Week 7

After visiting the website for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and examining the National Education Standards for Students (NETS-S), I see many interrelated elements between these standards and the ones for teachers-(NETS-T). Both sets of standards emphasize creativity and collaboration. These are important 21st Century skills that are unfortunately neglected in most state's content standards. I also appreciate the fact that like the teacher standards, the students are expected to plan their own strategies for inquiry learning. I like this because even though teachers are expected to scaffold the learning and strategies, the impetus is then transferred to the students to be independent learners and thinkers. The standards for students thoroughly mirror the design for teacher implementation and this makes sense to thoroughly infuse the ideals of this method of learning and way of becoming a life-long learner in the 21st Century.

I plan to use the GAME plan process with my students to help them develop proficiency in the NETS-S. The standards emphasize content and critical thinking supported by technology. This will help to actively and authentically incorporate technology in the classroom. I plan to infuse my grade level content standards with Web 2.0 interactions, safe practices on the internet, including parents in my technology plan, and improving collaboration skills both within the classroom walls as well as with other classrooms around the country and even the world.
The most important step will be just getting that GAME plan format into the kids' hands and running with it. The students will be gaining access to a world class learning environment.


http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm