Technological Literacy for Educators: Beyond Standards and Performance Indicators

Abstract

Standard VI of the National Educational Technology Standards for teachers is important for school reform, especially for reform efforts aimed at creating more socially just schools. Americans equate the presence of computers in schools with progress in education. However, uncritically embracing the modernist narrative of progress will hinder educators who try to achieve a broader vision of a progressive future for education and consider the role computer technology might play in realizing a more progressive approach to teaching and learning. When teachers question rhetoric associated with modernist tales of educational computing, when they anticipate unexpected outcomes from educational computing, and when they understand the institutional and cultural constraints in which they work, teachers will be able to make wise decisions about the use of educational technology.