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ISTE Standards: For Educators

The educator section of the ISTE Standards provides a road map to helping students become empowered learners. These standards will deepen your practice, promote collaboration with peers, challenge you to rethink traditional approaches and help you prepare students to drive their own learning. Learn how to use the standards in the classroom with the ISTE Standards for Educators ebook.

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2.1 Learner

Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others, and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to boost student learning.

2.1.a Set Professional Goals

Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.

2.1.b Participate in PLNs

Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.

2.1.c Keep Current on Research

Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.

2.2 Leader

Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning.

2.2.a Advance a Shared Vision

Shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders.

2.2.b Advocate for Equitable Access

Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.

2.2.c Model Digital Tool Use

Model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning.

2.3 Citizen

Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world.

2.3.a Create Positive Experiences

Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.

2.3.b Evaluate Resources for Credibility

Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources, and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

2.3.c Teach Safe, Legal, Ethical Practices

Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.

2.3.d Model Digital Privacy

Model and promote management of personal data and digital identity, and protect student data privacy.

2.4 Collaborator

Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.

2.4.a Collaborate with Colleagues

Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.

2.4.b Learn Alongside Students

Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources, and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.

2.4.c Use Collaborative Tools

Use collaborative tools to expand students' authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally.

2.4.d Demonstrate Cultural Competency

Demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with students, parents and colleagues, and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.

2.5 Designer

Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability.

2.5.a Accommodate Learner Differences

Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.

2.5.b Design Authentic Learning Activities

Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.

2.5.c Create Innovative Learning Environments

Explore and apply instructional design principles to create innovative digital learning environments that engage and support learning

2.6 Facilitator

Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students.

2.6.a Foster Student Ownership of Learning

Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.

2.6.b Foster Classroom Management of Tech

Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces and in the field.

2.6.c Teach Computational and Design Thinking

Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.

2.6.d Model and Nurture Creativity

Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.

2.7 Analyst

Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals.

2.7.a Offer Alternative Assessments

Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology.

2.7.b Use Tech to Create Assessments

Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.

2.7.c Use Data to Guide Progress

Use assessment data to guide progress and communicate with students, parents and education stakeholders to build student self-direction