ISTE Technology Standards Podcast

A podcast episode discussing the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and its established set of standards for those in the education industry.

Direct Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vpaxj47DkQlodBQMMHXVh

Podcast Script

Welcome to the Invisible Ideas Podcast, where we discuss all things conceptual. Today's episode is sponsored by EDIT 6028's Topic 2.1 on "Technology Standards," in which we will discuss the ISTE standards. The International Society for Technology in Education (or ISTE) has a set of four universal standards - one for students, one for educators, another for leaders, and last, coaches. These standards set a foundation for successful technology adoption and implementation in education.

ISTE’s approach hinges on pedagogy as a foundation for building a successful, and thriving, educational experience for everyone. These standards help bridge the gap between theory and practice. Even though all standards share common threads, each is focused on key components within a certain realm of education.

Of the four main standards, the initial assumption may be to perceive the first two standards, those focused on students and educators, to be the most important. But in reality, implementation and scalability could not be achieved without the latter two standards, which are those geared towards education leaders and coaches.

But the focus today will be on the first set of standards that's assigned "for students." As it relates to any style of student learner, there is an emphasis on how their learning process can be enhanced through the implementation of effective technology. This includes empowering them as learners, making them aware of their digital footprint, encouraging them to problem solve in new ways, how to become content creators, and especially learn the power of collaboration on a global scale. Keep in mind that these ideas still apply to anyone when they are filling the "role" of a learner.

Looking at these standards broken out, they become familiar territory for educators, because they are nothing different than what would be expected within the scope of the classroom for their own students. The difference is viewing them in the scope of a technological lens. As with anything new, there are new challenges, new dangers, but most importantly, new opportunities… some of which would not have existed without having access to technology.

As we start breaking down these standards for students, we will begin with standard 1.1, the “Empowered Learner.” Under this standard, we are looking for students to develop goals, reflect on them, and use them to impact their learning (1.1a). This is done in the way that shows the best impact - with customized learning environments and meaningful feedback, but under the assumption that technology is facilitating progress (1.1b-c). In order to do this, students must also understand the fundamental concepts of operating technology, and with it, know how to adapt as new technology emerges (1.1d). These are the core ideas to allow for learning to happen, because without setting the stage pragmatically, no meaningful progress could be made.

Standard 1.2 is on the “Digital Citizen,” and emphasizes the importance of not only using technology but using it appropriately. It's no different than setting the standards for behavior and culture within the classroom, but in this case, the difference is showing how that culture should be extended into the digital world. Even adults struggle with this concept, because the internet allows for a certain amount of anonymity, which is a dangerous area that seemingly removes accountability from our words and actions. But this could not be further from the truth and many people have had a negatively reactive experience because of this. This is why these standards highlight students understanding what their digital footprint is (1.2a), but also how to help build an accurate representation of who they are and maintain appropriate digital privacy (1.2d). In discovering this, students must also develop an understanding of what the ISTE says is “positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology." (1.2b).  This includes not only their words and online actions, but also knowing the importance of respecting intellectual property and other people’s ideas (1.2c).

Moving through to standard 1.3, “Knowledge Constructor” is what students are encouraged to become as they develop independent strategies. Even in the traditional setting, research has shown that the most effective learner is one that can not only find answers but ask themselves the appropriate questions to figure out what their next step may be. This means students develop their own strategies for research on real-world scenarios (1.3a, d), which includes analyzing and evaluating the information they find (1.3b, c). Teaching students to make decisions on the validity and credibility of a source is monumental on its own, and without it causes a person to fall back to what is most convenient - asking Siri or Alexa, pulling up a Wikipedia page, or telling a Google search "I'm feeling lucky." But it cannot stop there, because as ISTE states, they must also "evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance" (1.3b) of their information. Evaluating all aspects allows them to create meaningful content that is useful to them and relevant to the task.

The next two sets of standards easily go together, because 1.4 is “Innovative Designer” and 1.5 is “Computational Thinker.” Both ideas highlight the importance of having a problem-solving process. The former can be seen more when identifying and solving problems in general, while the latter is heavily focused on solving problems while utilizing technology. In the design process (1.4a), students are encouraged to think critically about what their problem is and then implement a plan to reach a solution. This usually involves open-ended tasks (1.4d), in which they must make decisions on own their capacity to achieve their solution (1.4b) and create working and non-working prototypes to show their proof-of-concept (1.4c).  Ironically, computational thinking is just as much a benefit offline as it is on.  Thinking systematically to develop a "road map" for their task (1.5a) can be done a variety of ways. Whether on- or offline, some type of data will always be at the heart of any successful approach to solving a problem, because without concrete evidence (1.5b), we are only making personal, or at worst, arbitrary decisions. But even with information, it is important to break it down (1.5c) into workable parts, and then work in steps to complete tasks so a viable solution can be reached (1.5d). Of these standards, one of the most powerful elements for anyone is the open-ended nature of the tasks. Especially with young and adolescent students, it can be surprisingly difficult for students to understand that there is not always "one" right answer. Psychologically, our minds are looking to simplify information to make the easiest decision, but when the world is not black-and-white, our problems (and solutions) cannot be black-or-white either.

