The Big Six

As teachers, we need to be focused and on the same page.  Having standards and a similar operating procedure helps our students decipher want it is they need to know across the curriculum.  Our new found NET-S standards are a helpful way of knowing what we need to get our students and teachers to do. Here they are:

1. Creativity and Innovation:  Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge and develop innovative products.

2. Communication and collaboration: Students use digital media and environment to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance. 

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

4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making: Student use critical thinking to plan and construct research, manage products, and solve problems. 

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

6. Technology operations and concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technological concepts. 

In my limited experience in the classroom I have seen only a snapshot of the use of technology. I substituted  for a science class and we spent the three days I taught in the library using computers to finish their collaborative group projects.  They were mostly doing what standard 3 promulgates--collecting data, and apply tools to collaborate.  Some were at work stations with regular desktops, others had laptops.  Creativity and innovation was present, but the higher analytical skills associated with standard number 4 was not there.  There is a good reason, because it takes time to design assignments that enhance analyzation, especially on computers.  Finding the right websites for each topic one might cover is time-consuming, and it is up to the teacher to create these tasks (instead of relying on a textbook). There is so much information to sort through that it will take time. 

As far as digital citizenship and technology operation and concepts I think the students I came into contact with have a good understanding of what's on the net, and what is appropriate and what is not.  They like to collaborate, and they do have to be monitored in relation to how they interact.  Kids will be kids.  Using appropriate language, behavior, and attitude is important for a teacher to advocate.  In reference to their knowledge about computers I think it depends on each person, but for the most part many of our youth are well-acquainted with the computer.