NETS*A Digital Citizenship Standard for School Administrators

Introduction to NETS*A and Digital Citizenship

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) designed a set of standards intended to help students, teachers, and administrators move forward more effectively in the digital age. The administrator standards provide a means for school and district executive staff to guide their progress as electronic technology becomes ever more deeply embedded in society and in institutions of learning. ISTE outlined five areas of need that allow administrators to lead their specific programs during the digital revolution. These standards — visionary leadership, digital age learning culture, excellence in professional practice, systemic improvement, and digital citizenship — all address some aspect of how a digital-age administrator can foster continued understanding and appropriate use of the growing range of educationally available digital technology. This paper focuses on the standards and sub-standards associated with digital citizenship and provides a specific example of how these can be used by administrators going forward.

The present digital age is linked to new cultural imperatives that must be understood by school administrators if they are to lead effectively. The fifth standard of the NETS*A is:

"5. Digital Citizenship: Educational Administrators model and facilitate understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture.

a. Ensure equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources to meet the needs of all learners

b. Promote, model and establish policies for safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology

c. Promote and model responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

d. Model and facilitate the development of a shared cultural understanding and involvement in global issues through the use of contemporary communication and collaboration tools" (ISTE, 2009).

This standard represents a necessary goal because the school administrator is regarded — by staff and students alike — as the person who possesses knowledge and understanding of all aspects of education. He or she is the recognized leader, and is therefore often considered the expert. This does not mean the administrator must be an expert on every potential technological innovation that promises to assist educators, but he or she should be able to discuss intelligently the advances in technology that are available. With those advancements come regulations that may apply, possible ethical questions that arise from use of the technology, and social concerns such as cyber-bullying that could be facilitated by school equipment. The administrator is the guide when it comes to this equipment and should be familiar with any guidelines concerning new technology.

Administrator Competency and Technology Leadership

Many studies have been conducted since the NETS standards for students, teachers, and administrators emerged, examining a variety of aspects related to how administrators have accepted and modeled the concepts outlined in NETS. One study looked at whether school principals were sufficiently competent in technology to serve as the leaders that role requires. The researcher found that a large majority of principals (85%) were at least minimally competent, and that competency was even higher when a designated "information technologies coordinator teacher" was on staff (Banoglu, 2011). This speaks directly to one of the points given in Standard 5 of the NETS*A. Teachers and students need to believe that their leader is both competent in the use of the technologies present in the school and capable of modeling the competencies listed as sub-standards of this standard.

Being able to demonstrate competence begins with the education the administrator has received (Hughes et al., 2005). Regarding Standard 5, this education must include a component that examines the implications of culture, legality, and ethics. Culture in this instance is not a reference to the geopolitical culture in which the school resides, but to the global culture developing as technologies continue to emerge. Within the context of technology, there is a growing convergence of cultures, ethics, and values that may be of concern to an administrator. The legal aspects of new technology also constitute an emerging field that must examine each new type of technology and determine how it can affect society from a legal standpoint. Issues of particular importance to administrators include access, use, and privacy. Ethics, too, can be an area blurred by some technologies. It is important for the administrator to lead the rest of the staff in the responsible use of whatever technologies the school decides to adopt.

Ethics, Law, and Equitable Access

One of these ethical questions — which can also be seen as a legal issue — is that of access. Not all learners enter schools with the same advantages, but all educational technology should be available for use by all learners (Eren & Kurt, 2011). One of the sub-standards provides guidance for administrators on this issue. It is the responsibility of the administrator to ensure that any technology used in the classroom is available to all participants. In general, most new technologies are available with assistive aids that can be purchased alongside the item to ensure that all students are able to use it. Regardless of a student's disability, the school is legally required to provide access, and the administrator must examine this issue before allowing the use of any technology that may be discriminatory.

Conclusion

The NETS*A standards are important because they provide guidelines that administrators can use to offer leadership to teachers and students regarding technology. The fifth standard may be one of the most challenging, because it communicates the need to ensure safe, legal, and ethical usage along with a thorough understanding of how students are using technology. Although the personal educational burden is considerable when one acknowledges the volume of technology available and the speed with which new technologies emerge, it is the duty of school administrators to seek out these new methods for the benefit of their students and teachers.

References

Banoglu, K. (2011). School principals' technology leadership competency and technology coordinatorship. Kuram ve Uygulamada Egitim Bilimleri, 11(1), 208–221.

Eren, E. S., & Kurt, A. A. (2011). Technological leadership behavior of elementary school principals in the process of supply and use of educational technologies. Education, 131(3), 113–123.

Hughes, J. E., McLeod, S., Dikkers, A. G., Brahier, B., & Whiteside, A. (2005). School technology leadership: Theory to practice. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 9(2), 51–60.

ISTE. (2009). NETS*A: Standards and sub-standards. Retrieved from

Richardson, J. W., & McLeod, S. (2011). Technology leadership in Native American schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education (Online), 26(7).