(4) National Ed Tech Plan

National Ed Tech Plan

I found this article interesting and worth sharing because of the immediate effect it will have on all of us as future educators.  Because of the way our world has evolved with the inclusion of technology, it is necessary for our educational systems to change as well.  Our schools need to incorporate more technologies as a way to motivate learners while also being able to relate to their knowledge and interests. President Obama's new plan addresses several revisions to the institute of education that I believe are worth considering.  He proposes using the "clicker" technology as a more appropriate and time efficient way to approach student's needs in the classroom.  This device allows students to answer questions throughout the class anonymously to their classmates and complies the information into statistics for the whole class.  For the teacher the clicker serves many purposes; it takes attendance, shows individual understanding, and allows the teacher to see if a concept needs to be retaught.  For students it allows a comfortable class setting to express their knowledge without fearing embarrassment.  This tiny addition to the classroom has to potential to revolutionize what teachers know about the students and how to properly teach to their needs.  Another great component of the plan talks about the equipping schools with the proper amount of bandwidth to support the use of the technology.  In my cooperating teacher's classroom, this exact issue exist.  The teachers avoid using the smart boards because of the speed, consistency, and technological issues that prohibit a lesson to effectively play out.  By requiring schools to accommodate their technology needs, this problem would be abolished and the learning can become the main concern again.

Like taught in many of my classes at Montclair State, the article discusses the shift to student engaged lesson plans.  This shift will encourage learners to develop critical thinking skills that will serve them the rest of their lives.  As teachers, we are not educating our students for today but instead for the future and most importantly for careers that do not yet exist.  By allowing education to continue in the "traditional" beliefs of lecturing, we are doing a disservice to our students.  We need to adopt a plan where students are the focus while promoting individualized plans that help each and every student specifically.  The plan also has a section devoted to teaching and the incorporation of online classes.  Although technology is a great addition to education I believe it should be used as a supplement to schooling and not as a substitute.  There is a huge part of learning that take place in face to face instruction.  There is no way for a teacher to learn and cater to their students if they are virtually unknown to the educator.  How can we as teachers encourage a democratic classroom and fairness to our students without properly learning their needs and strengths?  Many people with power but disconnected from education are not aware of the essential communication that occurs in a classroom.  The idea of productivity and business like manner overwhelms the true ideas that have created the educational institution.  As teachers we should not require our students to memorize information or sit quietly and listen to lecture.  We should be learning our students, helping them achieve with the necessary help they need personally.  We should teach democratic beliefs, morals, and humanity.  Wthout face to face instruction and relationship, we would be failing our youth.  Clearly, online classes are not the answer.

With the momentum of technology, we need to reteach those in power how to control and properly use technology.  The purpose of technology is not to replace but to aid in the process.  We cannot completely delete the institution of schooling and expect to produce democratic citizens.  Content is a percentage of what is taught in schools.  I believe that many people have lost sight of the personal growth that occurs within schools.  We need to remind those who make the decisions that childhood education's purpose is not only to teach literature, history, science, art, but to teach students how to properly function in society and interact with others.