The national education technology plan is a policy document that outlines the educational technology policy for the American education system (Peters & Araya, 2011). The plan's primary strategy is to advance technological education equity throughout America to maximize students' learning outcomes through technological advancement. The plan advocates for revolutionary transformation instead evolutionary tinkering, but like any other process, it is faced by several hindrances (Blumenstyk, 2015). Some of the challenges include the absence of an integrated technological network that enables access to real-time learning uniformly for students across the whole education system. The high cost of installing up to date technological systems is also a challenge as well as the difficulty in capturing, aggregate, mine and sharing content in multiple learning platforms (Peters & Araya, 2011). The teachers and trainers, therefore, have to deal with the cost, expertise and technical inadequacies in the current system in their bid to transition into the technology-oriented education plan in half the time and cost of the traditional learning system.
The national education technology plan concludes that the fast-changing demands in today's global economy showcase people who need to learn and what they need to learn (Blumenstyk, 2015). It further states that while science shows how people learn technology enables them to utilize that knowledge and understanding. The conclusion is valid since it refers to the benefits technology has to student learning and application processes. The authors concluded after analyzing data in the education sector and assessing the impact that technology has on the learning outcomes of students in and out of the classroom (Blumenstyk, 2015). The plan states that they obtained data from a technical group of expert researchers and practitioners and also sought input from various stakeholders in the education sector.
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The conclusions are valid because technology showcases people’s knowledge gaps especially in today’s marketplace where most things are run technologically (Peters & Araya, 2011). When people come across technological advancements that they know nothing about, they become challenged to learn the workings of the technology to keep up with the fast evolving workplace and general world. This premise validates the conclusion that technology shows people what they need to learn and identifies people who need to learn. On the conclusion about technology helping students apply what science teaches, the validity is evident in every aspect of students’ lives in and out of the classroom (Peters & Araya, 2011). While the conventional education system taught students more theoretical lessons than experimental and applied curriculum, the new tech-based curriculum makes learning more interactive. E-learning, for instance, helps students become more interactive with their peers from all over the world, facilitates the application of principles and theories taught in class (Peters & Araya, 2011). It also helps in nurturing invention and innovation since it provides the learners with a platform to implement what they learn and build things from it.
The National Education Technology Plan further states that professional educators have a crucial role to play in the transformation of the education system (Peters & Araya, 2011). The strengthening of the profession is therefore as important as effective and accountable teaching a statement with strong implications for teachers and all stakeholders in the education sector. It implies that teacher's job satisfaction and motivational levels need to be maximized if they are to deliver quality services to their students. Incorporation of this conclusion into the current education system could mean increased remuneration packages, improved working conditions and better terms of service for the teaching professionals (Blumenstyk, 2015). Strengthening the teaching profession further entails providing opportunities for the teachers to advance their education so that they can stay in synch with the continually evolving learning environment. The strengthening of the education sector through these methods is fair because it will improve the teaching staff's working conditions which will, in turn, lead to higher job satisfaction and motivation levels which will automatically lead to improved learning outcomes (Blumenstyk, 2015). The result will be all rounded students and a proper utilization of the parents, the government and other stakeholders' resources, therefore, making it a fair process for everyone involved (Peters & Araya, 2011). It all begins with empowering the teaching staff just like the NETP states.
To address the issues hindering the implementation of the NETP they came up with a list of practical strategies and implementations (Peters & Araya, 2011). It was recommended that a commission is formed and research initiatives are advanced to improve the productivity in the education sector. The plan also recommended that there should be a policy improvement to accommodate the use of technology for cost management especially in procurement (Blumenstyk, 2015). The NETP also suggested that money is set aside to develop the use of interoperability standards for content, student learning data, and financial data to facilitate the collection, sharing and analysis of data for better decision making (Peters & Araya, 2011). The NETP also suggested the debunking of assumptions that inhibit the implementation of technology in the education sector and instead promote the showcasing of learning competencies associated with technology. They also recommended that technology programs be launched to ensure that students graduate from the K-16 system qualified to join the workforce (Blumenstyk, 2015). The program has made major strides towards achieving the proposed strategies.
Over $400 million has been invested in improving technology and to develop new teaching and learning techniques to create college and career ready graduates at all levels of the education sector (Blumenstyk, 2015). The excellent educators for all initiative has also been launched to improve the preparedness of the students for the job market through ensuring that they are taught by competent and well-trained educators (Peters & Araya, 2011). They have also implemented the strategy by starting the Teach to lead initiative which is tasked with enabling the teachers gain tech skills to improve the learning outcomes of their students and sharpen their leadership capabilities (Blumenstyk, 2015). The strategies have therefore contributed to the revolutionary transformation since they have improved the education system, empowered the teachers and increased the penetration of technology use in the education sector.
In sum, the recommendation I would give to the NETP’s new National Education Technology Plan would be to increase the opportunities for educators’ professional development (Blumenstyk, 2015). By creating more opportunities, the program will be empowering the whole education sector since the teachers hold a significant part of the education system. The national and state governments should allocate more funds towards technological advancement in the education sector (Blumenstyk, 2015). The players in the education sector should also encourage ongoing research and development activities since the education, and the technology sectors are continually changing.
References
Blumenstyk, G. (2015). American higher education in crisis?: What everyone needs to know . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Peters, M. A., & Araya, D. (2011). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. E-Learning and Digital Media, 8 (2), 102-105. doi:10.2304/elea.2011.8.2.102
