ISTE Standard #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

     Standard five of the ISTE-NETS explains that teachers should continuously strive to improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning and exhibit leadership in their schools and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.  In other words, educators should continually learn about their field and encourage the viable use of different technological tools and resources.  There are four indicators of this standard.
     First, teachers need to be creative in applying technology to improve student learning.  To do this, they are encouraged to participate in local and global learning communities.  Many teachers who don’t have basic knowledge of incorporating technology might be fearful of reaching out to colleagues who are technologically savvy and who regularly intertwine technology with their courses.   Another issue is a real and perceived lack of time to learn.  To remedy these situations, teachers could take technology courses for required recertification points.  When I taught in Williamsburg, we were encouraged and expected to attend engaging and challenging technology classes from UVA.  This was a clear indication to me that the district where I taught valued an educated workforce.  Another way to participate in learning communities is to make friends outside school who use creative technology.  Charleston has a “technology corridor” where many creative people downtown gather regularly to share what they know.  
     The second indicator of this standard is to exhibit leadership and encourage others to embrace and implement a vision of technology.   A hindrance to comply with this is if there’s a fear of technology.  A way to overcome this fear is to regularly model how technology is being used inside the classroom.  It’s better to do this in smaller settings at first within departments.  Then at school meetings, each department could showcase what technologies are utilized within the classes. 
     The third and fourth indicators of this standard are to regularly evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice in regards to technology, and to make a real positive contribution to the school and community.  Many educators might find that there is too little time to study current research if it’s not intertwined in a sensible way.   Here again the teamwork and optimism of the school is really key.  If there is a vacuum of apathy then contempt and isolation rears.  It’s vital that the leadership in the school encourages technology education for the teaching staff without being authoritative or threatening.  During my department meetings, we are expected to share something new that we’ve learned whether from conferences or journals and our IT department regularly shares a new gadget or trend.  Everyone is expected to contribute, even the VPs.  The top down approach to this ISTE standard makes sense, but without hiring people who have a resilient and optimistic attitude, it’s difficult for any of these indicators to resonate.

ISTE Standard Four

Standard four of the ISTE-NETS states that teachers should understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in a changing digital culture, and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.  In other words, educators need to be aware of world events and model responsible digital use.   

Educators must provide access to appropriate digital resources with special regard to the different needs of all learners.  A hindrance for some teachers to comply with this part of the standard is the cost of gaining equitable access to appropriate digital tools.  One course of action is to become involved in community outreach programs through religious affiliates, universities and hospitals.  These institutions have a high stake in the success of their communities and particularly the children.  Universities might help schools acquire grants to attain needed technology for the communitty.

This standard also explains that it is the educators’ responsibility to teach the ethical use of digital information including giving respect for intellectual property.  A hindrance to comply with this part of the standard is some of the beliefs imbedded in our culture.  Anything that slows the transfer of information is viewed as extemporaneous.  It seems common for people to believe they won’t get caught if they steal information and to feel justified in that “everyone does it.”   Immature minds may not fully grasp that doing the right thing takes more time, work and empathy.  Time, work and empathy are not mainstream attitudes in our culture.  A course of action is for teachers to teach a lesson on piracy, its negative effects, and also teach how to properly cite.  This should be done every year before students first work on the computers at school.  The work on the front end will help instill and reinforce the right information and attitude toward information ownership. 

Teachers need to promote digital etiquette and social interaction when using technology.  In other words, teachers need to rise above the inappropriate, albeit popular ways people communicate through technology.  Communication has a chance to evolve, but unfortunately language has become bastardized to the point of commonly used insulting, cryptic language.  It’s unfortunate, but telling that teachers have been caught showing inappropriate content, like movies or photos, to students because pop culture deems certain information all right.  These teachers are rightfully terminated to the shock of students and shockingly to some adults who themselves are lulled into thinking that pop culture is the standard. This ITSE standard reminds teachers there is a line of greater responsibility they need to walk.

This standard also states that teachers should model and build a cultural understanding by communicating with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital tools.  In other words, instructors need to bridge communities using technological resources.  A hindrance to comply with this part of the standard is finding a schoolteacher in another culture who would be willing to communicate in a way to add value to instruction.  A course of action for the American teacher might be to speak to the school’s administrators and ascertain whether there are sister schools in other parts of the world.  If not, seek advice or permission to help find a district in another country that would be open to the idea. 

I am ready to meet this standard because I’m not afraid of seeking information.  My weakness is lack of practice, but I imagine being open to the ITSE standard is the biggest challenge teachers encounter.  When it comes to etiquette, I think I have a pretty good grasp of what’s ethical.  If a teacher has a strong moral compass, I would hope technology wouldn’t be the temptation to go off course.  There’s a challenge, many times, in teaching students right from wrong, because many parents pick and choose when they want teachers to teach life skills.  Ethics are part of life skills.  It would be problematic when parents’ behaviors counter this ITSE standard.  I imagine if there is any parental backlash, a realistic course of action is to team with administrators and ask for support.