Reflection on Draft Plan of the National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education -- Learning Powered by Technology

The National Educational Technology Plan describes how education impacts success in America. Education is a priority and a driving factor in attaining a good job and achieving high incomes. The Technology Plan focuses on two goals, the first states that “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”; the second stating that “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.” These goals set high expectations for 21st Century learners in five specific areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. First, learning demands both learner and teacher to focus on individual needs, motivation, and engaging in unique learning experiences. Effective use of technology is essential to gaining knowledge and reaching their goals set forth. Next, assessment provides a basis for continual learning, analysis, and determination of strengths and weaknesses that can be supported and maintained through proper channels to maintain a balance. Teaching uses technology to connect teachers and learners with abilities to access data and resource tools. Technology is a key component of teaching. Educators must be open to change and improvement in order to support students and facilitate learning. If there is no willingness to change, then gaps in development will prevent improvements in learning and instruction through technology. The proper Infrastructure, the next area, is crucial to provide resources and support necessary for growth in our technological society. This provides teachers and students constant access to tools 24/7, supporting learning in various ways to share, obtain, and apply knowledge when needed. These areas are all essential in improving productivity by using the technology in developing a more efficient and effective educational system. Professional development will enhance our current classrooms, providing teachers with training necessary for utilizing tools and resources to their fullest potential to educate our students.
By supporting student learning in all areas that are of real concern or particular interest to them, personalized learning adds to its relevance, inspiring higher levels of motivation and achievement in the learners of our 21st Century. As educators, we are responsible for providing students with these tools to become more able to adapt to our globally digital world. It is also our responsibility to stay abreast of the current technology so that we engage our students in higher-level productivity and efficiency and proper uses of technology. It will be interesting to see where the technology we now use leads us in the future.

Atkins, D. E., et al. (2010). Draft Plan of the National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education, retrieved March 2, 2011 from
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf