Vision+Statement

Our students live in a truly global society where the ability to see and communicate with someone halfway across the world through the click of a mouse elicits a mere shoulder shrug. Twenty years ago that same ability would have likely been greeted with a jaw dropped in awe. This connectedness has presented a new opportunity to those of us who are educators. No longer are we preparing students to just be part of the local workforce but instead to be “productive members of a globally competitive workforce” (NETP, 2010).

New challenges accompany the opportunities brought by a more connected global economy. To meet these challenges, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills advocates that in addition to core academic subject knowledge “students must also learn the essential skills for success in today’s world, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009). These skills tend to shift the learning focus from memorization of facts and concepts within a particular subject to analysis and application tasks that are interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary projects lend themselves to the use of technology and technology integration throughout. Projects that successfully integrate technology “allow students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like” (Edutopia, 2008).

Technology integration is not the use of technology for the technologies’ sake though. In many classrooms technology plays a bit part and is severely under-utilized. True integration is achieved when classroom members do not consciously think about using technology because the technology is just part of the learning process (Edutopia, 2007). It is not an easy task to get to that point but is something that educators should strive for. The success of our students in a rapidly interconnected world could depend on it.

Edutopia Staff. (2007). What Is Successful Technology Integration? Retrieved from []
 * References **

Edutopia Staff. (2008). Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many. Retrieved from []

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from []

U.S.Department of Education. (2010). National Education Technology Plan 2010 Executive Summary. Retrieved from []