New Tech Standards & Requirements

Oregon Educational Technology Standards

There are 6 standards that define technological literacy.  In this posting I will only discuss a few of them and how they could be used in the classroom.  To keep it simple, I will be discussing the first three of the six standards; Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, and Research and Information Fluency.  Although these are only half of the OETS, here is a link to view the basics of all 6 standards; OETS. 

I feel that many of these standards can be met with some fun learning activities.  Some activities can even meet multiple standards.  Take for example Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, and Research and Information Fluency, students could work together on a Google Forms survey from their home that could get information from students and/or parents within the classroom and/or outside of their classroom.  Students within a group could work individually from home while contributing collectively to a group project such as this survey.   Connections could also be made with schools from other parts of the country and or world, where students could publish on blogs what the students have been doing in class.  They could see other schools’ work and they could show off their own work that they have completed.  This will also allow them to get new ideas from peers outside of their classrooms.  Using blogs and Google Docs are just a couple of ways students can use technology to meet these standards.  It does not take only one activity to meet one standard!  One activity can implement 2,3,4,5 or all 6 standards!!!!!

There are a few things that are going to make this difficult to accomplish.  The most difficult being that not all students have access to computers at home.  How can we require students to complete something on the computer if they do not have one at home?  This could be one of the most difficult hurdles to accomplish.  We need to open our students' eyes and show them they can find places and time to use a computer.  Can we take students on a field trip to the city or county library, which has lots of computers for them to use?  Is there a YMCA or Girls and Boys Club that provides students with a computer they could use at the club?  These are also ideas that could help get students out of their houses where they are playing video games and into a library or an athletic club.