Monday, September 13, 2010

New Ed Tech Standards and Requirements

Take a few minutes to scan through the technology standards and requirements addressed in in the NETS*S, NETS*T, new Oregon Diploma and new Oregon Edu. Technology Standards (OETS).
  • How might you explain the big picture to a fellow educator or parent what these standards are trying to accomplish?
  • Describe some strategies you could implement at your grade level(s) and/or subject matter in order to accomplish this huge task. Please relate your strategies/activites to specific ed tech Standards.

17 comments:

  1. Maria David (cohort b) -
    I think mine is too long to fit in one comment so I will break it up.

    Here are the Oregon Technology Standards and Requirements:

    1) Creativity and Innovation
    2) Communication and Collaboration
    3) Research and Information Fluency
    4) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    5) Digital Citizenship
    6) Technology Operations and Concepts

    Students in any class regardless of the content need to be able to critically think and problem solve. An example would be doing research on for a class; it is important that students need to utilize their time wisely when doing this and the internet promotes efficiency. Students can research topics online instead of pouring over books and hard copies of academic journals in the library. Students not can search and find these things on the internet. The use of technology also requires responsible behavior. Students need to realize that there is a time and place for searching for academic material versus games and other "free or fun" things online. Students should also see technology as a collaborate process and that they can use it to get input from their peers and teachers. Students need to be able understand the tools that they are using and be able to explain them. This is what I think the standards are trying to accomplish.

    The three student standards that are most significant to me are:

    Creativity and Innovation
    One way to meet this standard is to have kids use the different internet based tools to give a new spin on a research project, powerpoint, other other digital presentations. Screenr for example can be used by students in a language arts classroom. Students can have a screen cap of say a haiku and then have the students read it and then explain its significane. It is really easy to use these digital recording devices because many do not require a software download and most schools have a technology lab or have at least access to one computer in a classroom. It gives students different options on how to present information..not just standing up in front of the class and talking about a certain topic. This gives students room to be creative and construct their understanding of what is important to know of a topic.

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  2. Communication and Collaboration
    Many times students are a little weary of talking with other students and collaborating with them face to face. Technology can be used by allowing students to contribute on their own pace and a place (home, library, not just the school classroom) where they are comfortable. For example students can create their own individual blogs where it is open to others to comment and view. This blog can be implemented by the teacher where students can ask questions without publicly raising their hand or share outside information they think is applicable to the class. It is a great way to communicate and collaborate with one another. Another example technology can be used in the classroom to meet this standard is the use of google docs. The spreadsheet, document app, etc have a feature where students can edit them at the same time and at different places (if given access at least). Students then can edit each other's work and ask each other questions. The collaboration and communication process is pretty infinite with google docs.

    Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    I think this piece of the standard weighs heavily on me. We as teachers need to help students learn critical thinking, problem solving and decision making strategies. We need to help them get to the end result without making each individual step and decision for them. With technology I need to help students use it effectively, especially in regards to the internet. I need to help students filter what they are searching for and realize that some sources are more credible than others instead of telling students simply where to find information specific to whatever they are studying and searching for. For example I need students to realize that maybe an academic journal is more appropriate to look at when studying the Holocaust instead of looking at a German newspaper's propaganda piece on how Jews are the scum of the earth. As teachers we need to be able to find valid information that is unbiased and useable for the topic and not just pull up any information that one searches for. Google is not a know-all site. If I am able to help them filter out the biased information and look at the internet with a grain of salt I hope to foster critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills.

    I think one of the biggest challenges with the requirement of technology standards is the abuse of them. Inappropriate material for example can be placed in the middle of a screenr. If the teacher does not listen to the screenr first then a student trying to be funny may place a bad word in the middle of academic content. Or students using the technology to do non-academic things. Instead of students searching for information on WWII on google they are looking up basketball scores from the night before. I think the best way to overcome these sort of hurdles is to treat them like adults and that we as teachers expect them to use their time wisely. If that does not happen then these technology privileges will be taken away and then students will have to do manual research on topics in the library which will be more time consuming then searching for information. The internet and technology allows students to more readily access information on academic topics and once taken away students will hopefully realize the tedious process it takes to look things up the so-called old fashioned way. Accountability I think is the best way to overcome these types of hurdles.

