EDUC 932 Blog Post #1: ISTE Standards for Students 2016

Today in class we were lucky to have the chance to discuss and review the newly released ISTE Standards for Students 2016.  The standards were developed by the International Society for Technology in Education in order to guide educators in helping students to develop the skills they need to thrive in a digitally connected world.

Although the seven standards are designed to work in concert with one another, I feel that standard number 6, “Creative Communicator” is the one that is the most important for me to address in my class. ​  

As an educator in an immersion classroom of L2 learners, one of my goals is to help students to gain confidence and fluency communicating in English.  I feel that the “Creative Communicator” standard outlines some important goals that speak to the needs of today's L2 learner.
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First, it is important that students become aware of how best to leverage new social media and communication technologies to meet their needs.  Knowing which medium will best convey their ideas and utilizing it appropriately will be a skill that will serve them in both their L1 and L2 communication in the future.

Mixed media approaches can help to empower learners to overcome their frustrations in communicating and express themselves more fully. The ability to enhance and enrich communication with digital images, videos, or other media can help language learners to convey rich messages that can transcend the limitations of their current stage of L2 development.
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Finally, being able to publish and present their work in English to a global audience of native English speakers can provide learners with an authentic experience and the potential for feedback to support their learning.  

I look forward to working towards meeting ISTE's standards in my future educational practice.