Unit 9 Tech Plans

The reading that was most interesting to me, not necessarily helpful, was Toward a New Golden Age in American Education, the National Education Technology Plan. I found it both accurate and disturbing. 

It was accurate in mentioning some of the initiatives and philosophy that need to be embraced in order to improve public education. One was the frequently discussed idea of teaching students for their future not our past. Many teachers are behind the times, not only in using and teaching technology, but in their understanding of the way millennials learn. Teachers need to take it upon themselves to provide meaningful professional development for their comrades and comadres in arms. They also need to insist that the teachers with whom they work are up to speed and on the same page concerning teaching methods. We are in a new era of education where the tools are no longer books, chalkboards, pencils and paper, but ebooks, databases, facebook and youtube, and laptop computers. Next year it will be something we don't even know about, yet.

The disturbing part of the "plan" for me was the touting of No Child Left Behind as the impetus for the innovations that are occurring.  From the inside, the only plus with NCLB is an emphasis on accountability which has been sorely lacking in public ed. for a generation. On the other hand, the "one-size-fits-all" approach taken with the accountability piece has led to a stifling of creativity and innovation. The state and school successes mentioned in the report were due to dedicated, innovative teachers and staff with high expectations not letting NCLB get in their way. 

Now, hopping off my soapbox, I was excited to find Tech Soup and Web Junction. So many great resources for planning. Tech Soup's sample tech plan was a good overview for the component parts of a plan but difficult to wade through the details. Still, comparing it to our district's tech plan (83 pages) it is a walk in the park. The most helpful section for me was the one on keeping all your tech info in a binder. I really needed that idea! I also liked all the links to articles by topic. The Accessible Technology articles were eye-opening and helpful as were the articles under Databases. What a gold mine.