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Technology Standards in Education

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The following technology foundation standards for students are the result of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) project, an initiative by the
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The standards are divided into six broad categories. Standards within each
category are to be introduced, reinforced, and mastered by students. These
categories provide a framework for linking the performance indicators found within the Profiles for Technology Literate Students by Grade Level (at the end of this document) to the standards. Teachers can use these standards and profiles as guidelines for planning technology-based activities in which students achieve success in learning, communication, and life skills. This page is also divided by grade level groupings.

K - 2: 3 - 5; 6 - 8; and 9 - 12 with performance indicators and example scenarios for each level.

Establishing New Learning Environments
Essential Conditions to Make it Happen

Technology Foundation Standards for Students

Basic operations and concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the
nature and operation of technology systems
Students are proficient in the use of technology.

Social, ethical, and human issues

Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

Technology productivity tools

Students use technology tools to enhance learning,
increase productivity, and promote
creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in
constructing technology-enhanced models,
preparing publications, and producing other creative works.

Technology communications tools

Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish,
and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate
information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

Technology research tools

Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect
information from a variety of sources.
Students use technology tools to process data and report
results.
Students evaluate and select new information resources and
technological innovations based on the appropriateness to
specific tasks.

Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Students use technology resources for solving problems
and making informed decisions.
Students employ technology in the development of strategies
for solving problems in the real world.

Technology Performance Indicators & Example Scenarios
Grade K-2 Students

A major component of the NETS Project is the development of a general set of profiles describing technology literate students at key developmental points in their pre-college education. These profiles reflect the underlying assumption that all students should have the opportunity to develop technology skills that support learning, personal productivity, decision-making, and daily life. These profiles and associated standards provide a framework for preparing students to be lifelong learners who make informed decisions about the role of technology in their lives.

The profiles below are indicators of achievement at certain stages in Pre K-12 education. They assume that technology skills are developed by coordinated activities that support learning throughout a student’s education. These skills are to be introduced, reinforced, and finally mastered, and thus, integrated into an individual’s personal learning and social framework. They represent essential, realistic, and attainable goals for lifelong learning and a productive citizenry.

The standards and performance indicators are based on input and feedback from educational technology experts as well as parents, teachers, and curriculum experts. In addition they reflect information collected from the professional literature and local, state, and national documents.

Performance Indicators:

All students should have opportunities to demonstrate the following performances. Numbers in parentheses following each performance indicator refer to the standards category to which the performance is linked.

The categories are:

Basic operations and concepts
Social, ethical, and human issues
Technology productivity tools
Technology communications tools
Technology research tools
Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Prior to completion of Grade 2 students will:

Use input devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, remote control) and output devices (e.g., monitor, printer) to successfully operate computers, VCRs, audio tapes, and other technologies. (1)
Use a variety of media and technology resources for directed and independent learning activities. (1, 3)
Communicate about technology using developmentally appropriate and accurate terminology. (1)
Use developmentally appropriate multimedia resources (e.g., interactive books, educational software, elementary multimedia encyclopedias) to support learning. (1)
Work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers, family members, and others when using technology in the classroom. (2)
6Demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using
technology. (2)
Practice responsible use of technology systems and software. (2)
Create developmentally appropriate multimedia products with
support from teachers, family members, or student partners. (3)
Use technology resources (e.g., puzzles, logical thinking programs, writing tools, digital cameras, drawing tools) for problem solving, communication, and illustration of thoughts, ideas, and stories. (3, 4, 5, 6)
Gather information and communicate with others using telecommunications, with support from teachers, family members, or student partners. (4)

Scenario 1:

Animals and Their Sounds

Grade Levels: K - 2

Technology Profile Performance
Indicators:
1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9

Subject Areas:
Reading, Science

Source
Sharon Fontenot,
Prien Lake Elementary.
Lesson developed for
Louisiana Challenge Grant
Technology Leadership Program
Louisiana Tech University

While every child may not be able to see animals in the wild, every child can see, hear, and learn about wild animals through multimedia technology. In Sharon Fontenot’s class at Prien Lake Elementary School, students learn to identify polar bears, lions, and other animals from the wild and to recognize their sounds using images, video clips, and sounds from the Wide World of Animals CD-ROM. The teacher models the creative use of technology by making a tape recording based on information from the CD-ROM incorporating her own voice to fit the group’s needs.

Students practice reading and listening skills by answering questions that encourage them to think about both the science and social living issues related to these animals. Where do these animals live? What do they eat? Why do some have thick fur? How do they interact with each other?

