Looking at NETS

Below is my first posting. I wanted to go back through that posting and relate my goals for my students as it pertains to 21st century skills and NETS (National Education Technology Standards) for students and teachers.



Below are excerpts from the NETS for students where I'd like to focus. I got these standards from this website: http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS These standards will help me design and implement much of what I discuss below.


1.Creativity and Innovation

Students:

a.apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.



I'd like my students to apply what they know and are able to do as they search for texts to discuss with the rest of the class. Having them apply their existing knowledge on history, pop culture, etc., and then come to conclusions through discussions, will add meaning to their learning.


b.create original works as a means of personal or group expression.


c.use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

I'm going to combine these two. My students will read examples of the types of papers they write in my honors English class (personal narrative, analysis). Even more, I want students to read MY writing - so I'll model the process. That way, students can be more successful when they create their original works.

There's a definite challenge here for me: finding time to write. It's hard enough planning the lessons and grading all the writing my students do. I'm going to have to revamp how I set up both trimesters - and I'm not sure when I can do that. We aren't given enough time during the school year to do this; it's FRUSTRATING.

2.Communication and Collaboration

Students:

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b.communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c.develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d.contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.


This is really where I want to go with the wikis/Edline discussion boards. Now it's a matter of learning how to get there! And I'm hoping this class will be my solution for this!



3.Research and Information Fluency

Students:

b.locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.


This is a biggie. I want to include various websites for students to see how events can be perceived based on the source (for instance, msnbc vs. FOX). This goes well with point of view in our readings.




5.Digital Citizenship

Students:

a.advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b.exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

I know I'll need to preface all of this new work with technology with discussions on how to go about it safely, legally and responsibly. And I know this could be a difficult thing. I'd love to find a teacher that's already put together lessons on how best to convey to students the power of the internet.

FOR THE BLOG COMMENTS THAT I WROTE ABOUT ME, I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON THE NETS-T5 indicators a and d:

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional
community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:

a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

This deals with me writing more - with me participating in the process with my students. This participation from me will enhance my writing skills, to be able to remember what it's like to participate in the craft of writing. Also, this participation with students will help their learning, since my modeling and analysis of what students are reading will enhance their understanding of the assignments.

I have a decent grasp on the basic technology for my field - Word and PowerPoint - but I want to move to wikis, discussion boards, etc.

d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

My favorite after-school meetings (Prime Time at Mason) are when we teachers are able to share our pedagogy. I was a member of the "best practices" group last year. I gained so much on classroom management, dealing with late assignments, how to grade papers more quickly, etc. I also love sharing my ideas. This collaboration makes me a better teacher, and my ability to use the 21st century and NETS standars will help me help my students.

I plan on sharing my work in this class with the language arts department in our Prime Time meetings.