Executive Summary of the National Educational Technology Plan

Posting #3

The Obama administration recently finalized the National Educational Technology Plan. The focus of the plan is to transform American education through the use of technology. In order to make sure this happens, the administration created several goals for the education system to meet. The 5 goals are as follows:

·         Goal #1  “Learning Engage and Empower”- All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences in and out of school that prepares them to be ready for our globally networked society.

·         Goal#2 “Assessment: Measure What Matters”- Our education system will measure the power of technology through assessment and use the data for continuous improvement.

·         Goal #3 “Teacher: Preparation and Connect”- Educators will be supported by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that will inspire more effective teaching.

·         Goal #4 “Infrastructure: Access and Enable”- Students and educators will have access to comprehensive infrastructure for learning 24/7.

·         Goal #5 “Productivity: Redesign and Transform”- Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.

The main concern that I have with the plan is that it has recommendations instead of requirements. Some schools may feel less obligated to do the recommendations. Another concern I have in the area of learning is that a strong emphasis is put on advances in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) but no specific mention of language arts. Many people may over look technology integration in this content area because it is not specifically stated.

Reference:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Education Technology, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, Washington, D.C., 2010.