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
■ 1c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
h 1d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities
Rationale: This was a heavily scaffolded project designed to introduce students to elements of project-based learning. However, it challenged students to
learn how to model physical and numerical relationships. Forecasting of trends and possibilities was not observed on this day, but that clearly would be part of
the project as students used the data in their proposal.
Communication and Collaboration
■ 2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
■ 2b. Communicate information and ideas 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
■ 2d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
Rationale: Lots of projects involve working in groups to create a report, but this project was unusual in that it addressed indicator 2b—explicitly considering
the audiences for the presentation.
Research and Information Fluency
h 3a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
■ 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
■ 3d. Process data and report results
Rationale: Because this was an introductory project, the teacher closely directed the process and information sources. The students worked with the information
but did not plan the inquiry. What could the teacher do on the next project to make it more student directed?
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
■ 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
Rationale: As with Standard 3, the students had limited scope to pursue their own investigations. However, we could list several basic steps in problem
solving that the teacher modeled and that students might use in future projects.
Digital Citizenship
h 5a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
■ 5b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity
h 5c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
h 5d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
Rationale: The scenario does not include much information on Standard 5 indicators, but it is clear that the students are familiar and comfortable with the
classroom technology and are willing and able to help one another.
Technology Operations and Concepts
■ 6a. Understand and use technology systems
■ 6b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
h 6c. Troubleshoot systems and applications
■ 6d. Transfer current knowledge to learning new technologies
Rationale: This standard illustrates how ISTE uses the indicators in a classroom with multiple work groups. Although only one group was learning a new
technology and a different group was debating what application to use, we checked both 6b and 6d as addressed during the period.
What was your interpretation of the NETS? Do you agree or disagree with ISTE R&E’s coding? How could a teacher modify this scenario to create a richer
lesson? What additional time, student preparation, technologies, or other resources would the lesson need? Find out how other readers responded and share
your insights, comments, and questions on the NETS Assessment Wiki ( nets-assessment.iste.wikispaces.net).