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  3. Technology in Our Classroom

    Since my preferred grade level and subject is Middle School Science, I find the following tech standards very key to my classroom. Several of the instructional strategies that I can incorporate in order to provide technological literacy actually coincide perfectly with my goals and strategies in order to provide scientific literacy in my classroom as well.

    1. Creativity and Innovation
    Students demonstrate creative thinking and problem solving skills to develop innovative products and
    processes using (digital) technology. Students:
    A. Apply existing knowledge to forecast possibilities and generate new ideas, products or processes.
    B. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
    C. Develop or apply models and simulations to explore complex systems, issues and trends.

    This standard is important in every single science classroom. The only ways in which we have moved forward in our scientific understanding has been the result of creative thinking and innovation beyond what is known currently. As a result, this tech standard is important to subject since we are a technological society and we are making leaps and bounds every day in what we can do. Specifically, the first thing I would do with my classrooms would be to show them how technology can be used in a science classroom today. For example, I could demonstrate the virtual frog dissection via my computer and projector, to get them intrigued by the concept. I could then connect it to something which my Alma Mater has been working on for the past decade, in which they use 3-d technology and computers to do virtual surgery for their medical students, so that the students have hands on practical experience in addition to the textbook knowledge before they get to the hospital. [If I could find examples of this technology in use, I think my students would find it pretty neat!]

    If I had the ability to have my students use computers in the classroom, I would use some of the various programs and websites to do my labs on them. I know of a Physics website [I would have to search for the link] in which you are able to do many labs, such as trajectory, and even car acceleration/deceleration via simulations on this site. I am sure that there is software out there that I might be able to get, either for free, or working with my school, that would allow my students to actually craft simulations and models for what we learn in the classroom. I have not taught middle school science yet, so most of the resources I know of are for the high school classrooms right now.

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  4. 3. Research and Information Fluency
    Students select and apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, validate, and use information. Students:
    A. Plan strategies to guide inquiry.
    B. Locate, organize and use information ethically from a variety of sources and media.
    C. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific
    tasks.
    D. Analyze, evaluate, and summarize information or data and report results.

    4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make
    informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
    A. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
    B. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
    C. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and or make informed decisions.
    D. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

    I believe that these two standards are very connected, since within the realm of science, a student must be able to conduct research and to also be able to synthesize what he or she learns, or even perhaps to analyze the authenticity of the information. In order to access authenticity of the scientific information presented in the media and on TV, I would do something akin to "current events" in social studies classrooms, but for science. I would take one day a week with my students and have them bring in one science article or other media to analyze. I would have a questionnaire for my students to fill out regarding the information presented in their article or other media. These questions would lead them in the right direction to analyze the accuracy of the material. If any of the students had never encountered the material before, I would, in the beginning, use my overhead projector to walk the students through different ways to verify the material by searching online, or in the school library. I would probably have one of the days be in the library for this, and another in the classroom using my projector. As the year went on, I would give them less guidance in analyzing and verifying the authenticity of the material, to the point of having the analysis of the media clip or article being a piece of homework due without having to spend class time on it.

    If I was lucky enough to be in a highly technological classroom, I would emphasize researching online, and demonstrate the difference between proper resources and ones that cannot be trusted. I would assign mini research projects in topic areas in which they show interest, even if they are up and coming right now in the scientific fields. If I had good access to technology, these projects would be completely done through online and internet resources, both through websites and journal databases. These projects could be assigned, instead of as papers, as Screenrs, or Blogs, or other multimedia presentations.

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  5. With the use of technology there come many challenges that could arise. The first challenge would be attaining the technology, especially in schools that ban electronics brought into the classroom by the students. Some schools have budgets that are too low to provide much technology in the classroom and what they have many be outdated or slow. One way around this is allowing students to use cell phones and ipods in the classroom. This directly is against most of the districts'/schools' electronics policies, which are in place for liability reasons much of the time. I personally would not feel comfortable going against my school's or district's policy in this case. I would try to get special permission if I felt it would be very beneficial, but I would try to work around this, by perhaps using the teacher's workstation and a projector, or the library if they had computers in there. Another big challenge is appropriate material on the students' computer screens or within projects. With classrooms as big as they are nowadays, it is very difficult to monitor 30-40 students' screens and their content consistently and carefully. If a student does look at something inappropriate, there could be ramifications from the administration to the student and the teacher, and the parents would most likely raise a ruckus about the incident as well. I'm not sure how this could be avoided, aside from doing a computer rotation, in which half of the class is using technology, and another half doing work in some other way. It would all depend on the availability of resources and the size of the classes themselves.

