ISTE Standards Summary & Reflection

The ISTE Standards are a set of standards, both for students and teachers, that are implemented for the use of technology in learning and in teaching. In a society where technology has taken such a prominent role, it is important that there is a framework for students and teachers to refer to.

The student standards lay out the knowledge and skills necessary for students to effectively contribute to the global community. Instead of just learning how to use technology or using technology to learn, these standards allow for transformative learning with the use of technology. There are seven ISTE standards for students that all contribute something different to empowering students. The first standard encourages students to take advantage of technology in order to actively participate in their learning to achieve their goals. The second standard has to do with students managing their digital identity in a safe and ethical way. The third standard addresses students being able to use technology to construct knowledge and create artifacts that demonstrate their understanding. The next standard is about students being innovative designers, being able to use digital tools to use a design process to solve problems and generate ideas. The fifth standard supports students becoming computational thinkers so that they can develop and then test solutions to problems. The sixth standard is about students being creative communicators through different digital media. The seventh and last standard urges students to become global communicators, to use collaborative technologies in order to interact with others to investigate solutions to global problems.

The educator standards lay out the framework for teachers to help students on their journey to becoming empowered learners. In addition to the seven standards for students, there are also seven standards for educators. The first standard has to do with educators taking on the role as learners and exploring ways in which technology can be used to improve student learning. The second standard says that teachers should act as leaders, to support student empowerment by advocating for the use of technology in the classroom. The third standard for educators is related to the second standard for students in the sense that it says that educators should be a positive influence for students when it comes to participating in the digital world responsibly. The fourth standards encourage educators to collaborate with their students and colleagues in order to determine how technology should be used in order to create authentic learning experiences. The fifth standard is about educators taking an active role in using technology to create innovative learning experiences that will benefit all students. The sixth standard says that educators need to facilitate the use of technology for learning so that students can achieve the ISTE standards that are set for them. The last standard urge educators to use technology to develop assessment methods which can be used to drive their instruction.

The implementation of these standards is extremely important in this increasingly digital society. With technology playing such a significant role in learning today, it is essential that there is a set of standards laid out for students and teachers. The standards for students encourage them to use technology to collaborate, critically think, deepen their understanding, and demonstrate their learning. The standards for teachers encourages them to take on a variety of roles when it comes to the use of technology, all with the goal of nurturing student empowerment. In implementing these standards, it leads to the development of empowered learners who take an active role in their learning as responsible digital citizens.