Introduction
Collaboration! It is the measure of how successful we will be as learners will be in the future. So it is no wonder that we are so keenly interested in how to help our learners collaborate. Collaboration is the cornerstone of each twenty first century skill. We, as educators, must find new and creative ways to teach in this new era of classroom instruction. Problem solving, global communication, and critical thinking are the new basics of career and college readiness. Despite its importance, no one should assume that our learners will develop these skills organically. Instead, what is needed is an instructional framework which guides new, updated classroom practices, pedagogies, and digital integration. Digital literacy, technology, and social media all provide a comprehensive approach to nurturing and developing 21st century skills (Green 2018).
Technology used according to ISTE standards
Within our learning communities, teachers are expected to both understand and creatively implement the technical requirements of their content standards. These expectations help to define how digital learning should be embedded in our classrooms and what digital learning looks like in learning experiences. In addition to these basic understandings, we, as educators need to help learners to explore college and career readiness, next generation content and assessments, as well as the fundamental relationship between the Florida State Sunshine Standards and our classroom digital learning experiences. For example, learners in our district are expected to become leaders, problem solvers (4 Innovator Designer 4d), critical thinkers (4 Innovator Designer 4d), global collaborators (7 Global Collaborator 7b), innovators (4 Innovator Designer, 4a, 4b), entrepreneurs, and of course, terrific global citizens (2 Digital Citizens 2a-2d).
To accomplish all of these expectations, administrators, teachers, and learners need to become both media savvy and information fluent. ISTE standards are an important pathway to Career and College Readiness (CCR). For example, in Science (based upon NGSS ), learners need to master asking questions and defining problems, developing digital models, planning and carrying out investigations, designing solutions, using computational models and evidence, and practicing global communications. Each of our district digital initiatives are each designed to realize these goals. For example, the district is intensely dedicated to learner achievement, creating high performance learning teams, and building safe and working digital ecosystems. No doubt, we are a long way from fully realizing these laudable goals, but the pathway exists and the investments have been made.
Access to Technology
Five years ago, we made hundreds of copies of worksheets, lab procedures, foldable directions, Venn Diagrams, and presentations. This was also a time in our particular school when the 60 desktop units would need to have been scheduled weeks (if not months) in advance – to enable learners to perform web inquiries and/or computer simulations. Of course, despite our lack of technology resources, common assessment scores were up, state test scores were outstanding, and we were an “A” school. The next year was a different story. We became a 1:1, cohort school – in came the Microsoft laptops – with all the promise of increased learner engagement, increased digitally-enabled lessons, frequent web-based inquiries, pervasive internet access, and of course, soaring leaner achievement. We were ground zero for the district’s new digital future. Alas, no. Teachers struggled to master the technology and smartboards. Learners were distracted, often playing games and the monitoring software (LanSchool) working sporadically if at all. And for the first time in fifteen years, our school grade dropped to “B”. Clearly, this was not what we (or the district) had anticipated.
Notably, although we and the other Cohort 1 schools were Title 1, our school board had made a substantial district-wide commitment to technology. Today, all 19 high schools and 37 middle schools are 1:1 – each learner has a Windows 10 device, Launchpad (our single sign-on application), Canvas (our learning management system), and G-Suite for Education. Textbooks are digital and learners have access to over 25 embedded applications (e.g. iReady, Brainpop, Birdbrain, among many others).
Technology and Curriculum
What had happened? We had spent almost a year experimenting with technology. Assessments were on Google forms. Data was tracked in new digital ways. But sadly during this time, little care or forethought was given to standards or our learners. Planning began with the technology and worked backward toward the standards. The results were lower assessments and student achievement. Thankfully, our turnaround was as quick as our fall. Lesson planning now begins with the standards and only then do we look for thoughtful ways to embed technology. Digitally enabled lessons are back to being standards-based, carefully crafted, and outcomes are tracked continuously (Fulgie 2015).
We now measure our success not just by our school grade (we returned to an “A” school), attendance, and disciplinary incidences, but by technology integration levels we achieve, the number and frequency of Canvas posts, and frequency of Launchpad application logins. In addition, our classrooms are fundamentally changing – our instructional models, our classroom technology and our procedures. Today teachers use technology to support learning through whole group, small group, and even personalized instruction. Laughing, we muse that we have moved from “paper-ful” to “paper-purposed” instruction. Learner artifacts and assessments have been digitized. Our lesson plans are digital and the learning experiences have been expanded and enhanced by embedded digital tools (e.g. Google Apps, etc.). How we provide feedback has been automated. Communications with parents and guardians have improved through technology. Textbooks are digital. And professional development focuses almost exclusively on standards-based learning experiences which can be improved by digitization. Lastly, we have expanded our literacy definition to include digital literacy which includes Coding in Science!
Meeting ISTE Standards for Students
A moment of candor. In my five years in the district, I have not been formally introduced to, exposed to, or attended a professional development explicitly based upon ISTE. My exposure has been through my coursework and bloggers and digital learning communities of which I belong. Notwithstanding the above, I do see numerous ISTE elements embedded in digital learning professional developments, learner discussion forums, and even in my own daily lesson plans.
For example, with the introduction of digital learning, the district added a new Digital Code of Conduct to both the learner and faculty handbooks (2 Digital Citizenship 2a-d). Learners, in the district, must be over 13 to participate in any instructional or educational social media. Parents must also be notified about these social media activities and be given the option to opt out if they so choose. Teachers are encouraged to use classroom Twitter and blog accounts to encourage learner engagement, communication, and collaboration (6 Creative Communicator 6a-d). Like our PLC, our Twitter and blogs accounts have made our learners global! Learners now add their voice to content and reflect on what they have learned! Often we tweet lessons, experiences, and engagements with our learners and their families. I recently followed a link provided by one of my Northrup Grumman fellows to Biodigital Human. The software is a 3D visualization program which gives learners the opportunity to view human body systems in unique and engaging ways. It has changed the way I present this content. In my own tweets, I try to provide weekly insights into classroom instruction and occasionally receive private messages from other educators asking for additional information, links, thoughts, experience with a student activity. Frankly, the power of community to learners and teachers has been enormous (Strawser 2018).
Lastly, in science and engineering, learners solve real-world problems and study nature’s phenomena using digital media. Science labs help learners develop analytical and critical thinking skills, not to mention a host of process skills (e.g. measurements, charting, graphing, etc.). Learners can practice and refine their skills while in the digital lab (3 Knowledge Constructor 3a-d). In Life Science, homeostasis is an excellent example. What learners eat greatly impacts their body’s ability to maintain homeostatic functions. Technology provides learners with an opportunity to investigate diet, homeostatic functions and to demonstrate what they have learned about the content digitally. Learners can build their own pamphlet using Smore (www.smore.com ) or an informational website using Google Sites (www.sites.google.com ). Learners can also add their voice as an infomercial or summarize their findings through Flipgrid (www.flipgrid.com ) (Strawser 2018). Digital technology is transforming our pedagogy, taking our learners outside the classroom, and engaging them in new, innovative ways to solve real world problems!
Place-Based Learning 