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Obama Administration: Technology at the Heart of Education Reform

  • By Geoffrey H. Fletcher
  • 06/29/09

"Technology is core and essential to the strategies we are using to reform education." That was the message from both Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the United States Department of Education, and Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer in the White House.

Sitting comfortably in overstuffed chairs on stage at a packed meeting of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), these two top Obama administration representatives spoke and responded to questions for 45 minutes about the importance of technology in education.

Chopra said that technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we teach, the method in which we teach it, and professional development and support for educators. He emphasized the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and the need for greater access to digital content. Whenever he gets a chance, Chopra has his iPod plugged in his ears tapping lectures from MIT, Stanford, and other sources. It is about having a constant "learning environment," he said.

In Shelton's opening comments, he envisioned a time five years from now when everyone will have sufficient broadband capacity throughout the country, no matter where they live. However, he noted the reality of difficult economic times, especially for states and some local economies over the next five years, so we should look to technology for a new cost structure for many parts of education.

Shelton said, "People are about to figure out how important you are to accomplishing education reform in this country." He cited the four assurances that are at the core of ARRA education funding--college and career ready standards, preK to college and career data systems, improvements in teacher effectiveness, and providing intensive support for low-performing schools--and said you can't do any of the four without technology, especially helping students in low-performing schools.

In response to a question regarding the biggest leverage points that technology can bring to education, Chopra emphatically said, "Data and analytics are key." He talked about how large retail stores can adjust sale items based on a combination of factors such as the weather, the score of an NFL game, and the day of the week, while teachers are struggling with disconnected, analog inputs from curriculum to textbooks to test scores trying to make decisions about what is right for students. Shelton agreed, but cautioned that there is no silver bullet.

In response to another question, both Shelton and Chopra agreed that we must tackle the dropout problem and boost higher education attainment for more students. Our standing internationally in this measure has fallen significantly. Shelton pointed out that we must excel in all subjects, not just teach basic skills, but it will take everyone holding the line and requiring high expectations and standards.

In response to a question about reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--NCLB is the latest version--Shelton advised the audience to watch for the guidelines for the "Race to the Top" funding. According to the Ed.gov Web site, "the Department will conduct a national competition among states for a $4.35 billion state incentive "Race to the Top" fund to improve education quality and results statewide. The Race to the Top fund will help states drive substantial gains in student achievement by supporting states making dramatic progress on the four reform goals [or the four assurances] and effectively using other ARRA funds. $650 million of the $5 billion will be set aside in the 'Invest in What Works and Innovation' fund and be available through a competition to districts and non-profit groups with a strong track record of results."

He said, "If you think those principles are not going to show up in Reauthorization, you would be wrong."

About the Author

Geoffrey H. Fletcher is the editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group. He can be reached at gfletcher@1105media.com.

Comments

Fri, Aug 7, 2009 Lyric Dysin The Sunshine State

I am fully aware of the grammar mistake that was made in my follow up response to the Obama Technology Push. Within the response, the word "there" should have been spelled as "their." Since I'm aware of this, please don't lash out at this educator. Just note that everyone makes mistakes. Blessings, Lyric

Fri, Aug 7, 2009 Lyric Dysin The Sunshine State

In response the comment left by Megan from Oregon, I'm trying to take into consideration that different states have different policies and curriculum standards in which education is taught in the classroom. I'm not aware of Oregon’s curriculum standards, or even the way the students are taught in that part of the region. Therefore, I can only speak for myself. Being an educator in the state of Florida, it appears that every law the president speaks highly of is taken overboard. By this I mean, whatever the president speaks seems to be taken to the furthest extent, without "balancing" out the other factors of learning that has revealed some evidence of success. Therefore, in my region, the president's push of technology has somehow convinced the school board in Florida to place pressure on teachers to throw out the multiplication table and pass out the calculators. Somehow the president's technology initiative has convinced my school board to pressure Florida teachers to encourage students to blog out there ideas, whereby they can use spell-check and feel no responsibility to increase their vocabulary knowledge or improve their handwriting. Therefore, the balance that I speak of is the importance of not letting go of the hands-on techniques in order to make way for technology. Megan, if you find this vague then I will pray that you will find understanding. From where I stand, balance of technology and the hands-on way of learning is needed for students to fully grow into competent and self-sufficient beings.

