ISTE Standards for Students 1.3 – Knowledge Constructor

This standard requires students to critically curate various resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others. Therefore, students should:

1.3.a. plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

1.3.b. evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, or other resources.

1.3.c. curate information from digital resources using various tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

1.3.d. build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.

The advancement of technology has shifted the education paradigm, particularly the role of the teacher in the classroom. The teacher is not only the source of information in the digital era, but as much borderless information is also available online. As digital citizens, students must critically curate various resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

In higher education, students are expected to be more critical and analytical. Therefore, leveraging digital technology to promote students’ critical thinking and analytical skills is inevitable. Notably, in the English Department, students are offered writing classes to equip them with effective academic writing for undergraduate thesis writing. My post, Technology in Higher Education: How does technology support students’ academic writing? – Ignasia Yuyun elaborates on tips and strategies to embrace digital technologies in academic writing. To illustrate, one assignment in my Curriculum and Technology Design class requires senior students to write a critical review essay on journal articles (Critical Review Paper in CTD Playlist Project). In this project, students must plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits (Standard 1.3.a.). Another example is the Needs Analysis in the CTD Genius Hour Project (e-Module Development). This project requires students to read some resources, engage in knowledge construction, strengthen their understanding of the material, and integrate new information for designing needs analysis, the first step of the e-module development project. Again, the students must evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data, or other resources (Standard 1.3.b.).

As a facilitator of learning, I encourage students to leverage digital technologies in working on their projects, such as writing and research tools, as I introduced during the student orientation (How to Be Tech-Savvy Students). This point is in line with standard 1.3.c., pointing out that students curate information from digital resources using various tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

As a knowledge constructor, students develop essential skills and competencies, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Through the QUEST project, e-module development project, and creating digital content, the students practice building knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions (Standard 1.3.d.).

On balance, providing various activities to encourage collaboration, foster critical thinking, use hands-on or experiential learning, and foster reflection will encourage student’s knowledge construction. Indeed, leveraging digital technologies enhances knowledge construction in a digital learning environment.