NETS Standards "How do they Compare?"

When you look at the NETS standards for teachers and students, they are very similar. The student standards have six goals and the teacher standard has five goals. When you break them down, the teacher is trying to develop their skills and then tries to develop the students skills. Since I am a digital immigrant and as learned in an earlier class, usually my students are teaching me after I introduce a new piece of technology. With the students set of standards, I feel that all students can accomplish them quit easily. As we know they are digital natives, and students think differently than they did a few years ago.

At present time, I am introducing many new concepts to my middle school students----blogging, voice threads, photo story, cps units, podcasting, wiki's, and so on. Once I show them something, they catch on immediately. I believe that in a couple years all the students will have already used these techniques before they have me as a teacher. Therefore, I will really have to grow as a professional, and keep working hard to learn to be tech savvy. It is my fear that I will not be able to keep up with all my students, once they start learning these skills in younger grades. At the moment my students are fascinated by my class and excited to be learning all this new technology. In a couple years that might not be the case!

One area that I have been working hard on this year is Digital citizenship. As a teacher it is our job to be role models in this area and to really focus on safe internet practice. Digital citizenship is number 4 on the teachers standards and #5 on the students standards. On the students standards they have #6 as Technology Operations and Concepts--I feel this should also be on the teachers standards. My students do not have a problem in this area, because they are not afraid to break the machine or take risks. On the other hand--I get real nervous in this area, and I doubt myself. This is an area I need to grow in!

After Christmas--I plan on having my students write a game plan, and then have them blog about their game plan every other week. I am hoping this will keep them on track, and have them really start thinking about themselves as productive students.