Week 2 Blog Posting #3 Nat'l Educational Tech Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan clearly states that revolutionary reform in education is needed, now, to ensure that our students can compete in the developing workforce. In order for the US to rise to the top of both the number of college graduates and the global economy, we must set measurable goals and standards for our students. Our lowest performing schools with the highest drop-out rates must secure and maintain effective educators to transform those learning environments into facilities that challenge and retain these future drop-outs.

Obama's plan for national technology is driven by two clear goals. To achieve the goals of raising the college graduation rate from 39% to 60% and of closing the achievement gap for all students, states should adopt standards and assessments that prepare students for college and for the global workplace. States should also build systems that measure the growth and success of students.

Barack Obama introduced the Educate to Innovate plan to improve the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. This plan is set to improve critical thinking and problem-solvng skills, encourage more women to enter and succeed in these fields and to restore the US to the top of these areas in the next decade.

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has stated that a revolutionary transformation, with clear outcomes in education, is needed. These outcomes must be monitored and evaluated to measure their effectiveness. Students' learning experiences at school should mirror their experiences at home. Many create projects with technology at home that isn't available to them at school. If they are either self or peer taught to create blogs, wikis, videos, and more at home, imagine what they could create with expert instruction.