National Educational Technology Plan (NETP)

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) calls for our educational system to transform its methodology of teaching to evolve to the needs of the 21st Century. The NETP’s priority is to make sure that there is a larger population of college graduates, and that all types of high school students graduate and are well-prepared for college or other careers. The NETP presented a plan based on five important areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

In the plan, learning is described as providing meaningful learning styles to all learning types. Not everyone learns in the same manner, nor shares the same interest of what they are learning. Therefore, it is important to target the different learning abilities and interest and teach what is meaningful to the students. It is of particular interest to teach students with the new technology that is available in our growing global economy.

Assessment is described as detecting strengths and weaknesses in order to plan and develop curriculum for student achievement. Technology assessments help in understanding how students think and utilize technology skills taught throughout their school years.

The plan calls for a more connected form of teaching. For example, it is important that teachers have access to data about a student’s achievement or weakness in order to be able to teach to his/her abilities. Connected teaching allows for educators the ability to collaborate, share teaching practices with other educators and create relevant and meaningful learning experiences.

Infrastructure is vital in providing teachers and students with the necessary resources they need to communicate in a global technology. There is urgency for infrastructure due to the demands and continuing changes in technology.

Productivity is about planning, managing, monitoring and reporting what expenses are necessary for our educational system at all levels.

NETP goals are important in helping our educational system be prepared for a 21st Century learning environment. However, my concern in the plan is in terms of time management. Will the goals be met in a timely manner? How effective will these goals be if the data provided is not accurate?

Reference:

National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. (2009). Retrieved September 3, 2010, from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf