Creative Tension

I’m a big fan of ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A), Teachers (NETS-T) and Students (NETS-S). They provide schools with performance indicators for all three groups. 

Some schools choose to focus  solely on developing curriculum around the NETS-S.

Other schools choose to focus on the NETS-S and the NETS-T. 

The third type of school focuses on all three. This is where the administrators, teachers and students are all focused on their respective performance indicators.

Imagine a school where:

The school administrators are working to…

1. inspire excellence through transformational leadership;

2.establish a robust digital age learning culture;

3.advance excellence in digital age professional practice;

4.ensure systemic transformation of the educational enterprise;

5.model and advance digital citizenship

The teachers are working to …

1.facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity;

2.design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments;

3.model digital-age work and learning;

4.promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility;

5.engage in professional growth and leadership

It may even be possible for a school to begin with the NETS-A and NETS-T and then eventually transition to the NETS-S. I even wonder if the first two will naturally lead the the third. 

I believe that the students will gain so much more than the knowledge and ability to use technology, as defined by the NETS-S. They will be able to explore learning in a multitude of areas and the possibilities are endless. The schools that are truly transforming teaching and learning are incorporating all three NETS into their school culture. If yours isn’t, maybe it’s time to start.