Fri, Aug 7, 2009 Lyric Dysin The Sunshine State

In response the comment left by Megan from Oregon, I'm trying to take into consideration that different states have different policies and curriculum standards in which education is taught in the classroom. I'm not aware of Oregon’s curriculum standards, or even the way the students are taught in that part of the region. Therefore, I can only speak for myself. Being an educator in the state of Florida, it appears that every law the president speaks highly of is taken overboard. By this I mean, whatever the president speaks seems to be taken to the furthest extent, without "balancing" out the other factors of learning that has revealed some evidence of success. Therefore, in my region, the president's push of technology has somehow convinced the school board in Florida to place pressure on teachers to throw out the multiplication table and pass out the calculators. Somehow the president's technology initiative has convinced my school board to pressure Florida teachers to encourage students to blog out there ideas, whereby they can use spell-check and feel no responsibility to increase their vocabulary knowledge or improve their handwriting. Therefore, the balance that I speak of is the importance of not letting go of the hands-on techniques in order to make way for technology. Megan, if you find this vague then I will pray that you will find understanding. From where I stand, balance of technology and the hands-on way of learning is needed for students to fully grow into competent and self-sufficient beings.

Fri, Jul 24, 2009 Megan Oregon

Lyric Dysin's point is vague and thin on meaning. "Balance," a word that was used three times in the comment, is meaningless without a referent. Balance of what and what? It seems a balance of technology and true learning was indicated by Lyric, but whoever said those two things are mutually exclusive? It doesn't stand to reason that a person can't count change or do simple multiplication because they've spent too much time on the computer. They're not going to learn math by hiking in the mountains, either (spending time in nature being one example of employing what I assume was meant by "balance"). As Mr. Chopra said in the article, "technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we teach, the method in which we teach it, and professional development and support for educators." Don't use technology as a scapegoat; the apocalyptic vision of robots running the country and then one day simultaneously "crashing" is really getting old. Technology is not the object, it is the medium for what true educators have never lost sight of: knowledge.

Wed, Jul 15, 2009 Lyric Dysin The Sunshine State

Since Obama is the first known president to lean on the use of technology to help win an election, after arguably using this new age method to reflect his persona and political views across all of America, I am certainly not surprised that members of his administration are pressing the importance of technology in the world's future, and thereby are stressing how imperative it is that teachers get on board with teaching this technology within the classrooms. What I am surprised to recognize is that members of the Obama administration fail to seek out balance, when each and every member grew up in an age when technology wasn’t prominent, and yet their educational success has made them part of the elite. No doubt, Obama and many of his cabinet members can spar intellectually with leaders of any great nation, and yet they have created the image that learning without the use of technology can get American’s nowhere; definitely not in the White House. The mere idea makes me laugh. True enough, technology is needed for Americans to compete with other nations, as well as strengthen our own. Yet, without balance, this country will consist of only idiot men and women that appear to be geniuses. What we will have is robots running machines. An Lord help us if any of the machines crashed. We all see the evidence of this possibility now, as cashiers whose computers go down nearly lose their minds because they are unable to give out the right amount of cash. We see it in the children who can’t multiply a single fraction without the use of a calculator. These simply tasks I’m certain that Obama and any member of his administration can do easily, and yet they continue to press the idea that learning how to use technology will be enough. Well, it won’t be. The world needs balance: a little of the old with a little of the new.

Thu, Jul 9, 2009 JKB Tennessee

“Method, professional development and support for educators” are mentioned, but so often these become secondary concerns at best when pundits in education administration focus on technology and test scores.
We are competing for our students’ most valuable resource...their time and attention.
Students who see school as relevant take something new away with them every day. Whether this new thing involves information, relationships, technological dexterity, purpose or just a bit of discovery and enjoyment it has to matter, and teachers make it matter. Technology may engage, but teachers inspire.