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  6. Today I'm going to spend a little time speaking about the new Oregon Technology Standards and Requirements. Specially, I will be addressing three standards, and how they relate to the classroom.


    The three standards I feel most connected to are as follows: Creativity and Innovation; Communication and Collaboration; and Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making. I have outlined each of the standards below and how I feel that I could implement them into my subject area.

    1. Creativity and Innovation
    This standard asks students to demonstrate creative thinking and problem solving skills, and to begin developing innovative products using digital technology. Students should be able to apply existing knowledge to come up with potential possibilities, generate new ideas, etc. Students should also be about to create original works either individually or as a group, and to also to explore complex systems, issues or trends.


    Within the language arts classroom, I strongly believe in helping my students use their creativity and individuality to express themselves. This includes using online tools to bridge the gap between literature and the student, perhaps by blogging about their experiences, or using online mediums to highlight their projects. Students will be encouraged to work both as an individual and in groups to explain the literature and writing projects to the rest of the class, and furthermore I will also technology to help bring this information to my students.

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  7. 2. Communication and Collaboration
    This standard asks students to use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, across the global community, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students will be able to interact and collaborate with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. Students should also communicate with various audiences using a variety of media and formats. Furthermore, they will engage with learners from other cultures to establish global awareness, and contribute to team projects.


    So much of literature study is about drawing connections between the words, the ideas, the writer, and the reader. I plan on creating an environment where students are able to share and collaborate with one another to further investigate the meanings behind artifacts presented in class, and working together to share this information with varied audiences. Students may create podcasts, blogs, or videos to communicate and work with one another, as well as convey the information they have gathered.

    3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    This final standard will help students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students should be able to identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation, plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project, and collect and analyze data to identify solutions and or make informed decisions. Finally, they will use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

    While this standard is a bit of a farther stretch for the language arts classroom, I can still ask my students to use media to help in their critical thinking processes. Perhaps this will be used in identifying a major problem that is addressed in literature, such as social justice, and then using multimedia to identify various solutions for this problem. Students will be able to use a variety of online and technology based sources to achieve their solutions, or at least explain them to the fullest extent possible.

    There are a variety of challenges that students and the classroom faces in addressing these standards. First and foremost, technology is not available in equal access to each student, each classroom, or each school. While most students will have computers at home, the fact still remains that many students who are of lower socioeconomic status will not. Secondly, the technology is constantly changing and evolving, and it may be difficult to keep up on the most current technology on an ongoing basis. Because I will specifically be focusing on language arts and the English language, I will not necessarily have the time to devote to updating my technological knowledge.

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  8. Oregon Educational Technology Standards

    There are currently six educational technology standards in Oregon that are aligned with the national NETS*S standards:

    1. Creativity and Innovation
    2. Communication and Collaboration
    3. Research and Information Fluency
    4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    5. Digital Citizenship
    6. Technology Operations and Concepts

    Below, I will discuss a few of these standards and how they can be implemented in a mathematics classroom.

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  9. Creativity and Innovation- Before I discuss ways in which students can use technology to show creativity in mathematics, it is important to discuss how mathematics can be a creative process.While it isn’t a standard that is normally thought of in mathematics, there are many ways of encouraging student creativity in math class. These include but are not limited to: students finding their own way to solve a problem, students coming up with their own examples of math problems, and students creating presentations of how they solved a math problem. Therefore we are looking for ways in which technology can aid students in doing these creative activities. For example, students could use the smart board to show how they solved a problem, students could use Prezi or other presentation software to show their knowledge of a concept, or students could use a photo program with a draw or paint program to show geometric shapes are found in everyday life.

    Communication and Collaboration- This standard caught my eye because it mentions communicating with experts in the field. Most students know so little about what mathematicians do or even how math is applied in other fields. Through the use of technology (Skype for example) students can connect with experts in the mathematics field or other fields that use mathematics without the headache of scheduling visits to the class. This also expands the base of experts the teacher has to use because the expert no longer needs to be a parent of a student or even a local. Another way students can use technology to communicate and collaborate is through conferences or data sharing activities that are not limited to the class size. Students could collaborate with other classes in their school, or even throughout the world using conferencing software or cloud computing documents and spreadsheets.

    Technology Operations and Concepts- While not specific to mathematics, being able to select, use, and troubleshoot tools effectively is a key component of technological literacy. Often, the ability to troubleshoot computers separates the technologically literate from those who are not. Just like learning a language, the best way to become comfortable with technology is through practice. As a teacher this means having technology available, implementing technology appropriately into the curriculum, and allowing students time to experiment with computers and technology.

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  10. Possible Challenges

    The first, and perhaps most obvious challenge that I see teachers facing when implementing technology in the classroom is a lack of funds and resources to support the latest and greatest that technology has to offer. Just because there may not be sufficient funds to have computers or a smartboard in every classroom for every student, does not mean that we should give up in trying to integrate technology into the curriculum. Many schools have computer labs that teachers can hold classes in or portable smartboards that can be borrowed from the school. Also, as new technology comes out at an exponentially increasing pace, there is no shortage of secondhand computers or companies willing to donate. Most of the applications that are run in an educational setting do not require the latest technology has to offer.

    A second. more difficult challenge is finding time to include computers when faced with the pressures of standardized testing and shortened class times. There is no easy answer to this roadblock. Teachers need to think creatively about how they can integrate technology into activities that enhance the curriculum, rather than viewing technology as a separate activity. Teachers examine there lesson plans “Can I use technology to enhance student knowledge in this lesson?” “Can my students use technology to further their understanding of the concept?”.

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  11. I believe the message that it being communicated through the Tech Standards delivered by the National and State standards lists are that we are continuing to encourage the student centered classroom. Because there is this shift from the teacher centered class room, we as teachers, have to find out a way to engage our students (today's youth) in new innovative an interactive ways.

    I do think its important to remember that although computers are the new thing to use, I believe it's important to recognize that this is just the newest innovation for creative interaction with students. The invention of pencils, crayons, markers, the mass availability of scissors, construction paper and glue also created a wave of student centered lessons.

    Computers and the internet has created a new wave of interaction, one that requires quite a bit more structure because it is so interactive and expansive. I believe what the standards want us to remember is to focus some of the creativity in our students and guide them to explore new tools in a safe and intelligent way.

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  12. Some of the reason a few of the standards stuck our more than others is because number one the internet has created this enormous and extremely vast expanse of possibility! It's important to learn that you can not only research on the internet, but how to research on the internet. I encounter people all the time who are not effective navigators of the internet. They don't know how to find the information because they aren't aware, or have not learned that there is a way to search and evaluate. Because I will be a social studies teacher, this ability will be invaluable to my students. Anytime I assign a research paper or ask them to go out and find an article about something specific, they will invariably use the internet as their primary research tool. They need to know how to narrow down their searches and determine whether or not they are reliable sources.

    Secondly, Digital Citizenship. It's been said before and I'll reiterate it here "With great power, comes great responsibility." People, and especially new comers to the internet are not wary enough of how vital it is to protect yourself by closely monitoring what you put out into the internet world and then how to protect that information, as well as knowing that it's important to monitor yourself on the internet....that the things you say and create in one year may come back to haunt you later in life. If I have my students create a blog or set up a web site they will have to know how to be safe, creative and be true to themselves without jeopardizing their current or future standing as a responsible student and citizen.

    Thirdly, using your knowledge and applying them to technology. Exploring new tools that come out and determining if they are something you can use effectively and if they will actually help or hinder you. Knowing how to troubleshoot new tools is not just a skill you need for the internet, but it can certainly be a skill you can enhance in the digital world. I know that when I was exploring the tools for a couple of our Ed Tech assignments the questions I kept asking myself were "Will this help or hinder? Can it replace and combine tools I already use? What sort of project could I use this for? Is there another tool that is easier to use and creates just as effective presentations?" These are all important questions I will want my students to ask themselves when evaluating which technology they should use for a project whether in my class, other classes or in their careers.

    The challenges we face with the ever expanding world of digital technology is just that. It's always expanding! There is so much out there it is difficult to even get a handle on the possibilities and limitations at times. I think it is important to understand our own limitations as well as the importance of being responsible and somewhat cautious; however, those two things shouldn't stop us from exploring and keeping up to date on all the new tools and information available. Our job is to be aware, evaluate and use or discard based on our needs and wants.

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  13. My first impression after reading the OETS was that Oregon is headed in the right direction when it comes to integrating technology in the classroom. I think that integrating technology in the classroom is going to be extremely vital in the years to come because year-by-year technology becomes more integrated into our lives. What I really like about the criteria is that the OETS is not necessarily enforcing a mastery of new technology, but a competence in technology. I think that by building a compotence for technology in our students it will help them when it comes to adapting and learning new technology.

