1. As you read the Introduction to the National Education
Technology Plan, what did you determine to be the purpose of the National Education Technology Plan? How does it affect
teachers and students, people like you and me? (feel free to be critical if you
like).
From my understanding, the purpose of the National Education
Technology Plan (NETP) is to help students succeed towards a better career
after school. Their goal is help reform education with the help of purposeful
technology. This will prepare students to become familiar with 21st
century technology, and help them become successful after graduation. The
importance of education in today’s economy is crucial in helping our nation
progress. Therefore, educators must foster creativity and innovation in classrooms,
to be able to compete with students all over the globe. With the help of
technology, this will allow learning to be more progressive, and efficient. The
NETP strives to create college graduates who are competent in the workforce.
I believe that this plan is achievable, and relative to
today’s society. Educators have already welcomed technology into their
classrooms such as iPads, computers, Smart Boards, etc. This plan affects both
teachers and students, and their methods of teaching. I think that technology
will bring a very visual aspect of learning inside the classroom, and also
provide an efficient way to learning. However, some teachers might criticize
that this might hinder someone’s creativity because everything is offered
through the Internet, and web applications. Like any invention, there are pros
and cons and it depends on the individual on how they are able to handle
technology in their learning.
2. As you read the Introduction to the National Education Technology Plan (NETP), what were the main assumptions under which the plan was
developed? (you may copy and paste the main assumptions, and then answer
the question below in your own words).
• Many of
the failings of our education system stem from our failure to engage the hearts
and minds of students.
• What
students need to learn and what we know about how they learn have changed, and
therefore the learning experiences we provide should change.
• How we
assess learning focuses too much on what has been learned after the fact and
not enough on improving learning in the moment.
• We miss a
huge opportunity to improve our entire education system when we gather
student-learning data in silos and fail to integrate the information and make
it broadly available to decision-makers at all levels of our education
system—individual educators, schools, districts, states, and the federal
government.
• Learning
depends on effective teaching, and we need to focus on extended teams of
connected educators with different roles who collaborate within schools and
across time and distance and who use technology resources and tools to augment
human talent.
• Effective
teaching is an outcome of preparing and continually training teachers and
leaders to guide the type of learning we want in our schools.
• Making
engaging learning experiences and resources available to all learners anytime
and anywhere requires state-of-the-art infrastructure, which includes
technology, people, and processes that ensure continuous access.
• Education
can learn much from such industries as business and entertainment about
leveraging technology to continuously improve learning outcomes while
increasing the productivity of our education system at all levels.
What are some concerns administrators, educators, or even
students might have with these assumptions?
I
believe that teachers are experts in motivating children to learn. The
assumption of student failure due to the lack of engagement from students’
minds and hearts, will definitely stir some conversation. There are teachers
who work tremendously hard to help students learn and motivate them to succeed.
Secondly, engaging in real learning experiences is not available to everyone.
It is indeed very crucial for students to have real life experiences outside of
school, to help them apply their learning. However, not all school systems, or
not all families have the luxury to provide these experiences to students. The
assumption of how we assess students is definitely a big issue in today’s
school system. Every teacher that I have spoken with is not a huge fan of
standardized testing, and constantly putting children under pressure to meet
scores and progress. There is also an issue of hiring competent teachers in
today’s school system. Although we believe that both education and experience
is important in hiring teachers, school systems prefer to hire teachers with
little or no experience at all, for budget cut reasons. I think that this might
be a hindrance to today’s society.
3. As you read the Executive Summary, the NETP presents a model of learning powered by technology,
with goals and recommendations in five essential areas. (You may copy and paste
the areas directly from the document and then answer the question below in your
own words).
1.0 Learning: Engage and Empower
All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both
in and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable,
and ethical participants in our globally networked society.
2.0 Assessment: Measure What Matters
Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology
to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement.
3.0 Teaching: Prepare and Connect
Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by
technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and
learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all
learners.
4.0 Infrastructure: Access and Enable
All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive
infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.
5.0 Productivity: Redesign and Transform
Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and
structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning
outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.
What are the “21st century competencies” - see the section titled
“what and how people need to learn”- listed in the summary? How will technology
support the growth of these competencies?
21st century competencies are skills that help
individuals thrive in today’s technological world. We must include these skills
in our everyday curriculum to provide students the necessary skills that will
help them progress. These skills include: critical thinking, problem solving,
collaboration, and multimedia education.
These skills, along with education must be incorporated in our lesson
plans and curriculum, as we help children problem solve during Math or Science
periods. We can also foster collaboration during a Social Studies project by
organizing Service Learning. Multimedia education can be woven into English
Language Arts, by bringing in books on tape, or movies about book authors. As
teachers, we can encourage critical thinking by studying art or paintings.
There are endless ways that teachers can include these skills in the classroom.
4. As you read The State of Ohio's Educational
Technology Plan's "purpose
and mission" (page 6), how do you believe it aligns with the National Education Technology Plan? In which respects are the two
plans perhaps not aligned? Why?
The purpose and mission of Ohio’s Educational Technology
Plans share the same idea with the National Education Technology Plan (NETP)
where they believe that the importance of technology in education will help
students progress and become competent in today’s society. This organization is
able to reach out to those who need access to technology in classrooms.
However, it seems to me like the Ohio’s Education Technology Plan is still
making constant changes to ensure the success of this program. Their mission
sends out the message that their mission statement is flexible and that it is
living document where changes can me made throughout the process.
5. As you read Ohio’ s State Educational Technology Plan outlined on page 8, how do you believe this outline aligns with the "model of learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas" proposed by the National Education Technology Plan? In which areas are the two plans perhaps not aligned? Why?
Both plans include the integration of technology in
education, and the importance of providing learning opportunities to students. It
also includes the importance of professional development that educators and
administrators need to undergo especially when becoming technological-savvy in
the classroom. It is important for us to become educated and experienced in
using these devices for a better learning experience. One aspect where these
plan did not align was the area of assessment. The NETP emphasizes that importance
of assessment in the educational system, the Ohio’s Education Plan does not
include that.
6. As you read Ohio’s State
Educational Technology Plan's "measurements of success" (page
16), what barriers do you see to fulfilling this plan? Provide four reasons why
it may not be possible to reach these "measurements of success" in
the state of Ohio.
I see a couple of barriers in being able to fulfill this
plan. For online courses in a high school setting, there might be a few issues
where it may hinder their learning. The issue of online classes and being able
to monitor cheating is a major issue in education. I believe that students can
be exposed to online work, but have a security monitor to what they may write
for papers. Submitting transcripts and grades online may be a little difficult
for teachers who have trouble working the system. Technology will always have
flaws along the way, and this can become a barrier. However, I see that the
measurement of success is set on a high standard, which can be a great
measurement to student success.
