National Education Technology Plan Summary and Reflection

The two major goals put in place by President Obama in the National Education Technology Plan are to increase the number of 2 and 4 year college degree holders in our country to 60% and to make sure all students graduate high school prepared for college or a career regardless of their race or income.  In order to achieve these goals, we must hold ourselves accountable for achieving our clearly laid out agenda, collaborate effectively, and continually assess our performance.  In order to appropriately administer this ambitious plan, there is great emphasis on figuring out how students learn, what they need to learn, when and where they learn, and who needs to learn what.  By understanding these things, teachers will be better equipped to instruct students and help them reach the prescribed goals.  By utilizing technology, the hope is that teachers will be able to work together to teach students instead of working individual.  This form of collaborative teaching is one of the more radical ways the National Education Technology Plans hopes to revolutionize education.  In order to get teachers engaged in technology and begin evolving their teaching style, curriculum, and classrooms, teachers will be encouraged to learn and manipulate new technology not just in professional workshops or development meetings, but in everyday classroom activities and while delivering lesson plans.  Hopefully, with a new focus on applying relevant information about learning patterns and teaching to those patterns in an efficient and collaborative manner by utilizing technology, students will be better prepared when going on to higher education or their careers.  

The idea of collaborative teaching really fascinates me.  In an environment where schools are becoming overcrowded and the passion for learning and teaching have been replaced by whatever new quick fix method of coercing better standardized test scores is financially feasible for the year, I think a fresh new approach to instruction is more than necessary.  By working together and being able to have multiple teachers focused on the various aspects of how a student receives and learns information will definitely breathe new life into the teacher/student relationship.  Collaborative teaching also gives students many different opportunities to learn things in a way that is effective for them personally and provides numerous outlets for follow up and demonstration.  Technology offers a way for teachers to be able to collaborate in the instruction of every individual student while still maintaining group learning and classroom progress.