class ends, utilize
appropriate, meaningful technology such as Twitter where each student can
summarize the lesson for the day. This
is a well-known platform to students and a great way for students to learn how
to use social media to learn from others.
Standard 2: Digital
Citizen
Students needs to remain professional,
respectful, and ethical when using technology.
We should stress this not only in learning environments, but also in
everyday use as we encounter a more diverse population online. Students should only engage in the same
conversations online that they would have in person. Students need to use technology
responsibility be not sharing personal information and presenting themselves in
a positive manner at all times.
As teachers, we must first model
digital citizenship by using proper etiquette when posting and communicating
online. Our own accounts and digital
footprint should be professional and ethical.
We should also try to use platforms that are meant for educational use
and are age appropriate such as Google classroom, Google Apps, Edmodo,
Schoology, etc.. These platforms allow
the teacher to manage the site and settings.
Any inappropriate behavior can be addressed by the teacher and used as a
‘teachable moment’.
Standard 3: Knowledge
Constructor
Students employ technology to construct
knowledge by using digital resources to gather and connect different types of
information.
Research projects are no longer
looking through books or magazines. When
given a research assignment, students can use the internet to access current information. Students should be able to gain knowledge
from a variety of sources on the internet while evaluating the information for
accuracy. A project on the Holocaust can
now involve listening to interviews and news stories from survivors and hearing
their personal stories or Skyping with a survivor(s) and gain the ability to
ask questions. The use of the internet
for research projects helps the research come alive for students.
Standard 4: Innovative
Designer
Students use technology in a
creative manner to develop a method to problem solve while constructing
knowledge.
Incorporating Makerspace
opportunities for students will allow them to think outside of the box and test
a variety of methods where taking risks is encouraged to find the best result. Makerspace is meant to be a self-directed
space where students create, collaborate, and use critical thinking to solve
problems.
Standard 5: Computational
Thinker
Students leverage technology to
develop and test solutions as part of their problem solving methods.
This standard can grow as big as
students creating new programs or as simple as students building from
technology that is available to them. In
a simpler approach, consumer math students can use technology tools and their
own knowledge to build a spreadsheet that allows them to calculate their
checking account balance throughout the month.
Students then see how they can manipulate technology to develop
solutions to real-life problems.
Standards 6: Creative
Communicator
Students use technology in a variety of
ways to effectively communicate their knowledge to meet learning goals.
A great opportunity after reading a
book or studying a historical event, is to allow students to develop a project
demonstrating their knowledge. The
project is more open-ended where students decide on the best method of delivery
using any platform or tools they feel appropriate. A playlist could be given to students to
offer ideas, if needed. Students will be
more invested in the project when given the opportunity to take ownership of
demonstrating their knowledge in a manner they choose.
Standard 7: Global
Collaborator
Students use technology to
collaborate not only with other students in their class and school, but also
with people in the community, nationally, and globally.
Classroom learning teams happen on a
daily basis, but now with the use of technology, we are able to create learning
teams outside of the classrooms. Google
Hangout, Skype, Podcasts, and other similar apps makes this process
easier. Students can collaborate with a
variety of groups and learn from different viewpoints around the world.
Reference
ISTE. (2016). ISTE
standards for students. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from
http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
