The teacher that I interviewed is a 9-12 teacher in the Garfield public school district. While interviewing her I asked certain questions about how the school uses these standards with their students. The teacher's response was surprising in that she stated that the school has not used the standards. She said that she has heard of the standards before, but she was not very familiar with them. I asked her what she could tell me about the standards and she really could not recall much about them. I brought a copy of them to show her and when she read through them she was shocked at the fact that her school does not require the teachers to know about them. After reading the standards, she stated that she actually does use some of the standards in her classroom without knowing that they were standards. using technology in her classroom is very important to her especially because she is a foreign language teacher. She stated "computers are my students' best friends when it comes to helping them learn the language". She is able to use many programs to help her students record themselves speak and have them improve their speaking skills. She also uses the internet as a way for her students to research about the countries' culture and traditions as well as the geography and history. According to her this is the perfect way for a student to get a sense of a certain culture without actually traveling to the country.
The teacher I interviewed believes that each teacher should use the NETS standards in their everyday teaching process. She asked if she can keep the copy that i brought with me so that she can use it as a reference for herself and also show it to her colleagues. Using the Nets standards is a great way to make sure that your students are getting the most out of what they are learning.
As a future teacher, I plan to refer back to the NETS standards and implement them in my class. i believe that the students have a right to a great education and i want to make sure that I am able to provide one for them. I will not only follow these standards to help the students' learning process, but I will also make sure that other teachers are aware of them and help them find ways to incorporate them into their classroom as well.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnTg-VjFaoUtdHNWZC1NRFVUM2xFem5ZbGZ0ZWg3WFE#gid=0
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI am shocked your teacher had even heard of the standards..mine knew NOTHING about them. Most of the teachers interviewed however aren't familiar with them. I see that you agree on the importance of technology and incorporating these standards. Glad to hear your teacher wanted to keep the copy of the standards as well!
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when interviewing a foreign language teacher about these standards. However, it seems to me that each language instructor also agrees on one thing: technology (especially computers) is essential to foreign language acquisition. Many students are not able to speak the target language at home and using computers is a great way for them to practice. By using voice boards, they can record themselves and practice vocabulary and pronunciation. Additionally, online dictionaries are a great way for students to learn new words and enhance writing skills, and the list goes on and on.
Like you, I also plan to implement the NETS standards where ever I end up working. I plan to incorporate them into my lesson plans and introduce them to veteran teachers so they can do the same. Though I feel that the Common Core Standards should not be disregarded, I feel that the addition of these standards will help students use technologies responsibly and effectively which will ultimately help them with whatever field they end up in after graduation.