I would like to start off by saying that I think the goals for Michigan’s Technology Plan are good ones. My biggest question about it is why haven’t I seen this before I was asked to look at it for this class? It seems as though this should be something we are all looking at or else what is the point of doing it? These are good goals for our state but we teachers should be aware of what the state is trying to accomplish.
One of the goals that really caught my attention was goal 1 strategy 3. This was the goal that was focused on at risk students being able to access technology in a way that was best suited to each student. I think this is a great thing for Michigan to be focused on and this is also something I can see happening at my school right now. As a teacher at an alternative high school it is nice to see we are currently offering technology based classes as one of our 5 options for each hour. We have E2020 classes as well which allow the student to complete a class we wouldn’t otherwise offer because we didn’t have a teacher certified to teach it. They can do it at their own pace and with the assistance of a teacher but not the pressure of a group classroom environment.
These goals correlate very well to the national goals and I think the goals involving leadership by the teachers touch on the topic of my previous blog post. Again, I think it is important for our teachers to take the lead on integrating technology into our schools.
I couldn't agree with you more on the point that you made about educators not being made aware of what is expected of them. I do not have a classroom of my own, but my wife is an educator and I've been around her and her teaching friends on more than one occasion where they've commented on this issue. It seems like the communication between the state and its educational institutions would be much better.
ReplyDeleteI liked the fact that you brought up the use of technology for the at risk students. We have seen through EDU 590 that technology may reach these students in ways that traditional teaching methods cannot. Sometimes the use of technology in the classroom is extremely vital to student learning.