Setting Your Instruction Technology Course Using the NETS

by Susan Brooks-Young

Learn how you can make the most of your school's technology by aligning your knowledge and skills with the newly updated National Education Technology Standards (NETS).

When navigating unfamiliar territory, previous driving experience may or may not be useful in getting where you need to go. What’s really helpful is a planned route and a current map. And it’s especially nice if you have a GPS system or passenger who can act as a guide, allowing you to concentrate fully on arriving safely at your destination. Even return trips to places visited on an occasional basis can be simplified through the use of one or more navigational aids.

The point is even the best drivers will avoid traveling outside familiar territory without some kind of assistance. And yet, educators frequently suppose that they and their colleagues will be able to pick their way through new instructional terrain with little or no support. A prime example of this is implementation of digital-age skills in classroom teaching and learning. We have ideas about what constitutes 21st-century learning skills for students but are uncertain of the specific direction to take to change course and effectively carry out instruction that supports use of these new skills.

Enter the National Education Technology Standards Project (NETS) sponsored by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, iste.org). Over the last decade, educators around the world have contributed to the work of this project—standards and support materials developed and disseminated by this group to provide navigational aids for educators who want to learn more about effective use of technology as a tool for teaching and learning.

Overview of the NETS Project

By the mid 1990s, forward-thinking educators came to believe that emerging technologies could have a profound effect on teaching and learning. However, it was apparent that little was being done to transform education using technology. Based on the assumption that technology adoption was being hindered by a lack of understanding about how students could use technology as a tool for learning, the NETS Project released the National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) in 1998. This original set of standards identified the skills and understanding every student must learn in order to be successful in the technology and information environment that was emerging at that time.

It wasn’t long before NETS Project leaders saw that having standards for students wasn’t going to be enough. While these standards did provide a framework for student learning, they did not take into account those on-the-job skills teachers needed to master before they could successfully create technology-infused learning environments for students. Therefore, the project released the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T) in 2000. Based on the earlier student standards and reflecting prevalent thinking at that time, the original standards for teachers focused largely on shifting from the paradigm of teacher as “sage on the stage” to teacher as facilitator. Also, in keeping with education trends in the late 1990s, emphasis was placed on the mechanics of how to use new technologies.

Then, two years later, the project released the National Education Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS*A). These standards formally recognized that students and teachers need support and guidance from educational leaders at all organizational levels in order to successfully implement and sustain technology-supported learning environments. Since that time, nearly every state in the U.S. and a number of foreign countries have adopted or adapted one, two, or all three sets of standards.

Today, the NETS Project is winding up its second round of technology standards development for these three groups. Refreshed standards for students were published in 2007. Updated teacher standards were unveiled at the 29th annual NECC Conference in June of 2008, and revised standards for administrators will be available in June of 2009. Let’s take a look at the updated standards for teachers along with resources that have been designed to support educators working to implement the NETS for both students and teachers.

The Refreshed NETS*T

The original NETS*T focused on what teachers should know about, and be able to do, with technology. Originally there were six standard areas: technology operations and concepts; planning and designing learning environments and experiences; teaching, learning, and the curriculum; assessment and evaluation; productivity and professional practice; and social, ethical, legal, and human issues (iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2000Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.htm). Each standard was further described in performance indicators that offered additional information about the main standard topic. And, because emphasis was placed on basic understanding of how to use various technologies, it was often possible to successfully implement the standards by simply automating existing lessons.

Things have changed. “The new NETS for Teachers are meant to inspire teaching professionals to leverage the power of technology for educational excellence. They reflect the revolution happening with technology in our lives and are needed for transforming teaching and learning,” said Anita McAnear, ISTE Acquisitions Editor.

