New Tech Standards & Requirements

After reviewing the standards and requirements addressed in NET*S, NET*T, OETS, and the new OR diploma, I believe that the purpose of all of these lies in the recognition that technology is quickly becoming a part of the daily routine. Unless we choose to live in a cave or up in the Alaskan or Yukon wilderness, completely removed from civilization, technology will pervade our lives every day. The standards address this issue, and the overall goal is to prepare students to be able to function competently in this technological world. Since we are teachers, we must provide students the opportunity to grow as technological users and to experience technology as a useful tool for business (work/school) as well as for play (social).

So, as a Spanish (and math) teacher, what are some strategies I can use to help students achieve these standards?

*Creativity and Innovation - students can use tools like UStream to create presentations in Spanish. This eliminates the fear of acting in class in front of an audience and still provides students the opportunity to share presentations and to listen and give feedback to their peers. Students could also upload these presentations to a class blog so that they can view each others'.

*Communication & Collaboration - Presentations are another great use, especially if students develop them using tools like Google presentations. If students are not allowed their own email account, we can have a class email that allows all students access. Also, a class blog or website where students can start forums and discussions emphasizes group learning and teamwork. Students help each other and become more independent learners.

*Research & Information Fluency - Any research project, in either math or Spanish, would support this standard. Students are constantly challenged in foreign language to learn more culture and compare different traditions with their own. In math, research plays a large part in understanding concepts. Also, research and the ability to evaluate the validity of a site's information is a cross-curricular skill that all students need, especially as they turn away from books and toward the internet.

*Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, & Decision Making - This goes hand in hand with research projects. Students who do research on the internet or use technological tools must make decisions regarding the best tool to use for searching, analyzing and presenting information. There are many valuable sites in Spanish, like El Mundo, a Hispanic-world news site. There are also many many interactive tools that help show and explain high-level mathematics. Students can use these to explore projects and answer research questions.

*Digital Citizenship - This is a really important skill, and one that would be taught simultaneously in a class that allowed students to post to a class website or a class blog, access to a class email and/or collaboration on Web2.0 sheets like Google Docs, Google Presentations or Google Sheets. There is always opportunity for unethical behavior in any situation, and students need to understand how to work within those environments as a respectful citizen. Technology is no different, and using it in the classroom would definitely create the opportunity to teach/model this behavior.

*Technology Operations & Concepts - Starting with basic skills is most important, but as students learn more about technology and improve their skills, we have the opportunity to challenge them. For example, students know how to use basic processors like Word or Excel; then they apply that knowledge to Google Docs or Sheets. Students know how to type an email; we teach them to blog or to collaborate. Also, as we use technology, invariably problems will arise. We can take those moments and challenge students to become self-sufficient by trying to solve the problem. If they cannot solve it themselves, we can encourage collaboration with peers, and then help them out.