ISTE Standards

Technology is growing like crazy. All of the smart people are creating new technology and new apps and platforms and you can connect with people all over the world and...the possibilities are endless. As times change and more technology is introduced, schools also have to change with the times because we will reach students better using the objects they use everyday; imagine if schools didn't change with the times and students were still using chalk board and having one book for the class because books are too expensive and sitting in one room schoolhouses. We would never reach children because they would be distracted by their phones! We use technology in the classroom to keep students engaged in the lessons and learning and to give them reliable places to get new ideas.

Since technology has been implemented in educating, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has put some standards out there for students and educators to make sure all students become empowered learners. There are 7 standards and all are really wonderful things to know and put into practice, but the one I believe is the most important one is the learner. "Learner" is when a teacher (as the title suggests) learns new skills to bring to the classroom from professional development days, other teachers, online, and more. How are teachers supposed to teach their students if they themselves aren't learning? No teacher is perfect or knows everything about how to be an effective teacher - if teachers don't learn about new technology, how are they going to connect with these new "digital natives"?

This term, "digital native," is something that was created by Mark Prensky to describe the children who are born into this age of technology. The children are natives in the new digital age and pick it up easier than the people Prensky calls "digital immigrants." I see both sides of the argument for whether the label of "digital native" is correct, but I don't think that the label is correct. I know that many kids are into a lot of the different apps and social media that are geared toward younger people - tiktok, instagram, snapchat, etc. - and that some kids are constantly teaching their parents and grandparents how to use technology, but I also know that some social media platforms - like Facebook - are mostly geared toward the older generation who know how to use it and use it regularly. I really think it all depends on what stage of life you are in because I know that my mom, as an accountant, knows how to use Excel SO much better than I ever could, but I could probably out-navigate her on an iPad any day.