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Hi folks,

What fun! A good debate on policy, the role of professional organizations,
and status of libraries. Important discussions.

There are some interesting questions here in both Dawn's statement and
Peter's response.

1. Is the National Education Tech Plan one that our profession should
endorse - either politically (which it has chosen to do) or philosophically
(which as an AASL member I do not remember being asked about)? Of course,
even as a board member of ISTE, I do not remember being asked my opinion
about the plan either, but I do not remember reading a statement of
organizational support from ISTE either. But my memory is spotty - just ask
my wife.


2. Is this a plan worth endorsing and supporting or is it simply a political
manifesto done for PR purposes by the Dept of Ed? I found the
recommendations rather bland and uninspiring, things that most districts are
already working on rather than dreaming about. No one can object to
strengthening leadership, budgeting innovatively (is there any other way
given the state of school finance?), improving teacher training, getting
more capacity for Internet access or integrating data systems (my eyes are
glazing over). E-Learning and virtual schools have their place as does
digital content to support learning. Big whoop to all of these.

Say what you will about the implementation of NCLB, but the goals themselves
are exciting - all children literate and all teachers highly qualified. Now
THOSE are goals! Where are the equivalent goals of the tech plan?
- All graduates able to use information technologies to solve problems
creatively and give defensibly supported answers to meaningful questions.
-  All students able to harness technology to communicate powerfully.
- All teachers using technology to provide individualized learning
opportunities for every child.
- The educational goals of all children with special needs met through the
use of adaptive technologies.
- The recognition that the use of technology is a means to an end, not an
end in itself by every school decision-maker.

Is it upsetting that libraries were absent from the plan, but the things we
as librarians think are important were left out?

I am curious to know if any of the input collected from practitioners was
actually read. I know the SIGMS group from ISTE and many librarians
personally made comments. I don't see any of MINE reflected in the plan, but
my cynical side did not really expect to. My vision of technology use is
rather different from that of the federal DOE (as would be my means of
achieving the goals of NCLB.)


3. What is the long-term impact of a national tech plan? Well, until federal
funds are allocated with the requirement that one of the "action steps" (not
goals) are address in order to receive them, I think we can all safely put
the document on the shelf and bring it our when it suits our purpose. And
when funds depend on the plan, we twist (no excuse me), interpret the plan
to fit our real needs as anyone who has been in education for 6 months or
longer can do without thinking. As another LM_Netter suggested, it is far
more important that our district and state tech plans reflect the values of
AASL and ISTE. I ain't losing much sleep over this document.

I was disheartened by the lack of vision in the plan. This is no "man on the
moon by the end of the decade" challenge but an incomplete set of
instructions on how to build a bottle rocket. A lost opportunity to make our
schools actually better places.

Long enough. All the best,

Doug


Doug Johnson
Director of Media and Technology
Mankato Area Public Schools
Box 8713, 1351 S Riverfront Dr.
Mankato MN 56001-8714
507-387-7698 x 473
dougj@doug-johnson.com
www.doug-johnson.com

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away." -- George Carlin

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