Achieving ISTE Technology Standards With Web 2.0 Tools

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE^®) has created the National Educational Technology (Nets) standards in 2007 to promote the use of technology for students across the United States.  In Alberta, we refer to these standards as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) outcomes.  I have identified the following web 2.0 tools that can be used to have students accomplish these standards.

1.	Creativity and Innovation

In the Creativity and Innovation standard, students are asked to create original works.  A web 2.0 tool students can use is Pixlr.   This is an online photo editing tool to create, for example, a “six word” story.  Pictures with a creative commons licence that allows the photos to be modified can be uploaded into Pixlr.  Words are then added onto the photo to tell a succinct story with a choice of image.

Six Word Story Example

2.	Communication and Collaboration

Google Document is an example of a tool that students can use to communicate and collaborate with each other in the same classroom or across the world.  Fifty people can be collaborating on one document simultaneously.   The comment feature in google document allows groups to highlight samples of text and make comments or ask questions about the document they are working on.  I have been seamlessly using google documents with my Wilkes classmates that live in Pennsylvania, United States while I live in Alberta, Canada.

3.	Research and Information Fluency

Diigo is a research and information fluency tool that students can use to collect, organize, and annotate internet links that are used in a school project.  Diigo can be collaboratively shared with people as well.  Each group member can add links and organize the information.

Nicole's Diigo Chemistry Links

4.	Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Wikispaces is a tool that students can use to organize, manage, plan, collect, and analyze data.  Group members can edit and add information to individual pages.  This tool allows groups to focus and organize the task at hand.

5.	Digital Citizenship

Copying any image from the internet is basically stealing.  Google advanced search now allows individuals to search for images that can be modified for project use (that has a creative commons licence.)  There is a commercial or non-commercial setting.  Previously, you could search for these images within google drive.  Students need to know how to search for these images and properly annotate them to promote good digital citizenship.

Google search on penguin images that allow modification

6.	Technology Operations and Concepts

In terms of technology operations and concepts, students can choose a variety of web 2.0 tools to carry out particular tasks.  They need to be able to learn and use these applications to show they understand the concepts in any particular class. For instance, presentations can be made online through prezi, voicethread, slideshare, or animoto to name a few.

Water Project Exemplar

Sources

ISTE NETS Student Standards 2007. (n.d.). Iste student standards 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007