Wed, Jul 8, 2009 Joe Makley Maine

I don't see much about customization, which is the real change disrupting K-12 right now. I would prefer the federal role to be less about supplemental funding (which becomes a crutch) and more about helping school leaders to understand what they should be spending and doing to use technology well. We under-invest in tech at the local level, and rely too much on the federal stream. We need models and studies showing what it takes to provide, for instance "equitable access." If you have 10,000 students, you don't try to transport them with two buses, but that's what we are doing with technology. Government leaders are going along with this; they are not calling us on it.

Mon, Jul 6, 2009 David Florida

Chopra said that technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we teach, the method in which we teach it,

did everyone ignore this statement. They added Smart Bords here last year. You can add all the Tech you want - method, what will be the process, this is what is important.

Fri, Jul 3, 2009 Dale

Anything that involves racing and competition is guaranteed to involve a narrowed curriculum in which the neediest, lowest performing students will be subjected to the most uninteresting drill and kill educational existence. It's happening now. I don't see how more competition is going to make education come alive and be relevant to the lives of children who are not allowed to learn to think or create. Excite students about the learning something that interests them and the achievement will come. Technology has the capacity to bring excitement and enthusiasm into the classroom. Phones and ipods can be used very creatively. Sitting at a computer doing drill and kill will not help.

Fri, Jul 3, 2009 Dallas McPheeters Tucson

The reform needs to come from within, not top-down. The top-down approach only ensures the power-hungry maintain control. The information superhighway should not fall under the control of a few or it will lose its inherent value. Education should be open source. Its the same old story: the Technofascists vs. the Technophobes http://www.techlearning.com/article/14726

Thu, Jul 2, 2009 CA

Joe: I wouldn't advise anyone to hold up business as a model for technological innovation. That's ... kind of scary.

Thu, Jul 2, 2009 joe

Chopra is being a realist in the way he stands behind technology and its classroom applications. There is no question over the use of technology in pedagogy. The question is, what will it take for this country to see, to really see, how important education is in general. Technology is going to be there. Is it going to be the best possible? Will it have the sort of support that businesses give themselves? Or will there continue to be a shortage of, well, everything when it comes to providing American children with a quality education. Its true, you can lead a horse to the computer but you can't make him email, but all are accountable for at least trying to make Chopra's "constant learning environment" more than lip service.

Thu, Jul 2, 2009 Joe

There is no question over the use of technology in pedagogy. The question is, what will it take for this country to see, to really see, how important education is in general. Technology is going to be there. Is it going to be the best possible? Will it have the sort of support that businesses give themselves? Or will there continue to be a shortage of, well, everything when it comes to providing American children with a quality education. Its true, you can lead a horse to the computer but you can't make him email, but all are accountable for at least trying to make Chopra's "constant learning environment" more than lip service.

Wed, Jul 1, 2009 Mary Minnesota

While I do agree that data and analytics are important for schools to make sound decisions, there is another side of technology that is equally important - access to technology resources in the classroom that help engage students and provide real world learning experiences - which nets you better student achievement in the first place. The Obama administration has cut the Enhancing Education Through Technology Program, which are the funds school districts rely on to provide students with enhanced learning and expanded educational opportunities. This is not new - the Bush administration did this for several years as well.

Wed, Jul 1, 2009 Virginia

Chief to educational reform is the elimination of politicians ability to interfere in the education profession.

I would be wiling to bet a year's salary that among the members of the Obama education staff, you cannot identify how many federally mandated educational reforms (within 10) are piled on top of one another.

Tue, Jun 30, 2009 A Peck UK

Enabling students to access their learning via an array of technologies will motivate and enthuse them. This is their world and the classroom should be representative of that. The sticking point will be how funding could be ring-fenced to ensure that teachers go on the journey too through appropriate and inspiring training programmes. Embedding technology as part of teaching pedagogies has proven in the UK, to be absolutely essential for it to have positive impact on attainment.

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