[DD] - NETS Standards

NETS Standards - International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

The International Society for Technology in Education’s NETS Standards states: “Simply being able to use technology is no longer enough. Today's students need to be able to use technology to analyze, learn, and explore. Digital age skills are vital for preparing students to work, live, and contribute to the social and civic fabric of their communities.”

This is extremely true, with virtually all jobs now requiring technology skills, all students need to leave school with certain technological skills in order to be successful.

Standard 1: Creativity and Innovation

Students learn these skills, such as generating ideas using existing knowledge and creative thinking, through the use of Web 2.0 sites and other technology schools for educational purposes.

Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration

Students learn how to communicate and collaborate using technology through the use of social networking sites and Google Docs and other document sharing and editing platforms.  These sites allow them to interact, collaborate, and publish items with their peers even when they are not in the classroom and working at home.

Standard 3: Research and Information Fluency

Students learn how to conduct research safely and efficiently online as well as organize their data and sources through organizational tools like bookmarking.

Standard 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Students learn how to identify problems as well as investigate them, plan and manage projects/activities, and use data and research to create multiple solutions when they are allowed to use technological and internet based tools to work on classwork and projects both individually and in a group.

Standard 5: Digital Citizenship

Students learn how to practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology when technology is used and taught in the classroom.

Standard 6: Technology Operations and Concepts

Students need to understand and be able to use technology tools, choose proper applications for specific tasks, as well as troubleshoot problems regarding technology.  If these tools are used in classes, students will begin to learn these skills.

It is obvious, by looking at these standards, that these skills are imperative in order to be successful in school as well as after formal education.  From reading the articles previously explained in the blog posts, it is clear to see that if students do not have access to technology and internet based tools either at home or in school, they will be lacking these necessary skills.  If teachers begin to work these skills into their lessons, students will be able to acquire and develop these important skills.

[DD] - "21st Century Workforce Readiness" by 21st Century Leading and Learning Conference

"21st Century Workforce Readiness" by 21st Century Leading and Learning Conference

In 2009, leaders in education, business, and other organization held the 21st Century Leading and Learning Conference.

They found that "students need to have the tie in - that what they are learning has relevance to the career they choose."  We have seen, in the previous articles, that this is not the case since we are not integrating the technological tools and skills that these students use on a day-to-day basis into our curriculum and classrooms.

They believe that our schools need to inventory technological skills and identify gaps.  We should also have the students teach the teachers ho to use technology and how they envision these tolls being used in the classroom.  THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING POINT.  In the previous articles, we found that there is now a digital divide between students and their teachers.  Many teachers do not know how to use these tools and do not want to relinquish the control of their classroom, so they do not integrate them.  This point of having the students become the teachers for a moment is a very interesting, and not often tested out, point.

Some issues mentioned in the notes from the conference are that many schools have money issues and cannot afford to purchase technology.  They also believe we are not teaching our students to develop critical thinking skills and we are also not tapping into the knowledge base of students regarding technology.  Another issue that was mentioned was student home-life.  Many students do not have the support or tools at home in order to develop the skills necessary for workforce readiness.

This conference hit on many of the digital divide topics mentioned before, such as how not having access at home can affect student success in school and after graduation, and the new digital divide between student and teacher and how this is a barrier that is affecting our students' ability to ready for the technological workforce after graduation.

Click here for access to the notes from the conference.

[DD] - "A Nation of Opportunity: Building America's 21st Century Workforce - by US 21st Century Workforce Commission

"A Nation of Opportunity: Building American's 21st Century Workforce by US 21st Century Workforce Commission

This article stated that every American worker needs a proper education and training in order to be successful in our ever-evolving technologically based economy.  Job security rests on the skills and knowledge each person has - and many of our students are lacking some the skills necessary to be employable.  As technology continues to evolve, new jobs are created, and old jobs are eliminated or changed making it important that workers can be adaptable and lifelong learners.

There is currently a lack of American workers who can read and understand complex material, think analytically, and use technology efficiently.  EVERY American youth and adult needs to acquire a proficiency in using technology.  It has been seen from the articles previously mentioned, that this is just not the case.  "American schools need to make a sustained and continuous improvements so that students are prepared for postsecondary learning and 21st Century jobs.

The US 21st Century Workforce Commission states that making technology access and Internet connectivity universal is an important thing that needs to happen.  The "Digital Divide"reveals significant disparities based on income, race, education, and geography.  This "Digital Divide" is causing pockets of high unemployment in rural America, small towns, and inner cities.

Our schools are currently being taxed due to the fact that there are more children enrolling in our nation's schools (due to increased population), increasing the pressure on school's capacities and resources.  The Digital Divide also "threatens to exacerbates the economic disparities that already exist based on education and other factors.  This is causing more people to enter the US workforce with poor basic technology skills which are needed to employment nowadays.

The workforce commission also states that America needs curriculum aligned with tech skills starting in elementary schools so that students have the foundation necessary to build on these skills later in their education.  They also need access to technology and Internet (especially in rural and urban areas) that these inhabitants are not separated from the information economy and workforce.

As can be seen in this article, the current Digital Divide is causing these students to be a disadvantage once they graduate from school.  They are unable to secure a job since the majority of all jobs in the US require a certain level of technology skills.

Click here for the link to the article.