Karen Cator, the new Education Technology Director for the U. S. Department of Education, presented the keynote to the Software & Information Industry Association’s fall conference in New York City. Karen started with the big vision created by Secretary Duncan and the administration that by 2020 the U.S. will reclaim its position as number one in the world for the percent of the population that has a college degree and that every student will have at least one year of college. In order to reach these two goals technology will need to be a part of every education reform.

Cator addressed had four main categories in her presentation:

·         The Four Assurances

·         The Education Agenda

·         Technology as an Enabler

·         The National Education Technology Plan

 

The Four Assurances

The Four Assurances represents the main goals for the U.S. Department of Education as well as the required reforms for those states wishing to participate in the Department’s “Race to the Top” initiative.

1.       College & career-ready standards and assessments

2.       K-16 and career data system – long term data capabilities

3.       Teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution; effective teachers in every zip code

4.       Turning around lowest performing schools

 

The Education Agenda

There were seven main points that made up the education agenda.  International benchmarking helps to keep us aware of how we compare to other countries. We need new assessments so we can have better data about the students. Longitudinal data systems will enable us to keep track of students from preschool to college. Teacher effectiveness will be the result of rethinking the role of teachers and having a highly qualified teacher in every zip code. Learning in time and space means that learning is formal and informal and happens 24/7. We need to understand neuroscience (the study of how people learn) so our education products are more effective. Personalization of education means that we customize the learning space and put the student in the center to create more participatory education. Cator stressed that there is no aspect of the education agenda that cannot be facilitated and improved by technology. We cannot turn around our low performing schools without technology.

 

Cator enumerated ways in which technology can serve as the enabler.

1.       Promotes seamless formal and informal learning – learning at home (mobile devices) and at school

2.       Connects by mobile devices

3.       Enables personalized learning; students maintain their own personal digital portfolio that they can share with their teachers, mentors, other experts, parents, and community members

5.       Articulates a transformative agenda – need to create a better learning environment

6.       Is grounded in what students need to learn: 21^st century framework and ISTE Technology standards and also grounded in President Obama’s goals.

7.       Raises efficiencies and productivity and in turn improves learning  through ubiquitous access via broadband and mobile devices.

National Education Technology Plan (NETP) (K-16) 

Cator stressed that her first priority is finishing the National Education Technology Plan that covers K-16 and whose development has been guided by Barbara Means of SRI and Dr. Linda Roberts. The first draft will be ready in January of 2010. The goal of the NETP is to articulate an agenda on how technology can be used to bring about the best education opportunities for all students. It will provide a framework for how technology is critical for addressing the four assurances, and it will talk about what education can look like when it is intelligently used. 

 

There are four themes for the NETP. The first is to increase the opportunity for learning by enabling unprecedented access to high quality learning experiences.  It will be important to create new ways of understanding what types of learning experiences work and why. Second, teachers need better ways to engage students and personalize education with 24/7 education. Access to 21st century tools for students and teachers, to meet the international benchmarked standards. The third theme is improving assessment so it measures what matters and provides a learning record that covers the student’s K-16 education and provides daily assessments. Fourth is productivity and infrastructure so all aspects of digital learning are enabled. The Department of Education will work with the FCC to insure that the infrastructure will be able to increase efficiency.

 

In sum, The National Education Technology Plan is in support of improved learning, teaching, assessment, and productivity through increased efficiencies, engagement, and access.

Remarks from the new Education Technology Director at the U.S. Department of Education to the Ed Tech Business Forum, Dec. 1, 2009 by Karen Cator, Director, Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education.