Students then create their own stories about what they have learned using Kid Pix®, a software program that allows them to make their own pictures of the animals, assemble them into slide shows, and print out their own books to share with classmates and family. The teacher videotapes the students’ activities as part of their assessment and to share with students and parents.

Scenario 2:

I Lost My Tooth!

Grade Levels: K - 2

Technology Profile Performance
Indicators:
1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

Subject Areas:
Health, Language Arts, Social Studies

Source
Boehm, Diann.
(April, 1997). I Lost My
Tooth! Learning and
Leading with Technology.
24 (7), 17-19.

A first-grade teacher can use this activity to introduce her class to Internet technology for the first time. Teachers worldwide use e-mail once a month to relate how many teeth their students lost along with one special fact about their region or culture. Students share tooth-fairy traditions and other stories from their region.

Using the information from students from around the world, teachers develop activities including creative writing, graphing, art, and social studies. Students use an interactive bulletin board where they post dates when teeth were lost, create a letter as a class about the project to post on the Internet, collect information from other children about tooth fairy stories, develop creative writing stories about their "tooth" experiences and share them with other children via the Internet. They can initiate electronic conversations about where the other children live, use maps to locate the countries/cities where other children live, and address topics with other children such as weather, politics, clothing, and local heroes of their regions. The students use electronic slide show/drawing software to illustrate the fairy stories and software to graph the tooth data. Then they write a letter explaining what the graph means and send it to keypals around the world.

Technology Performance Indicators & Example Scenarios

Grade 3-5 Students

Performance Indicators:

The categories are:

Basic operations and concepts
Social, ethical, and human issues
Technology productivity tools
Technology communications tools
Technology research tools
Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Prior to completion of Grade 5 students will:

Use keyboards and other common input and output devices (including adaptive devices when necessary) efficiently and effectively. (1)
Discuss common uses of technology in daily life and the advantages and disadvantages those uses provide. (1, 2)
Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information and describe personal consequences of inappropriate use. (2)
Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, remediate skill deficits, and facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. (3)
Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, Web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)
Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information, communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning, and pursue personal interests. (4)
Use telecommunications and online resources (e.g., e-mail, online discussions, Web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)
Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. (5, 6)
Determine when technology is useful and select the appropriate tool(s) and technology resources to address a variety of tasks and problems. (5, 6)
Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources. (6)

Scenario 1:

Global Learning and
Observations for a
Better Environment
GLOBE

Grade Levels: 3 - 5

Technology Profile Performance
Indicators:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Subject Areas:
Science, Social Studies

Source
NASA Classroom of the Future Program.

Ms. Smith and her class have made extensive use of online resources such as Exploring the Environment (ETE) found at (http://www.cotf.edu/ete) and Global Learning and Observations for a Better Environment (GLOBE) found at (http://www.globe.gov). She uses ETE to access classroom tested problem-based learning modules that extend and sometimes replace her old paper-based activities. These self-contained resources have provided a new spark of vitality into her science and interdisciplinary periods as they grapple with real-world issues and current data.

Using the GLOBE structure, Ms. Smith has been able to have her students collect information from environmental observations around the school and vicinity, report the data to a processing facility through GLOBE, and use global images created from their data to study local environmental issues. The students have been contributing to an environmental database used by research scientists to improve our understanding of the global environment.

Recently, her students used GLOBE and other electronic resources to research a hot local issue. The community was debating whether to allow analyze this issue very carefully. Students working in groups engaged in collecting and analyzing data about the proposed plant. Ms. Smith set forums in the class so that the students could present their findings and engage in debate. Then students created Web pages to present their findings and arguments to the community. She reports that because of the authenticity and relevance of the issue, her students were even more engaged as they used technology in researching the issues. Parents were pleased to see their children’s work on the school’s Web site, as viewing the materials at home helped parents feel closer to what the students did in school. Parents also reported subtle changes in their children’s attitudes when they were immersed in this hands-on, minds-on, technology-infused classroom.

