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NETS Are Now ISTE Standards
As part of ISTE’s strategic reflection on its brand position
and how to better communicate about its programs and
services, the term NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) will be transitioning to ISTE Standards.
“It became clear through our strategic work that ‘NETS’
was a challenge,” said Brian Lewis, ISTE’s chief executive
officer. “The word national can cause folks to trip up a bit
here in the United States and can also be a bit of a mis-
nomer when it comes to ISTE’s international work,” he
added. “But the idea of ‘ISTE Standards’ is clear and non-
controversial, and it builds on the respect that ISTE has
earned over the years for this great work.”
The ISTE Standards set a benchmark for excellence
and best practices in learning, teaching, and leading in
the digital age, and are widely recognized and adopted
worldwide. The family of ISTE Standards—for students
(ISTE Standards•S), for teachers (ISTE Standards•T), for
administrators (ISTE Standards•A), for coaches (ISTE
Standards•C), and for computer science teachers (ISTE
Standards•CSE)—works together to transform education.
The benefits of using the standards include:
• Improving higher-order thinking skills, such as
problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity
• Preparing students for their future in a competitive
global job market
• Designing student-centered, project-based,
and online learning environments
• Guiding systemic change in schools to create
digital places of learning
• Inspiring digital age professional models for working,
collaborating, and decision making
“It’s important to remember that we’re in a time of
transition,” Lewis said. “You’ll continue to see the NETS
language and visuals as we work to update all of our print
and digital materials.”
School Librarians of Rhode Island is Newest ISTE Affiliate
STEMx Mini-Courses Offered to Educators
Educators can take free STEMx mini-courses (catalyst-
academy.org/about-academy/courses) thanks to a partner-
ship between the New Media Consortium and ISTE.
Innovative educators from around the world have
developed the courses through the HP Catalyst Academy.
The mini-courses offer free online professional develop-
ment to accelerate STEMx education, transform teaching
practices, and close the global skills gap.
The mini-courses are offered entirely online on a variety
of learning platforms to achieve a long-term goal of reach-
ing hundreds of thousands of teachers around the world.
Led by world-class institutions and created by HP Catalyst
Academy Fellows, the courses are designed for busy STEMx
education professionals. They require 6–12 hours of course
work and are targeted to science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, and other digital age educators. Teachers participating in the Catalyst Academy’s professional development offerings receive recognition for their accomplishments through digital badges and downloadable certificates.
School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) has become
the newest ISTE affiliate. SLRI ( www.slri.info) is an all-volunteer organization with approximately 300 members.
SLRI’s mission is to provide leadership and support for
school library media professionals and support staff in the
development, promotion, improvement, and evaluation of
school library media, computer, and instructional
technology programs in all Rhode Island schools.
SLRI, formerly called the Rhode Island Educational
Media Association, is one of two affiliates from Rhode
Island. The other is Rhode Island Society of Technology
Educators. ISTE has 79 affiliates around the world.
