Education demands tech upgrade
The promise of technology is both great and within the nation’s reach. It can increase equity and access to educational opportunities to more children than ever. It can enhance the impact and reach of great teaching. It can help re-envision how education is delivered, making learning more student-centered and recognizing teachers as education designers. It can lower costs and increase efficiency and productivity. And the federal government has to play an important role.
In Congress, the “Transforming Education through Technology Act,” introduced earlier this year, presents a critical step forward in meeting our federal obligations. This bill would update and modernize learning systems by supporting teachers and principals in the use of new technology to redesign curricula, incorporate technology into classrooms and provide assistance with real-time data and assessments. The bill also would seed the creation or expansion of new technologies that have the potential to transform teaching and learning the way the Internet, GPS and robotics have transformed commerce, travel and the way we live our daily lives.Continue Reading
The legislation is the right step to take toward a national strategy to improve technology. But school districts cannot wait for Washington gridlock to break to effectively use technology in classrooms. They need help now.
That’s why the Alliance for Excellent Education has announced Project 24, a national effort to connect school districts to the latest technology and tech support to help students learn.
Over the next 24 months, the alliance will help school districts to implement a strategic plan for strengthening education outcomes through the use of technology at no cost. The alliance will help participating districts through a comprehensive planning process around seven interconnected areas where technology and digital learning can improve student achievement: teaching and professional learning, use of time, budget and resources, data systems and online assessments, curriculum and instruction, technology and infrastructure, and academic support and resources.
While the nation’s students are by definition the future of our country, too often their education is stuck in the past. The fact is that Americans live and work in the 21st century. It is past time that American students and classrooms join this promising new century with effective use of technology.
California Rep. George Miller is the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the author of the Transforming Education through Technology Act; Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia.