National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Techonolgy Plan, (NETP),

Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology

There are two goals that the Obama Administration has identified as “urgent” :

·        Raise college graduates from 41% to 60% of population (2 or 4 year degree) by 2020

·        Close achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school college and career ready

To accomplish these aggressive goals, when most states and federal government are reducing funding to education, there must be a radical transformation in education. 

A statement found in the Executive Summary was very profound. “To shorten our learning curve, we should look to other kinds of enterprises, such as business and entertainment that have used technology to improve outcomes while increasing productivity.”  What better way to help students make a real world connection than mirroring the entertainment business?   Consider film making, digital imaging, gaming industry, sports, virtual worlds and music, all have embraced the use of technology to create the digital world in which the 21^st Century learner thrives.   If education would borrow their methods and create a learning environment that is as attractive to the student, as their entertainment environment, all the educational goals may be more easily met.

The NETP identifies five goals:

·        Learning

·        Assessment

·        Teaching

·        Infrastructure

·        Productivity

States are required to create, revise and implement learning objectives utilizing technology that reflects the needs of the 21st Century learner.   The power of technology can be exploited to reach the diverse population in the school, regardless of the discipline.  Today’s leaner has the advantage of “always on” Internet and communication.  That flexibility allows educators to design learning experiences that can extend to any time, any place.

Currently, technology is measure in how much money and how many computers are in the schools.  The data for how that technology affects teaching and learning is not measured.  If effective technology data is gathered and analyzed, a determination of where and how the technology is impacting education could be made.  The data could help determine what, how and where technology could be the most effective.

A challenge for technology integration lies in the fact that many existing educators, administrators and stakeholders have not been able to transition into 21^st Century technology.  The resulting gap prevents those decision makers from including technology into instructional practices.  Targeted professional development for these educators and leaders is critical to move them into the 21^st Century.