NETS*T Four and Five

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Part of the focus of the unit that we just finished was copyright and digital citizenship.  I knew some of the copyright information, but there were a lot of surprises as well.   If you are interested, check out this site – it’s a bit silly, but describes a dense topic in a fun, interactive way.  

Copyright Bay

The second aspect of this standard is digital citizenship and responsibility.  Both of these are hot topics and are important to share with students.  Very young students need to know that the internet is public and that they have to be careful who they talk to and what they tell people they meet online. 

Digital citizenship is vital as well – especially to our middle and high school students.  With the recent suicides over cyber bullying, it is important to emphasis that what they write on Twitter or Facebook or a blog has real, and lasting, consequences.  And its public, out there for anyone: classmates, teachers, parents, community or church members to read. 

Both of these issues are very real to me personally as well – I have a young son, it will be my job as a parent to make sure that he understands the dangers, to himself and others, of improper behavior on the web.  And I need to make sure I follow the same rules.  I guess the rule of thumb – If you don’t want your mom to read it, don’t write it on Facebook- applies!

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:

a.        advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.
b.       address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
c.        promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
d.       develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

This one seems like the easiest of the five – Stay Engaged!  And isn’t that what we want our students to do?  I like to explore new technology, talk to others in my field about what is engaging to them or debating hot topics.  I have no experience in the larger teaching profession, but in my previous experience leadership roles come fairly easily to me and I really enjoyed my time spent on professional development, networking, and sharing ideas. 

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.
b.       exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
c.        evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
d.       contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. 

(http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx) 

Seven Technology Tips for Younger Elementary | Edutopia

Great Article about technology in elementary classrooms!

Seven Technology Tips for Younger Elementary | Edutopia

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

This is a post I found on Facebook that I really liked! Hug a teacher today and thank them for all they do!

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

by Meredith Menden on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 6:32pm

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....

That's $585 X 180= $105,300

per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special

education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an

hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute -- there's

something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary

(nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days

= $277.77/per day/30

students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators.

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NETS*T #3 - Model Digital Age Work and Learning

NETS*T # 3 is Model Digital-Age Work and Learning – On this front I think I have a workforce advantage.  I was lucky enough to work in a company that emphasized technology and technological collaboration.  We did a lot of internal server sharing that is similar to working from a cloud.  I pick up on digital information rather quickly; however I do get frustrated when a program or site doesn’t function as I expect it too.  This is an area where I need to slow down and ask questions instead of getting bogged down in “trying to figure it out for myself.”  

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.        demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.b.       collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.c.        communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.d.       model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

(http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx)

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Education and Politics

The more I read, the more I'm finding that it is almost impossible to separate Education and Politics.  Our pundits and legislators spend an exorbitant amount of time talking about what's wrong - but very rarely put their money where their mouths are.  Last night I discovered a website called Donors Choose (http://www.donorschoose.org/)  where teachers register for classroom projects and people can donate to them.  It is so sad that our teachers have to BEG for supplies as simple as card stock.   If we want a better world we need a better approach to education.  To achieve better education, we need to pay for it.   Education needs to move up in our priority list from soap box to action item.  If we can give subsidies to oil companies surely we can purchase paper for our kindergarteners.

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ISTE and NETS*T - Requirement Two

The second requirement is:  Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  These requirements (see full text below) discuss incorporating digital tools to promote learning, developing a technology rich environment, encouraging students to participate in their own educational goals, customizing lessons to fit each student’s needs, and performing a variety of assessments to inform both learning and teaching. 

                I don’t yet have any real experience designing lesson plans and assessments other than thinking of activities to do with playgroups and small groups of toddlers and preschoolers.   I think much of this will come with research, in class experience and working closely with experienced teachers during my internship.    This is an area that I will need to develop skills.  I wonder, in a time of budget cuts and layoffs, how many classrooms truly have the resources to fully incorporate digital lessons into daily classroom life. 

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. 

Teachers:

a.        design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
b.       develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c.        customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
d.       provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

(ISTE NETS for Teachers, http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx)

ISTE and NETS*T - Requirement One

The requirements of teachers in a digital age are outlined in a document by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) are called the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS*T).  There is an outline for Students as well called the NETS*S.  I consider myself a pretty technological person, not a wiz, but overall competent to fluent.  But I will be working with students who have grown up with every type of technology imaginable.  My own son was manipulating our iPhones before he was three.  So even with a classroom full of four and five year olds, I will be expected to incorporate technology into my curriculum.    I plan on discussing these over my next few posts. 

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity*

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. 

Teachers:

a.        promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.       engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
c.        promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d.       model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

For a PreK classroom this could mean utilizing digital drawing and painting programs, projects using digital photography as well as utilizing many of the available math and language games to reinforce class lessons.  Creating class and personal schedules using calendar programs is another way to reinforce both life and digital skills.  I do know of some problem solving games online that I have used with my son, but would need to do further research to find some more appropriate for a PreK classroom.


*(ISTE NETS for Teachers, http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx)

First Post

Here it is, my first blog post ever...  I actually never thought I'd do this.  And to be honest, I only started because it is an assignment for one of my classes.  A tad about me - I am a thirty-something stay at home mom working on my third career change.  I started in theatre, moved to event planning and am now working on my post BA licensure in Early Childhood Education.  Thus the name of the blog - I could have cared less about classes when I was an undergrad, and now I'm actually enjoying it.  And am devastated when I don't get an A on something.  At 20, a C was fine, I just wanted to get back to doing what I loved, stage managing.  Now I enjoy taking in new information, learning about new ideas, real world applications and current events in our education system.  I'm sure having a child of my own doesn't hurt any.  Well, that's it for now, I have homework to do!