Students Meeting the NETS-S Standards

Here is the NETS-S site.  Here is the Student Profiles site.

Q: Explain how student use of communication, collaboration and publishing via Web 2.0 applications can help students meet the NETS-S Standards?

The National Education Technology Standards for Students were created in 2007 by the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE).  The standards were created for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need to learn and live productively in a global society.  Students need to be able to utilize technology and related resources to analyze, understand, and evaluate.  Digital age skills are essential for students to become productive working members of their local and global communities (retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx).

The NETS-S cover the following digital skills and aptitudes: 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.  They also contain student profiles which are helpful to educators in the sense that they suggest activities that address the specific standards and attempt to bring them "to Life".

To answer this question I am focusing my attention on grades 3-5.  These are the students with whom I most typically use Web 2.0 tools.  First, Web 2.0 tools are common language to the majority of students entering school in 2012.  Those who are unfamiliar with a tool(s) are quickly able to "play with it" and figure it out.  This is due to students coming to school and growing up as "Digital Natives" (Prensky, 2001).  As Digital natives students have the propensity to learn new technologies or applications due to their inquisitive nature and familiarity with technology in general.  In other words they come to school with an embedded skill set that is far more advanced then many of the "Digital Immigrants" or teachers and administrators (Prensky, 2001).
This immersion in the digital language of today can most definitely aid students in navigating Web 2.0 tools and their applications.  One thing remains clear; they are still students who are in need of guidance and structure when it comes to understanding, synthesizing, analyzing, creating and evaluating course content.  Since the premise of Web 2.0 is collaboration and information sharing, these skills are a major focus of the NETS-S.


For students to live and become successful in today's digital society it is important for teachers to use tools to help them learn and communicate effectively.  I think these Web 2.0 sites would fit the activity scenarios outlined in the student profiles.  The parenthesis are used to denote the applicable standards covered.

Communication:
Google Docs and SKYPE would be great ways for students to communicate either within a school, community or globally.  These sites allow for collaborative communication in a synchronous or asynchronous manner which maximizes user efficiency.  In a collaborative work group, use a variety of technologies to produce a digital product in a curriculum area.  Engage in learning activities with learners from multiple cultures through email and other electronic means.  (#3,4 - K-2 Profile).

Collaboration:

Diigo is an excellent site for collaboration and sharing of interesting and engaging resources through bookmarking and grouping.  Evaluate digital resources to determine the credibility of the author and publisher and the timeliness and accuracy of the content.  (#5 -  6-8 Profile).

Publishing:
Voicethread and Glogster are wonderful resources for publishing student work.  These sites allow students to upload a variety of formats to create an interactive and highly polished published work.  Create and publish an online art gallery with examples and commentary that demonstrate an understanding of different historical periods, cultures, and countries.  (#2 - 9-12 Profile).


Using Web 2.0 tools to address and meet the NETS-S allows educators to engage students in authentic and engaging learning experiences that will help prepare them for global citizenship.  


Citations:
Prensky, Marc. (October, 2001).  Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.  On the Horizon, Vol. 9, No. 5.  Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf