Education As Platform: Technology + Learning = 21st Century Model

Education As Platform: Technology + Learning = 21st Century Model

The U.S. Department of Education's National Education Technology Plan 2010 (NETP) urges "revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering" when it comes to our education system. Citing the pervasive use of technology in our daily lives and at the workplace, the NETP stresses technology-based learning as the key to the U.S.'s economic growth, and ability to compete in a global market. The NETP's technology powered learning model proposes changes in five major areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

Learning

The NETP calls for ways to not only engage students, but also empower all learners. By leveraging technology, the new model focuses on personalized learning instead of classroom-based, one-size-fits-all instructional practices. On-demand learning is the wave of the future as it allows students to learn outside the classroom, customize what they need to learn, collaborate with others from anywhere in the world, and have access to wider groups of educators.

Assessment

The 21st century model proposed by the NETP requires technology-based assessment. Data gathered using technology can be used to assess strengths and weaknesses in the course of learning and can drive continuous improvement. Technology-based assessments on how students think with multimedia, interactivity, and connectivity help develop standards that measure 21st century skill-sets such as collaboration, multimedia communication, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Teaching

The NETP introduces the concept of "connected teaching." In such a model, teaching is transformed into a team activity where individual educators build online communities comprising of students, students' peers, fellow teachers, libraries, after-school programs, experts from around the globe, members of community organizations, parents, and others. In this way, "connected teaching" through networks of experts will allow students to learn outside the classroom. The "connected teaching" model expands opportunities for learners, and provides for more self-directed learning through resources not otherwise available in a more traditional setting.

Infrastructure

A comprehensive infrastructure for learning is integral to the 21st century model. Every learner, educator, and levels of our education system should have access to resources at anytime, from anywhere. Included within this infrastructure are people, processes, learning resources, policies, as well as broadband connectivity, servers, software, management systems, and administrative tools.

According to the NETP, "always-on" learning resources supported by a comprehensive infrastructure introduce an innovative way of sharing and delivering knowledge based on integration of text, still and dynamic images, audio, video, and application devices. In this way, learning is seamless, flexible, and free from traditional pedagogic instructions (i.e., book/educator to student).

Productivity

The NETP asks us to rethink some basic assumptions in order to redesign our education system for improved productivity. As in other sectors, technology has to be leveraged to improve productivity and manage costs in education. Fundamental structural changes enabled by technology are essential to running a productive school system. For example, rethinking standardized curricula, organizing around competence rather than age to deliver instructions at different pace based on students' needs, or incorporating online learning as a way to extend school days are integral to the proposed transformation.

The NETP's 21st century model for learning, powered by technology, reflects our everyday lives. In reality, outside the classroom, technology is ever-present by way of online social networking, providing access to information 24/7, and as a multimedia content source. Isn't it only logical to integrate technology with education if we are to transform the system vis-à-vis the process of learning and the delivery of educational instructions? Technology makes it possible for us to collaborate, share, and learn new things from others at our convenience, pace and in our own way. In many ways, education becomes "limitless, borderless, and instantaneous."

Do you agree or disagree with the NETP? What are the pros? What are the cons? What do you think?

-Lilly Golden, Examville Blog Contributor

Lilly Golden is a Blog Contributor at http://www.Examville.com. Examville is a global online education platform where users can connect and interact with others from around the world. Our innovative platform creates an open, virtual meeting place that allows for learning without borders. Examville facilitates online user-to-user collaborative learning at an affordable cost.

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_(By Lilly Golden).