Vision+Statement

Educational Technology Vision Statement
The United States of America stands at the crossroads. As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, our nation has begun to transform itself from a predominantly print-based classroom to a digital learning environment. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 100 percent of public schools had one or more instructional computers with Internet access as of the fall of 2008 (2010). While that may sound like an impressive statistic, the U.S. educational system has yet to fully unleash technology’s full potential to transform the idea of learning for today’s students.

The National Education Technology Plan of 2010 “recognizes that technology is at the core of virtually every aspect of our daily lives and work” (2010). It goes on to say that we must utilize technology to fully engage students, support their learning needs and prepare them for the jobs of the future. How can this be accomplished?

First, technology can be used capture the attention of learners. According to Roblyer and Doering (2009), this can be achieved through the use of real-life problems and collaborations and by connecting with students through the creation of their own products. The Internet now allows students to connect to their peers both statewide and across the country. With this greater audience exposure, comes a desire within students to share their best projects and designs.

Additionally, technology can support the learning needs of students by freeing them from the past constraints of the traditional classroom model. A San Diego charter school, in a cost-saving measure, scrapped traditional textbooks. The changes didn’t just end there – administration and faculty also threw out traditional classroom design, and divisions between subjects. In contrast, educators emphasized personalized project learning in a blended range of subjects from biology to multimedia (Rubenstein, 2008). This is but one example of how technology supports self-paced learning and skill retention.

Learning has become a lifelong process. Technology can prepare students to focus on “learning to learn” skills that will be needed as they begin new careers or learn new competencies as part of on-the-job training (Roblyer & Doering, 2009). As students prepare for the careers of tomorrow they will need technological literacy. This includes foundational skills in word processing, spreadsheets and multimedia use. Additionally, the will be required to be informational literate. Technology can prepare learners to research, synthesize, and interpret data as never before. Finally, with images commonly replacing text, technology can prepare students to be visually literate. Students can interpret and create their own visual messages through computer and multi-media use.

Technology must be integrated into every aspect of the learning process and stop being treated as a stand-alone subject. Technology in the classroom has the chance to transform what it means to learn and in the process foster innovation. It can be used to capture the imagination of students, support them in the learning challenges that they currently face, and prepare them to be competitive in the world of tomorrow.

References:

//National Education Technology Plan 2010//. (2010). Retrieved January 15, 2012, from US Department of Education: [].

Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. H. (2010). //Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching// (5th Edition ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Rubenstein, G. (2008). //Real World, San Diego: Hands-On Learning at High Tech High.// Retrieved February 5, 2012 from []

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). //Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: Fall 2008.// Retrieved February 5, 2012, from [].