NETS - Students Reflection

Much like the teacher standards, I thought that the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S) for students was very well done. While all teachers won't have the same opportunities to address all of the different standards, they provide a great overall framework for students' technology goals.

As a teacher, I think the most effective way to help students reach these goals are to lead by example and provide a classroom environment that encourages the use of technology. For teachers who are not particularly inclined to use the newest technology on their own, it is still important to remain aware and have a basic competency in new technologies that your students are using or may be exposed to. Being at least conversant in new technologies can have several benefits, including forging connections with students, developing lessons that integrate and leverage technology, and ensuring that the students are safe from any potential dangers that the technology might pose.

There is one goal in particular that resonates with me, although I feel all of them are important. The first is the same that I referenced in my previous post regarding the teacher standards, and that is the idea of Digital Citizenship. Since students are so familiar with the actual technology, they may feel that they have a complete grasp of the proper way to use that technology, and of the potential dangers and misuses.

Unfortunately, as we all likely found out as children, students don't know everything, and in the digital age mistakes have the potential to have much more serious consequences. When I was younger, if you quoted something out of the encyclopedia without properly citing it the teacher might lower your grade, or explain to you what plagiarism is and why it isn't allowed. If a student today illegally downloads a piece of media and then publishes it as part of their work, they are opening themselves, their parents, and/or their school to a potential lawsuit.