Modeling Digital Age Work and Learning

According to the ISTE standards, teachers are expected to model digital age work and learning by “collaborating with students, peers, parents and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation”(ISTE). There are many ways that teachers can become a professional teacher and digital citizen like they suggest. Updating a classroom website, sending out Remind text messages, and updating a Google Calendar could be some ways that teachers collaborate with students and parents. They can also use an online portfolio such as SeeSaw which allows students to upload and document what they are doing or learning in class. Blogging works similarly in which students can upload documents they have written, videos they have made, models they have drawn, etc. On a blogging site or SeeSaw parents can then view what their children are learning in class and teachers can review progress.


Teachers can also create an e-Portfolio for themselves to use as evidence of good teaching. In Karen Barnstable’s article 41 Benefits of an ePortfolio, she states that teachers will learn the following by doing an e-Portfolio: “ They will refresh their skills in documenting lifelong learning experiences. This allows them to bring all of their learning to their daily job challenges. Employees will be able to demonstrate professional growth and show a commitment to continued learning”(Barnstable). It is so important for teachers to continue staying up-to-date on the newest technologies as well as demonstrate an enthusiasm for continued lifelong learning, so an e-Portfolio would be a great way to document this. In their e-Portfolio (which could be on a website or a blog), teachers should include their resume, awards and honors, work samples and links to anything in their online professional presence such as social networking sites. Social networks such as Pinterest, Edmodo, Twitter and blogging sites can help teachers collaborate with students, peers, and parents. Pinterest is a great spot to search for interesting assignments, lesson plans, and websites by topic that other teachers have posted in addition to sharing classroom ideas with others outside of your district. Edmodo, Twitter, and blogs are great tools to follow other teachers like yourself to see what they are doing in their classrooms. Twitter and blogs can also be used by posting pictures of fun things you are doing in class so that parents and peers can see what the students are learning. Collaboration tools such as Google Drive and Slack are great for teachers within a district to share documents, important links, photos, etc. If teachers are using at least a few of these technologies to collaborate with parents, students, and peers, this is evidence of good teaching because they are using digital tools to “support student success and innovation”(ISTE).


Although it is important to have a professional online presence, teachers need to make sure that they separate their online personal lives and online professional lives. They shouldn’t allow parents or students to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. if they are using these social networking sites to post pictures, political views, personal comments from their personal life, etc. Only parents and students should be allowed to follow teachers on social networks such as Twitter or a blogging site if they are posting about their classroom.