The National Education Technology Plan: Reflection #3

The National Education Technology Plan outlines specific goals and levels of achievement for students and parents with respect to teaching and learning technology. Under the Obama administration, education has become an urgent priority driven by two clear goals. By 2020,


• 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.

• 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. In order to reach these aggressive goals, technology and innovative approaches to learning and teaching must be set forth.



Teaching Goal: Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that can empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners. This requires that we put students at the center and empower them to take control of their own learning by providing flexibility on several dimensions.



Learning: Goal: All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society. The model asks that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn.



Professional Development: 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. Episodic and ineffective professional development is replaced by professional learning that is collaborative, coherent, and continuous and that blends more effective in-person courses and workshops with the expanded opportunities, immediacy, and convenience enabled by online environments full of resources and opportunities for collaboration.

Issues I noticed with the Draft Plan included the lack of accountability if the goals are not met and the proper steps to follow when students do not reach the technology proficiency level the government has set forth.