NETS for Administrators

National Education Technology Standards Activity

Student engagement and teacher buy-in are critical pieces in providing effective technology-supported instruction. However, to sustain this shift, site and district administrators must take action. Think about the strategies used by administrators at your school or district to support effective technology-supported instruction.

Read the NETS for Administrators handout. How do the NETS for Administrators and the Framework for 21^st Century Learning support student achievement? How would implementation of these standards impact your school improvement plan? What positive outcomes do you predict for administrators? What challenges might administrators face? How can administrators insure that the shift to use of effective technology-supported instruction is sustained over time?

Use the space below to jot down your ideas and then share them with your team. After your discussion, revisit your answers and make them as thorough and complete as possible in the given time. 

1. How do the refreshed NETS for Administrators and the Framework for 21^st Century Learning support student achievement? Implementation of the NETS-A and the Framework for 21st Century Learning focus on modeling the 21st Century Learning environment.  The successful school system will search for and hire digital natives or those who embrace the 21st Century Learning environment model and truly carry out the model on a daily basis.   Inherently, one who models the skills will automatically support the student and teacher NETS.

2. How would implementation of these standards and the framework impact your school improvement plan? NETS and the framework, implemented together, should provide guidelines for using technical tools that would show growth in the school improvement goals.  NETS-A will result in administrators who successfully model the skills that move the school system along the road of maintaining your school's accreditation. 

3. What positive outcomes do you predict for administrators?  Administrators will become more efficient in understanding the true costs of implementing technology, not just from an infrastructure point of view, but also from a staff development and curriculum development perspective. 

4. What challenges might administrators face? Traditional staff who don't see the need for change.  Funding is sometimes an issue, not only for professional development but also planning the lifecycle of technology replacement/refreshment. 

5. How can innovations based on use of the NETS and the 21st century framework be sustained over time?  

As we move from teachers teaching students to become teachers, we all need to embrace the role of lifelong learners.  Using the NETS-T and the framework, we will transition into the model of learners leading learners.