New Tech Standards & Requirements

Oregon Educational Technology Standards

 click here to go to Oregon Department of Education page where you can view the full OETS.


The 3 OETS student standards that stood out me the most as being the most significant were (1) creativity and innovation, (2) communication and collaboration, and (3) critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. Below are some ways that I could incorporate these standards in my classroom as well as how these standards can positively augment my classroom.

Creativity and Innovation 
Using technology in the classroom can enhance the creativity that the teacher brings to the classroom. For example on a lesson on penguins in an elementary classroom, the teacher can use Internet videos to show students the penguin’s natural habitat, the students can hear the sound they make and see the way they move. Students can also use technology to breathe innovation into their own work. In the same penguin lesson students can create presentations on the new knowledge they have learned about penguins and post them on their class blog.

Communication and Collaboration
Blogs and other applications such as google docs create new windows into classroom communication and collaboration. Blogs enable teachers to collaborate with each other, share lesson ideas and resources. Having a class blog will also open school to home communication enabling parents to take a specific and active role in their child’s education.

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making 
I think one of the current hurdles to the mass amounts of information that is available to students via the web is their ability to filter credible sources and non-credible sources. As a way to incorporate critical thinking and decision making on the web I would create and assignment where students find Internet sources for a project. They would need to find credible sources and one that is a non-credible source. The students would then present their project via another technological tool such as google presenter and defend why their sources were credible or not credible. They would need to think critically about the virtual author and decide for themselves if this author is indeed a trusted source.


 Technology is expensive. It develops rapidly and quickly old models become outdated. School funding is usually slim and doesn’t allow for the newest up to date technology. It is also expensive to maintain. In short I would suggest that finances are technology’s largest hurdles in the classroom. Because technology has become a frequent part of most our everyday lives, it has a permanent and an important place in the classroom. So how can we overcome this challenge? There are a few options; there are technology grants out there that can help equip a classroom or school with up to date technology, convincing administration of the importance of technology in the classroom is another avenue so budget allocation can shift to allow for more funding.