Antoine de Saint once said, “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral”. Upon reading both the Michigan Educational Technology Plan (METP) and the National Educational Technology Plan, I feel as though the METP committee took a “rock pile” of information from the NETP and made it into something a little more user (educator) friendly. As a Michigan educator, I was most interested in Goal #5 that deals with the correlation of data from pK-12 to the success in post secondary education and the fact that every educator will have access to the data for classroom decision making. Additionally, Goal #1, the credit requirement for the online learning experience also caught my attention. I will further discuss these items as well as a few concerns I have.
With regards to Goal #5: Data and Information Management, I believe this will be a highly effective tool if utilized appropriately. I would think that Strategy 1 will be a bit cumbersome and tedious at first as it will require some time to create a simplified method to collect and report data at all levels. However, once this goal is accomplished, I would hypothesize that when certain sets of data are placed next to one another, strong correlations and certain indicators of success would be more evident. My only concern with this goal is I hope the data can be manipulated to use as we (educators) see fit; not in a pre-dictated format or chart that the state thinks we want to use.
Another beneficial aspect of Goal #5 falls under the second strategy, action step #6. This action is going to explore the possibilities of correlating the pk-12 data with post secondary education. Personally, I want to be one of the first ones to review the data that correlates the average student’s success in post secondary education programs as well as Michigan’s career and technical education programs based on their pk-12 educational courses and upbringings. I think this would be extremely informative data to review.
Finally, I fully support the first goal of the METP with regards to the online learning credit requirement. As society continues to move to an ever increasing digital age, I believe it is our duty as educators to prepare our students for post secondary education in the digital age as well. Just as students need to be taught to study and learn in a classroom setting, it is only fair that they also learn how to educate themselves online as well. The only concern I have with this goal is that it is one more required course that takes away from a student’s elective choices. I think we need to keep an eye on this as electives are a good chance for students to get exposed to potential career choices.
The only goal I was a little skeptical about was Goal #2, strategy 2, step 4 that deals with free/low cost internet for everyone. This goal is a little sticky as it assumes that everyone will have access to a computer outside of the educational setting. I also think we need to be cautious in continually asking businesses to offer reduced rates to those who cannot afford it. Coming from a family that runs several small businesses, I know it can be burdensome from a business perspective.
All in all, I think the METP has great potential once it is up and running smoothly. As with the NETP, I feel as though the METP also has an aggressive timeline for implementation (2015). However, without a goal to aim for, the “rock pile” would never make it to the “cathedral” stage!
No comments:
Post a Comment