Leveraging mobile technologies plays a large part in the ed-tech plan’s potential for success, as do focusing on social interactions to spur learning, using technology to improve digital content such as virtual online environments and games, and using data to inform and improve instruction.
Cator stressed the role that digital content can play in learning, and she noted that educators should focus on this potential as classrooms move from a predominantly print-based environment to a digital environment.
Equity of access is another key area of concern, she said. Many students are underserved and have no access to computers, the internet, and other engaging technologies once they leave the classroom. Other populations, including adult populations, are able to access such technologies, but they do not know how or why to connect.
Connecting basic research with the education marketplace and establishing clearinghouses of concepts and projects that researchers are developing and designing could help to spur innovation. Such online “communities of practice” can go a long way in helping theories become reality, Cator said.
Ed-tech stakeholders can follow a few steps to take action and ensure that the principles of the National Ed-Tech Plan become reality, she said:
• Solve for equity.
• Develop a smart demand for ed tech and information.
• Develop personal learning networks.
• Nominate favorite communities of practice on http://www.edcocp.org.
• Fully participate in technology use and conversations.
• Share stories, strategies, and results.
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