The presentation Promoting Tolerance Through Technology content addresses the
National Educational Technology Standards as outlined by International Society for Technology Education.
NETS for Students
Basic Operations and Concept
Technology Communication Tools

Students use iLife software, Safari, Keynote, Graphic Converter, SoundStudio, eMacs, digital cameras, Text Edit Plus, and FirstClass communication environment for email, instant messaging, and conferencing.

Technology Research Tools
Social, Ethical, and Human Issues
Technology Productivity Tools
Technology Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Tools

In technology classes students identify a social justice or tolerance-based issue, such as social boundaries within the school and then in the community at-large. They search for information and data from a variety of sources, determine its value, provide solutions in overcoming social barriers, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, poverty, ethnicity, prejudice, and hate, and report their findings via engaging digital-media presentations. Further, students demonstrate an understanding of how text, sound, images, and video merge in creating powerful multimedia presentations on challenging topics.

Some students are developing multimedia projects on race, poverty, and politics in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Others are creating projects on the social boundaries found within the community, such as housing, poverty, race, and socio-economic status. Last year, students created digital movies using Final Cut Express after interviewing several community members on their participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

NETS for Teachers
Technology Operations and Concepts
Planning and Designing Learning Environment and Experiences
Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Assessment and Evaluation
Productivity and Professional Practice
Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues

In technology classes it is essential that the instructor possess a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Further, it is important to understand how to effectively orchestrate the integration of tolerance-based themes into technology coursework and to model for other teachers so that the approach is replicated in other classrooms.

Technology is the curriculum content focus and is augmented by weaving in the various themes of teaching tolerance throughout, thus, maximizing the learning experience.

Multimedia product and content rubrics guide students in their work. Progress checks are conducted, ensuring that students are on task and on target with their projects. Using the conference area in FirstClass, assignments, rubrics, research studies, and pertinent articles are posted for student access.

Using Apple Remote Desktop, the instructor observes and instructs via direct manipulation of student work and communicates with them through online chats as well as face-to-face.

The net standard for teachers in understanding the social, ethical, legal, and human issues extends beyond copyright, privacy, respect of others, and right to free speech. The teacher must constantly monitor spoken and unspoken messages that may influence students to produce work for the teacher rather than for a larger audience as well as not inhibiting student voice. Further, the teacher must prompt students to reflect on appropriate, tolerance-based use of images, sound, and language.

NETS for Administrators
Leadership and Vision
Learning and Teaching

It is of benefit for administrators to foster a technology-integrating learning environment and culture that addresses the need for tolerance.

Further, it is imperative to merge tolerance-based education and technology programs with the ever-increasing diversity of student populations--such as second-language learners and immigrant students as well as those who have special needs are homeless or impoverished--in hopes of bringing about understanding and deconstructing actions and language that maybe harmful and hurtful to others.

Moreover, as teachers begin projects on tolerance-based themes, banned phrase will crop-up as students conduct research. School leaders and technology directors must work in concert with teachers by providing access to websites addressing sensitive content.

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