At the beginning of my teaching career, I used to think that technology requirements were minimal and mostly optional. Of course, I knew that it was important to communicate with parents and staff through emails and create assignments/assessments with work processing and test generators. However, I never thought it was vital to implement technological tools into the classroom. Over the course of my career, my attitude of technology requirements has definitely changed. Now, I believe it is vital to implement as much technology as possible. As a guideline, I've come to rely on the NETS standards for students and teachers.
Until I started looking into technology standards, I never knew that the Colorado Department of Education used have an actual standard for technology, known as Standard Seven: Knowledge for Technology. Since I only knew about the NETS standards created by ISTE, I took it upon myself to do some further investigation. In the link below is a comparison of the two:
Standard Seven vs. NETS Standards for Teachers
In my comparison, I talk about both, but that NETS standards are much better geared towards today's 21st Century Learners and Educators. Throughout my investigation, I thought Standard Seven was positive addition to teacher requirements; however it definitely needed to be revised. Of course, it was completely deleted and NETS' standards for teachers was adopted by the Colorado Department of Education.
As an educator of Generation Z, I believe it is important for me to recognize and use standards given to us by the ISTE over Standard Seven. Since I teach 21 Century Learners, it is natural to use standards that are designed particularly for these type of learners. The beauty about national standards is that every one will be providing students the same knowledge and type of experience throughout the nation. Since I'm technically from Generation Y, I have a tendency to accept some of these new technological advancements a little more than some of my colleagues.
In my classroom, I definitely try to integrate technology on a regular basis. I find it to keep my students much more actively engaged because it is something exciting from them. However, it is important to realize when it is appropriate to use technology in the classroom. It should never be used to replace the teacher or take away from real life experiences. I still incorporate as many hands on lessons as well as real life scenarios/experiences as much as I can into the classroom. The key is to realize when technology is effective and when it is abused. Some type of technological tools that I like to use include youtube videos, webquests, online posters, and iPad apps with my students. However, I'm now realizing how many other tools that can benefit my students like blogs for out of class debates when we run out of time in class, quizlets for assessments instead of paper test. The opportunities are endless. It will just require time and motivation on my part.
Resources:
Guidelines and examples for the implementation of. (2000, June 20). Retrieved from http://karenternes.com/pdf/st-7[3].pdf
The iste nets and performance indicators. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
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