Are we truly preparing our students for the future they will encounter? Teachers and schools have to stop thinking of today and look forward to tomorrow. As schools seek to become Future-Ready, it is necessary to create a shared vision of teaching and learning that uses technology as a basic resource. Students need to spend their day in modern and well-equipped classrooms. That classroom vision needs to include in-person or online. We can’t keep thinking of the classroom as 22 students at their desks with paper and pencil and the teacher instructing at the blackboard. We know that more than 50% of today’s jobs won’t exist – replaced primarily by jobs in technology and tech-enabled STEM fields(Taylor,2015). Educational technology enables students to share their ideas in compelling ways that will prepare them for the demands of the 21st century and to be Future-Ready.
So what exactly does future-ready mean? Future-Ready is the school districts taking action to prepare our students for the latest digital and technology-driven education possible. To prepare them for greater success in college, a career of choice, or even the military if they choose. The National Education Technology Plan (NETP) sets a national vision and plan for learning enabled by technology through building on the work of leading education researchers; district, school, and higher education leaders; classroom teachers; developers; entrepreneurs; and nonprofit organizations(NETP,2021). Using technology effectively to learn and work will be critical for college and career success. Technology will continue to influence and transform every aspect of society including politics, entertainment, business, communication, and manufacturing. Teachers need the ability and training to use technology to enhance and extend collective learning strategies. For the school district to be Future-Ready the districts need to first develop a plan of action. They need to carry out those actions to achieve success. Finally, they need to be constantly be looking for evidence of success and growth in the students’ comprehension and use of technology.
As long as school districts are aware and willing to gain the knowledge and foundation needed to support their schools’ efforts to become Future-Ready our students will see a successful technology-driven future. Developing future-ready skills goes hand-in-hand with letting students learn educational concepts. The strength of one builds on the other. By engaging and enhancing the technology program the school districts have to offer we will give our teachers and students a framework, as well as access to the resources they need for a Future-Ready life.
I love the attached TED talk.
Resources:
National Education Technology Plan. (2021,January 29). Office of Educational Technology. https://tech.ed.gov/netp/
Taylor, E. S. (2015). New technology and teacher productivity. CESifo Area Conferences.