Hi folks,
Since many of us use the NETS Standards in our districts, I thought this
might be of interest.
Still a cryinı shame that these arenıt correlated to the AASL Student
Standards. Have you been e-mailing Julie Walker <jwalker@ala.org>and Don
Knezek <dknezek@iste.org> asking why we need two sets of standards, not one?
All the best,
Doug
http://www.eschoolnews.com
Contents Copyright 2007 eSchool News. All rights reserved.
ISTE releases draft of new tech standards
Organization seeks feedback on major refresh of its National Educational
Technology Standards for students
By Laura Devaney, Associate Editor, eSchool News
February 7, 2007
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has just
completed a draft of its National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)
for students--a groundbreaking paradigm for what young people should know
about technology and what they should be able to do with it before
graduating. Now, ISTE is asking educators for feedback on the new draft.
ISTE first issued its NETS for students in 1998, and this framework has
since found its way into the standards of at least 45 U.S. states. Now,
nearly 10 years later--and having also issued NETS for teachers and
administrators--ISTE is in the process of revising its NETS to keep pace
with the changing demands of advancing technology and a new global economy.
A number of forces have prompted ISTE to update its technology standards,
said Don Knezek, the group's chief executive.
"The standards' age, the globalization of education, new developments in
technology, and changing demographics of learners ... were all good
indicators that the standards should be updated," he said.
Rising challenges to the nation's leadership in innovation and its standing
atop the world's economy also were factors, he added.
"While the original NETS identified skills and knowledge every student
needed to succeed in the technology and information environment that was
emerging in 1998, there was still a tone of concentrating on the tools--the
technology [itself]," Knezek said.
In contrast, "these new student standards focus on skills and knowledge that
students need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly
digital society ... Cognitive and learning skills, as well as creativity and
innovation, are the focus now--and information and media literacy are also
elevated [in importance]."
Knezek described the changes as a shift away from a focus on "competency
with [technology] tools" and toward a focus on the "skills required in a
digital world to produce and innovate" using technology.
The differences can be gleaned by looking at the categories that define each
set of standards.
In the original standards, the skills necessary to define technology
proficiency were outlined across six categories: basic operations and
concepts; social, ethical, and human issues of technology use; productivity
tools; communication tools; research tools; and problem-solving and
decision-making tools. Under "communication tools," for example, you would
find, "Students (A) use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and
interact with peers, experts, and other audiences; and (B) use a variety of
media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to
multiple audiences."
The revised draft standards also are organized into six categories:
creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and
information retrieval; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision
making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.
Under "communication and collaboration," you would find, "Students (A)
collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and others employing
a variety of digital media and formats; (B) communicate information and
ideas effectively to multiple audiences utilizing a variety of media and
formats; (C) develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging
with learners of other cultures; and (D) contribute to project teams to
produce original works." To tackle its NETS refresh, ISTE established a
project leadership team made up of current staff members, as well as members
from the original NETS Leadership Team. The refresh process began at last
year's National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Diego, and
ISTE hopes to release the final version of its updated standards at this
year's NECC in Atlanta June 24-27.
Using the original NETS development process as a model, ISTE has been
collecting input from as many stakeholders as possible through town hall
meetings and various online channels. For information about how you can
contribute, see the group's NETS Refresh web page:
http://www.iste.org/nets-http://www.iste.org/nets-refresh.
Through its NETS Refresh Project, ISTE also will be reviewing and revising
its NETS for teachers and administrators. ISTE plans to release its new
teacher standards at NECC 2008 and its new administrator standards at NECC
2009, the conference's 30th anniversary.
The NETS Refresh Project is sponsored by Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., Intel
Corp., Microsoft Corp., Pearson Education, Promethean, SMART Technologies,
and Questia Media.
Links:
International Society for Technology in Education
ISTE's Draft of NETS for Students
Marlene Nesary
Communications Manager
International Society for Technology in Education
Eugene, Oregon
541.302.3789
ISTE, www.iste.org
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