Technology Performance Indicators & Example Scenarios

Grade 6-8 Students

Performance Indicators:

The categories are:

Basic operations and concepts
Social, ethical, and human issues
Technology productivity tools
Technology communications tools
Technology research tools
Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Prior to completion of Grade 8 students will:

Apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday use. (1)
Demonstrate knowledge of current changes in information technologies and the effect those changes have on the workplace and society. (2)
Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss consequences of misuse. (2)
Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research. (3, 5)
Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum. (3, 6)
Design, develop, publish, and present products (e.g., Web pages, videotapes) using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5, 6)
Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues, and information, and to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)
Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems. (5, 6)
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity, and of practical applications to learning and problem solving. (1, 6)
Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources concerning real-world problems. (2, 5, 6)

Scenario 1:

Using Technology
to Learn about
Rocks and Minerals

Grade Levels: 8

Technology Profile Performance Indicators:
4, 5, 6, 7

Subject Areas:
Science, Social Studies

Source
Hemmer, Jeanie. (1998)
Lakeisha's Year in Eighth
Grade: Technology
Integration Vignette, Part 3.
Learning and Leading with
Technology. 25 (7), 27-31.

Lakeisha’s eighth-grade class began a unit on rocks and minerals. They explored topics using CD-ROM encyclopedias and stored both the information they found and results from their laboratory sessions, including a week-long rock-simulation program, in their databases. When their studies were complete, Mrs. Perkins helped the students create HyperStudio® presentations to share with the class. She also found an Internet site called "Ask a Geologist." Lakeisha and her classmates were then able to e-mail questions about rocks and minerals to the geologists who were sponsoring the site. Lakeisha and her friends were fascinated with the information they received on rocks and minerals in their native area. Lakeisha’s science teacher organized a local geologic dig to help students begin their own rock and mineral collections

Scenario 2:

The Louisiana Labor Market Lesson

Grade Levels: 8

Technology Profile Performance Indicators:
5, 6, 7, 8

Subject Areas:
Mathematics, Social Studies

Source
Callaway, Becky. (1997)
Teachers and Students
Present LA Labor Lesson
at the BESE Meeting
Louisiana Challenge Grant
Newsletter. 2 (1), 9.*

*Full plan here

At Marthaville Elementary, a small rural K-8 school, Laura Strahan and her eighth-grade students studied the Louisiana labor market in their math class. Students used the Internet to access the Louisiana Department of Labor's Web site and search for the top 20 projected occupations in the state. The U.S. Department of Labor updates its statistics daily and receives and distributes labor information from each state.

Students were divided into groups. Each group selected five occupations and developed a survey for them. Each survey was used to query other individuals regarding the estimated annual income for those occupations. The students then assisted in analyzing the survey results, comparing results to actual salaries as reported on the Department of Labor and other Internet sites, calculating averages of estimates, and displaying the information in appropriate graph format. Students from Ms. Strahan’s class presented their results to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to illustrate the importance of providing technology resources to schools in Louisiana.

This lesson provides numerous opportunities for use of technology to access, analyze, and present information including access through telecommunications, document production using the word processor, data base manipulation, analysis using the spreadsheet, illustration of results using graphing software, and presentation of the results via Web or electronic slideshow software.

Technology Performance Indicators & Example Scenarios

Grade 9-12 Students

Performance Indicators:

The categories are:

Basic operations and concepts
Social, ethical, and human issues
Technology productivity tools
Technology communications tools
Technology research tools
Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Prior to completion of Grade 12 students will:

Identify capabilities and limitations of contemporary and emerging technology resources and assess the potential of these systems and services to address personal, lifelong learning, and workplace needs. (2)
Make informed choices among technology systems, resources, and services. (1,2)
Analyze advantages and disadvantages of widespread use and reliance of technology in the workplace and in society as a whole. (2)
Demonstrate and advocate for legal and ethical behaviors among peers, family, and community regarding the use of technology and information. (2)
Use technology tools and resources for managing and communicating personal/professional information (e.g., finances, schedules, addresses, purchases, correspondence). (3, 4)
Evaluate technology-based options, including distance and distributed education, for lifelong learning. (5)
Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration, research, publications, communications, and productivity. (4, 5, 6)
Select and apply technology tools for research, information analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making in content learning. (4, 5)
Investigate and apply expert systems, intelligent agents, and simulations in real-world situations. (3, 5, 6)
Collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to a content-related knowledge base by using technology to compile, synthesize, produce, and disseminate information, models, and other creative works. (4, 5, 6)

Scenario 1:

Presidential Elections

Grade Levels: 9 - 12

Technology Profile Performance Indicators:
5, 7, 8

Subject Areas:
Social Studies, Language Arts,
Mathematics

Source
Based on a lesson created by a Southern California teacher and presented in a class at California State University, Los Angeles.

