U.S. Department of Education Enters the Twilight Zone
Last week, in a move that was timed to coincide so perfectly with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that italmost made you wonder if the whole thing was pre-planned behind the scenes, the U.S. Department of Education released its five-year technology plan.
No big surprise here: rather than offer sensible suggestions and grant opportunities for states and local districts to implement technology in ways that have been proven to be beneficial for kids, the plan instead reads like a blueprint for a complete overhaul of our national educational system.
It also mirrors the plan which is being pushed by the testing, charter, digital/online learning, and student loan industries, as most of its recommendations appear to come straight from “Ten Elements of High Quality Digital Learning” – a list of recommendations developed by a council of executives from testing giants like Pearson and McGraw Hill, charter chains like Rocketship, tech companies like Apple and Microsoft, and – of course – the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Personalized learning (Mark Zuckerberg’s other new baby), competency-based education, and embedded, stealth assessment – including assessment of “non-cognitive competencies” – all play prominent roles in both the “Ten Elements” and the U.S. DOE’s new technology plan.
But if that alone doesn’t give you shivers, there’s more.
Despite an admission that research on the effectiveness of technology-enabled programs and resources is still limited, the technology plan also suggests that “the roles of PK–12 classroom teachers and post-secondary instructors, librarians, families, and learners all will need to shift as technology enables new types of learning experiences.”
Yes – you read that right. According the U.S. DOE, not only our schools, but also our families will need to change to make way for the Brave New World recommended by the edu-profiteers.
The plan also says that we will need to consider the “redesign of physical learning spaces to accommodate new and expanded relationships among U.S. Department of Education Enters the Twilight Zone | Save Maine Schools:
