Learning Can be Everywhere, All the Time: Infrastructure in the National Education Technology Plan (NETP)

The National Education Technology Plan (NETP) is broken up into 5 sections: Learning, Teaching, Leadership, Assessment, and Infrastructure. Ultimately, when the pieces are put together, learning, teaching, and assessment enabled by technology require a robust infrastructure.  Key elements of this infrastructure include high-speed connectivity and devices that are available to teachers and students when they need them.  Aside from wires and devices, a comprehensive learning infrastructure includes digital learning content and other resources as well as professional development for educators and education leaders. Ultimately, by providing accessibility, resources and connectivity, learning is everywhere, all the time! Thus, I will continue to dive further into the section describing Infrastructure in the National Education Technology Plan.

Primarily, the goal of Infrastructure is for all students and educators to have access to a vigorous and inclusive organization when and where they need it for learning. Preparing students to be successful for the future requires a dynamic and flexible learning infrastructure capable of supporting new types of engagement and providing universal access to the technology tools that allow students to create, design, and explore. The essential components of an infrastructure capable of supporting transformational learning experiences include the following:

·      Ubiquitous Connectivity.  This suggests that there must be persistent access to high-speed Internet in and out of school. Students and teachers cannot take advantage of provided opportunities without consistent and reliable access to the Internet. Moreover, learning does not stop at the end of the school day, and access to digital learning resources should not either.  Educational leaders should work to ensure learners have access to connectivity and devices when they leave school, so that they can continue to stay engaged and connected to enhance their learning abilities beyond school hours. In addition, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched ConnectHome in 2015 to focus on bringing high-speed Internet to low-income communities so everyone can participate in our increasingly connected society.

·      Powerful Learning Devices.  This proposes that there must be access to mobile devices that connect learners and educators to the immense resources of the Internet and facilitate communication and collaboration.  Selecting appropriate devices depends on the age of the students, their individual learning needs, and the types of learning activities that will be going on in that particular classroom.  Many institutions have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or Bring Your Own Tech (BYOT) policy that permit students to use their own mobile devices at school.  However, concerns arise if schools use these policies with ensuring students have devices due to economic disparity, instructional burden, and privacy and security.

·      High-Quality Digital Learning Content.  This advises that there must be digital learning content and tools that can be used to design and deliver engaging and relevant learning experiences for students.  The ability to curate and share digital learning content is an important component of a robust infrastructure for learning.  One of the most effective ways to provide high-quality digital learning materials is through the use of openly licensed educational resources.  Openly licensed materials can be more accurate than traditional textbooks because they can be updated continually as content changes as well as allow teachers to exercise their own creativity and expertise by having the ability to alter learning materials to meet the needs of their students.

·      Responsible Use Policies (RUPs).  This recommends that there must be guidelines to safeguard students and ensure that the infrastructure is used to support learning.  An RUP is a written agreement among parents, students, and school personnel that outlines the terms of responsible use and consequences for misuse. Districts with Internet connectivity and device access should have policies in place to promote responsible use and protect student privacy.  Ultimately, schools must ensure that student data is maintained in secure systems that meet all applicable federal and state requirements concerning the protection of personally identifiable information.

This video overview provides a basic glance at the NETP with an example of how a school district is implementing the plan: 

Educational Technology Plan Overview