A Plan to Shape the Future of Education

I reviewed the draft release of the National Education Technology Plan. It is interesting to see so much emphasis put on technology. In no uncertain terms the current administration is sending a message loud and clear that teachers and students alike are expected to have basic technology skills, that technology will be an integral part of the profession of teaching, and that technology will be used to distribute education in a variety of delivery modalities.

I also found it interesting that the plan addressed some pretty forward thinking changes. The most extreme was the idea that maybe we are making a mistake by putting all five-year-olds into kindergarten. Maybe classrooms could bring together children with like interests and skill levels rather than their calendar age.

This is one of the reasons I like the Montessori school my children attend. They have mixed age classrooms so the room is full of a variety of children. The children are exposed to a variety of lessons and materials--allowing them to explore topics on an individual timeline rather than one dictated by grade-level standards. I think it is a good start towards individualized learning plans.

I find it interesting that it is often believed that providing the "same" education to all students represents quality education and equality. When, in fact, we are really doing children a disservice. The "best" education would be one that honored the individual nature of each child and provided for each child exactly what he or she needed.

If you are interested in reviewing the initial draft of the plan, it is available at: http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

Let me know what you think!