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This video provides an overview of the Empowered Learner (ISTE Standard 1.1), making the concept accessible for both educators and students. For teachers, it delivers a concise explanation of how technology can be leveraged for personalized goal setting, student reflection, and demonstration of learning beyond traditional methods. For students, the video highlights the importance of taking ownership of their learning, emphasizing how digital tools provide meaningful choice and voice in their progress. I would use this resource at the beginning of the school year or prior to a goal-setting activity, as a way to explain the “why” behind the Empowered Learner standard and to establish the expectation that technology will support students in actively shaping and monitoring their growth.

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UNC’s ISTE Student Standards- Standard 1: Empowered Learner page

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UNC’s ISTE Student Standards- Standard 1: Empowered Learner page

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The UNC ISTE Student Standards- Standard 1: Empowered Learner page is a valuable resource that not only supports the Empowered Learner standard but also provides instructional ideas across all seven ISTE student standards. Each substandard includes an overview video that explains the intent of the standard and showcases teachers modeling classroom examples, making the content highly practical for educators. Teachers benefit from the clearly organized lesson ideas, recommended grade levels, and suggested content areas, which make implementation easier and more targeted. Students indirectly benefit because their teachers gain concrete strategies to help them set goals, reflect, and take ownership of learning in ways that are meaningful and age-appropriate. I would use this website when planning lessons to ensure that my instruction aligns directly with each ISTE substandard, and I could also share some of the videos with students to help them see what empowered learning looks like in practice.

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Standard 1: Empowered Learner | ISTE Student Standards

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In lesson 1 of 6 of this multi-step project, students will identify a community need and the required resources, technology tools, and communication platforms needed to complete the community activism project.

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This resource designed for teaching students how to be safe and responsible digital citizens. It incorporates an interactive gaming component, Interland, which makes learning about privacy, online safety, cyberbullying, and digital etiquette engaging and memorable for students. The intended audience is elementary and middle school students, who often benefit from learning through play and interactive challenges. For teachers, this tool provides a ready-made, age-appropriate way to address the Digital Citizen ISTE standard by weaving in critical lessons about online behavior. I would use this resource as part of a digital citizenship unit, allowing students to play through the game while following it up with class discussions or reflections to connect their experiences in the game to real-world digital decision-making.

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The Internet Keep Safe Coalition is dedicated to protecting children, families, and schools by assessing, advising, and certifying organizations that collect, use, and share personal information and data that is protected by law.

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Be Internet Awesome is a multifaceted program that includes a fun and free web-based game called Interland and an educational curriculum to teach kids how to be safe and responsible explorers of the online world.

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Common Sense- Digital Citizenship Curriculum

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Common Sense- Digital Citizenship Curriculum

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The Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Curriculum provides teachers with a collection of lesson plans, videos, and activities that focus on internet safety, digital footprint, online ethics, and respectful communication. The intended audience is K–12 educators who want resources to guide discussions about responsible technology use. For students, the curriculum is engaging because it includes real-world scenarios and age-appropriate activities that help them apply digital citizenship skills to their own online lives. This resource directly supports the Digital Citizen ISTE standard by giving students practical strategies for making safe and ethical choices online. I would use it as a year-long framework, pulling lessons at different points in the semester to reinforce positive online behaviors and ensure students develop the skills needed to navigate the digital world responsibly.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Wakelet is tool that allows students and teachers to collect, organize, and share resources in a visually engaging way. For teachers, it provides an easy platform to assemble articles, videos, and websites into one organized space that can be shared with students for research or project guidance. For students, Wakelet supports the Knowledge Constructor ISTE standard by giving them a structured way to curate credible sources, make connections between ideas, and present findings in a clear, organized format. The intended audience includes both middle and high school learners, as the tool is simple enough for beginners while also powerful enough for advanced research projects. I would use Wakelet in my classroom during research-based projects, requiring students to build a collection of resources that support their design ideas or investigations, then share their Wakelet as part of their final product.

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Wakelet | The All In One Content Platform

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Wakelet allows you to bookmark, organize, collaborate and present on content all in one platform. Harness your content to build remarkable things.

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This article from TeachersFirst is a resource for educators looking to implement the ISTE 1.3 Knowledge Constructor Standard. It provides a wide variety of tools and strategies that help students curate, organize, and share information in meaningful ways. The intended audience is teachers who want ready-to-use technology options to incorporate into research or project-based learning. For students, these tools create opportunities to critically evaluate information, build connections, and present their findings in engaging formats such as mind maps, portfolios, or digital stories. I would use this resource during lesson planning to select tools that align with my unit goals and my students’ learning needs. For example, I might assign a mind-mapping tool during a research unit to help students visually organize their ideas, or a portfolio tool to allow them to showcase progress over time.

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21 Free Tech Tools for Knowledge Construction – TeachersFirst Blog

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Searching for the definition of knowledge construction leads to several different meanings that all begin with the fundamental premise that knowledge is a generative process. This article provides twelve descriptions of knowledge construction! As educators, we understand that knowledge construction is crucial to successful learning. Learning about the different methods that students learn allows us to develop and deliver lessons

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The What Is Design Thinking? video provides a clear and student-friendly explanation of the design thinking process. For teachers, it offers a concise way to introduce the iterative steps of empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, along with examples of how these steps can be applied in real-world problem solving. The video emphasizes to students that solutions are not created in a single step but are developed through cycles of creativity, feedback, and refinement. I would use this resource at the start of a STEM design challenge to help students understand the importance of iteration and user-centered thinking. It sets the foundation for why their projects should include multiple drafts and testing, encouraging them to see challenges as opportunities for innovation rather than obstacles.

