Tuesday, September 23, 2008

NETS & NJCCCS For Technological Literacy

I had never read the NETS or NJCCCS before taking this class, so it was definitely very refreshing to see that guidelines were created for teachers to follow when implementing technological literacy into their lessons. While the NETS provides a general overview of technology standards and performance indicators for teachers and students, which can be used as a reference, it seems that the NJCCCS provides a more detailed guideline to follow, as it specifies the progress indicators for each grade level.

As the NJCCCS states that by the end of Grade 4 all students will know how to access the Internet to solve real life problems, I think it's great that this important skill will be taught so early on. Since the study by DeKlerk and others found that students will form negative attitudes about technology if there is no formal technological experiences in early education, I agree that it is extremely important to introduce technology education in order to provide the most thorough and efficient education.

Since it is evident that advanced technological skills are needed in nearly every career, I think it's vital that teachers follow the guidelines set for specific grade levels by the NJCCCS and continue to sharpen the technological skills of their students to insure that they will succeed in a competitive workplace in this Digital Age and that of the future.

It's sometimes funny to think that most of my technological skills were learned by repetitive use in my jobs after college and not so much in school as students are taught today. The first time I used Google was actually while working as an intern for ABCNEWS.com in my senior year in college. And to think, it's now being used by fourth graders on a daily basis!

1 comment:

Violeta said...

Technology, or the internet, for that matter is really an integral part of education. Our advantage is that students love it and they become more engaged in the activities when technology is being incorporated in the teaching instruction. Also, if we want our students to be prepared to compete with the rest of the world, we have to accept that being knowledgeable about technology is a necessary tool to make it happen.