If you want to get something accomplished, you need to have a plan. It doesn’t always seem like it, but believe it or not, our government has a plan to improve education in the United States. The National Educational Technology Plan has been written to address President Barack Obama’s mission, “By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” (Obama) This plan focuses on incorporating technology into our schools to help create a better educational system.
While reading this technology plan, the first thing that came to mind was: “Wow, this is good.” I was expecting to read a plan that was boring and filled with high-tech jargon like most government documents. Much to my dismay, I found this plan very inspirational to read – to the point that I felt proud to be part of this educational plan to help work towards this common goal set by the President of the United States. To improve education in the United States, educators will be able to have technology at their fingertips to engage and empower student learning, measure and access student success, and professional development, to name a few. One objective that I really connected with was the prospect for electronic learning records. Delta College faculty just completed working on a proposal to implement electronic student records. All of a student’s work will be kept electronically and a student will be able to give permission rights to faculty, advisors, and other college staff to promote collaboration.
In order to be successful and accomplish the President’s mission, educators need to support and believe in the plan. Second, each state and local school district must also have a plan that should be aligned to the National Educational Technology Plan. The 2010 State of Michigan Educational Technology Plan was filled with more technical jargon than the National Plan. The state addresses adequate web portals, broadband access with a minimum of 1 Gigabyte per second connectivity, more online curriculum, and data management. After some digging, I found an outdated Delta College Technology Plan on our intranet. Delta College has since contra
cted out our information technology needs. So, I then decided to check my local school district. The Bay City Public Schools Technology Plan addresses their hardware, software, infrastructure and budget needs. It was nice to observe that the technology curriculum includes objectives that are grade specific for the students. I was a little disappointed to find, or shall I say, not find any mention of assistive technology or any technology for high-risk students. This was evident in the National and State plans, but no mention in our local plan. As a mother of a developmentally challenged student, it has been a losing battle to obtain any technology-based support for my daughter.
cted out our information technology needs. So, I then decided to check my local school district. The Bay City Public Schools Technology Plan addresses their hardware, software, infrastructure and budget needs. It was nice to observe that the technology curriculum includes objectives that are grade specific for the students. I was a little disappointed to find, or shall I say, not find any mention of assistive technology or any technology for high-risk students. This was evident in the National and State plans, but no mention in our local plan. As a mother of a developmentally challenged student, it has been a losing battle to obtain any technology-based support for my daughter. In summary, the inspiring National Technology Plan is a broad based plan that outlines the goals and direction for our educational system. The state and local plans become more specific as to how this plan will be implemented for our students and school districts. With the help of all government leaders, school administrators, educators, parents and students working together, technology will play an integral part in transforming our education system in this new digital age.
Bibliography
Bay City Public Schools Technology Plan. Web. 02 Feb 2011. <http://bcschools.net/attachments/057_TechnologyPlan2007-2010.pdf>.
Teaching For Learning in a Digital Age: 2010 State of Michigan Educational Technology Plan. Web. 02 Feb 2011. <http://techplan.org/STP%201010%20Final.pdf>.
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Web. 02 Feb 2011. <http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010>.
I agree Connie, in order for the plan to work all educators need to support and believe in the plan. That is why I am finding it so frustrating at my school. They scoffed at me when I asked permission to create a science website for my classes, they frowned upon the idea of starting a blog, and they got mad when I inquired about obtaining more technology for our science lab. I guess it’s the 60’s rebel in me, but I went out and bought my own projector and laptop to use in my classroom and I got an extra long USB chord so I could plug into the wall for internet access. Now if only I could get through that CIPA filter we have…
ReplyDeleteWhat are you going to do about the lack of technology for your daughter? Does she need special software to learn? Does she have an IEP? The law says if she needs it they have to provide it!
Connie,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the national plan is a good plan, but I just think it is hard for them to be able to implement it successfully without telling states and local governments how to implement it first. To me, the federal government can tell schools their plan of action, but if they don’t offer monetary and guidance support to the states, especially ones with poor economies like Michigan, then the plan is just talk. I feel the Michigan strategies were more in-depth with technological jargon, but were more realistic than the national goals. I am especially shocked to hear about the lack of support for technology with your daughters learning. If it is a funding issue, or an inability of the school to obtain the technology, then I would hope the school would look to the ADA or a federally funded group for support. CMU’s technology plan for my department is also outdated and expired as well, which is why we are developing a new one, but we don’t have it set in stone just yet. Great post and love to read your point of view!
-Rob Alford