The final two sets of standards for students, 1.6 and 1.7, also go hand-in-hand. They push the learner to not only be a “Creative Communicator," but also a “Global Collaborator.” Technology and access to the internet has created a more globally connected world than has ever been in history. This means that it is not just a preference that students be exposed to online or cloud-based technologies, but that it is a necessity for them. Without these life skills, they risk not being able to become effective and resourceful in every aspect of life (which extends well beyond the educational setting). This also means, we can continue dissolving the black-and-white, or right-and-wrong, approach to learning by presenting complex problems that may not even have a "right" answer (1.3d, 1.7d). Much in the same way that we should know the difference between when to use a hammer or a screwdriver, so too must we know when to use the right technological tool for the task (1.6a), and eventually, how to work towards a potentially complex solution. But even after that, students must know how to convey their information appropriately (1.6c, d). This work can take many forms, and so it may be their own original work, something expanded upon from other's work, or even a group effort (1.6b, 1.7b, c). Doing so also ensures that everyone is collaborative and seeing the information from multiple viewpoints and biases (1.7b).  It will also foster social skills like working together, taking turns, assigning duties, and reinforcing accountability - regardless of if it is in face-to-face or virtual interactions.

These standards for students lay crucial groundwork for establishing ways to ensure learning while leveraging technology. Not only this, but ISTE also has essential conditions for effective use of technology in schools. According to their site, they are “seven critical elements necessary for effectively leveraging technology to support learning.” These conditions are reflective of research from ISTE’s support of school districts, educators’ feedback, and external research in educational technology.

• Of these conditions, the first is a "Shared Vision," which is about all stakeholders, from parents to principals and policy makers. All involved need to be invested to ensure implementation of technology that enhances and improves education through an established framework.
  

• The next essential condition according to the ISTE is "Implementation Planning." Without infrastructure, no meaningful progress can be made. This spans from the beginning planning stage and extends all the way until continuing professional development and training.
  

• Another essential aspect is "Equitable Access," because even with all the grand ideas, without reliable access and availability, implementation will be ineffective. This not only includes considering things like differentiation and diversity, but also socio-economic factors, like if the student has access to technology outside of the school setting.
  

• Another similar set of standards are the "Prepared Educators" and "Skilled and Sufficient Technical Support." Both are required to work together to ensure that students can be offered the most opportunities for their learning. Playing the "login game" because systems are ineffective at connecting wastes valuable time that could be used for learning.
  

• In addition, "High-Quality Learning Activities and Content" describes how the school systems must "select effective digital learning activities and content aligned to standards, and create authentic and creative learning experiences," because it's not just about the student doing "busy work." There will always be times for practice or repetition, but as a whole, the learning experience should always be building towards something, not just completing something.
  

• Finally, "Ongoing Evaluation" is the last essential condition. Just as with everything in life, even education is a cyclical process. It will only be effective if we analyze our own data and make decisions on the effectiveness of the educational experiences we are offering, make improvements when we can, and cutting out those wasteful and ineffective processes.

By looking at these seven conditions, it further emphasizes the importance of not only adopting, but embracing, effective technology use in educational settings. But in order to truly be successful, it has to be a team effort. From students, to educators, leaders, and even coaches, the system depends on this combined effort and trust (both up and down in the hierarchy) for it to be valuable and impactful for education. Thankfully, similar standards are also established for the other counterparts by the ISTE as well.

For example, educators, leaders, and coaches also have standards that highlight them as a learner, collaborating in their role, and advocating for positive digital citizenship. Understanding the interconnectivity between each of these roles will afford the most insight to how they are necessary and how they complement each other. We cannot make the mistake that one can exist independently of another. In order to improve the educational experiences with effective technology use, ISTE's standards lay solid groundwork for success. With many ideas and research-backed information, pushing forward with educational technology can be highly effective and achievable nearly anywhere.

There is a wealth of practical information from ideas to implementation on ISTE's website, including ways to understand in live out the standards for each role that is involved in education. For more information on this and more, visit iste.org. This has been an episode of Invisible Ideas.

Notes

STUDENT	EDUCATORS	ED LEADERS	COACHES
Empowered Learner	Learner	Equity & Citizenship Advocate	Change Agent
Digital Citizen	Leader	Visionary Planner	Connected Learner
Knowledge Constructor	Citizen	Empowering Leader	Collaborator
Innovative Designer	Collaborator	Systems Designer	Learning Designer
Computational Thinker	Designer	Connected Learner	Professional Learning Facilitator
Creative Communicator	Facilitator		Data-Driven Decision Maker
Global Collaborator	Analyst		Digital Citizen Advocate

DETAILS

1 - learning goals, learning environments, feedback for improvement, tech operations

2 - professional goals, PLNs, current research

3 - current innovations, PLNs, reflective practice, continuous improvement/growth mindset

4 - expertise through PD/learning, PLNs, continuous improvement/growth mindset

1 -digital footprint, online behavior, intellectual property, digital privacy

2 - positive experiences, credible resources, safe/ethical practices, digital privacy

3 - skilled teachers, tech access, digital citizenship, good online behavior

4 - civic engagement, respectful online behavior, media evaluation, support data protection

1 - global connections, multiple viewpoints, project teams, local/global issues

2 - collaborate with colleagues, learn alongside students, collaborative tools, cultural competency

4 - coaching relationships, relevant content, effectiveness of tools, personalize support

 References

"ISTE Standards Logo" by Rculatta is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.