Journal 10 Extra Credit: Top 10 in 2010 Ed Tech Advocacy Issues- NETS 5

Goldmann, Hilary. (2010). Top 10 in 2010 Ed Tech Advocacy Issues. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(6), 1-2. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/MarchAprilNo6/Voices_Carry_Top_10_in_2010_Ed_Tech_Advo.htm

Summary: In this article, ISTE's director of government affairs Hilary Goldmann identifies the most important ten educational technology priorities that need to be addressed or fulfilled in upcoming school years. The priorities, as she describes, are as follows: technology in education is the backbone of school improvement, leverage educational technology as a gateway to college and career readiness, ensure technology experts are infused throughout our schools and classrooms, invest in pre-service education technology, classroom technology skills are a prerequisite to being a highly effective teacher, leverage technology to scale improvement, provide high-speed broadband for all, boost student learning through data and assessment efforts, invest in ongoing research and development and promote global digital citizenship.

Question 1: Which educational technology priority stands out to you and why? The one educational technology priority that I thought could be addressed on a greater scale was number five: classroom technology skills are a prerequisite to being a highly effective teacher. From this class, I have learned how vital it is that I attain the technological skills I need to be an effective teacher. All teachers should be given the opportunity to learn new digital tools so that they can better support student learning and assessment in their own classrooms. It is sad that this digital divide still exists between classrooms that are fully equipped with digital tools and those classrooms that lack basic necessities like computers, overhead projectors and monitors. The students that are succeeding in furthering their academic careers are the ones that are given access to technology early in their education and taught to use those tools effectively throughout their K-12 school years. Every child should be given the chance to be technologically savvy so that they can advance their careers and their lives in this 21st century technologically saturated world we live in.

Question 2: Choose one educational technology priority and explain how that priority can be met. I think educational technology priority number nine, that of investing in ongoing research and development, could be addressed a lot more. Teachers and administrators who are still skeptical about using technology in the classroom need to be able to see how effective it is in engaging students in the material and enhancing their overall learning experience. More studies need to be conducted to prove the effectiveness of different technologies used in the classroom. These studies could be carried out by graduates at local colleges, leaders in technological education and teachers on a classroom by classroom basis. Also, I think that providing funding for programs like Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners (PTDAL) and federal Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) programs would lead to more research and thus more accessible technology for students.