NETS in the 2.0 World
Im sitting in a Technology Curriculum meeting at the moment where we are looking at our student technology standards and benchmarks for our school. We, as most schools are looking at the NETS. The nets were last updated (as far as I can tell) in 2001. So, to move the NETS into the 2.0 world. I did a find and replace.
Find: Technology
Replace: Information.
Interesting!
1. Basic operations and concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of information systems.
Students are proficient in the use of information.
2. Social, ethical, and human issues
Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to information.
Students practice responsible use of information systems, information, and software.
Students develop positive attitudes toward information uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
3. Information productivity tools
Students use information tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing information-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
4. Information communications tools
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
5. Information research tools
Students use information to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Students use information tools to process data and report results.
Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
6. Information problem-solving and decision-making tools
Students use information resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
Students employ information in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
Back to the meeting!
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Jeff. Interesting re-mix. What it does, though, is turn NETS into Information Power (which actually has been around a bit longer in the library world). If you aren’t familiar with Information Power, you may want to check it out. Your librarian should have a copy.
A quick overview can be found from some posts from a bit ago:
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2005/07/21/more-on-integrating-literacy/
http://pedersondesigns.com/2005/07/20/information-power/
[...] By replacing technology with information (Woo! Go Libraries!) had some very interesting results. For one, it certainly shows the alignment between NETS and Information Power. This connection between Information Power and technology skills has also been explored in some past conversations. [...]
Interesting! My school has more or less decided to go with NETS for the IT program but I will be sure to mention this possible revision for discussion and see what the other teachers think. Certainly I’ll need more time to digest but based on my limited understanding of Web 2.0, this does seem to make more sense, or at least should be incorporated. I wonder though, will digital immigrants understand that the word information could be an appropriate replacement for technolgoy? My guess is that many teahcers will confuse “information: with “book/library research” and ask why doesn’t IT need something more specific to its own field.
Hi Jeff. Rule of thumb – always click thru. I’ve been listening to a few of Tim O’Reilly’s recent Podcasts on 2.0, and one of the essential concepts that he’s been touching upon has been simultaneous integration of components from multiple websites/information resources. Another one of the core features of 2.0 that he cites is the collaborative nature of sites/destinations. I’ll create a staff class: “Adhocracy” on the Moodle site you set up and upload the mp3 so you can hear it. I love getting together with people who want to think about these issues.
Hi Jeff,
I knew that the AASL Information Power Student Literacy Standards needed to be updated to reflect the impact of technology. Now I am convinced that the NETS Standards need to be updated to reflect a greater emphasis on information literacy!
I’ve started a campaign for combined ISTE and AASL standards, both reflecting the changes Web 2.0 is bringing about.
Thanks for this posting – it was an eye-opener.
Doug
[...] The Thinking Stick « NETS in the 2.0 World Remixing Conversations and Connective Writing [...]
[...] There have been some great conversations happening around the blogosphere related to Jeff’s post at The Thinking Stick about remixing NETS for information instead of technology. [...]
[...] There has been a lot of talk about information skills and technology skills and how they apply to learning, especially to life-long learning and staff development. Jeff Utecht, of Shanghai, took all of this into an interesting direction when he loaded the ISTI NETS into his word processor, did a global search and replace, and changed all references of technology to information. Read NETS in the 2.0 World in his blog, Thinking Stick. Doug Johnson (The Blug Skunk Blog) of Minnesota, picked up the ball from his library media perspective, and through this convergence, melding the AASL Information Literacy Standards, illustrating it with the Venn diagram to the right. Read Standards 2.0. [...]
The Top 20 Edu Blogs!?
David Warlick – 2 Cents Worth
Alan November – Alan November Weblog
[...] In the comfort of being open minded and honest, I feel the process I took part in a week ago to create technology standards for our school was completely 1990s. What I believe we need to do is wrap those technology skills as David says around information. My first post, To the future, started looking at that very idea with the two diagrams of merging the ISTE technology standards with the library AASL standards to create one document that focused on information. A couple weeks ago on my own personal blog I started a conversation by taking the ISTEs (International Society of Technology Education) NETS and replaced the word technology with the word information. The outcome was very rich in context. Take a moment to read how changing a simple word can create a whole new focus. [...]
Hello, Jeff.
Not my first response to a blog but almost!
Your posting was metioned in a recent issue of LMC and I absolutley agree with the direction you are suggesting. Thank you, Doug, for offering to carry the merger of ICT through AASL.
My own county librarians have been working for more than a year on a scope-and-sequence document which we can use with teachers K-14 to help them see where various ITC skills should be taught, reinforced and mastered. We did have some differences of opinion about whether or not strictly “technology” skills, e.g. using a mouse, making columns in wordprocessing, etc. should be included. In the end we decided that we would leave those out. There are plenty of information and somewhat fewer communications technology skills included in the document.
Unfortunately, in my school district the technology (computer literacy) teachers are still living in a bubble of isolated “computer” skills as opposed to ICT skills. It’s been a real challenge to get them to see AND help take responsibility for teaching much beyond the basics.
I’ve been pushing the idea that with ETS developing assessments for ICT skills it won’t be long before our students will be expected to show they have skills beyond basic keyboarding, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation. (At least we have some standards–many school districts have nothing in place) We have at least gotten the goal into our five-year tech plan to explore the next steps in going beyond what we have right now and ICT is specifically mentioned.
Keep up the good work.
Tom Kaun
[...] NETS in the 2.0 World: 11/18/05 [...]