Learning and Leading - Feburary 2013

Can you observe the NETS for Students in practice? Try this exercise: Read the scenario below and check off any NETS•S performance indicators (on the right) that you think the lesson addresses. Then turn to page 42 to see how ISTE’s Research & Evaluation Department would rate this lesson against the NETS using the ISTE Classroom Observation Tool (ICOT, iste.org/icot). You can also do this exercise online at surveymonkey.com/s/knowthenets.

T he soccer field is off limits. Erosion has made it unsafe, and the spring season will be canceled unless the seventh grade math class can figure out how much it would cost to replace the drainage system.

Although scheduled into the math block, this project is intended to address both math and language arts standards. You observe on the second day of the project. Students have already measured the soccer field and used a cell phone to photograph the damage. The class has split into five-person teams, and each member has a part of the problem to solve: design, materials, cost, or presentation. The teacher has provided each team with a worksheet to follow in completing its part of the task. There is a cart of 16 tablet computers for students to use. They retrieve them as needed for their work.

The Design and Materials teams are working together at several computers viewing websites to learn about how soccer fields are constructed. Each Cost Team member is working with a spreadsheet, doing an exercise on entering and changing data. The spreadsheet is a new application for some students, and the team members have to help one another. The Presentation Team is brainstorming with a graphic organizer on a single computer linked to a projector, filling in a template of concerns for the students, principal, and parents.

Halfway through the 90-minute math block period, the Design and Materials teams split up. The designers use their notes to sketch pictures of the new field. Some use paper, and some use a simple graphics program. They struggle with representing the layers of gravel, sand, pipe, and turf. The Materials Team visits websites listed on their worksheet to find unit prices for materials that might be needed. They report these to the Cost Team, which enters them into its spreadsheet template. The Presentation Team bogs down in an argument over media: posters vs. computer slides vs. video. The period ends without resolution.

The project will take all week. The worksheets require the class to come up with specific measurements for area, length, and volume and use unit prices to compute costs. They are to send a report to the principal that will help her explain the costs to parents and the school board.

KNOW THEnets

Creativity and Innovation

h 1a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products,
or processes
h 1b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
h 1c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems
and issues
h 1d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities

Communication and Collaboration

h 2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media
h 2b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audiences using a variety of media and formats
h 2c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging
with learners of other cultures
h 2d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve
problems

Research and Information Fluency
h 3a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
h 3b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use
information from a variety of sources and media
h 3c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on
the appropriateness to specific tasks
h 3d. Process data and report results

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

h 4a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions
for investigation
h 4b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete
a project
h 4c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed
decisions
h 4d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore
alternative solutions

Digital Citizenship
h 5a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of
information and technology
h 5b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward technology that supports
collaboration, learning, and productivity
h 5c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
h 5d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship

Technology Operations and Concepts

h 6a. Understand and use technology systems h 6b. Select and use applications effectively and productively h 6c. Troubleshoot systems and applications h 6d. Transfer current knowledge to learning new technologies