Technology Standards

APA Paper

EDU 214
Professor T. Hathy
Miranda Springer
December 14, 2012
The National Education Technology Standards or NETS has standards for students,
teachers, administrative staff, coaches, and computer science educators. However, I will

emphasize the NETS for Students (NETSS). The NETSS was created to ensure students are
educated in the usage and implementation based on the six standards; Creativity and Innovation,
Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information Fluency, Critical Thinking,
Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Digital Citizenship, and Technology Operations and
Concepts (NETSS, n.d.).
The first standard for students is Creativity and Innovation. According to the International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), students demonstrate creative thinking, construct
knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology (NETSS, n.d.).
This means that students should be able to demonstrate creative, original ideas while
understanding and producing complex processes with technology. The basic essence of this
standard is be original and be creative. This standard is achieved depending on the grade level.
As students age through school, the methods of achieving this standard increase in
complexity. For example, in a kindergarten English course student can draw the three
components of a story. They could do this by draw the head of any animal as the beginning, the
body and the middle, and the end as the tail. A sixth grade history class could create a brochure
of their favorite place. This has room for creativity but is more sophisticated because of the need
to compare locations and set criteria in the brochure of why they love the chosen location. For a
twelfth grade student, creativity and innovation can come from creating a poem from a single
picture (Barwick & Slezak, n.d.). If a picture speaks a thousand words, then there are thousands
of options to describe a photo in an unconventional way.
Communication and Collaboration, this second ISTE student standard is specifically
described as the use [of] digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others (NETSS, n.d.). In other words, it is the ability to effectively cooperate within
a group through technology. When students enter different grade level the method of
achievement also changes.
For instance, a first grade teacher might assign his or her class a pen pal to interact with
over ePal. This gives students the opportunity to explore technology and cultural differences
depending on the other students location (Communication and Collaboration, n.d.). When a
fifth grade class goes on a field trip to a museum, they could take their iPads to follow a virtual
treasure hunt by figuring out clues based on information previously learned in the classroom
when put into teams. A ninth grade science class could take cell phone images, upload them to a
media website such as Fliker and comment on maybe the type of rock, label different animal
tracks, or identify cloud formations. Interactive technology gives students a better understanding
of how to clearly communicate and to better participate within group settings.
The third standard for students is Research and Information Fluency. However, the
definition of this standard is apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information
(NETSS, n.d.). What is being required for students is to find a variety of information sources
and accurately report it back. The depth of the content would depend on the group of students.
An example of this might be to require second grade students to explain the food chain of
the artic ecosystem. By having student do this type of exercise, they can better understand the

function of food chains. Or, students could explain the plot of a short story (Research and
Information Fluency, n.d.). Contrary, seven grade students might be asked to research Van
Gough. The Information Fluency portion of the assignment would be to write a summary on the
artists biography or evaluate his artistic works.
The fourth most vital standard is Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision
Making. The ability to exhibit executive functioning is very complex to instill within a student.
The ISTE would describe this standard as the critical thinking skills to plan and conduct
research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources (NETSS, n.d.). In order to show mastery in this particular category
the core of this standard, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making can be focused
on one specific idea, such as decision making, or incorporated into another project. For example,
a team working on a project must consider the amount of time left for an assignment, meet
outside of class, or collaborate online.
Maybe a third grade class might exhibit these skills in order to use class money for a
prize at the end of the quarter. More money will allow them to choose the item of desire, but they
cannot if what they have does not equate the value of the item. The student then decides on a
behavioral change or time to pass to gain a desirable item. In eleventh grade, students might be
required to make a PowerPoint presentation on why Napoleon Bonaparte decided to conquer
areas in the order that he did. They might be expected to explain his decisions on whether or not
they were based on the local resources, political values, or maybe religious intolerance of the
locations.
Digital Citizenship is the next technology standard for students. The ISTE defines this
standard as the ability understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and
practice legal and ethical behavior (NETSS, n.d.). This is introduced to children as the ability
to safely and appropriately use software and the internet. The implementation of this standard,
like the others, depends of the grade level.
For example, a group of eighth grade students might explore the internet at school.
Thanks to filtering, inappropriate websites can be avoided regardless of the childs intent. In their
search, they can identify what sites are useful, basis, entertaining, and so forth. In addition, they
will incorporate skills of the other NETSS previously acquired. A tenth grade student will be
expected to exhibit similar skills; however, they might be more philosophical in nature.
In addition to understanding appropriate use policies of Digital Citizenship, Technology
Operations and Concepts NETSS is the other side of the coin. This standard emphasizes the
appropriate use of technological hardware. The ITSE defines this as sound understanding of
technology concepts, systems, and operations (NETSS, n.d.). Different examples of this can be
found throughout the grade levels.
In a Pre-Kindergarten classroom, students will be exposed to basic technologies such as
computers and their components (mouse, keyboard, and monitor) or a TV with a DVD/VHS
player. It will depend on how the technology with be incorporated. For a fourth grade student,
they might be expected to identify the components of different technologies and their basic
functions. For instance, a mouse is used to select a location on the monitor.

The underlying theme with the technological student standards is the assessment of the
complexity of a students interpretation of the information given and to use technology as a form
of expressing that understanding.

References
Barwick, M., & Slezak, T. (n.d.). Creativity and Innovation. ISTE Wikispaces. Retrieved
December 10, 2012, from netsimplementation.iste.wikispaces.net/Creativity+and+Innovation The PowerPoint Slide at
the bottom of the web page.
Communication and Collaboration. (n.d.). ISTE Wikispaces. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from
nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net/Communication++and+Collaboration
National Educational Standards for Students. (n.d.). International Society for Technology in
Education. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-sstandards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Research and Information Fluency. (n.d.). ISTE Wikispaces. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from
nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net/Research+and+Information+Fluency