National Educational Technology Plan (EDLD 5352 Week 2 Post #3)

The NETP has established five goals that address learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The first goal that pertains to learning requires that all learners have an engaging and empowering learning experience both in and outside of school that prepares them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society. The second goal entails that our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement. The goal related to teaching demands that professional educators be supported individually and in teams by technology that has them readily connected and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. To address infrastructure the NETP has made it a goal that all students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it. The final goal has set forth that the education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff. In respect to teaching and learning the plan addresses that we must adapt the way we teach students in order to make them life-long learners that are able to flourish in a globally connected society. Learning in the 21st century is powered by technology and creates an environment that placed students in control of their own learning by offering them a significant amount of flexibility. Although teaching used to be a profession that was done in isolation, in order for a teacher in the 21st century to prosper they must be innovative, use data for decision making, and personalize the approach to meet the diverse needs of all their students. I agree with the statement made in the plan that "our education system often fails to give educators the tools to do their job well." Specifically, at my campus I know there have been numerous times that our administration team makes a change and teachers are left contemplating just how they are going to make it work with the insufficient support and resources we are given.