    One of the first criteria’s that jumped out to me was creativity and innovation. According to the OETS, “Students develop creative thinking and problem solving skills to develop innovative products and processes using technology.” I think I could have my students teach a subject in social studies to their classmates utilizing a technology they have a background in such as PowerPoint or iMovie.

    Another criteria that I thought about was Communication and Collaboration. I will mostly use this for group settings. I did not know what a google doc was before my ED tech class but it will be one of the first things I show my students in order to help with group projects.

    Lastly Research and Information Fluency is so crucial when it comes to academic papers. An activity I will likely give my students is just a research project. They wont necessarily have to write a paper with the information they find, but they will have to complete a checklist of different ways to research on the internet such as databases or scholarly journals.

    Some of the challenges I will face when it comes to the OETS and my student teaching is based on demographics. Since I am placed in a lower demographic area the percentage of students with computer and Internet access at home is considerably lower. I have already been thinking about solutions to this problem during my observation and I think that the libraries may be the answer to the problem. The school library has 25 computers with internet access however there is not a full time librarian so the students need an adult present to use the computers. I also visited the public library and there are community computers there with internet access. All the students need is a library card.

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  14. Andy Dakopolos New Tech Standards & Requirements

    After reading through the Oregon Educational Technology Standards for students, the big picture appeared to me to aim at harnessing the immense educational and informational value of technology and provide students the opportunity to empower both their learning experiences and their lives as a whole. Through standards such as creativity and innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making and communication and collaboration, students are given a holistic baseline of skills that are applicable to any learning and life context. It is detrimental to students in this day-and-age to not be technologically literate, and it is the charge of educators to provide students with the most up-to-date and socially evolved technology to find success in our rapidly changing world. Inherent in every discipline, whether it be english/language arts, math, or post high school/college jobs are creativity, innovation, problem solving and collaboration. These are valuable qualities that play an important role in technology as well, and as teachers, we must help students unlock the potential for technology in their own lives.

    STANDARD: Creativity and Innovation
    In my language arts classes at the high school level, I feel that creativity and innovation are essential to learning and are valuable in the context of technology in the classroom as well. One application of creativity and innovation in my class could be to have students create a digital summary and analysis of a book they were reading. For instance, the students could create a plot map of the story using images from the internet. They could insert those images into an iMovie or other recording tool and put in voice-overs and music along with their pictorial representation. The final video would satisfy creative and innovative technology standards, while helping develop many other important english standards.

    STANDARD: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making
    In my opinion, part of critical thinking is being able to gather credible digital sources. In my english class, I would teach a mini lesson about how to find scholarly and credible online resources to use in projects. I would create a research assignment that students would work on at school in the computer lab. They would each write their paper on google docs so that I could have access to their work and could monitor their progress. They would use a working bibliography as they wrote so that I could verify their sources and help them along with their writing. This assignment would address critical thinking, problem solving and decision making because the students would have to put effort into searching for credible sources, find pertinent information, and then assess the credibility of that resource. They would then have to synthesize all of this information into their paper. This process could help students dive deeper into the power of internet-based research and transcended the cop-out of wikipedia as a research source. This project would lend itself to critical thinking, problem solving and decision making that is relevant to the real world and to college.

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  15. Andy Dakopolos Part 2

    STANDARD: Communication and Collaboration
    Technology has completely altered the landscape of communication and collaboration. I think that it would be amazing to find a collaborative school across the country, for instance, a public school in New York City. As a teacher I could connect with a teacher back east and create a collaborative project in which a student from my class would pair up with a student in the New York class. They would be responsible to create a project of some sort together, The project would require communication through email, telephone, Skype, and Facebook. The students would cave to coordinate their efforts in a google doc and work together through social media and cutting-edge internet communication to create a project together. The value of such a project would go far beyond learning communication and collaboration. It would give all parties a view into someone else's life, and demonstrate the power that technology has to shrink the world into a manageable and co-dependent community. The students could also continue as "virtual pen-pals" with their partner. They could send video messages, instant chats and emails throughout the year.

