EDUC 5306 Blog Posting #3 – National Educational Technology Plan

In 2010, the US Department of Education issued a plan to address the need to transform education by leveraging technology.  The National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology addresses President Obama’s far reaching goals of increased degree attainment and closing the educational gaps.  The plan gives educational and community leaders goals to address at the local level including:

• Learning
• Realizing that education in the 21^st Century is no longer “one size fits all,” the plan sets out to develop meaningful, relevant learning experiences for both educators and students to ensure that they are prepared to compete in our global economy.
• Assessment
• Assessment is necessary to define technology infrastructure and skillset capacity. The assessment data will drive educational transformation. In addition, assessment provides tools for evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Teaching
• The teaching profession must undergo a systemic shift to the connected model, whereby teachers are connected to data and data tools to support and enhance the learning experience. The new classroom will allow teachers to create, share and assess relevant learning experiences
• Infrastructure
• Infrastructure is expanded to include resources beyond hardware, software and connectivity. It includes all resources required for systemic change and continuous improvement such as people, processes and policies as well as scalable and sustainable models.
• Productivity
• Productivity addresses the standard business practice of measuring progress and success that K-16 has not fully embraced. Productivity maximizes planning, implementation and financial resources to monitor success. It provides the means and evidence for redirection as we meet the needs of the 21^st Century educator and learner.

Ultimately, to remain competitive in this global economy, we must transform education and the educational experience. An experience that leverages technology to plan, implement and monitor scalable solutions that can impact degree attainment and educational gaps.