WI DPI Technology Standards How many of you were aware of these standards? How do you actually implement these into your classroom? I know several of you are not in a classroom so analyze the standards in regards to their learning importance; are these worthwhile skills to focus on?
JNiezwaag
ReplyDeleteI know that technology is growing at a rapid pace and on a daily basis we are transitioning schools from Industrial Age to the Digital Age, however I don't think there is equity at all at the state and district levels. I am aware of the standards-I can't say that the technoloy standards are a priority initiative in our district at the current time with cuts and demands in other areas. I think I am implementing the technology standards, but technolgoy is not a main focus.
We just got a sneak peek at the technology standards a month or so ago at a technology training in the district. They are working on delineating the standards by grade level so that we know what we need to teach and who is responsible for it. I’m very lucky to work in a building where technology is at the forefront. I’m also very lucky to have many resources available in my classroom. The kids are so motivated by using the computers that it’s fun to teach them new things. We go to the computer lab once a week with our buddies who can help get us to the right place and problem solve (most of the time). Since the kids are so comfortable on the computers they are able to independently log on and get to different sites on our classroom computers by themselves. The computer center is usually the one where the kids are most on task. Our school also subscribes to a site called Education City. While it is a little pricey, there are activities for most any standard (language arts, math, science, etc.) that you can think of for grades PreK – I think 6th grade. Elementary teachers might want to take a look at the free trial, the kids love it!
ReplyDeleteSue
I was aware of these standards as many of the lessons I am asked to teach have the standards included in the teaching guides. These guides also include the core academic skills included in the lessons such as a report on Civil War Generals will include standards for Social Studies and English as well as Technology.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the standards on line it occurred to me that many schools can't complete all the standards because they don't have enough scaners and digital cameras for student use or allow students to transfer files or documents on portable saving devices like flash drives or discs....Julie M
I was not aware of the specific technology requirements, but the creators of our WVS curriculum obviously were. We definitely cover each standard in our online English courses. In one of the first activities students are to visit and analyze various online sources to determine their validity. In another writing activity, they are asked to analyze how technology affects their social life and education. The fact that the courses are online fulfills many of the standards as well. I strongly agree that students and teachers should think about how technology affects their world in both positive and negative ways. I also now realize how important it is to stay current. So much changes in just a few years. Schools need to follow the example of what was shared in class…having weekly sessions to learn Smart Board. Although keeping up is overwhelming at times, it is exciting, too!
ReplyDelete~ Eden
When I was teaching Spanish at Whitnall I assigned an assignment where the students had to go into the computer lab and plan a trip to a Spanish speaking country. I wanted to incorporate technology that was available at the time in the school. The students went to various airline, hotel and travel sites to plan their travel. From there they were responsible for finding excursions and information on the culture of the country they were visiting. By completing this project not only did the students learn how to plan a trip but they also learned how to do google or internet searches.
ReplyDeleteI think this is important to include in every day academics because this is where the future is going. When I interview candidates for jobs I specifically ask them how computer savy they are. Everything we do in the classroom builds up to a well-rounded adult.
I specifically liked A.12.3- Explain why decisions regarding the use of technology are dependant on the situation, application, or perception of the of the group using it. With the global economy we have today more and more companies are turing to technology as ways to do business without leaving the office building.
Along with knowing how to present information using technology students also need to learn what is appropriate for various time and situations. Facebook may be a great way to communicate with friends, but a picture of you drinking a beer at a wild party is not something an employer wants to see. Many employers are now doing searches on websites to see what the candidate is like outside of the office.
All in all I think that the more technology a student can be introduced to at the appropriate time will only enhance that student's educational experience. I think the Standards listed are worthwhile skills to focus on.
We are currently developing new tech curriculum for next year, so I have seen these standards. We have a nice lab with one smart board (the only one in the building) and our principal is also the head "techie" so there is plenty of support from him. Getting everything to work and be there when we need it is a constant battle, though! Our students meet or exceed the benchmarks for their age levels, because we have the tools to work with.
ReplyDeleteThe standards are written well and open for interpretation from many different directions, you can meet them in many ways in many classrooms. I am disappointed that the standards are pretty generic, though, they do not really focus on specific skills, rather on general global computer knowledge. It would be helpful to non-technology teachers to understand what exactly the students need to know in regards to programs. For teachers who are not comfortable with technology, these standards are probably overwhelming... DPI must know this, they even provide a glossary of terms in the back!
I was not aware of these standards. When I do implement technology into my art lessons I assess the technology on the rubric I have created for the art rubric. This is just another great resource that I can look back to for these standards to assess student on both the art and the technology. The performance standards would also be great to include on lesson plans to support teaching material / information.
ReplyDeletekel
It seems in all classes there is now a technology standard in there. Recently at an in-service day at our school, we had to pair up with another teacher teaching the same course in math and review our final exams and match them up with the Standards. That was probably my first awareness that we do have technology incorported into our curriculum. Stagecraft has always had some degree of technology based on the purpose of the course, but the technology is increasing from knowing how to work the fly system to knowing how to utilize a computer light board and robotic light fixtures. The point I want to emphasize though, especially in theater, is that the new is important, but we still use the old methods as well and need to be competant with those methods as well. The chances of using the new theater technology in my school is next to nill, but I am still obligated to at least make the students aware of the new material in the event that they pursue theater as a career.
ReplyDeleteNancy
This was an interesting article for me because I no longer use them in the classroom, but evalute and observe those that do. It is interesting and frustrating for me at the same time to see how many teachers do and do not follow the standards. It's alarming the number of teachers who have never heard of Bloom's Tasonomy or don't demand high level thinking in their classrooms. many teachers think that technology is for the technology teacher that teaches key boarding.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this article is meant for technology purposes, it actually is/should be common place for subjects acrossed the board.
Paulette