ISTE Standards for Educators: The Collaborator

ISTE Standards for Educators: The Collaborator (source: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators)

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

·        4a Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.

·        4b Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.

·        4c Use collaborative tools to expand students' authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally.

·        4d Demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with students, parents and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.

4a Dedicate planning time

Anyone who works in education knows that prioritizing is a must. In order to meet the standard as a Collaborator, time must be set aside for collaboration. Find a way to collaborate regularly with others who can add to your educational portfolio. There are many PLNs who focus on just this sort of thing.

4b Collaborate and co-learn

One thing that greatly improves the educational experience for a young person is an opportunity to give within the learning environment. So much of traditional education is based on getting. For example, you “get passing grades” to move from 5th grade to 6th grade. You “get a high school education” to get into college. You “get a college degree” to get a job. Our students also have a lot to give, and they will give freely when they have an opportunity to do so.

When using technology, students need to be given time to explore and to make mistakes. Many of us learn a great deal through the mistakes we make. In a testing environment, everything is either “right” or “wrong.” In an exploratory environment, nothing is wrong. When a student has taken a different turn, they can turn around, come back, and try again.  

4c Use collaborative tools

Today’s technology makes it possible to coordinate with educators and others in your field all over the world. Students will be more engaged learning experiences are authentic -- relevant to their personal experiences. Kognity.com has some good resources to get you started with connecting your students with others around the world. There are many others to explore as well.  

4d Demonstrate cultural competency

“Cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence encompasses: being aware of one's own world view, developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences, [and] gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views.” See more at weHearYou.acecqu.gov.au.

Understanding the cultural background of other people and their point of view leads to tolerance. When all stakeholders can take part in a child’s education, everyone benefits. Many educators find that understanding their students’ cultural backgrounds and incorporating them into regular educational activities creates a richer educational experience.

Resources:

·        ISTE Standards for Educators

·        Kognity.com  

·        weHearYou.acecqu.gov.au