Posting #3 National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan centers around five important goals that the U.S. Department of Education feels are necessary for bringing about needed change in our educational system. One of the goals noted is that learning experiences should be engaging for students both in and out of the classroom so that they can function in a 21st century society. The second goal is that schools will use technology to assess and use that data to continuously improve instruction. Third, teachers should be supported alone and in teams and that support should drive them to be more efficient educators. Fourth, all students should have total access to sufficient infrastructure that will fuel their learning. The last goal is that schools will redesign their processes and structure so that they best use time, money, and personnel.

The plan speaks to teaching, as it is now, and as it should be if the plan is successful. Right now the plan describes teaching as isolated, from both colleagues and other experts. An educator's task has been to cover his/her curriculum and ensure that students are prepared for standardized testing. Also, professional development happens in isolation at sporadic times with little connection to content or integration. The National Educational Technology Plan prescribes a paradigm shift for teaching. No longer should teachers teach in isolation, but rather in connection with their colleagues, experts, and their students. In order for teachers to do this effectively they must have appropriate technology in their grasp so that they can focus on creating a more learner-centered environment for their students. Collaboration is the key to connected teaching. Professional development should become more ongoing and aid teachers in integrating technology within their content.

Not only will teaching see a paradigm shift, but as a result, so should learning. Learning has tended to be more of a one-size-fits all mentality. Traditionally, one educator is in the classroom dispensing knowledge to their students in the same manner. The plan sets out to see learning transformed with the help of technology. It suggests that there should be core competencies that each student is learning but the way that they are making meaning of the content should be individualized with much of the choice lying on the students' interests and ability levels. In other words, differentiation should be taking place in all classrooms and technology is an avenue to facilitating it in a successful way.

The plan has goals and a vision for education that are encouraging and inspiring. The goals do not seem to be unreasonable to me. In fact, they are based on research, thinking, and trends that have already been surfacing in education. The most obvious obstacle to me seems to be supplying teachers with the technological resources required and the training to be prepared to use them.