    The beauty of integrating technology in the classroom is that is does not in any way detract from the focal subject area standards. The use of technology, if used in a responsible way complements any form of instruction and provides a variety and interest level that may not have been possible in other instructional contexts. As a teacher, I must recognize the integral role that technology plays in our world. A difficult aspect of technology is how quickly it changes and advances. As a teacher I must be diligent in my work to stay technologically relevant. This has to be the standard teaching practice because we are teaching our students to succeed in the future, not the past.

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  16. Meghan's Comment Part 1:

    The first standard that stood out to me as significant and applicable for art was standard 1B, "Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression". Obviously, art is largely about creating expressive original works, so applying this standard would just be a matter of giving students a chance to do this through technology. This would be great to do in a graphic design class, because students who want to go into graphic design will need to be able to work with computers. Schools will probably not provide the types of software programs that would be ideal to use for this type of project, but there is a lot that can be done even with paint and word. I think one example of an assignment that could be done even with basic software is designing a business card or advertisement poster for an imagined business. For group work, it would be great if I could get students to use goggle docs so that they could all work on a drawing at once in real time on their individual computers.

    Another standard that stood out to me was standard 2C, "engage with learners from other cultures to develop cultural understanding and global awareness". I have a specific idea in mind for this one. The winner of the TED2011 prize wish was a French street artist that proposed a global art project that uses art to turn the world inside out. I would love to show my students a clip of this artist's TED speech (which you can find on TED's website), show them the inside out project website and then tell them we are going to participate in the is global art project! What an awesome way to create global awareness through participation in a global project that uses technology! This would be great for a photography class, because what you do to participate in the inside out project is upload a portrait to the website and they send you back an enlarged version of the portrait which you are supposed to put up in a public place and then take pictures of your contribution in context to share on the website. So I could have my students take a portrait that they could share with their community and the world. The cultural aspect is covered by taking the time to look at and talk about different manifestations of this project around the world, and also looking at the work of the creator of this project that led up to his idea for this global art project. He did some amazing public art, including pasting pictures of Israelis and Palestinians making funny faces on both sides of the wall between these countries, which was great because people couldn't tell which people were from which side. I think this would be an awesome use of technology and art in the classroom!

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  17. Remember back when PowerPoint was the new and coolest way to do a presentation and the most intimate and exciting way to learn about people and cultures around the world was to have a pen pal? Now, don't get me wrong these methods of communication still have their place. Personally I value a handwritten note more than an email, it has a more intimate and sentimental value to me. Yet, in this era of rapid technology growth and expansion it would be irresponsible for us as educators to be too wary of new technology to explore its potential benefits. It is with this in mind that I have been looking at the Oregon Educational Technology Standards (OETS). It seems to me that these standards have been adopted in order to encourage (and require) educators to change with the times. If this "digital world" it what our students are growing up in, previous methods of teaching will need to be adapted to continue to effectively reach our students. Three standards that I can see myself exploring in the classroom are:

    Creativity and Innovation- Within this standard there are so many things that students can do to make their education creative in a way that means something to them. Using excel or google spreadsheets students can create meaningful and colorful graphs to understand math concepts. The opportunities to create different types of presentations are endless; PowerPoint, Google Presentation, Prezi, UStream, Screenr, Xtranormal Movie maker etc. By allowing students to explore these different, if unconventional, methods of presenting a concept or idea we prepare them for much more than just a classroom presentation for a grade.

    Communication and Collaboration- The Google Suite provides so many opportunities for online collaboration and communication. Students can collaborate from home on spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, etc. This would allow them to have more time and opportunity to collaborate without having to meet at school or coordinate schedules.

    Research and Information Fluency- While the internet and technology provides many opportunities for information access, it also provides many opportunities for students to be mislead. As educators we can help students understand how to effectively search for information and wade through the distractions to find relevant and useful for a research paper for example. This will not only assist them with the amount of information they are able to find and access, compared with just being able to use library books, but will also provide them with lifelong skills for searching the internet and finding information on whatever they need in the future.

    Honestly, I think one of the biggest challenges we face as educators is our own inadequacies and fears regarding the use of technology in the classroom. Sometimes we don't know how to use different forms of technology and it is definitely hard to keep up with but this is where we can use our students as resources. They probably spend more time on the computer or exploring the internet than we could ever imagine, so why not let them guide us? In order to get over these obstacles we need to be open to the ideas that our students can bring to us and infuse that with what we can show them. Its okay for technology exploration and meeting standards to be a two-way road where we learn to progress with our students as they learn to progress with us.

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