Not Your Standard Revisions
ISTE launched two standards refresh projects at ISTE 2010 in Denver, one for the technology fa- cilitation/leadership set and one for the secondary computer science teachers. Originally developed for the National Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE), these standards are
being refreshed now to reflect changes in the profession, technology, and learning environments.
The Technology Leadership Standards ensure
that tech leaders “assist by planning, designing,
and modeling effective learning environments
and experiences supported by technology….”
Sandy Vaughn’s article, “Total Technology Immersion,” on page 10 provides a good example of
how focused leadership can pave the way for effective tech integration across a whole district.
The NCATE standards for computer science
education may be the least known among ISTE
members. NCATE is a national organization
that accredits schools, colleges, and departments of education—those that educate teachers.
Many colleges and universities opt to have their
programs evaluated for NCATE accreditation.
Evaluations typically occur every 10 years. ISTE
is the specialty professional association that coordinates NCATE reviews of teacher education
programs in computer science and is responsible
for the revision of these standards. ISTE’s NETS
Leadership Team is leading this effort in conjunction with the Accreditation and Standards
Committee and representatives from ISTE’s Special Interest Group for Computing Teachers. The
Computer Science Teachers Association is also
partnering with ISTE on the revision.
NCATE prescribes the structure of the standards for each discipline and requires each to
address four principles of learning and teaching:
Knowledge of content. Candidates exhibit expertise in the material they plan to teach or use as
professionals as well as the ability to explain and
model important principles and concepts.
Pedagogy. Candidates apply effective content
pedagogical strategies that make the discipline
comprehensible to students.
Learning environments. Candidates apply their
knowledge by creating and maintaining safe,
supportive, fair, and effective learning environments for all students.
Professional knowledge and skills. Candidates
demonstrate professional knowledge and skills in
their field as well as readiness to apply them.
ISTE is seeking input about these standards
revisions. Your feedback on how they can help
prepare students for the digital age is invaluable.
You can review the computer science draft revision online. See Resources below to learn more
or to take the surveys.
Resources
Computer science draft revision and survey: www.iste.org/
CSRefresh-survey
ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards:
www.iste.org/tlprep
NETS Implementation wiki: http://nets-implementation.iste.
wikispaces.net/
Standards refresh projects: www.iste.org/Content/Navigation
Menu/NETS/NETSRefreshProject/ NETS_Refresh.htm
ISSUE ORIENTED
By Kate Conley
Kate Conley is ISTE’s
periodicals director
and the editor of
L&L. Her first career
was as an English
teacher in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
She holds a master’s
degree in journalism
and a bachelor’s in
English. Conley has
been with ISTE for
more than 10 years.
