NETS+in+Action

So, how can you incorporate these NETS standards into your lessons and activities? More than likely, you are already meeting the standards and addressing each of the domains in what you are currently doing! (Yeah, no extra work!) Being aware of the NETS however, allow you to more diligently plan and address these areas of student knowledge.

Below is an activity using Animoto that addresses 3 different standards (NETS for Students) and explains how each of the domains/areas are met and assessed.

Assignment - Illustration of The Bill of Rights Your assignment will be turned in completed on Thursday at the start of class. This will count as a daily grades for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in class as you work on the assignment. The completed project, graded using the rubric/checklist, will count as a test grade. You may choose to put more than one Amendment on one page but please do not use the back of pages so I can cut and highlight individual Amendments if I choose to. Each Amendment will require 3 steps: (1) The Amendment written verbatim. (2) An illustration/picture of the Amendment. (3) The Amendment written in your own words. Technology Application Students were then introduced to 4 different options to use to complete this assignment. (Obviously options 1, 2 and 3 offer the technological component that the NETS focuses on, with the programs of Xtranormal and Animoto being more advanced than PowerPoint.) Animoto as an Example This was the first time I had offered Animoto as a media opportunity. Animoto is free program that allows you to create a video collage, complete with sound, titles/subtitles/text, and transitions. (Free for 30 second videos, beyond 30 seconds and a membership is required. Educators can apply for and be granted a special education liscence that will give their students full access to the site for educational purposes only.) media type="file" key="Bill of rights example.mp4" width="300" height="300"This is the video I created to show as an example. media type="file" key="bill of rights bishop.mp4"This is a video I received from a student as a portion of his project.
 * 1) PowerPoint
 * 2) Xtranormal.com
 * 3) Animoto.com
 * 4) Written/Drawn portfolio

So...How does this assignment meet and fulfill the standards described by NETS-S?
 * 1) **Creativity and Innovation** - This domain asks that students demonstrate creative thinking and develope innovative products using technology. Through this standard students should (a) apply existing knowledge to generate new products and (b) create original works as a means of expression. This format allows students to take what they know of the Bill of Rights and format it both visually and using words. The student must be aware of the meanings and freedoms each Ammendment grants in order to find appropriate visual elements to include in the video.
 * 2) **Research and Information Fluency** - With this domain students are expected to apply digital tools to gather and use information. Students must (a) plan strategies to guide the learning, (b) locate, analyze, synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media, and (c) evaluate and select information sources based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. Through the searching of images students had to determine the appropriateness and how well an image exemplified their particular Bills. Although this was an individual assignments, students regularly asked peers for feedback on the images that their searches returned. During the presentation portion, students criticized (constructively) the choices made in each presentation. Many found that their humor was not appreciated and that better searches and content were received better.
 * 3) **Technology Operations and Concepts** - Students must demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts and systems. With this standard students must (a) understand and use technology systems, (c) troubleshoot systems and applications, and (d) transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. When designing this assignment, I had planned on students simply creating (yet another) PowerPoint. A trip to the National Gifted Conference and introduction to Animoto changed my plans immediately. With that being said, I had little time myself to understand and learn the program myself. I explained that to the students that wanted to attempt and try this technology. As you can see from the one example here, students took the challenge and learned the program and the possibilities it creates.

//There are a mulitude of other options as well that can address and assess the standards. This is merely one application and example. Now that you are aware of the standards, you are better prepared to help equip your students to survive and succeed in this digital-age.//

Please visit the discussion portion of this page to leave feedback and suggestions as to what helped you in this module and what you feel may need more instruction or expansion.