Blog Posting #3

An Executive Summary and Reflection on the U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Draft Plan
The U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Draft Plan was developed to ensure that our future generations are able to compete in a global economy by acquiring the technological skills that will lead to good jobs and higher earner power. There are two very concise goals. By 2020:
• The United States will raise the proportion of college graduates from where it stands today (39%) so that 60% of our population acquires a 2 year or 4 year college degree.
• The U.S. will close the achievement gap so that all students regardless of ethnicity, income, or living conditions will graduate from high school prepared for college and careers in the workplace.


One of the components of the plan focuses on effective teaching and accountability for professional educators. Also made evident in the plan is the fact that the United States has to strengthen and elevate the teaching profession if effective educators are to be attracted and retained. Technology is one of the ways that teachers can shift from a model of isolation to a model of connected teaching. Connected teaching is one of the ways in which educators work in a collaborative manner to build online communities including their students and their students’ peers.

Another factor in improving the teaching of technology in school is the use of professional development that focuses on collaboration, coherence, and continuous and more effective in-person courses and workshops with maximum opportunities, immediacy, and convenience that is enabled by online environments consisting of various resources and opportunities for collaboration. It is essential that teachers are provided with the trainings that they need to become proficient in the use and instruction of technology in their classroom. The plan the country has in place presently is ensuring that this will be done.