Blog Posting #3 National Educational Technology Plan summary

The National Educational Technology Plan Technical Working Group has 2 specific and clear goals that are outlined within the draft and they are:

• We will raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands [39%] so that 60% of our population holds a 2-year or 4-year degree.
• We will close the achievement gap so that all students – regardless of race, income, or neighborhood – graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.

To achieve these goals the draft also states that our education system:

• Be clear about the outcomes we seek.
• Collaborate to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency,and flexibility.
• Continually monitor and measure our performance.
• Hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way.

With regards to Learning, the plan asks that we focus how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn.

With regards to teaching, the plan asks that we use technology to help build the capacity of educators by enabling a shift to a model connected teaching. No more teaching by oneself but as a team of which we are connected to tools of technology 24/7.

With regards to professional development, the plan asks all institutions involved in preparing educators should provide technology-supported learning experiences that promote and enable the use of technology to improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices. This will require teacher educators to draw from advances in learning science and technology to change what and how they teach, keeping in mind that everything we now know about how people learn applies to new teachers as well.Educators can be engaged in professional learning not only when attending formal workshops or other activities outside the classroom, but also in the very act of teaching,which can offer a rich source of information to inform professional growth.(Ancess, 2000; Borko, Mayfield, Marion, Flexer, & Cumbo, 1997; Kubitskey, 2006).

After review of the plan i found it to be pretty sound. It did not seem to posses anything that seemed to difficult to achieve. It was pretty vague with regards to how these goals/actions were to be specifically carried out but then again it is still in draft form. I think that it would be wonderful if we could get 60% of our population to possess a degree of some kind. It is a bit startling to find that only 39% do currently. All in all a great plan in my opinion.


References:


Jim Shelton, Mike Smith, Karen Cator, and Bernadette Adams Yates, . National Educational Technology Plan Technical Working Group, Office of Educational Technology U.S. Department of Education. (2009). learning powered by technology

Ancess, J. (2000). The reciprocal influence of teacher learning, teaching practice, school restructuring, and student learning outcomes. Teachers College Record, 102(3), 590-619.

Barron, B. (2006). Interest and self-sustained learning as catalysts of development: A learning ecology perspective. Human Development, 49(4), 153-224.

Kubitskey, B. (2006). Extended professional development for systemic curriculum reform. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.