"InTASC and ISTE standards - What's in it for me?" EXTRA CREDIT BLOG POST

Mandy Miller
12-11-2016
Extra Credit Blog

Education is one of the most important parts of our lives. I have recently been introduced to the idea of technology in the classroom. This has been a very interesting and engaging topic to dive into as a student, and for good reason. Technology is important. It’s become a necessity to many of today’s youth, which in turn will become tomorrow’s future. Others have noticed this increase in need for technology, and they have decided to make it a necessity in the classroom as well. Let’s learn more about ISTE and INTASC.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a non-profit organization that is an aid to educators, students, and leaders in order to achieve the goal of getting away from the “standard” or “factory” model of teaching. Integrating technology in the classroom doesn’t come as easily for all educators, but we have these standards to make sure that technology is implemented for students and teachers across the board. There are 2 main perspectives in which the ISTE standards are written; the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Teachers.

The ISTE Standards for Students are designed to make sure that students voices are heard and that learning is not driven by the teachers, but by the students. It makes sure that no matter how technologically advanced the teacher is, the students still get to experience the advantages of technology. ISTE for Teachers are a list of 5 main points that describe what you need to do as a teacher to stay up to date with the ever-changing technology of today’s day and age. These 5 standards are further broken down to ensure the best quality of education is given to each student.

InTASC is a set of Model Core Teaching Standards outline what educators should know and teach in order to make sure that the students will one day be ready to enter college or the workforce. There are 10 standards/progressions to apply in the InTASC. One of the standards is learner development for diverse learners, which is one of the most important sections of vocabulary for me in my development as a future special education teacher.

Technology can enhance achievement of the standards by introducing a newer way of learning, a newer teaching tool to give students more resources, and new opportunities to learn. Standards can enhance both teachers’ and students’ performance, hence the standards for teachers and students! Standards can guide the design of instruction by giving you a guideline of things to make sure to include in your lessons. I plan on integrating the ISTE and InTASC standards in my future classroom by making sure that all of my students are given the same opportunities with technology. I will give them my all by integrating technology in every way that I can. For example, we will have online assignments and using iPads daily.

Wow Your Students with EdPuzzle

As a future educator, I plan on showing A LOT of videos. Whether they be from Youtube, the library, from my own personal findings, I will be implementing video into my future classroom. One really important thing in watching videos during class is making sure that the students stay engaged. I remember in high school, my government and history classes just turned on a video and let it play for the whole class while everyone messed around, took naps, were on their phones, etc. I noticed very quickly that as a student, I wasn't getting much information out of that teaching method.

One way that I will make sure my future students are engaged is by inserting quiz questions and voice-overs in youtube videos that we watch. How do you do this, you might ask?

EdPuzzle! This easy to navigate learning tool is free and it's a great way to keep kids engaged.

Here I have embedded a link to my original YouTube video that I made about pollution.
It's good, but with the help of EdPuzzle, I was able to take my video to the next level.

Below is my EdPuzzle video. A better, more engaging version of the original. I will definitely continue to implement EdPuzzle into my work now as a student and later, as an educator.

What does edtech look like in a special education classroom?

Technology is great in any classroom. It helps students learn in a way that is different than conventional paper and pencil. It can help students want to learn. With the access to the internet, the opportunities are truly endless. For this reason, I am aiming to incorporate as much technology as possible into my classroom or office, depending on what type of teacher I am. (Some special ed teachers don't have classrooms, they just have offices to keep their stuff in and then go around to other classrooms and work with kids one on one).

Technology in the special education classroom could honestly be the tool that some kids need in order to finally achieve something that their disability has made seem impossible.

Below I've attached a link to a website that goes further into what this might look like in a classroom for special education students.

Click here to get to the EdSurge Website

Keeping Kids Interested

Have you ever had a really awesome teacher or professor who introduced you to so many new things, that did more than just go over the bare minimum, that always made sure you "got it" and never gave up on any of the students in the classroom? I have. And if someone just came to mind for you, you have too.

Isn't it crazy how much of an impact teachers have on students? For this reason, I am motivated to be a great teacher. I don't want to be average. I want to make a difference in children's lives. I am wanting to soak in as much as possible while here at UNI in the teacher education program.

One thing that I've learned a lot of this semester is how I can make sure that I keep my students interested. I think this is important because in order to make a difference in kids' lives by teaching them, you need to have their attention.

Technology is a great way to get kids' attention because they are using it more and more nowadays, and they are "good" at it. Kids know how to use smartphones, laptops, iPhones, internet, etc. This semester at UNI, I have spent a lot of time studying and learning what it looks like to integrate technology into the classroom. One way that I plan on using in my future classroom is by using technology for everyday things that you wouldn't necessarily think about using technology for; taking attendance, getting to instructions for an assignment, sending assignments home via internet, having a Facebook page for the classroom that the parents can look at each day to see what their child has been learning, etc.

I plan on becoming a special education teacher, which requires me to look a little bit harder for technology I can use to implement in my future SPED classroom.

I have attached a link to the Apple iTunes store that is called SoundingBoard by AbleNet. Essentially, it is an app for an iPod or iPad that lets children or adults who struggle with communication or writing transfer their thoughts into a story board creator. It's a great tool for kids on the autism spectrum, kids in special education, or adults with disabilities to be able to put their thoughts into symbols to tell a story. I think this would be an awesome way to bridge the gap in learning and communication with the use of technology.

This is one way that I plan to be a great teacher via the use of technology.

Screenshot image from the iTunes Apple App Store

Click here to view this app in the iTunes Apple App Store