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Tinkercad is a 3D design and modeling tool that gives students the opportunity to design, prototype, and test digital creations in an accessible online environment. It provides a classroom-friendly platform to integrate design thinking into lessons without requiring advanced software or expensive equipment. I would like to implement Tinkercad in engineering or design challenges where students can model their solutions digitally, test and refine their ideas, and then reflect on how each iteration improved the overall design.

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Tinkercad | From mind to design in minutes

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Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding.

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Scratch is a block-based coding platform that introduces students to programming in an easy and visual way. My experience has mostly been limited to using premade models within the PLTW curriculum to demonstrate science concepts, but I see its potential for much more. Scratch provides a simple entry point to teach logical thinking and problem-solving without the barrier of complex syntax. It encourages students to break problems into steps, test ideas, and refine their work through iteration. I would like to explore ways to incorporate Scratch more intentionally into STEM projects so students can move beyond demonstrations and begin creating their own models and simulations.

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Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

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The Intro to Algorithms video from Crash Course Computer Science explains algorithms as step by step instructions that guide computing processes. It introduces classic examples like sorting and shows why algorithms are so important in solving problems efficiently. This resource is a simple way to introduce algorithmic thinking and break down what could feel like an abstract concept. It makes the idea approachable for students and helps them see how computers follow precise logical steps to reach solutions. I would use this video at the beginning of a computational thinking unit as an introduction before moving into activities where students practice writing or testing their own algorithms.

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Intro to Algorithms: Crash Course Computer Science #13

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Anchor is a podcasting platform that lets students record, edit, and share audio projects in one place. It is user friendly and does not require advanced technical skills, which makes it accessible for both teachers and students. It offers an engaging way to incorporate audio storytelling and collaboration into class projects. For students, it supports the Creative Communicator standard by giving them the chance to share their ideas through voice and sound in a polished, creative format. I would use Anchor for group projects where students work together to create short podcasts that explain a concept, reflect on their learning, or even present research in an alternative way.

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Everyone seems to be creating Podcasts these days and if making your very own Podcast is on your Wishlist for 2023 then you’ll be delighted to know that this process is totally free and has never been easier to do. Podcasting has become popular in the classroom as a means of allowing students to collaborate on assignments and publish their work to a wider audience. I recently started experimenting with an App called Anchor which offers a really easy way to get started in Podcasting. In fact, you can record, edit, and publish an entire podcast on your phone by using Anchor’s free Android app or iPhone App. Since this works via the web as well as in app form, it’s easily accessible and can be used both inside and outside of the classroom. Anchor’s interface is designed to be easy to use with minimal or no training. Anchor’s best feature for education is the ability to record a podcast with others remotely. Each user can use the device of their choice, allowing them to invite their classmates to a common podcast recording. Each podcast can be shared online via Facebook, Twitter, or direct link, allowing others to listen in. If desired, it can also be published directly to Spotify and other Podcasting platforms for free. Anchor is cloud-based so a podcast session can be started in the classroom on a school computer and it will be saved. Then a student can go home and continue working on the podcast project using their smartphone or home computer right where they left off. Anchor can be accessed by creating a free account online. Once signed into the program, you can start recording with a single press of the record icon. While getting started is easy, it’s the editing and polishing of the podcast that requires a bit more patience and skill. A multitude of editing options are available here that can be dipped into as and when needed, everything saving as you work. Anchor offers sound effects and transitions that can be added using the drag-and-drop layout. This makes it very simple to use, especially when on a smartphone. The key here is that no expensive or complex recording equipment is required, just access to the internet and a device with a microphone and speaker. Anchor is collaborative as it can be used with up to 10 other users in the same project. This is great for setting group-based classwork or projects that can be fed back to the wider class from the group in a new and engaging way. Anchor can be paired with a Spotify and Apple Music account, which allows students, or teachers, to more easily share their podcasts. This could be useful for a regular bulletin that is available in the same place for parents and students to access, without you having to send links to it – they can access it from their Spotify or Apple Music app as and when they want. Anchor is free to download and use and has obvious uses in the classroom. So often, parents are craving a connection to the classroom. They want to know what their children are learning. Publishing a podcast is an easy way to share classroom activities and projects with home and the wider world.

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Book Creator is a digital tool that allows students to combine text, images, audio, and video into interactive eBooks. It is easy to use and can be adapted for different grade levels and subject areas. It provides a flexible way for teachers to design creative assignments that move beyond traditional written work. It supports the Creative Communicator standard by giving students the freedom to express ideas in a variety of formats and share their work with an audience. I would use Book Creator for projects where students need to showcase their learning in a multimodal way, such as digital journals, storybooks, or science reports.

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Book Creator for Teachers - Teaching made easy - Book Creator app

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Experience genuine student engagement, inclusivity, and authentic learning throughout the curriculum with Book Creator. Teachers love it.

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PenPal Schools is an online platform that connects classrooms around the world to collaborate on shared projects and discussions. It offers a structured way for teachers to integrate global perspectives into lessons while keeping the collaboration organized and safe. It gives students the chance to interact with peers from different cultures, exchange ideas, and see issues from new perspectives. I would use PenPal Schools for a project where my students explore global challenges, such as sustainability or technology use, and learn how these issues affect people in different parts of the world.

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Empatico is a resource that allows students to connect with classrooms worldwide through live video exchanges and collaborative activities. There are ready-to-use lessons and resources that make global collaboration easy to implement. Students will get to experience different cultures and communities. I would use Empatico with my students to give them authentic experiences of connecting with others outside of their immediate environment.

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Welcome to Empatico’s library of online activities and games aimed at fostering empathy and understanding among students worldwide! While Empatico exchanges are suspended for now, our journey continues as a Builders initiative to help cultivate the next generation of thoughtful problem-solvers.