International Society for Technology in Education

Chapter 4.2

Information, Communications, and Educational Technology Standards
For Students, Teachers, and School Leaders
Lajeane G. Thomas

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, USA

Donald G. Knezek

International Society for Technology in Education

Washington DC, USA

Abstract: Today, information and communication technology (ICT) has made its way into industry, communication, education, work, and even recreation. Challenges exist not only in the acquisition and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT), but also the more complex task of using technology resources to effectively facilitate educational innovation and improvement (SIIA, 2002). Standards have been adopted in many nations to facilitate the systematic incorporation of ICT into students' educational experiences and into the skill sets of teachers and educational leaders. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a comprehensive set of performance standards describing ICT knowledge and skills for student learning, for teaching, and for school administration (ISTE, 2002a; 2002). In this chapter rationales for these standards as well as the development context are interwoven with the presentation of the standards themselves.

Key words: ICT Teacher Competency Standards; National Educational Technology Standards; Adoption of Standards; IT leadership; IT-supported learning environments

Rationale for ICT Standards

The universal potential for each nation’s development lies in its human capital. Regardless of status in the current world economy, regardless of natural resources or financial capital available, and regardless of world positioning in the domains of ideas and innovation, there is a global understanding that nations become and remain strong through effective education systems that develop human capital – and in this era of globalization, through education systems that benchmark well worldwide.

In pursuit of world-class education, many ministries of education at the national, state, or province level document expectations of achievement by students, teachers, or school leaders, and in some cases they document all three. While these expectations may take the form of recommendations, guidelines, benchmarks, or frameworks, frequently standards are established. Increasingly, jurisdictions adopt standards for IT or ICT in schools, particularly standards for ICT skills to be mastered by students and educators.

ICT skills standards are important in defining achievement expectations for students and defining expected capabilities of educators. As the world becomes increasingly digital, and we experience the globalization of education, the importance of these standards increases. Standards help to ensure that students complete their education prepared for the world of work and prepared to be contributing citizens and standards help to ensure that teachers and school leaders are capable of taking advantage of ICT to provide competitive education services.

In many cases these standards define IT skills and higher order skills necessary to use ICT and learning technologies to improve learning, teaching and school leadership. In the United States, for example, student standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), specify foundation IT skills as well as skills necessary to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world. Similarly, the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers and school leaders in the U.S. include more than simple foundation IT skills expected of educators (ISTE, 2000; 2002a; 2002b).

UNESCO has a project underway to develop ICT Teacher Competency Standards that combines teacher ICT Skills with other areas of teacher work. By combining ICT skills with emergent views in pedagogy, curriculum, and school organization the standards are intended to improve teacher practice in a way that contributes to a higher quality education system. In total, these teacher competency standards address six components of the educational system: policy and vision, curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, ICT, organization and administration, and teacher professional development (UNESCO, 2006).

IT-related competencies for teachers were developed in England in 1998 and revised in 2002. In the revision required competencies were replaced by non-statutory guidance for teacher training and more specific guidance for IT (Selinger & Austin, 2003). Teachers are required to pass tests of foundation ICT skills in order to gain Qualified Teacher Status (UK Training and Development website http://www.tda.gov.uk).

In Australia, the National Goals for Schooling were adopted by all commonwealth and territorial ministries of education, and they call for students leaving school to be confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, particularly IT, and understand the impact of those technologies on society (Pearson, 2003). Each of the states has developed IT competency requirements or guidelines for teachers (Downes, Arthur & Beecher, 2001).

A framework for policy for initial teacher education developed in Northern Ireland in 1997 identified teacher training in IT as a key issue. In Finland the project called OPE.fi, set criteria for both preservice and inservice teachers. All teachers were to have achieved basic IT skills by 2004, and half of all personnel in educational institutions were to have achieved high-level skills. In both cases these initiatives involved the national ministries of education. Other countries such as Costa Rica, Indonesia and Malaysia are working to develop student ICT skills standards.

The development and application of standards for ICT in schools supports a shared vision for the role of digital tools and resources in education. Standards, therefore, focus effort and commitment, and they ensure alignment of materials and resources, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. They provide a basis upon which to assess student success in achieving expectations and serve to communicate to employers what capabilities they can expect from successful students. Standards are a critical tool in establishing, communicating, meeting and assessing expectations related to ICT in schools.

The National Educational Standards (NETS) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) represent a mature and comprehensive set of standards for use of ICT in schools. Because they have been adopted across the U.S. and used heavily in other regions of the world, we will take an in-depth look at ISTE’s NETS.

Establishing New Learning Environments Supported With Technology

The challenge facing America's schools is the empowerment of all children to function effectively in their future, a future marked increasingly with change, information growth, and evolving digital tools. Technology is a powerful tool with enormous potential for changing outdated educational systems to systems capable of providing learning opportunities for all, to better serve the needs of 21st century learning, communications, work, and life. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the public at-large recognize the potential of technology to change education and improve student learning. Technology has become a powerful catalyst in promoting learning, communications, and life skills for economic survival in today's world. Through its National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project, ISTE is encouraging educational leaders to provide learning opportunities that produce technology-capable students. The primary goal of the ISTE NETS Project is to enable stakeholders to develop national standards for educational uses of technology that facilitate school improvement in the United States and beyond.

