Intro to ISTE Standards 1.3

                                                                The Seven ISTE Standards

            The seven new ISTE standards for students are empowered learner, digital citizen, knowledge constructor, innovative designer, computational thinker, creative communicator, and global collaborator (ISTE, 2022). Below I will explain each in detail and offer some suggestions for activities and technologies that address each standard

Empowered Learner

            The empowered learner standard calls on students to take an active role in demonstrating competency by the technology choices they make (ISTE, 2022). Canvas Learning Mastery Paths is a great resource for addressing this standard (Olson & Eggers, 2020). Canvas Learning Mastery Paths help differentiate learning paths and gives students a way to take control of their learning and gives students choices for how they want to demonstrate their growth and mastery of a learning goal. It is for Canvas, so it is most likely useful for grades 6-12. It has somewhat of a learning curve, but once mastered, the differentiation possibilities are endless!

Digital Citizen

            For students to become digital citizens, they must be able to recognize the responsibilities of working online and model ethical and safe practices while doing so (ISTE, 2022). This is a broad standard that can be daunting to navigate, but Cyberwise (Cyberwise, 2022) is a robust resource for helping teachers address it. The site contains resources for both parents and teachers regarding online safety and digital citizenship with the aim of helping students use technology and the internet safely. The resources are geared mostly towards grades 5-12.

Knowledge Constructor

            Students are considered knowledge constructors when they can utilize a variety of technologies to create new artifacts and meaningful experiences for themselves and others (ISTE, 2022). There are countless options out there, but one fun one is Storybird (Storybird, 2022). This is a site that helps students make visual stories in seconds, boost their writing skills, explore their creativity, and get inspired. While it is geared towards grades Kindergarten through 3^rd, I’m sure it could be used with older kids, too!

Innovative Designer

            The innovative designer standard asks students to design imaginative solutions to problems using a variety of technological resources (ISTE, 2022). Project-based learning is a great option for meeting this standard. PBLWorks is an informative site that explains what project-based learning (PBL) is and how to help students learn to actively engage in real-world and personally meaningful projects for all ages and grades (Buck Institute for Education, 2022). It can be a little daunting getting started, but it is amazing seeing what our students can accomplish!

Computational Thinker

            To be a computational thinker, students must use technology to develop and test solutions to problems (ISTE, 2022). One idea for teachers to address this standard is utilizing a website like Citizenscience.gov (US General Services Administration, 2022). This is an official government website designed to accelerate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the US government. Students can help by collecting data and contributing to the cause. If you’re having trouble coming up with project ideas, they also provide resources for helping students and teachers plan projects!

Creative Communicator

            For students to be creative communicators, they must be able to communicate clearly and creatively using a variety of platforms, styles, and formats in digital media (ISTE, 2022). Flipgrid is one versatile option for teachers can offer to students to aid in being a creative communicator (Flipgrid, 2022). Flipgrid allows students of all ages to create short, interactive videos that they can edit and embellish to help them tell stories, communicate with others, and express themselves. There is a multitude of settings that teachers can use to control who can view students’ videos to either make them anonymous or allow for peer review. It’s super fun and versatile!

Global Collaborator

            The global collaborator standard calls on students to broaden their perspectives and collaborate with others locally and globally using digital tools (ISTE, 2022). One great resource for teachers is Global SchoolNet (GSN, 2022). GSN enables students and teachers to find collaborative learning partners for appropriate projects. These projects are diverse and cover all ages and subject areas, including mathematics of music, understanding terrorism, waste management solutions, and climate change. Imagine working with a teacher in a country halfway around the world on the same project!

 

References

Buck Institute for Education. (2022). PBLWorks. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.pblworks.org/

Cyberwise. (2022). Digital citizenship: Online safety: Cyberwise California. Cyberwise. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.cyberwise.org/

Flipgrid. (2022). Learn together. Flipgrid. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://info.flipgrid.com/

GSN. (2022). GlobalSchoolNet.org -- linking kids around the world! Retrieved March 13, 2022, from http://www.globalschoolnet.org/

ISTE standards: Students. ISTE. (2022). Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students

Olson, S., & Eggers, D. O. (2020, October 20). Canvas learning mastery paths. Bits and pieces. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://thebnp.org/2020/10/09/canvas-learning-mastery-paths/

Storybird. (2022). Read, write, discover, and share the books you'll always remember. Storybird. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.storybird.com/

US General Sciences Administration. (2022). Citizenscience.gov. CitizenScience.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://www.citizenscience.gov/#