In other words, the new version of the NETS*T recognizes that early uses of instructional technology were not sufficient for preparing students to live and work in a digital age. We can no longer realistically define a finite amount of information for the well-educated person to know. Mastery of a few targeted skills may be beneficial for a short while, but it won’t be long before this knowledge is obsolete. Therefore, the new NETS*T focus on what teachers should know about and be able to do “to promote students’ abilities to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world.” The five new standards areas call on teachers to: facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity; design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments; model digital-age work and learning; promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility; and, engage in professional growth and leadership. Performance indicators for each standard emphasize development of skills such as inventive thinking, creativity, problem solving, and information literacy (iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm). These standards cannot be fully executed without teachers making fundamental changes in their approach to instructional design and implementation.

The previous sentence is the kind of sweeping statement that is easy to say, but difficult to put into action. Most educators would be perfectly happy to make changes in the way teaching and learning takes place at their school. However, it would be helpful to have a few specific suggestions about how and where to get started. The NETS Project hasn’t limited its efforts to standards. In addition to these three foundational documents, members of the project have developed support materials that help clarify implementation questions and concerns.

The Essential Conditions

No matter how well written the standards may be, there are certain internal and external issues that must be addressed to effectively leverage technology for learning. The NETS Project calls these “Essential Conditions.” If asked to guess what might be included on this list, you no doubt would mention consistent and adequate funding, ongoing professional development, and technical support. But would you also think to mention the importance of shared vision, engaged communities, or student-centered learning? In all there are 14 essential conditions that can support or impede your efforts at implementing the NETS*T, depending upon how each condition is being addressed. These range from basic issues like the need for equal access or support policies to higher-level concerns such as influencing local, regional, or national initiatives.

It’s not possible (or even desirable) to tackle all 14 essential conditions at once. One effective strategy for dealing with the essential conditions is to discuss the list as a staff and then prioritize the conditions, ranking the list from highest level of concern to least level of concern. You then rank the conditions a second time, topping your list with those conditions you feel most confident that you are currently meeting down to those to which you give scant, if any, attention. Once you have examined the essential conditions using these two lenses, you can plan ways to meet the conditions most critical for your school and to sustain the conditions you are addressing. These reviews should be held at least once each school year because circumstances change and areas of concern often shift accordingly.

More Resources

The NETS Project website offers additional resources for teachers who are working to implement the NETS. Be sure to visit each area (Student, Teacher, and Administrator) to see what is currently on offer. For example, the Student page includes links to a video series called “From Paper to Practice” which features practicing teachers discussing ways they are using technology to implement the NETS. There is also a link designed to provide an online place where educators can share lesson plans and ideas related to use of technology for teaching and learning.

The ISTE site also hosts NETS-friendly resources in other areas. Looking for free and low-cost online professional development? ISTE is currently developing and posting self-directed online modules that address the NETS. A free module on the NETS*S can be accessed through the Professional Development area at moodle.iste.org/moodliste/mod/book/view.php?id=440. Interested in a tool you can use with colleagues to review how well technology is being used to support learning? Check out ISTE’s ICOT observation tool at icot.iste.org. Perhaps you need research that supports NETS implementation. The Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET) page is a good starting point (caret.iste.org).

Along with web-based materials, ISTE also offers a variety of publications geared to helping educators implement technology-supported learning environments. Click on the Publications link found on ISTE’s home page to learn more about the journals, booklets, and books available. You can narrow your search even further by clicking on the Technology Standards link to look at online bookstore items related directly to the NETS.

In order for our students to thrive in a world heavily dependent upon technology use, schools must bring instructional practice into the 21st century. The NETS standards and supporting materials can be used to lay the groundwork for this change. Don’t wait another day to get started or to step up existing efforts.

A former Catholic school teacher, Susan Brooks-Young spent 23 years as a teacher and administrator. She now works as a professional consultant and author. Her latest book is Digital-Age Literacy for Teachers: Applying Technology Standards to Everyday Practice (ISTE, 2007). Susan invites your comments at SJBrooks@aol.com.

Source: Today's Catholic Teacher, March 2009

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