Six NETS-S Standards + Six Student Projects

Meeting the
NETS-S and
NETS-T
Using ePals’
Free Tools
Rita Oates, PhD
roates@corp.epals.com
www.epals.com
NETS-T White Paper
• Provided at NECC 2008 when NETS-T
were refreshed, written by Ferdi Serim,
who was on the NETS committee.
• Revised with examples from ePals
Teacher Ambassadors for ISTE 2010
• Available from ePals to share with others
• Can be downloaded at www.scribd.com
Six NETS-S Standards and
Six Student Projects
Elizabeth Simmons
Grade 4, Sharon Elementary School
Suwannee, GA
Forsyth School District
The Way We Are
• Free ePals project
• Paired with a school in UK for activities
• Janet Gough, Cockerham Parochial
School, was the other teacher
• Extended this project so that we could
accomplish all the NETS-S standards with
our students
• http://www.epals.com/media/p/234664.aspx
NETS-S
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking,
construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas,
products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or
group expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex
systems and issues.
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.
The Native American Writings
• As a template, the class followed a detailed
Native American Writing Blueprint.
• Within a five-paragraph essay, the student
became the voice of a landform, animal, plant
or power sharing the environment with the
tribe.
• By using sensory language, the environment
was pictured, activities of the men, women,
and children described, impact of the
explorers felt, state of the tribe today given,
and a prediction made about the future of the
Native American tribe.
NETS-S
2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to
communicate and work collaboratively, including at
a distance, to support individual learning and
contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or
others employing a variety of digital environments and
media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c. develop cultural understanding and global
awareness by engaging with learners of other
cultures.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or
solve problems.
Monsters - Descriptive Writing
• A Story Starter was provided
as a graphic organizer.
• Each child sketched and
colored a picture of a
monster
• Each student wrote a
narrative describing the
creature, detailing its
adventure. All writings were
posted to the class website
under the Student Spotlight
link.
Monsters - Descriptive Writing
• The monster writings and drawings
were published onto the English
school’s website under the ePals
link. The UK students read the
American monster writings, carefully
picturing descriptive words and
phrases.
• After reading the stories, they drew
the monsters described and viewed
our original pictures to see how
closely their drawings matched.
• Both classes voted for three
drawings that most clearly
resembled their sketches. Winning
drawings were linked to their
website, and the artists were
awarded gel pens. Here’s the original and a pretty
• English winners and American good drawing from the description.
winners were posted to the bulletin
board outside the classroom.
NETS-S
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather,
evaluate, and use information.
Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,
and ethically use information from a variety of
sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and
digital tools based on the appropriateness to
specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
Weather Charts
• Students documented the weather in 30 United States cities –
tracking temperature, wind speed, precipitation, sunrise,
sunset, and phases of the moon.
• To record the information, each student got a blank weather
chart with a link to the national weather bureau and city tourist
sites and compiled a Weather Chart Hotlist.
• A list of questions was provided to guide research.
• After tracking the weather for ten days, trends were graphed
and displayed for the grade level on the bulletin board outside
the classroom.
• To fulfill persuasive writing standards, using the tourist
hotlinks provided, the student provided reasons and examples
why the traveler would enjoy visiting the city at that time of
year.
• Extension: ask questions about the other city on the ePals
forums or through a single email to another teacher in that city.
NETS-S
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision
Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and
conduct research, manage projects, solve problems,
and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources. Students:
a. identify and define authentic problems and
significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution
or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions
and/or make informed decisions.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives
to explore alternative solutions.
Million Dollar Project
• Each child received a project guideline, checklist, rubric and
pre-formatted spreadsheet. The guidelines gave an overall
description of the project, parameters and possible resources.
• Students could spend $1 million on college, home,
transportation, hobbies, home furnishings, vacations, charities,
taxes, gifts for each family member and a gift to the teacher
• Offering a handy pacing guide, a checklist made research at
home more efficient and productive.
• Built on Rubistar, the rubric informed both parents and
students how the project would be graded.
• A completed copy of the pre-formatted spreadsheet was
conveniently furnished with the other three handouts in a folio
for quick reference and storing printed materials.
• That exchange of information with our ePals provided a great
deal of information for the global Venn diagram inside the
classroom.
NETS-S
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and
societal issues related to technology and
practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and
responsible use of information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using
technology that supports collaboration, learning,
and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong
learning.
d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
The Way We Are
• Both the English school and the American school
continued a yearlong ePal project titled “The Way
We Are.”
• Students asked specific, cultural questions that were
answered by their ePals abroad by email.
• Placing the results on a Venn diagram in the back of
our room, tendencies were updated daily, comparing
life in both cultures.
• Global awareness of the class skyrocketed.
• The weather in both countries was checked daily
and current information about life on two continents
posted.
NETS-S
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding
of technology concepts, systems, and
operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems
b. select and use applications effectively and
productively
c. troubleshoot systems and applications
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new
technologies
21 Century Skills
st
• A class survey indicated that familiarity with

software including:
• Microsoft Office, Open Office, PowerPoint,
Photo Story, Excel Spreadsheets and email
• Technical facility in keyboarding, jump drive,
video flip cameras, digital cameras and
scanners
• Knowledge of utilities such as spell check,
grammar check, Flesch-Kincaid writing
levels, thesaurus.com and other online
research tools
Check the Projects on ePals
Other engaging activities (free)
• Project Forum
• Teacher Forum, “ePals Wanted”

Student Work Posted to Worldwide Audience
Great teacher-created projects
ePals
Teacher
Ambassador
Contest
Winners
• Connects 600,000+
classrooms in 200
countries & territories
• 2,500 new
schools/month
• Policy managed &
Teacher supervised
• Trusted pipeline
to the world’s
classrooms
• TRUSTe certification
Here’s what I mentioned from ePals
ePals Global Network – Internet’s largest social learning network
reaching teachers and students in 200 countries for teacher-
supervised, cross-cultural penpal exchanges, project-sharing
and project-based learning, literacy and foreign language skill
practice. Free
ePals SchoolMail – Safe, protected, multilingual email designed

for school safety. “Walled Garden” with only K12 students
inside. Free. Used by New York City Public Schools. Free
Projects – Some developed with National Geographic, others by

teachers, most are five-email exchanges. Free
Video Vault – A place to post your student work and see the work
of other students in multiple formats. Free
Forums – Students can read questions and answers from others,

either general questions or related to projects. Free

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Six NETS-S Standards + Six Student Projects

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Meeting the

2. Communication and Collaboration

• A class survey indicated that familiarity with

• Teacher Forum, “ePals Wanted”

ePals SchoolMail – Safe, protected, multilingual email designed

Projects – Some developed with National Geographic, others by

Forums – Students can read questions and answers from others,

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