National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan: “Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology”, is an inspiring piece of legislature.  It provides a framework at the federal, state and local level for why and how schools should revise curriculum standards to include technology and encourage the end goal of preparing students for the world of tomorrow. 

The document is broken down into four key components- learning, teaching, productivity and infrastructure as areas that need to be addressed. 

Learning—Seeks curriculum that is engaging and empowering both inside and beyond the scope of the classroom

Teaching—Educators should be trained in innovative ways of teaching that serve the tech needs of students.

Productivity—Calls for the transformation of the American education system so that it is more efficient

Infrastructure—Seeks technology to be equitable and easily accessible to educators and students

While I find no fault with the plan itself, I can’t help but feel a bit discouraged at the daunting task.  Implementing a plan of this magnitude requires that communities, educators and stakeholders agree on strategies and methods.  It also requires us to overcome obstacles such as equitable distribution of resources, talent and skills.  Perhaps what most concerns me is the issue of time.  Transforming our education system is a process and one that will take a fair amount of time as not only do we have to get technology into the hands of students and educators but we also must concern ourselves with changing/challenging the ideals of the status quo.  How do we plan a technology rich curriculum (with the implication that it will take time) when technology itself is changing by the second? 


National Educational Technology Plan 2010. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010