Journal 5: Harness the Power

Duncan, A. (2011). Harnessing the power of technology. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx


NETS-T 3,5


The author of this article Arne Duncan, is the U.S. secretary of education. He discusses the plans for the future of technology in the classroom and what is already in place. Schools (all schools) will be turned into innovative learning environments. Technology has the power to personalize learning experiences. The issue is some teachers see technology as an "add-on" to their lesson plans and not integral to the process of teaching and learning. He encourages "us" meaning those who have the passion, knowledge and experience to work with our peers/colleagues and lead the way to innovative and effective teachers. A very powerful example through the use of technology related to student success is, a student who is hesitant to read books can become more interested when the assignment becomes more engaging and leads the student to the internet for a scavenger hunt or to help the character in the book solve the conflict. "These innovations address students' specific learning needs and accelerate achievement." 


1.) What is the ARPA-ED?
The U.S. Department of Education proposed the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education. This agency will pursue technological breakthroughs that have potential to transform teaching and learning. This will move us away from technology being an isolated program that isn't part of the students' daily learning experiences. 


2.) What goals are being set for the future, are these goals important?
The Obama administration made a significant investment to set the goal that 98% of the country will have available broadband internet in the next five years. For those of us living in San Diego, it may be hard to realize that a significant number of schools especially those low income and in rural areas have no internet access. This limits teachers and students to the productive value of technology to assist the learning process. I believe this is a very important and beneficial goal to the country as a whole and will definitely help make education equal for all students and so these innovations can be accessible to everyone.