National Educational Technology Plan

First, let me speak of Mr. Duncan. Although he has had supporters and protesters, my experience has been positive. As an Illinois teacher, I’ve visited some of the schools in which he has made tremendous changes. Some will doubt what he says, but I believe in the things that he can do. If it is within his control he will make it happen. He is the right man for the job. Because of his determination, I expect growth in our education system. If ever school welcomed technology through their doors, the rewards will far out way the negatives. Three points from the public service announcement that I found interesting were:

Technology will make learning more effect. I entered college with a closed mind. I had traditional ideas of how a classroom should operate. (Teacher directed learning, practice, and assessment). I was glad to learn about another approach called differentiated instruction. My professor embraced this strategy and emerged the class in techniques and research about it. Differentiated instruction can help make learning more effective to all students. We know that not all students learn the same, so why should they be taught the same?

Technology will connect teachers. I truly believe that without the support of mentor teachers, many educators would throw their gloves into the ring and call it quits. When I began my undergraduate studies I communicated constantly with other teachers. We shared information about finding bargain supplies, success stories, and different teaching techniques. Through this communication I entered my classroom on the first day with more confidence. Technology will definitely connect teachers. By simply turning on the computer we have a world of resources at our fingertips. What would we do without teacher blogs or forums?

Technology will provide more ways to conduct assessments. This is especially important to me because I disagree with giving standard state testing to special need students. Through technology we can use a variety of ways to assess students who don’t perform well on paper-pencil test. In kindergarten I am able to use software which is more age appropriate for the audience I teach. Providing different forms of assessment is a major contribution from technology.

After hearing the announcement I became interested and ventured to the actual National Technology Plan. Although the plan was long, it is what we need in America. Technology has changed the world and as a result our schools should be more advanced. As stated in the plan, students will be emerged in technology and through countless hours of hands-on training I believe students will evolve.

Though the National Technology Plan was detailed, one questioned that was not answered was: “Where does the money come from?” We need money for equipment, we need money for technology teachers, we need money for Professional Development, and we need money to compensate teachers for overtime because it will take numerous training sessions before they are proficient. The key component to the National Technology Plan is to get teachers comfortable and trained to standards because knowledgeable teachers can teach with any amount of equipment.

I believe in the National Technology Plan and am hopefully that with technology all students will perform at or above standards. These standards are obtainable and students deserve nothing but our best.