Blog #3 National Technology Draft Plan

President Obama said "Education is the key to America's economic growth and prosperity and our ability to compete in the global economy". The goals of the Obama administration are to raise the proportion of college graduates so that 60 percent of our population holds a 2-4 year degree by 2020. It also states that the US close the achievement gaps so that when students graduate high school they are ready to succeed in college and careers. The National Technology Plan realizes that technology plays a direct role in peoples lives everyday. We need to utilize technology and it's real world lessons and integrate them into the classrooms. This is key and will provide a better understanding and modeling of real life tasks. Not only will technology provide better learning...it will also help generate data needed to improve education. The NETP provides 5 essential goals: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The issue for the education system is taking all of different learning tools and providing efficient lessons that are individualized for every type of learner. The lessons must model real life examples. The difference from traditional classrooms, this method empowers the students to take control of their own learning. The NETP also wants to show new ways to measure strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. Various assessment tools are being used to see what works and what doesn't work best for students. This information can be used throughout the nation. The Data collected can be used continuously for improvement by providing feedback from educators, parents and students.
The infrastructure of schools is also changing. Many districts are now equipping students with the technology tools needed for students accessibility. Technology tools are showing up in libraries, classrooms, labs and tutorials. By providing the tools needed for students to successfully complete new lessons, we offer them every opportunity to access technology. Finally, by rethinking basis assumptions such as students learn best seated and in front of a teacher....we can redesign the classroom to fit the needs of the 21st century learner. The NETP takes a look at the way we separate students by age, subject and other methods. They ask the better question of "Do students work best when they are grouped or individually?"