ICT Standards for Students

The ISTE technology standards for students are divided into six broad categories. Standards within each category are to be introduced, reinforced, and mastered by students. These categories provide a framework to guide planning of technology-based activities in which students achieve success in learning, communication, and life skills. The NETS Project has developed the standards for students to guide educational leaders in recognizing and addressing effective use of technology to support PK-12 education. These are listed in Figure 1.

Figure 1

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S)

1. Basic operations and concepts

a. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.

b. Students are proficient in the use of technology.

2. Social, ethical, and human issues

a. Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.

b. Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.

c. Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

3. Technology productivity tools

a. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

b. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4. Technology communications tools

a. Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.

b. Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5. Technology research tools

a. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

b. Students use technology tools to process data and report results.

c. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

a. Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.

b. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

Reprinted with permission from National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers: Preparing Teachers to Use Technology, published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), NETS Project, copyright 2002, ISTE. All rights reserved.

Barriers to Adoption of Standards for Students

Through the ongoing use of technology in the schooling process, students can be empowered to achieve important technological capabilities. Primary factors often cited as affecting achievement of ICT potentials are: 1) access to hardware, software, and communications resources, and 2) a classroom teacher who understands how to facilitate student learning through application of these resources. Shortcoming in these factors can often serve as barriers to adoption of student standards.

Access is the initial and often most difficult barrier for some schools to overcome. To address access issues, decisions must be made regarding details such as electrical wiring and other infrastructure necessary to support the computers and servers; physical space for the routers, hubs, servers, CD towers, and key network equipment; levels of access (broad band, wireless, etc.) in each classroom, lab, or library; selection and installation of software necessary to support the educational curriculum of the school; security measures; and necessary technical support at sufficient levels to facilitate increased and effective use of ICT in instruction (UNESCO, 2002).

The second key factor includes the classroom teacher who is skilled in facilitation of technology-supported learning. This person assumes responsibility for establishing the classroom environment and preparing the learning opportunities that facilitate student use of technology to research, learn, communicate, make decisions, and develop knowledge products. Consequently, it is essential that all classroom teachers be prepared to provide their students with these learning opportunities. Both professional development programs for classroom teachers and preparation programs for future teachers must provide these standards-based, technology-rich experiences. Standards and resources from the ISTE sites (http://www.iste.org and http://cnets.iste.org) provide educational technology standards for classroom teachers that are widely applied in teacher education programs preparing teachers to play essential roles in producing technology-capable students.

New Skill Sets for Teachers

Professional development and teacher preparation programs must engage practicing teachers and future teachers in technology-rich curricula and pedagogical learning so that they, in turn, can empower their students with the learning advantages that technology can bring. Schools and classrooms, both real and virtual, must have teachers who are equipped with technology resources and skills and who can effectively provide learning experiences so that students learn the necessary subject matter content while incorporating technology concepts and skills. Real-world connections, primary source material, and sophisticated data-gathering and analysis tools are only a few of the resources that enable teachers to provide rich and powerful opportunities for conceptual understanding.

Figure 2, Establishing New Learning Environments, identifies traditional approaches to learning employed by teachers and movement to corresponding "new" strategies often associated with effective learning environments for today's P-12 and university students. These strategies combine to provide new learning environments that are based on classic learning research (Dale, 1969) and more recent research supporting student-centered learning, multi-sensory/multimedia approaches to learning, simulations, critical thinking, problem-solving, active/inquiry-based learning, planning, and authentic learning opportunities. Today's ICT resources can support these types of strategies resulting in effective new learning environments.

Figure 2

Establishing New Learning Environments

Traditional ------Incorporating ------New Environments ------New Strategies ------

Teacher-centered instruction Learner-centered environments
Single sense stimulation Multisensory stimulation
Single path progression Multipath progression
Single media Multimedia; Hypermedia
Isolated work Collaborative work
Information delivery Information exchange, publication, creation
Passive learning Active/exploratory/inquiry-based learning
Factual/literal thinking Critical thinking, informed decision-making
Reactive response Proactive/planned action
Isolated, artificial context Authentic, real world contexts

The strategies juxtaposed in Figure 2 suggest that teachers should plan learning activities in which they allocate less time using traditional learning strategies listed in the left column and more time applying the more engaging strategies in the right column which more effectively address student learning needs. The following ICT standards for teachers clearly guide educators toward development of the new learning environments supported by technology as outlined above. The NETS for Teachers focus not only on technology skills and knowledge of concepts, but also on knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to integration of ICT in the planning, teaching, and assessment processes as well. These are described more fully in the following section.

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers

The NETS for Teachers (NETS•T) include six standards and performance indicators addressing each of the standards (ISTE, 2000). These ICT guidelines for teachers are designed to be general enough to be customized to fit state, university, or district guidelines and yet specific enough to define the scope for each standard. The standards identify the global expectations, and the performance indicators for each standard list measurable outcomes. The NETS•T standards and performance indicators shown in Figure 3 are valuable tools for developing assessment tools to measure a teacher candidate’s grasp of applying technology to support student learning. Also, the standards and the performance indicators provide guidelines for evaluating use of technology by teachers currently in the classroom.