I did not post any new entries during the Christmas break, but I did spend significant time reading, listening, and watching posts from some of my favorite edu-bloggers. One thing that was common to nearly all sites, was an optimism that web 2.0 tools can have a positive impact on teaching and learning. Another similarity was a lack of specific curriculum references, but numerous references to 21st century learning skills and information-communication-technology literacies. These topics, plus the “Right Brain” and “Flat World” issues that impact education will be my focus as the new year begins. My hope is to build active learning environments for students and teachers in the ESU 13 region.

The new International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) technology standards for students give educators a great model for using technology for teacher and student learning. What I found most interesting about what they had designed, is that the call for technology operations and concepts is the final standard. I’m guessing that this was done intentionally, but from a technology trainer’s perspective, this was a brilliant move. I did a short presentation for one of our member districts last week, and asked “what do you think is more important to a student’s future success, content knowledge or the skills listed in the ISTE technology standards for students?” To a person, they said the ISTE standards. This should give us some direction. How do we modify our current courses to equip students with the skills identified in the ISTE standards and still meet the current accountability requirements that are in place?