National Educational Technology Plan

In the National Educational Technology Plan (2010), the Obama administration stresses the importance of increasing the level and quality of technology in the education system; not only for its ability to reduce costs and “do more with less,” but through the increased facet of access to information for students under the ADA, students who are bilingual/ESL, and students from minority groups. Unfortunately, though this is a fantastic statement and plan, I have personally seen little to attest to the physical action the Obama Administration or the US Department of Education has taken to make this a priority – fulfilling the vision of the Plan.

Technology in our schools is not optional, it is essential to the success of our youth and our nation at large. With academic freedom in mind, models for ideal tech classrooms need to be created and available with “How-To” Guides for those teachers who need to be “caught-up” to the digital age. As a fellow educator and former “non-techie” I understand how overwhelming technology can be. The longer that teachers across the nation go without the integration of even basic tech tools in their classrooms, the harder it will be to create an environment open and accessible to students using technology. The spirit of the Plan (2010) is to create more opportunities, differences, chances, and possibilities for our youth. In order to compete in this increasingly “globalized” world, the working force of tomorrow needs to be better prepared to complete the tasks expected of them in the workplace.