ELA 615 - Language Arts and Technology
House Draft Would Overhaul Ed-tech Funding
By Meris Stansbury. eSchool News online.
September 10, 2007
Title II of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), also called “Teaching Excellence for all Children,” focuses on improving teaching, increasing the leadership abilities of principals, and training educators to better communicate with caregivers. One of the mandates of Title II is funding for professional development of teachers and principals, in particular those working in low performing or high-need school districts.
According to an article in eSchool News Online, two members of the House of Representatives have begun discussing the upcoming reauthorization of NCLB Title II and drafted a proposal to direct more funds to providing teacher training in the use of technology. The teachers most affected by this proposal are those that teach in disadvantaged schools. Further funds are recommended for these schools to purchase computers and software and to keep this technology up-to date. Additionally schools would be required to create and maintain internet safety procedures for students. These measures are intended to help students most in need, gain the 21st Century skills to better prepare for college and the workforce. The proposal also calls for individual states to monitor and assess the students’ progress. The goal being that by eighth grade, students would achieve technological literacy.
The proposal includes a previously introduced bill titled “Achievement Through Technology and Innovation” (the ATTAIN ACT). With the ATTAIN act included, it appears that Congress is attempting to further link technology and student achievement, a prudent and necessary move. With this connection intact, our most at risk students are directly headed toward gaining 21st Century skills.
Interestingly Ready-to-Learn Television, also reauthorized in the proposal, would continue to dedicate funds to provide educational programming and content for young children. The reauthorization however, extends the scope of Ready-to-Learn Television to encourage the development digital content as well. This addition can be viewed as a progressive improvement. Additionally, the Ready-to-Learn Television programs are to be evaluated to determine whether they are truly promoting school readiness and the actual impact they have on teaching and learning.
When the government looks to the future and makes laws based on what they see it can only benefit the citizens. In this case, the amended proposal for Title II is a very big, positive step in the direction that NCLB intended. It attempts to bring the use of technology and technology skills up to a basic level for all students. This level would allow low income and high risk students to better compete with other more “advantaged” students. If the reauthorization is approved and school districts keep up to task with updating essential technology, training teachers to effectively instruct with the new technology, and the regular assessment and evaluation of the impact of the plan, it might just give those students a good start with their technology skills. Unfortunately, by the time it is implemented and in full swing, many students would have missed this opportunity.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills lists the technology skills for eighth grade science as the ability to use "video and audio recording devices, microphones, audio enhancement devices, assistive devices, digital recorders, computers, PDAs, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, email." In the science curriculum, these are necessary to be able to to explain biological processes and scientific observations and investigations.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=7359&page=1
http://www.publiceducation.org/
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/matrices/ictmap_science.pdf
1 comment:
I think that it is great that the government is trying to amend NCLB, considering the backlash it has been recieving. I want to focus in on your last statement how by the time it is implemented most students will have missed out on its oppurtunities. These are our students today. We have the chance to teach them those 21st century skills they will need. We must use the technology in our classrooms, allow them to use it and teach them how to use it, and teach the the thining skills they will need. Though you may be right in saying that "most will miss out," because not all teachers do this or have the resources to do so, our own students don't have to. We can help the few we have in gaining those skills if we are willing to do so.
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