Draft of National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan has recommended goals in five essential areas of learning hoping to raise the proportion of college graduates from 39% to 60% and close achievement gaps so that all students regardless of race, income, or neighborhood graduate from high school ready for success in college by 2020. These five areas should be powered by technology using individualized, personalized, and differential instruction that goes beyond the 3 R’s to include critical thinking, complex problem solving, collaboration, and multimedia communication that is woven into all content areas.
The five areas are:
· Learning that will match what and how we teach to meet the needs of what students need to know and how they learn with technology.
· Assessment that is new and better in its measure of what matters, diagnosing strengths, and weaknesses to improve student performances.
· Teaching will provide use of technology to help the educators’ abilities in teaching by enabling a shift to model connected teaching.
· Infrastructure that provides every student, educator, and level of our education system with resources they need when and where they are needed.
· Productivity to redesign our education system by applying technology to implement
The Federal Government recognizes that the primary responsibility for education remains in the hands of the state and local government and views its role as a leader who provides a clearinghouse that matches experts’ advice and services with those who need it.
In breaking down the five areas there were many good examples and explanations on how to improve in the areas. I found the assessment area to be the most fascinating. The move for online assessment with problem solving and not just multiple choice would be a great way to assess true learning.