Setting the Standard: ISTE and AASL Standards Crosswalk

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) have developed lists of standards to support education and technology in the school library and classroom.  The AASL standards were developed for school librarians to use as a guide for developing lessons and methods of student learning. The ISTE standards were developed to empower teachers to utilize technology during student learning. 

Similarities:

• AASL and ISTE standards exist to support learning.
• Encourages students to take ownership of their learning goals.
• Encourages adaptation, feedback, access to resources.
• Goal is to become more knowledgeable.

Differences:

• AASL was developed for school librarians, ISTE was developed for all teachers.
• The AASL standards are focused primarily on the role of the librarian, whereas the ISTE standards are focused on the incorporation of technology, regardless of subject. 
• AASL focuses on information literacy and research skills, ISTE focuses on technology and digital tools.

I believe the AASL and ISTE standards can work together beautifully, especially in a modern library with a Makerspace.  For example, a librarian can guide a student to resources regarding coding.  The student can then use the resources to code a robot that's available in the Makerspace. The research portion is relevant to the AASL standard I - Inquire, whereas the coding and robotics portion is relevant to the ISTE standard 5 - Computational Thinker. 

References:

American Association of School Librarians. 2018. National School Library Standards Crosswalk with Future Ready Librarians.  https://standards.aasl.org/project/crosswalks/