Things are about to change.

Today eSchool News published an article about the nation’s first tech-literacy exam.  In four years, the Nation’s Report Card will include technological literacy of students.  This means schools will be forced to assess student technology competencies.  If it is being assessed, it has to be taught.  I predict a jump in the number of technical courses offered in schools.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the answer.  We need technology that is used in the context of every subject, not technology for technology’s sake.  Take a look at the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S)

Here are the main categories:
Creativity and Innovation
Communication and Collaboration
Research and Information Fluency
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Digital Citizenship
Technology Operations and Concepts

Only the last one (and it’s at the bottom for a reason) easily fits into a technology course.  All the others beg to be integrated into non-technical courses.  For the first time, teachers may be forced to incorporate technology into the curriculum.  This will certainly fail if teachers are not prepared to take on this task.  Read the NETS for Teachers standards.

Technology Operations and Concepts (last on the student list) did not even make the teacher list.  This is because teachers are supposed to be technology literate.  Look at some of the items in these standards:

1a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
1b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
3b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

Here is a good question for an educator.  “What digital tools are you using to collaborate with students, peers, parents and community members?”

Very few teachers have arrived in the “web 2.0” world.  I continually introduce teachers to sites like Delicious even though it has been one of my main digital tools for more than three years.  Few teachers use blogs, social networks, wikis or podcasts.  In fact, many teachers don’t know what all these things are.

When our students are tested for technology literacy, things will have to change.  It is an exciting time to be a teacher.