New Tech Standards and Requirements

Technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect of life, and educators need to structure appropriate instruction so that students are prepared for the quickly-changing technoscape. Introducing students to new technologies can pique their interest in exploration and learning in ways traditional methods may not.

National Educational Technology Standards and Oregon Educational Technology Standards aim to set the bar for which educators must strive to provide students with the technological tools and skills they will need to better navigate this age. In addition, the new Oregon diploma includes technology as one of its required essential skills. It requires that graduating students have the ability to use technology "to participate in a broader community through networking, collaboration and learning. ... Recognize and practice legal and responsible behavior in the use and access of information and technology. ... Use technology as a tool to access, research, manage, integrate and communicate ideas and information." These standards are meant to propel school districts toward engaging students in various technologies and softwares they likely will need to know for employment, and exposing students to the amazing possibilities and opportunities that await them when they internalize such knowledge.

Of the educational technology standards, the three that are most significant to me are Communication and Collaboration; Research and Information Fluency; and Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making:

Communication and Collaboration: In today's world, technology more often isolates people from human interaction, so modeling for students that this doesn't need to be the case can help teach them to work collaboratively, which in turn can help improve peer relationships. Using Web 2.0 applications, such as the Google Suite, Yodio or VoiceThread, for group projects and presentations is an example. Technology also opens communication avenues to other audiences (parents, experts, students in other cultures/countries) through a variety of formats such as blogs and Skype.

Research and Information Fluency: There is so much information floating around the Internet these days, it can be difficult for an untrained eye (and sometimes even well-trained eye) to sift through it all and sort the fact from fiction and reliable sources from unreliable ones. Learning skills to gather, evaluate, verify and use information is essential, and citing sources from online is just as important as researching and citing when using written sources. Research projects can these days be conducted nearly entirely online. A classroom forum can be created for students to access information and share resources, and even or create a class wiki. Using tools such as Screenr also can allow students to become the instructors for a "how-to" that they research. And playing games that require research can be played, such as weekly or unit Web quests.

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making: This ties in closely with the research standard in my opinion, again relying on the critical eye to assess the validity of information or a source. Students can better manage group projects remotely more effectively with Web 2.0 apps such as Google Suite. Students also can use these programs to collect and record data, create tables and graphs to clearly display and visually analyze trends, and critically think about the meaning of the data results. 

Challenges facing educators in achieving these goals include keeping up with the rapid pace in which technology changes and the price to get such technologies into schools, particularly in economically disadvantaged districts such as those in which teaching is done inside modular/mobile buildings and textbooks are 15 years old. Keeping up with technology means I continue learning as as teacher, and not being afraid to ask coworkers or students about things with which I am not familiar. And though I may not be able to provide all my students with access to all technology, I can personally reach into my pocket or seek grants that will help to bring at least some gadgets into the classroom to provide a bit of exposure, or plan field trips to locations at which students will experience various technologies and their applications.