Standards. What are they anyways?

I found both the International Society for Technology in Education and the Essential Conditions for Leveraging Technology for Learning both very important documents. I read over both of them a couple times, noticing that I read through them very quickly. I slowed down, reading them again, and noticed that it is so easy to skim over documents like these because we tend to see them a lot. My thoughts when I first opened the documents were not very positive. I re-evaluated my thoughts, and began to dig deeper into these documents. The simple statements that I read over are seemingly very intriguing. I read over them again. All of the points seemed very important to me and I tried to sort through the ones that are most meaningful to me. I narrowed it down significantly.

I’ll start with the International Society for Technology in Education. I think it is so important for teachers to be given standards to abide by, but I also think it is important for teachers to bring in their own standards that they have acquired for themselves. The first standard that caught my attention was to “Model Digital Age Work and Learning”. This standard discusses to demonstrate fluency in technology systems. This caught me off guard. I do not feel equipped with skills in demonstrating fluency in technology. But, I do think it is extremely important. Does this just take time? Will it get easier? It also discussed collaboration with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student’s success and innovation. I’ve seen this in my placements, where teachers, on a daily basis are communicating with parents via e-mail, or even directly during a lesson through different programs on the iPad. This was extremely new for me, and it took some time to get use to, but I really see the benefit in doing this. It helps parents, students, and the community stay connected. The second standard that caught my attention was to “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility”. I think all of us could talk about this point for a while, and I think we all understand how crucial it is to advocate, model and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, as well as promoting and modelling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. Right away, I thought of cyber bullying. This issue is so relevant in school classrooms today. As teachers we need to recognize that this issue will only get worse if the students, teachers and community members are not being educated on these concerns.

When reading the conditions for leveraging technology in learning, there were four in particular that caught my attention. The first being ‘shared vision’ which includes proactive leadership in developing a shared vision for educational technology among all education skateholders. I think it is so important for teachers to be able to share their resources with one another. It’s all about learning, and continuing to learn through others as well. The second being ‘equitable access’, which includes the robust and reliable access to current and emerging technology and digital resources with connectivity for all students, teachers, staff and school leaders. I particularly like how it discussed connectivity in this condition. A school is one big body, therefore, connectivity is crucial. The third being ‘ongoing profession learning’. I was thankful when I read this condition because as technologies are always changing and evolving, it is important to have technology-related professional learning plans and opportunities with dedicated time to practice and share ideas. And lastly, ‘student-centered learning’, which includes planning, teaching and assessment centered around the needs and abilities of students. I think it is vital for teachers to take into account the different needs of each student, and make sure the method of learning, whether technology is involved or not, is in fact, meeting the needs of the student.

As much as I appreciate the standards and conditions that were presented to us in these documents, I think it is also very important for teachers to bring their own standards and conditions into their own classroom. Every classroom, every teacher, every student is different, therefore, it is important to figure out a unique and engaging way to incorporate technology into the classroom learning environment in a safe, positive, and cooperative manner.