The NETP (National Education Technology Plan) calls for ”revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering.”[1] Two goals are identified and the plan is developed with a sense of urgency. Specifically, goal one is to raise the proportion of students graduating from college with a two or four year degree from the current level of 39% to 60%, and goal two is to ‘close the achievement gap’ so that all students graduate from high school. According to the NETP, technology is the key to providing engaging learning experiences, assessing learning and generating data, assisting teachers in collaborative strategies, and shortening the learning curve so that educators can learn from other kinds of enterprises to improve outcomes while increasing productivity.
The NETP says action must take place now with fine-tuning to take place in process. Since education in the United States is primarily a state and local responsibility, NETP urges local institutions to ensure access to all students, especially those who are ‘underserved’. NETP suggest a complete re-thinking of the education process, including challenging the concepts of ‘seat-time’, age-determined groups, learning in classes of the same size working at the same pace.[2] The proposed model of 21st century learning puts students at the center and ‘empowers’ them to take charge of their own learning, based upon a core set of standards-based concepts and competencies and work tailored to individual goals, needs, and interests.[3]
Teachers in the 21st century will need to practice innovation, problem solving, creativity, continuous improvement, research, diagnostic use of data, and flexible and personalized approaches to meeting students’ diverse needs and strengths. NETP recommends teachers be held accountable for student achievement but also supports teachers with the latest technology and enables the shift to a ‘model of connected teaching’. [4] Improved assessment tools, better data, training, and support will be available.
In some ways this wide-reaching proposal is a bit un-nerving to this long-time educator. At no time in my teaching career have I purposefully ignored the needs of any student, regardless of the student’s life circumstances, and while I don’t deny that there are those who might do so, I’ve never actually observed it. Technology certainly has some positive applications, particularly in preparing and presenting engaging lessons and in assessing student progress, and I would not quarrel with stronger teacher support. To my eyes, though, this would be incredibly expensive, and in the RUSH to change before careful planning and study has taken place could cause all kinds of problems. I believe fine teachers are already practicing innovation, problem solving, continuous improvement, etc. and with time, support, and community involvement student success will continue to rise.
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