EDLD 5352 Week 2 Assignment, Part 3: Blog Post #3

“Under the Obama administration, education has become an urgent priority driven by two clear goals. By 2020, we will raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands [39%] so that 60% of our population holds a 2-year or 4-year degree and we will close the achievement gap so that all students – regardless of race, income, or neighborhood – graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers” (“NETP: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” p. v, 2010). “The NETP presents a model of 21st century learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity” (“NETP: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” p. vi, 2010).

This report shows that in grades one through twelve, 18.5% of formal learning takes place, more than anything other time frame of a student’s life. There are three types of human learning that take place: factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and motivational engagement (“NETP: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” p. 14, 2010). All students should be given access to learning. “Principles and guidelines have been established for universal design in education based on decades of research and are known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL principles reflect the way students take in and process information” (Rose & Meyer, 2002).

Another goal in this report is to improve secondary and postsecondary graduation rates. I feel this is a big concern that needs to be addressed. “The long-term impact of both high school and college dropout rates on our society is catastrophic, both in terms of the success prospects of individuals in life and work and for our nation’s ability to compete in a global economy” (McKinsey & Company, 2009). Students need more guidance and support along the way for encouragement when times get tough along their educational journey. We need more students graduating from high school and college. “We want reach the goal of all learners having engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepares them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society” (“NETP: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” p. 23, 2010).

The goal for improving teaching is “professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that can empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners (“NETP: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology,” p. 23, 2010). Teachers need to expand their network of support and stop working in isolation. The need to collaborate with other educators. This report wants to use connected teaching to improve learning. This is where technology connects teachers to resources, students, fellow teachers, data, and any other resource imaginable so that they are able to close the gap between teaching and technology. I feel as though it is crucial for teachers to use self-motivation to help increase their knowledge of technology. Technology plays an important role in education these days and it is up to us educators to decide what type of attitude we will have towards it and how/when to use it.