The Obama administration has set two main goals to be met by the year 2020. 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 by the year 2020" and "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".
There are five main components that will help local school systems reach these goals. They are in the areas of learning, teaching, assessments, infrastructure, and productivity. The end result is that providing all of the components are well within reach of the local school systems the goals will be met and learners will be successful.
The learning component is geared towards engaging and empowering learners. If we provide students with state of the art technology and the skills in which to use higher order thinking skills the engagement opportunities will be endless. Students need to feel like they are a part of the learning process. The old way was to lecture and take notes. This does not have to be the case any longer. Educators are encouraged to create life long learners no matter what the race, gender, or background is of the learner.
We as educators need to be constantly assessing and measuring skills and academic growth. There are many tools to collect data, and the National Educational Plan encourages the use of this data to create a plan for further enrichment. Data needs to used to promote continuous improvement.
Teachers need ongoing professional development in order to integrate technology to meet the learners needs. The students already know about the technology. Educators need to keep abreast of what is going on with the technology. There are a plethora of tools available, educators need to seek those tools out and fully learn how to incorporate them into their lessons. It doesn't have to be high dollar equipment. Web 2.0 is full of ideas to take advantage of. The technology savvy teacher will be ready to move their students to the next level. For instance, blogging seems like a simple concept. Teachers can use this as a homework tool, a communication tool, and a testing tool. There are many other mediums available to push the student's learning capabilities. Educators need to peruse the different avenues and see which fits their style and students the best. Educators need to do whatever it takes to best connect with the learners.
The infrastructure needs to be reliable in order to best implement technology. It needs to always be ready for the learner to access the wealth of information out there and to be able to collaborate in online learning communities. The infrastructure is important to the learner, but also to the teacher and administrator. It has become an invaluable asset to education and needs to be within reach of every learner at all times.
The productivity in a our schools is something that needs continual growth. The budget is tighter than ever, so we have to look within our systems to increase productivity. If the goal of every child graduating is to be met, organization must be enforced. Educators needs to incorporate learning in every minute of the day. This doesn't mean having the students seated, quiet, and listening. It means they need to be engaged in the learning process; whether that mean creating graphs online in math or learning new scores in the marching band. The idea is to keep the learner motivated and utilize time wisely.
There are many goals and recommendations for the states in the National Education Technology Plan. These are designed to help reach the two ultimate goals. Basically, these goals are in the districts technology plan already. The basic idea is that each state and local entity provide a quality technology driven education to each and every child, and provide teachers with the necessary training to accomplish that. This plan is something districts need to use when creating their own technology plans. It is a thorough document that cover every aspect of education.
Resource:
Transforming American Education Learning Powered by Technology (Atkins, Daniel, et al. 2010)
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