He said that although his school does not use NETS-S and NETS-T; they try to consistently use the 'supplemental online education resources' supplied by the textbook company, Glencoe. He also referred to the online site, teachertube, which I confirmed to using as well.
I wasn't necessarily surprised that the teacher was unfamiliar with NETS-S/T. What did come as a bit of a shock was the lack of encouragement I received from him. Rather than looking at the new information with an open-mind he seemed to trivialize it as something unimportant. To be frank, it seemed as if he thought the education and production of well-rounded traditional teachers was being lost, and that this newfound technological aspect was alien and an unnecessary priority of mine as an educator going forward. Although our interaction was friendly, I got the sense that he was weary of my future as an educator. I was bothered by this, and left feeling cheated that I didn't have more time to prove my capabilities.
As a future educator I would verbalize the benefits of NETS-S and NETS-T. The standards of NETS are fundamental and necessary in keeping up with the growing use of technology. Educators and students need to meet these standards to ensure that our students have the proper tools to co-exist in a globally competitive world. If the school I am at is unfamiliar with NETS, I will decide on meeting with an administrator to set up a staff meeting to overview NETS. If the administrator does not feel it is necessary, I could show him a lesson plan of mine that meets these important standards. After all, I find it hard to disagree with the foundation that NETS is, "designed to help educators prepare today’s students to be competitive and successful in the digital age."