The U.S. system of presidential elections can be a mystery for many citizens. Teaching middle school or high school students about the Electoral College can be quite a challenge. Mr. Sanchez, a high school social studies teacher in Southern California, developed an activity for his students that involves election data from the closest presidential election in history—the 1960 election between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. This activity helps students understand the Electoral College and some of the strategies used by presidential candidates. Complete, state-by-state election results can be found at the Elections Web site.

Mr. Sanchez divides his students into groups and gives each a spreadsheet containing data from the 1960 presidential election. The spreadsheet contains the popular and Electoral College results from every state and territory. Formulas at the bottom of the columns calculate the total number of popular votes and Electoral votes for each candidate.

The groups are asked to conduct a series of investigations by manipulating the spreadsheet data. Students have printouts of the original data and the original data file on disk so that they can restore the spreadsheet after each manipulation. The questions they investigate are: "Can you change the data so that Mr. Nixon wins the election rather than Mr. Kennedy?" "Can you change the outcome of the election by changing the election results in only one state?” "Two states?" "Three states?" "Can you change the popular vote so that one candidate wins the popular election but loses the Electoral College results?" "Can you change the popular vote so that the same candidate loses the popular vote but wins the election (via the Electoral College results)?" "What is the fewest number of states you can change to have one candidate win the popular vote but lose the election?" These "what if?" activities help students gain an understanding of the Electoral College.

Finally, the groups prepare a multimedia report on the 1960 election using HyperStudio®. They can include pictures of the candidates, charts and graphs from the election (e.g., http://www.multied.com/elections/) and a discussion of their spreadsheet manipulations.

Essential Conditions to Make it Happen

Students in a Chicago elementary school recently used technology to explore the history of Ice Age animals in Illinois. Using the Internet, they "traveled" to the Illinois State Museum (200 miles away) and to the Brookfield Zoo (10 miles away) to gather information and talk with experts via two-way video. Then they constructed an electronic database to organize and analyze their data and shared their findings with other students outside their own school in multimedia reports posted on a Web site entitled "Mastodons in Our Own Back Yard."

Successful learning activities such as this depend on more than just the technology. Certain conditions are necessary for schools to effectively use technology for learning, teaching, and educational management. Physical, human, financial, and policy decisions greatly affect the success of technology use in schools.

A combination of essential conditions is required to create learning environments conducive to powerful uses of technology, including:

Vision with support and proactive leadership from the education system
Educators skilled in the use of the technology for learning
Content standards and curriculum resources
Student-centered approaches to learning
Assessment of the effectiveness of technology for learning
Access to contemporary technologies, software, and telecommunications networks
Technical assistance for maintaining and using technology resources
Community partners who provide expertise, support, and real-life interactions
Ongoing financial support for sustained technology use
Policies and standards supporting new learning environments

This document is designed to provide teachers, technology planners, teacher preparation institutions, and educational decision-makers with frameworks and standards to guide them in establishing enriched learning environments supported by technology.

The resulting learning environments provide opportunities for students to use technology to find and apply current information and resources, and to apply their academic skills for solving real-world problems. These environments engage students in activities that have educational technology skills and relevant curricular content interwoven.

Traditional educational practices no longer provide students with all the necessary skills for economic survival in today’s workplace. Students must apply strategies for solving problems and use appropriate tools for learning, collaborating, and communicating. Today’s learning environments must incorporate strategies and tools that prepare students for their futures. The following chart lists characteristics representing traditional approaches to learning and corresponding strategies often associated with new learning environments.

ESTABLISHING NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Incorporating New Strategies

Traditional Learning Environments	New Learning Environments

Teacher-centered instruction	Student-centered learning
Single sense stimulation	Multisensory stimulation
Single path progression	Multipath progression
Single media	Multimedia
Isolated work	Collaborative work
Information delivery	Student-centered learning
Passive learning	Information exchange
Factual, knowledge-based, literal thinking	Active/exploratory/inquiry-based learning
Reactive response	Proactive/planned action
Isolated, artificial context	Authentic, real-world context

The most effective learning environments meld traditional approaches and new approaches to facilitate learning of relevant content while addressing individual needs. The resulting learning environments should prepare students to:

Communicate using a variety of media and formats
Access and exchange information in a variety of ways
Compile, organize, analyze, and synthesize information
Draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information gathered
Use information and select appropriate tools to solve problems
Know content and be able to locate additional information as needed
Become self-directed learners
Collaborate and cooperate in team efforts
Interact with others in ethical and appropriate ways

Teachers know that the wise use of technology can enrich learning environments and enable students to achieve marketable skills. It is still critical that educators analyze the potential benefits of technology for learning and employ it appropriately.

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