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In each Know the NETS, an ISTE research associate describes a lesson from a classroom observation and evaluates its alignment with the ISTE Standards for Students ( iste.org/standards/nets-for-students).

By Talbot Bielefeldt

Standard 3: Research & Information Fluency

LESSON 1

Follow a teacher-provided link to the New Zealand Frog Research Group’s site ( www.nzfrogs.org/Amphibian+Extinction+Crisis.html), read the article about amphibian extinction, and answer questions on a worksheet.

I N D I C AT O R S

T his month, we focus on Standard 3 in the ISTE Standards for Students (formerly known as the NETS·S), with examples of how an observer or lesson designer might assess the indicators of research and information fluency in biology lessons about endangered amphibians.

Many of the ISTE Standards indicators appear in curriculum frameworks. Standard 3 indicators are some of the most closely aligned. See, for instance, the Common Core State Standards for English language arts, particularly in science and technical subjects ( www.corestandards.org/ ELA-Literacy/RST/11-12). Other examples include science process guidelines within the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills ( bit.ly/ 14IX62z) and syllabi based on Singapore’s Science Curriculum Framework ( bit.ly/h8Ym1Y).

A lesson developed with Standard 3 in mind
would probably fit easily into these or similar
models. Participants in ISTE Standards train-
ing workshops often wonder how they will
incorporate yet another set of standards. In this
case, it should be easy: A rich research activity
developed within a curriculum framework will
exhibit the ISTE indicators to the extent that
technology facilitates the quality and scope of
the inquiry, from planning to reporting.

Lesson 2 could last for several class periods. The first lesson is a digital version of “read the text and fill in the blank,” but it might make an excellent introduction to the topic. However, struggling readers would need assistance with this webpage.

Lesson 2 could last for several class periods. Using the database of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources requires learning about Boolean search techniques and biological classification systems. This assignment would probably elicit indicators from other standards as well, including Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration and Standard 6: Technology Operations and Concepts.