What is an empowered learner? We get asked that quite a bit. Now with the ISTE Standards for Students moving from tech to learning standards, ISTE brings you the Digital Learning Pathways.
The 2016 ISTE Standards for Students secure the transition of ISTE Standards from technology standards to learning standards. These standards move from task based (e.g., students know how to make a digital presentation, or students engage in critical thinking) to a base of learning science. With this leap ISTE saw an opportunity to engage with Metiri Group (as long-time research-to-practice leaders) to build out the research base for the standards and link the standards to specific instructional strategies.
The Digital Learning Pathways are a result of that opportunity. They are like courses, but both ISTE and Metiri Group shy away from using that term because they aren’t static, requiring completion of all elements, or presented in a linear manner. The Digital Learning Pathways let the user complete a pre-assessment to get feedback on where they should dive into the content, access any or all of the six pathways, and complete a knowledge-assessment to earn a certificate or a badge direct from ISTE and Metiri Group.
The six pathways within the Digital Learning Pathways include:
Foundational Knowledge – where users will get an update on the ISTE standards, a research-base for the standard, examples of the standard in action across age bands ranging from preK-12, and an overview of key research-based elements that drive student achievement of the ISTE Standard for Students.
Instructional Strategies – where users will find research-based instructional strategies that tie to the key research-based elements that were introduced in the Foundational Knowledge pathway, student profiles that articulate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are observed when students master those elements, and more.
Digital Learning Framework and Vignettes – where users will find a research based framework for digital learning that helps frame the conversation about what teachers, students, and administrators should be doing for and with digital learning, rich vignettes that show examples of actual classroom teachers that are implementing the digital learning framework within the context of the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students.
Lesson Plans and Scenarios – where user will find age band examples of lesson plans that connect the dots to “real life” teaching and learning with the ISTE Standards for Students, and rich scenarios that tell the story of a unit of lesson that exemplifies how the ISTE Standards for Students are addressed in a classroom with examples of low-tech to high-tech learning environments.
Rubrics and Reflection Tools – where users can find research-based rubrics for the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students that are not available anywhere else, auto-scored reflective assessments that give teachers feedback on their learning environment, current practice, etc.
Team Guide and Additional Resources – where users can find a guide that will help facilitate the DLPs within a face-to-face or online group, and additional resources and readings direct from ISTE.